High Heels are not a good thing

High Heeled Shuffle

This horse had been lame on/off for two years.  The list of issues
was lengthy.  Movement resembled an old man with a Zimmer frame.

Compare the heel height in photo 1 with the good foot in photo 2.  You can see the likely consequences for the pedal bone of the hoof in photo 1, even without an x-ray.

The high heel was added to with a further wedge. Note the event lines and rasped out toe.

1 Compare the heel height with that of the photo 2 below

2 Dissection of an excellent hoof, note hairline at heel

3 Heel is the narrowest point of foot.  (incorrect)

4 Sheared and contracted heel, note excessive

 heel height

The shuffling horse became something of a tank on overdrive when shoes were removed.  Ridden work commenced earlier than usual in the rehab process because the horse was so strong in hand.

The photos below are just 7 weeks post de-shoe - change can happen fast in the right circumstances.  The owner has worked hard to achieve this. 

5 Same foot, seven weeks post deshoe, note

decontraction already happening

3 months post de-shoe and the horse is moving really well. Thrush is still an issue - it had got so deep into the foot under the pads and up into the sheared heel.  But it is getting better.  Horse jumped out of his field a time or two, so obviously feeling well.  Congratulations to the owner for seeing this through and sticking with him.

6 No longer shuffling, hacking out several times a week

and jumping out of field (boots are overreach not hoof)

And the good news is

We have another horse come sound.

As alway no names no finger pointing, just the facts as related to me, so we can all learn and hopefully more horses can lead healthy, productive iron free lives.

So scenario is:

Young, unbroken, furry
Acute lameness, one fore with heat
Diagnosis unclear, but vet and other equine professional advice was to shoe

Carer sought third opinion from an AANHCP member, who (to cut long story short) advised a diet change.

I was called for a visual consult.

Solar before

Heel before

Solar after

This horse was not horribly trimmed, in fact it was by far one of the better 'pasture' trims I have seen.  The heels were not staggeringly high and had a reasonable balance.  But the horse at this point was still lame.

The carer and I talked things through and the carer requested a trim.

One of the things you will notice in the 'before' solar and heel shots is the stretch in the white line.  Not the worst but not 'tight' either.  Once the crud was removed there was evidence of blood in the white line of the sore foot.  So the previous advice to amend the diet was right on the nail (no pun intended).


The trim was completed in accordance with the AANHCP guidelines and future diet and exercise were discussed.

Both I and the owner were delighted when the horse came sound.  And from the feedback I have received he is continuing to be sound over a variety of quite challenging surfaces including the dreaded limestone chippings.

It's the apparently small things that make all the difference - tweak the diet, get a proper roll, keep the heels where they should be.  And none of these cost a fortune.

Ballerina feet - minis go en pointe

Even the little guys need good foot care.  But the trouble is if you have a mini it can be hard to find.  I don't know why, but many foot care specialists can't be bothered with them.  Personally I love the little guys, even when they like to blunt their teeth on my backside :-)

Side before

Side after

Heels before

Solar before

Solar after

This mini had 'classic' traditionally trimmed feet - something I see on horses of all sizes - so you could argue he had been treated just the same (unfortunately). Much longer headed in this direction and he would have been in danger of knuckling over.

We lowered the heels and rolled the tiniest walls ever. Took a bit of finesse but the little guy walked off better afterwards.

Contracted hoof, high heels, compacted sole

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 HOOVES
These 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.

The heel was raised with a wedge pad, held on with an egg bar shoe.

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.