Posted by Patty Stiller on September 27, 2003 at 21:31:42:
In Reply to: new climate = too much sole?? posted by Kristine on September 24, 2003 at 17:16:01:
: I recently moved from a very dry climate with hard, rocky ground to a climate with very soft, wet ground (not mud, just very wet spongy grass pasture) in Washington. Both my mares always had near-perfect feet; very hard & well shaped. Both went barefoot even while in training. Since I moved here they have both developed what look like flat feet. I can't tell if the sole isn't wearing away, or if it's that the new farrier doesn't trim sole at all (though come to think of it, I never paid much attention to whether my old farrier did either on these two!)
: I've got shoes on the one who's in training right now but am wondering what would cause this sudden (over about 4 months) change and what I should do about it?
: Thanks!
: -Kristine
A change in environment wil lcertainy cause the foot to respond to that new environment and it can change very quickly. I can think of tewo scenarios,,either the feet have softened a LOT and are actualyl flatening(in which case you would probeable also notice flaring in between trimmings) or the foot had a thick hard "retained" or "false" sole in the last environment that just has not let loose yet. Usually added moisture such as a couple of good rains or a move to a wetter place will loosen the retained sole naturally over a few weeks causing very thick layer to be easily lifted off with the hoof knife or even sometimes the hoofpick, revealing a nice concave sole underneath.
The big giveaway to identifying retained or 'false' sole is the presence of a deep vertical crevice at the tip of the frog, rather than the tip of the frog blending into the sole at the same level as the sole.
As well, the foot usually looks too long even though the apparently good sole is flat on the ground. An experienced farrier can identify that 'retained' layer of sole and pop it out easily when it is ready to come off. Patty