Posted by Rick Burten on April 22, 2001 at 19:12:08:
In Reply to: Re: WLD;ML Imbalance; Fungal Breech; Photos posted by Patty Stiller on April 22, 2001 at 12:48:12:
: : Hey All-
: : Well, as usual, you all came through. I'll be as honest as I can and tell you what else I know about some of the issues you raised.
: : Yes, the "slight red tinge" is blood. Like I said, none of this showed up in the prior shoeing and in my searching for the healthy area, I skimmed him a tad with the outside loop curve.
: : Of course, after seeing the advance stage of this insult, a patch was off the table.
: : In addressing the balance of the hoof, I must add that the horse's conformation is such that if trimmed lower, he will be much more broken back than he is already. His medial/lateral balance comes from an angular pastern deformity that does not allow his hoof to land properly and incorrectly loads the medial side of the hoof... and it sores him.
: : Just for the sake of information, his hoof angle regularly falls in the 44º-46º range with an obvious broken back condition. To elevate him to fit his conformation would take....?
: : I will however, pass all of your ideas (varied as they are) to the owner to show the wide range of opinions in dealing with this issue.
: : Funny how this all fits in to a "new" word I learned this week... "respect". It comes for a latin root that means "to look at again or with new perspective" with an open mind. As we take the time to 'relook' an issue, we gain respect for it. It's when we refuse to be willing to take another look and keep our minds closed that we lose our respect.
: : Please remember my thanks to you all,
: : Scott
: : shoesofiron@cs.com
: Scott, thank you for the kind words to everyone. As to the broken back angle, you could simply add a bar wedge pad to the shoeing after the heels are trimmed back to the sole plane.The bar wedge can go right under a flat heart bar, or a straight bar. That would leave the majority of the sole open to the air. When I use a bar wedge. either with a bar shoe or alone on a regular shoe I add some impression material just under the portion of the pad that goes over the rear of the frog. That will keep debris out of the rear of the commissures and add needed frog support. Just another idea to toss in the mix for your choices. Patty
Alternatively, if you are handy with oxyceteline welding of aluminum, or have a TIG welder, you can use an aluminum wedged heel egg bar and weld in a heart bar(GE makes the products). I too would still add a bit of support material under the prothesis back in the heel area. And remember, if that client(or any other) calls you later on and tells you that the horse has lost, cast, thrown, etc the shoe, just reply(and this is not my phrase but one I heard elsewhere) : "No mam/sir. Your horse did not throw, cast, lose a shoe, he/she rejected his/her prosthesis". (Try to do this while keeping a straight face-- it is a good exercise in self-control. 8-) )
Rick