Fancyhorse asked:
How long do you think he will need the turn out? When do you suggest we start to work on trimming his feet again? How much does the hoof need to grow out and would you recomend glue on shoes in the future?
First, you are welcome. I'm glad to help. To answer your questions, let me say:
take one day at a time. One of the reasons BARBARO is suffering is because his lack of weigh bearing movement evenly distributed on all limbs has corrupted the circulation to the one of his hooves. I think it is the injured leg. Don't let that happen to your horse. Let this horse move as best as he can. Unfortunately, for BARBARO, he doesn't have that luxury. If your horse is not moving, his problem will only get worse with stall rest. Forget the shoes, even glue on. Boots are the best direction to take. They give complete support at the sole, along the hoof wall, and gives connection and support at the pastern. Remember, the laminae is diseased and separated from the hoof wall. How much will be hard to tell. Measure the good hoof to size the boot. Of course, the good hoof will be larger than the narrower stubby club, so when you put them on him, you'll have to use spacers, best made of foam or some soft poly material to keep it in place on the club foot. Forget the trimming for now. If you lift his other feet to trim them, he has to put weight on his club foot, thus causing pain and possible injury. Your main objective is to allow the hoof wall and sole to grow and stabilize. My experience is the good front hoof will flair and look enormous compared to the club. It can be corrected later. You are looking at many months of patience. I really didn't get Early Start moving at the trot until a year had passed. There are going to be set backs. One day at a time. PM me and I'll give you my telephone #if you need a more precise explanation of what to do. It doesn't hurt to work with a good vet. I'm not a vet and when it comes to pain meds and dealing with the stress factors of recovery, a good vet is always welcome. I'm a very lucky horseman. The two Vets I use are both experienced track vets. They've seen it all. A great many barn call vets as I call them don't see many of the injuries and stresses a racehorse or sport horse endures. Good luck.
cewright posted:
Instead we found a new farrier who tried an aggressive approach which included dropping the heels to better align the sole with the coffin bone.
This is a good point that you make. A good farrier will know when to begin trimming the heel to reduce the angle. In this case, I think allowing the sole to grow and gain depth between the tip of the coffin bone and the ground is the first step. I'm no longer a proponent of nail on shoes, but in your case the shoe elevated the sole which is same thing the boots do. After 30 plus years, I realize in the case of injured hooves that putting nails in to the wall is tantamount to adding injury on top of injury. Boots are certainly a luxury in todays equine world. What I like about them is the flexibility they give. They come off easily. They are easy to clean. Bandages and soaking pads can be inserted and they give very good protection to the entire hoof when a horse is turned out. As you point out, there are many approaches to treating this disease. It sounds to me like both you and your farrier were on top of things and I applaud your results.
