lifeisgood
06-20-2005, 09:40 PM
I just tried to post this, but for some reason it wouldn't go through. Trying again, so please forgive a newbie if this repeats.
I've been reading the forums for a little while, but this is my first post. I have a 4 year old mare with a mild club foot. All of the vets and farriers who have worked on her in her life feel it's not severe enough to warrant surgery. Luckily, since our move to New York two years ago, I've had access to a wonderful farrier (who people around here joke won't work on a horse unless it has a problem) and a knowledgable vet who have been a great help. My mare was started under saddle this year and continues to maintain a beatifull even stride and (knock wood) has never been lame a day in her life.
Even though I continually pester him :), my farrier feels that maintaining her barefoot is still the best option for my mare at this time. He keeps reassuring me that she has hard-as-rock Morgan feet, her heels are continually spreading, she has a better sole now (hooray for concavity! :D ), has a better hoof wall, she doesn't get "ouchy" even if walked on gravel, and that I should stop worrying about the little chips and cracks she occasionally gets. Her feet really have improved since our move. We have better ground here and she gets a lot more turnout time. His concern about putting shoes on her now is that, due to the upright nature of the hoof, he won't have a good place to put a nail after a couple of resets. We did discuss glue-ons, but given her living situation, that idea was nixed. So I religiously apply Keratex and put her Boa boots on every time we trail ride or work outside.
Anyway, back to my question... Does a clubbed foot predispose a horse more to founder? This is something that has been concerning me lately, not only because Morgans are so prone to metabolic issues, but also because I am also caring for two foundered horses at work. I've heard both yes and no answers to this question. My uneducated guess would be that a club footed horse would be more prone to founder due to the different mechanical forces working on the hoof structures. Is this one of those 'depends on the situation' things?
Suzanne
I've been reading the forums for a little while, but this is my first post. I have a 4 year old mare with a mild club foot. All of the vets and farriers who have worked on her in her life feel it's not severe enough to warrant surgery. Luckily, since our move to New York two years ago, I've had access to a wonderful farrier (who people around here joke won't work on a horse unless it has a problem) and a knowledgable vet who have been a great help. My mare was started under saddle this year and continues to maintain a beatifull even stride and (knock wood) has never been lame a day in her life.
Even though I continually pester him :), my farrier feels that maintaining her barefoot is still the best option for my mare at this time. He keeps reassuring me that she has hard-as-rock Morgan feet, her heels are continually spreading, she has a better sole now (hooray for concavity! :D ), has a better hoof wall, she doesn't get "ouchy" even if walked on gravel, and that I should stop worrying about the little chips and cracks she occasionally gets. Her feet really have improved since our move. We have better ground here and she gets a lot more turnout time. His concern about putting shoes on her now is that, due to the upright nature of the hoof, he won't have a good place to put a nail after a couple of resets. We did discuss glue-ons, but given her living situation, that idea was nixed. So I religiously apply Keratex and put her Boa boots on every time we trail ride or work outside.
Anyway, back to my question... Does a clubbed foot predispose a horse more to founder? This is something that has been concerning me lately, not only because Morgans are so prone to metabolic issues, but also because I am also caring for two foundered horses at work. I've heard both yes and no answers to this question. My uneducated guess would be that a club footed horse would be more prone to founder due to the different mechanical forces working on the hoof structures. Is this one of those 'depends on the situation' things?
Suzanne