Shoes mask weaknesses, barefoot highlights strengths
Do you remember the somewhat
spectacular toe crack? Well the path to hoof heaven is never a straight one and living in the UK makes it exceptionally wet and muddy too.
Mud and seedy toe can lead to abscess and so it did in this case. But every cloud has a silver lining .........
The foot abscessed during the very wet muddy spell we had mid winter and we were dealing with the consequences. The foot had gone somewhat backwards. The last 3 photos in this array are June 2011, the rest are May 2011.
And the warmest of thanks to the owner for letting me share these photos.
Oh and yes, the horse is sound and apparently rather 'forward going' - not bad for a girl in her 20's! :-)
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| Long toe scooting forwards |
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| Toe crack has extended |
NB semi circular solar split just above frog apex  |
| 'False' sole lifted from solar toe area |
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| Cleaned back to bars |
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| Note wall height now 'false' sole exfoliated. New sole is hard |
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| Oblique view of partial clean |
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| Cleaned and rolled |
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06 11 - Side view compare with 1st photo.
Note abscess hole |
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06 11 - Front view post trim, note reduction in toe crack,
compare with photo 2 |
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| 06 11 - Solar view post trim |
Regular readers may remember the interesting hoof that both
lost a quarter to an abscess and
deviated somewhat wildly to the medial side.
I didn't think that hoof could get much prettier than it was in September when I last posted about it. I was wrong.......
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| Abscessed and deviated in April - hoof as is today |
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| Abscessed and deviated in April - hoof as is today |
It will be interesting to see how the hoof copes with a reduced workload over the winter.
The attached horse lives very simply on the recommended barefoot diet and is out 24/7 on average UK type grass.
In April we looked at a
deviated hoof and how if you trimmed it just by looking at the outside you could end up resecting the hoof (a complete no no).
The hoof in question also had an extensive white line separation in one quarter, and some damage higher up in the same quarter, possibly from where an abcess had errupted from the coronary band.
The damaged hoof wall and white line separation have now 'connected' and the quarter has broken away. I thought you might like to see the extent of the damage - and to know that the horse is still sound. In fact she is increasingly 'perky'.
The pink lines broadly track where the upper portion of hoof wall is indicating it would like to go. We are still in the same position of not being able to remove the 'flare' as it is a deviation and to do so would mean cutting into the live foot.
This hoof is showing evidence of dietary issues, which the owner is seeking to address. Much easier to say than do when keeping a horse at grass in the UK.
I didn't know where to start with this post, nor how to write it without offending somebody. But the case is what it is. I'll post the pictures, along with notes and let you make your own mind up.
HEALTHY HOOVESThese are a couple of hooves which show what horse feet should look like. When we take care of our horses, these models are what we need to keep in mind.
These hooves belonged to a hard working, healthy, wild horse which regularly travelled 20+ miles a day over varied, rocky terrain.
A SICK HOOF
This hoof arrived wrapped in bandage, with two nails protruding from the bottom. There was blood coming from around the nail at the bottom of the picture.
With shoe and wedge pad removed. The material adhering to the sole is old shavings bedding.
With a basic clean up, it can be seen that the front of the hoof has been cut off.
The hoof is abcessed, the heels are very high and contracted. The sole is deeply compacted and the frog has almost disappeared.
Compare these photos with the healthy hooves.
A competent
AANHCP trim will work towards keeping the foot in line with the healthy model.
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