Posted by Vicki on April 30, 2004 at 15:24:12:
In Reply to: Re: Uniforme Sole Thickness posted by Patty Stiller on January 23, 2003 at 12:28:43:
: : Ive been studying with Mike Savoldi at Cal Poly Pomona for the last few years learning his method of triming and shoing, which he terms as "Uniform Sole Thickness" It has helped me with all kinds of pathologies including laminitis, quarter cracks, founder, club footed tendancies, you name it. I wouldnt call it a cure all. It dosent seem to have any flaws. Its basicly looking at the hoof to make sure that the cofin bone joint and other joints are all horizontaly planed. I havent found any horses that couldnt be helped by implenenting the Uniform Sole Thickness trim. It works on mules and horses. Working with Mike involved a lot of physiology and anatomy to understand what I was looking at. I recently worked with a stallion that 12 weeks ago became mysteriously lame it wasnt cool at the time. He couldnt hardly walk. After the shoeing he was sound and back in the reining pen. I though it might have been an absess. It turns out after this last shoeing that he was lamanitic and went through quite an ordeal, stayed sound and no rotation, the vet says it was the trim, we just put wide web shoes on no pads or support. I feel prety good about it.
: I know about Mike's hard work, and it is nice that it supports the concept of 'trimming to the live sole plane' that is so common sense and which other folks have been promoting for many years.
: If you think about it,where does a bare foot always
: chip/wear down to all around the foot, effectively balancing the foot specific to it's own conformation and to load the entire sole? It wears to the sole. Even bare feet in in soft ground where the wall gets a bit long, that excess wall sinks into the soft ground so the foot is still effectively balanced and loaded to the sole plane.
: Gee what a concept....
: Then the question comes up, why on earth do some farriers still think they need to use use hoof guages, try to eyeball the foot sighting down the leg or from the side,leave the heels untrimmed and/or trim through the sole at the toe to "stand the hoof up more" etc when the foot is the greatest blueprint there is, and is so easy to read? I dunno.
: And tell Mike how happy I am he has done that sole plane research as it is an important piece of work for those besides him who have been (for many years) promoting the importance of using the sole plane. Maybe if the naysayers of natural principles won't listen to the other researchers,they might at least listen to Mike.
: The horses will benefit no matter who it comes from.
: Patty
4/30/04:
Hello,
Please explain "trimming" to the live sole plane. Does that mean, to trim the hoof wall only to the level of where the sole ends and not to trim the sole?? I purchased a 15 year old gelding last July (almost 1 year ago)... He became lame, 5 weeks after I purchased him, and was mostly lame )(on front feet) ever since... Took him to a veterinary clinic who diagnosed him with thin soles, and a slightly rotated coffin bone on the left front, results from a previous founder.. Hind feet are fine. The vet injected his front pasterns, and recommended natural balance shoes with pads and impression material and these supplements: biotin, daily vitamin supplement, glucosamine-chondroitin, isoxuprine and MSM. She recommended shoeing him often (4 to five weeks). I researched on my own and began applying Keratex to his hoof and (and to the sole, for a 4 week period when I let him go barefoot, and used Old Mac shoes on him while riding). After all that, he was doing much better.. Seemed to be sound, for a 5 week period in March & April... Then, my farrier shod him on April 14.. I forgot to remind my farrier of his thin soles, and to leave them alone as much as possible... Before I knew it, my horse reared.. The farrier had been carving on his soles, next to the frog, and and had cut so deep that the blood was flowing.. I have been heartsick ever since.. This could have been so easily avoided.. He's lame, again, of course. He has improved, so that he trots and lopes when turned out... But, is still lame when I try to ride him.. His soles look flat, in comparison to our other horses' concave soles.. I suppose the farrier was trying to "concave" out my poor horses soles...
I wonder if "trimming to the live sole plain" would benefit my horse... If yes, I need to learn what it means so that I can try to inform my farrier...
Are there any farriers out there, in Southern Indiana that are experienced with problem horses and that are accepting new clients?
Thank you,
Vicki (vickiw@dmrtc.net)