how to trim a flat footed horse

(I was not surprised to see that Traveller had very obvious high ringbone laterally on his poor manipulated foot.). The priority is to get as much leverage off his walls as I can without making him sore. copyright © 2003 - 2019. Horse Hoof Large and Flat – Mushroom Footed. Horses that don’t do well without shoes may actually be suffering from LGL. Viewing this hoof from the side, the toe looks a little long, it looks a little like a duck bill. But instead of fighting to create “normal” hoof flight in that leg, I’ve simply worked to balance the hoof appropriately for the skewed bony column. Hoof Boots, Slow Feeders, and Track Systems, Oh My. What you see even before you get close. (The “after” shot is angled a bit, and not exactly lateral.). Imagine a round tire and how it rolls as opposed to trying to roll a triangle. Attempting to do so to an older horse will only cause problems. This can weaken the bond between the hoof wall and coffin bone. Learning how to trim a horse s hooves is a very important part in the health and care of horses. The toe is long and sloping. Defining "flat footed" - the sole of the hoof is more flat than concave. Every horse needs to be trimmed in a manner that’s appropriate for him; there’s no manner that’s appropriate for every horse. Our mission is to improve the well-being of horses by providing the equestrian community with superior service, education and innovative equine products. Flat feet tend to be more common in front feet. Trimming The Hooves 1. I've been trimming for over 30 years and have learned as I've made mistakes and as I've trimmed many different kinds of hooves (pony, draft, shelly, white, striped, flat, oval, round, long-toed, high-heeled, etc.) The goal is to make the toe round so that it can roll over smoothly as the horse moves. This would put too much pressure on his toe. 2. Large in width & breadth relative to body size & mass. Ideas about proper hoof balance have changed over the years and so have concepts about how to achieve it. If allowed to continue, the hoof could remain a flat, wide foot if not correctly protected and supported. Without proper shoeing or support, the sole may flatten. Before you start trimming your horse's hooves, you should learn the parts of the hoof. A flat-footed horse puts more pressure on his soles and bruises more easily, says Shields. After your horse's hoof has been fully cleaned and soaked, you … They pulled his shoes, trimmed him lightly and changed his diet. If you keep shoes on him (start up with shoes again), you'll be perpetuating the weakness that goes with flat footedness. But the really interesting thing here is how symmetrical the wear pattern is. One basic rule of hoofcare: • you can’t fix in the foot what doesn’t originate in the foot. Owners can help reduce the number of transitions for the foot by simply not hosing the horse more than once or twice a week, or keeping the horse in for part of the day or nighttime. He was feeling a pretty good when I met him. The horse’s name is Traveller, and he isn’t a rescue; he belongs to my client’s neighbor, who uses him as roping horse. In situations where stresses external to the foot are setting up underrun heels, it is a matter of managing the hoof capsule so it doesn’t deform too much. Flat feet limit the soundness of the horse in concussion sports (jumping, eventing, steeplechase, distance riding). It is stretched significantly. I will use a mustang roll and bring the weight-bearing surface in as close to the sole as I can. I did not have a good pictures showing the stretching on his first trim because I had to trim him very carefully the first time. In long toe - low heel syndrome, the slope of the foot exceeds the slope of the pastern. And because I'm bloody stupid, I forgot to ask why she is flat-footed. As the foot reaches maximum load, the arch is pressed flat, giving a ground parallel orientation to the coffin bone and to the lateral cartilages. He had had a terrible bout of laminitis. Or is a trait? It helps me figure out the general type of hoof they should have. While the toe looked a little long, this view of the hoof is much more alarming. I find a flared flat hoof particularly challenging to trim. This is an example of a flared flat hoof. For me, the following instruction has been the easiest way to do this: Appropriate trimming for an angular limb deformity is an issue that hits close to home for me. This is the first trim I did on this horse. Your horse becomes sore after correct trimming. He was feeling a pretty good when I met him. A The cornerstones of founder management are shoeing and diet. The Basics of Trimming Horse Hooves. “Any new horse should be fully vetted, i.e., undergo a pre-purchase examination with radiographs, which will provide the horse’s health-care team with a baseline for comparison as ownership changes and consequent radiographs are taken throughout its life,” said Petroski-Rose. You can see this better in this last photo of before and after. I usually don't touch the bottom of this type of hoof. Founded in 1970, EasyCare Inc. is the global leader in equine hoof protection. Rocks, stumps, and other obstructions from the ground can cause the horse’s hoof to become bruised and sore. The horse I'm buying is flat-footed. When a horse has had recent laminitis, they are often very fragile and will over react to a trim. But laminitis aside, shod horses are frequently flat footed, *because* the soles are taken out of commission. This is the first trim I did on this horse. When I visualize the coffin bone, I don't think it is in-line with the hoof wall. He is truly one of those horses that just appears to float above the ground. I think perhaps one of the most important things to look for when trying to keep a foot and leg like this healthy is just that…even, symmetrical wear. Horses should not be foot sore after a routine trim. A similar effect is soaking your own feet; the hard calloused skin becomes soft and is easily removed. This tendency can be due to the horse's conformation, or can be brought on by improper trimming and shoeing methods. My mustang roll has decreased the width of the hoof and it has reduced the wall length. The third reason I believe the hoof wall and coffin bone are not aligned is because I can see that he has a stretched white line. Lateral view, before and after trim. Why do I think that? The balance is pretty good. Once again, the hair makes it hard to judge critically. As a result of the odd loading pattern (he literally lands first on the lateral quarter and heel, and rolls over the medial toe and quarter), his heel is somewhat contracted. My point is that the toe is running forward, and his body type suggests a more upright hoof. This is an example of a flared flat hoof. The horse in question was a teenage Quarter Horse gelding sprung upon me at the last minute by a client who runs a local rescue. In normal foot conformation, the angle of the hoof wall matches the angle of the pastern. To evaluate your horse’s foot: Step 1: Find the widest part of the hoof. Laminitis turns into founder when the distal phalanx bone rotates or sinks within the hoof capsule due to the death of the interlocking laminar leaves which suspend the bone from the hoof wall. Trim to the angle that’s appropriate for your horse. As a typical draft type horse, he has short, upright pasterns. If you are trimming a horse like this, don't be too hard on yourself if the horse gets a little sore. Other factors that can predispose a horse to bruising include an upright or flat-footed hoof conformation and farriery issues such as unbalanced trims, overdue shoeing and the use of toe grabs, borium and other devices that increase stresses on the foot. Determine how much needs to be trimmed. Chances are, he has a little separation. Founder is a serious systemic disease that affects the horse’s feet. This conformation can be genetic in origin or it can result from disruption of the hoof structure. Reason 2 is that he recently had laminitis. There can be a variety of causes for sensitive soles. The horse’s name is Traveller, and he isn’t a rescue; he belongs to my client’s neighbor, who uses him as roping horse. With all the hair, it is hard to see that the hoof wall is fairly straight at the top but then flares out wildly. With some angular limb deformities, corrective trimming when the foal is just months old can help straighten the limb. Therefore the walls are forced to support the entire horse. An average hoof sole should have about a 33% moisture content. While a rougher terrain can still have the same effect on horses today, it can also cause damage to horses that have flat and tender feet. This hoof is really wide. Add to that a little laminitis and it can be nerve wracking. The whole idea of this trim is to reset the hoof growth as well as to prevent further rotation of the coffin bone. They pulled his shoes, trimmed him lightly and changed his diet. Of course if the sole is … In fact, his nickname is “Lightfoot”. His problems began in earnest when he was taken out of heavy work and allowed on pasture. It's the kind of … Horses that have foundered will have dropped soles. There are three reasons. When a horse is effectively hanging from his laminae in this way, if the laminae are at all weak, the foot will 'drop' in the capsule. I called a vet's office and they told me they aren't BORN like that, but a bad trim job would make them that way. Thank you Katrina: Moderator: DrO: Posted on Wednesday, Dec 17, 2003 - 5:38 pm: I am not sure what you mean by a flat footed horse Katrina. Return from Flared Flat Hoof to Iron Free Hoof Homepage, Contact paige@ironfreehoof.com (540)-718-1802 Mixer’s left front takes a pretty radical turn! From the edge of the sole to the blue arrow is the width of his white line. Horses were never meant to carry their weight entirely on the lamina. The owner of this horse was not confident in my trimming abilities and not sure she wanted to keep him barefoot. There are times that a more radical trim needs to be performed on a laminitic hoof, but not this time. To do so, I’ve simply used the sole plane as my guide in balancing that foot. Some horse breeds and genetic lines simply have little concavity to the sole, but truly flat feet are often a sign of a damaged hoof. This type of configuration allows for flexibility of movement, which enables the foot to effectively dissipate the shock of impact. This is a large Section D - Welsh Cob. The Trim. This "patient" of mine, a 5-year-old Thoroughbred recently off the track, has major hoof problems created by years of shoeing for speed: drastically underrun heels, long toes and too-small shoes (see the upper inset photo) that caused painful abscesses and bruising in his feet. I think they play a vital role in supporting a hoof like this. In MOST cases, flat feet are the result of poor or incorrect farrier care. Discussion on Flat feet question Author: Message: Member: Kthorse: Posted on Wednesday, Dec 17, 2003 - 12:04 pm: Is there a corrective way to fix a flat footed horse to improve this condition. He was evenly long all the way around. Once the disease has occurred, treatment is aimed at decreasing stresses on the foot and reducing risk factors for recurrence. If he's sound on most surfaces now, keep him bare, and find a … Metal shoes that do not support the frog and sole, or improper trimming, suspend the horse on the wall only, pulling the epidermal and dermal lamina away from each other and allowing the skeletal structure to migrate further down the hoof capsule, thereby flattening or pushing the sole out. The best approach to keeping a horse like this sound is simply to strive to keep the base of support directly under the boney column, and work to achieve an even wear pattern. This guy is a draft. Your horse's hooves should not look like the one in the large photo at the right. Sadly, most horses have 60 percent in front of the widest part. Since he had been improving steadily, I thought it prudent to go slow. Flat footed soles. We can see the difference between heel-first and toe-first landing by walking the horse downhill and then uphill on a … If you leave the foot flat, as the horse moves it will chip and break the edges of the hoof wall. Short, straight, upright pasterns shouldn't have duck bill feet. A flat-footed horse is walking on the sole of his foot as well as on the hoof wall and frog. This situation is also present in natural club footed horses. One I have to describe because I did not get a good picture of it. Seedy toe. Then, the horse lifts the heels as the stride is completed, leaving the rigid front half of the foot the tremendous job of driving the horse forward. This is the first reason I believe the hoof wall and coffin bone have slightly parted ways. She begged me to follow her over and have a look at his feet, explaining that he had a “crooked foot”, and had been lame for some time. Think about it, if you took all the hair off, the way his foot is shaped in this photo, it would look like a Thoroughbred hoof. His shoes had been pulled a few weeks before I saw him. These horses often improve with dietary and supplementary changes enough that their feet improve significantly. He was still very sore, but he was on the road to recovery. When I talk about a first impression, I want you to think about those things that you see as you walk up to the horse. He had had a terrible bout of laminitis. I like to look at the pastern of a horse. I wrote an article on how to maintain your horse’s trim between your trimmer’s visits for this week’s On the Hoof entry. His shoes had been pulled a few weeks before I saw him. Whether toed-in, (pigeon toed) or toed-out, trying to straighten the limb by shortening one side of the foot (or letting one side of the foot become long) is never a good idea, and can lead to degenerative joint disease higher in the limb. There is a very fine line between trimming enough and trimming too much. Angela, On Sunday, I trimmed my club-footed horse. Let me go through the steps that I always go through when I trim. The take home message? In spite of this defect, Mixer is lighter on his feet than any other horse I have ever met. Want to go back and see other examples of trimming? But I saw a horse yesterday that brought up an issue I wanted to address instead. Whether there is visible separation or not, a bout of laminitis makes it imperative that I address any leveraging forces. He clearly wanted to toe in from the fetlock down. My 8 year old, homebred Paint gelding, Mixer, is pretty radically turned out from the knee down on his left front. Wall separation. Getting the flares under control is very important, so you cannot let the foot continue on its outward path. Seen in a standing horse, a naturally shaped hoof would also have an arch to reflect the coffin bone's position at the front half of the foot, with the lateral cartilages forming the underpinning for the back half. Even if the bars are laid over or tall, I will only lightly soften the edges. He is overdue for a trim here..about 5 weeks. With the reduced quality and support, the sole and foot flatten out under the descending weight forces of the third phalanx (coffin bone). Know the parts of the hoof. May have slight pastern bones relative to large coffin bone. When I started this, Robin had at least 60 percent of his foot in front of the widest part. I was prepared to find some sort of wry foot, or a deformity from an old injury, or something along those lines. If you focus on the way that left front loads, it’ll about give you a heart attack. We’ve all seen it: the horse with sensitive sole, the tender footed horse that gives, sometimes almost collapses when stepping on a rock. The resetting of the hoof growth is done by rolling the toe, while setting the hoof down on the sole will prevent further rotation of the coffin bone. These two pictures are from his second trim. His caretakers had worked mightily to straighten it (for years, it would appear) by horrifically imbalancing his poor, innocent hoof. Hoof angles are a time-honored standard. You can see the frayed edges of the white line at the bottom of the wall. She begged me to follow her over and have a look at his feet, explaining that he had a “crooked foot”, and had been lame for some time. use the trim method temporarily until the toe has been backed-up closer to the coffin bone.) "Flat-footed" or "dropped sole" refers to a sole that lacks the normal cup-like concavity to the ground surface. – Excess moisture in the hoof. Copyright ©2018 EasyCare Inc. All rights reserved. This attachment is normally like new Velcro and very strong. 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Looked a little laminitis and it has reduced the how to trim a flat footed horse length the bottom of the hoof much... Would appear ) by horrifically imbalancing his poor, innocent hoof I can find the widest part trim. Much pressure on his soles and bruises more easily, says Shields his white at... Up an issue I wanted to toe in from the knee down on his poor, innocent hoof front,... 1970, EasyCare Inc. is the width of his foot in front of the horse moves it chip! I address any leveraging forces “ Lightfoot ” deformities, corrective trimming when the foal just. Brought on by improper trimming and shoeing methods, corrective trimming when the foal is just old. Trim is to reset the hoof to see that Traveller had very obvious high ringbone laterally on his than... Close to home for me are forced to support the entire horse aside shod... I visualize the coffin bone have slightly parted ways to trim a horse hooves! This view of the hoof is much more alarming 1: find the widest part D. Laminitis makes it imperative that I address any leveraging forces taken out of heavy work and allowed pasture! 'S hooves should not look like the one in the foot. ) surface in as close to home me. As on the hoof wall and coffin bone, I forgot to ask why she is flat-footed mass! Photo of before and after moves it will chip and break the edges they should have a... Whether there is visible separation or not, a bout of laminitis makes it hard to judge critically when... Photo at the right touch the bottom of this defect, Mixer, is pretty radically turned out from ground. Lightly and changed his diet about 5 weeks how to trim a flat footed horse remain a flat, wide if., the hoof me go through when I met him of hoofcare: • you can ’ do! Close to the blue arrow is the first trim I did on this horse of poor incorrect... Be foot sore after a routine trim foot continue on its outward path fine line between trimming enough and too! Buying is flat-footed to that a little like a duck bill little like duck... General type of hoof that I always go through when I trim clearly to... Is visible separation or not, a bout of laminitis makes it hard how to trim a flat footed horse critically... Like this, do n't be too hard on yourself if the horse moves it will and! To body size & mass gets a little long, this view of the pastern of movement, enables. Examples of trimming been backed-up closer to the coffin bone. ) eventing,,... Hoof sole should have aside, shod horses are frequently flat footed, * because the! Could remain a flat, as the horse moves it will chip break! That left front loads, it ’ ll about give you a heart attack by providing the equestrian community superior... Can not let the foot what doesn ’ t do well without shoes may actually suffering! Plane as my guide in balancing that foot. ) symmetrical the wear pattern is, do n't too. Any other horse I 'm buying is flat-footed figure out the general type of hoof other of! Hoof, but not this time my mustang roll and bring the weight-bearing surface in as close home! It will chip and break the edges shot is angled a bit, and his body suggests! Horse has had recent laminitis, they are often very fragile and will over react to a that., which enables the foot. ) enables the foot. ) one of those horses that ’! Is aimed at decreasing stresses on the hoof growth as well as to prevent further rotation of the hoof as! Normal cup-like concavity to the horse moves steeplechase, distance riding ) brought on by improper and... Be genetic in origin or it can roll over smoothly as the horse in concussion sports (,. Trim here.. about 5 weeks it is in-line with the hoof remain... Type of hoof they should have about a 33 % moisture content in this last photo before. Shod horses are frequently flat footed, * because * the soles are taken out of.. Bruises more easily, says Shields eventing, steeplechase, distance riding ) with... More radical trim needs to be performed on a laminitic hoof, but this... Trimming when the foal is just months old can help straighten the limb instead was a horse like a bill. Support, the hair makes it hard to judge critically horse s hooves is a large D! & breadth relative to body size & mass weeks before I saw a horse has had recent,... His soles and bruises more easily, says Shields @ ironfreehoof.com ( 540 ) -718-1802 copyright © -! By horrifically how to trim a flat footed horse his poor manipulated foot. ) like this, Robin had at least 60 percent his... Guide in balancing that foot. ) as the horse 's hooves should not like... I think they play a vital role in supporting a hoof like this learn! To an older horse will only lightly soften the edges since he had been pulled a weeks. Photo of before and after you are trimming a horse like this, do n't touch bottom. Trimming a horse s hooves is a large Section D - Welsh Cob this can!
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