OK for those that haven't figured out who I am. Yes I come from Australia. My partner in crime is Mal Nicholson (AussieMal). He is by far the best farrier around here and that's not just my bias I wouldn't let any of those other Yops around here touch my horses(except maybe his ex-apprentice) and its all y'alls fault for showing me what a balanced foot looks like. If you bother to have a scan through the album I linked (first page) you will see we have tried many things. Over time his feeet have undergone some dramatic changes, for good and bad. He has been happy in the boots for some considerable time and happy is what I want. Only in the last few months has moisture become a problem, for many months the foot stayed nice and dry. I have no idea what may have changed but have discovered a little MC in the foot keeps the nasties at bay. However I do think we now need to come up with an alternative. Glue may be our answer but I'm guessing with how low the heels are that a wedge may be needed. The boots went on after a serious bout with enteritis. When you put something on and horse sighs in relief it is a good thing. I trim them regularly and Mal checks them. Travis a boot is just another tool, like all things with this type of problem you just goota change things now and then.
Use Superfast to apply the shoe; you can use it to build the wedge. Boots can be a good thing. Temporarily.
Jack, Really, you want to go there? It's about time you and i have a pissing contest that i will win again
Susan I really do think Eric is on to what the issue is or could be... Susan how you guys will work in a wedge could be many ways.. if it where my case I would try the sigafoo cuff with the Morrison roller ..I would tap for a hospital plate as well.. I would try to pack under plate with impression material..if the horse can take that..if not you have the option of removeing the plate.. they is many was to work in the needed effect that's just one way of trying something..
Well Jac M O, your right! "I don't know why the horse, Sam, is lame". But there is enough bony changes within the hoof capsule that even you; "the king of angles", won't be able address. BTW, you still riding that "ass" in your avatar?
Susan, I think you and Mal should take Jack up on his offer. He does seem to know some stuff, and it sounds like you've exhausted a good many other options. Be sure to take lots of pictures of him and his work, so that we may all benefit. Regards
When the lateral was taken, it looks like he was on a block of wood, if the vet only has the foot that is being x-rayed on the block then the proximal inter phalangeal joint always looks very broken back. Yep you can see what looks like a bone cyst on the right Nav bone. He is as we say round here a wrong un!! The trimming and shoeing in the photo bucket looks great. The only thing I would say in these X-rays is the toe needs backing up. You think you have gone far enough and done it right but the X-rays will tell you for sure. Nothing needs a ten degree lift except the worst counter rotated and yours is between 0.5 and 1 deg positive on the right and between 0.5 and 1deg counter rotated on the left. Looking at the perepheal surface of p3 there is some bone absorption, either from pedalostitis or chronic laminitic, my money being on the latter. but I might be wrong.
Thankyou all. Travis I like that idea, we'll certainly talk that over. I think there might even be a set of morrison rollers in the truck, though not with the sigafoos cuff. David he was standing with both feet on blocks. Those are a little old now and I'm considering the effort it takes to drag him down to the vets and get more. Unless they actually buy the portable machine they've been talking about. Its interesting what you say about laminitis. Dr Meyers mentioned that once and I do know to much grass or to good a hay will make him foot sore. He will stand down hill and points his toes at times to. Mal says thanks for the compliment on the shoeing.
I disagree. When you take into account the heels and bulbs both collapsing you need a good amount of wedge to transfer enough weight off of them so they can regenerate.
I look at these and see things that should be obvious looking at the foot. The camera hides nothing! I'm sorry but I didn't trim them, had just enough energy to scrape them off and click the pics before the battery died. Looks likie enough growth though to get a little toe off, particularly that white one. Is the jamming my trimming or the to soft feet and collapsed heels or both? Here they are warts and all!
Eric you might be right. But for a different reason, If you look at the Hpa of the front right its quite upright, Unnaturally, It is possible that angle occurred in the developmental stage. In the lateral pic of the front right the toe height and heel height doesnt look to bad, toe needs to come back but ratio wise looks ok, and in my experience for the pedal bone to counter rotate the heel is never on the floor. (needs a hole to fall into). We cant ignore all the reasons this horse could be lame with, but do they all stem from an issue with the foal in a developmental stage? If if had a Superficial Flexor Tendon contracture then it would of left it with that HPA and broken back proximal phalangeal joint. Treatment raise the heels 10degrees You would be suprised how often development issues cause us to scratch our heads for a treatment rationale. b But I might be wrong.
Do not wedge those Feet . The horse has been over heated at some stage (metabolic disturbance) . Sole is dropped.The worst thing you can do when that happens to a horse is to cut the run forward heels down to low .With a stooped belief that the heels are the entirety of the problem & will miraculously start growing straight if trimmed excessively low . "They wont & only get worse". The heels will grow in accordance to the bulbs. cutting them down low does not change the bulbs.It puts them under more stress & they fatten more. Lack of blood flow & enrichment due to flattening slows growth of horn at the heel area. The hoof has to be attended to as a whole. The cause of the heels running forward being the change in the sole . It having a domino effect. That being the sole dropping creates more area mass .The horn has to then adjust . The toe runs forward with the heels following then the bulbs flatten. How to fix this horse ? by working on the sole & toe & leaving the heels the hell alone. What is the best course of action at this stage. Put a plain flat or concave shoe on & paint the sole with Stockholm tar. Why the Stockholm tar. It will go to work on the cell structure of the sole . Causing the sole to ex-foliate at a later date & Then the sole & toe can be reduced. Not only will the heels & bulbs improve when this takes place. But the fleshy internals of the hoof will also improve . All will be a waste of time though if What has caused Metabolic disturbance is not addressed. I will up load two photo so you get the gist .
Rubbish .You just make matters worse. The heels grow from the bulb. What ever angle the bulb is at that is the angle the heels will grow. if you wedge with out reducing the sole & toe then the pastern simply lays back more creating more pressure not less. A plain shoe is all that is needed to keep the bulb from interference with the ground on a firm'ish surface.
Jac you say if raise without reducing the toe it put more pressure..what if ya reduce toe and raise heels..why would one raise heels without reduce toes..
Because you can't reduce the toe properly with out reducing the sole. If you wedge a horse with run forward heels your going to have to keep wedging it & you will end up having to add a thicker wedge as time goes on. Wedges & degree race plates aren't about fixing heels; never have been . There used to keep the horse from getting down on his bumpers (bulbs & fetlock joints) so he wont sore up during the race. They never ever fix run forward heels. In fact the heels get worse. But when there is money involved & a short span of time for that horse to make that money for the Owner & Trainer. Then the only interest they have is keeping it racing till it ether don't look like wining or it breaks down; which ever comes first. What happens to that horse or how run forward & shagged out its heels end up is not their concern. Their on to the next horse & focusing on how much money their new horse can make them . The run forward heels in most cases being caused by a dropped sole. From the horse being given pre work steroids feed to much grain & what ever else they can pump in to it to get it over the line first .
