Posted by Sue on May 27, 2003 at 16:33:31:
In Reply to: Re: hoof pastern axis wrong or not/ posted by Patty Stiller on May 25, 2003 at 17:43:19:
: : I have a 15.2hh gelding with very healthy feet. I feel a bit bad having seen some other people's problems, but there is something wrong with the way my farrier has changed the shape of his feet and the way he walks.
: : When he came to us his feet were large but he had a normal heel alignment. He has quite sloping pasterns and my farrier now has him with a nicely shaped foot but his heels are quite under-run. He says this is due to the pasterns, but the horse wasn't always like this.
: : Also he is clumsy and incoordinate when walking on hard ground. I watched him carefully today and its as if he places the point of the frog area down first and the toe does not seem to quite touch the ground.
: : Is there something wrong with the breakover point?
: : I'd be really glad to have my horse placing his foot down as if it were not absolutely huge and belonging to someone else, he reminds me of a very flat footed person.
: : Incidentally when he is ridden he has the most stunning paces but we have had peculiar reluctance to work at times and he's sometimes sore in the sacroileac area.
: : None of this is anything I've experienced in over 40 years and I've never seen such clumsy feet on a horse. I keep looking at all sorts of pictures and other horses but have yet to spot it.
: : My farrier says it's all to do with his conformation but he doesn't have any real defects. I don't want to offend the farrier but I have been comparing photos from the past and I really think he's caused this problem.
: : Your suggestions welcome.
: If the heels are becoming underrun, something is wrong with the shoeing,probably in the hoof prep. Conformation is no excuse, because underrun hels can be corrected simply by trimming the underrun portion off when time he is shod. If this is being neglected, they will just get more underrun.
: It is imnpossible to comment on the specific breakover point of your horss feet without seeing the shoeing .
: Can you post good close up pictures of the feet somewhere?
: I am a bit puzzled by the description of the clumsiness. Ideally a horse should land a TINY bit heel first, almost imperceptably.
: You describe hom as landing on the 'point of the frog area' but the toe does not seem to touch? I percieve the "point" to be the frog apex, which would be nearly impossible to see contact the ground first.
: Is the foot contacting the ground slighty heel first,or really 'slapping' the heels down hard, or hitting toe first?
: When he is standing flat on the ground is the toe of the shoe just rolled or rockered ,or theshoe set back a little and the overhanging toe rolled and that is why it does not seem to touch?
: Patty
:
Patty, thanks for your help and you were absolutely right about poor prep. I spoke to a farrier last night who kindly came out today and shod both my horses. The gelding started with an angle at the toe of 43 degrees and ended up with 50 degrees. He was half and inch out of balance laterally. You should see him, he's magnificent. His feet were so splayed out that we couldn't see the long toe. the farrier has taken off as much as he dares and will take more next time.
His toes are now on the ground.
The little mare was even more out and it wasn't as obvious. Her angle went from 41 degrees to 48 degrees and she had the same lateral imbalance.
The one question I cannot answer is why the mare had heavy shoes in front and light behind and the gelding was the opposite. I was not even aware of this, the farrier hadn't told me.
Both the horses have been running around like excitable children showing off their new paces and obviously both very relieved. They had both been sore in the shoulders and sacroiliac whilst being shod.
I shall be sticking with the new farrier.
Sue.