shod short and small causing lameness

[hoofaloof]

I am a horse owner without a lot of horse knowledge. I relied heavily on my trainer to assist with the horse care. My horse started to show signs of soreness and lately some lameness. It started when we switched farriers. The horse had a hotnail when I found out from 2 other farriers and a vet that the hooves were shod to fit shoes 2 sizes too small for her. The farrier also trimmed off the toes and some of the side walls of the hoof. The farrier also used large clamps that caused gripping issues. Now I am getting a lot of different opinions of how to care for her. The homeopathic vet said take the shoes off and let her go natural until she is better. The farrier has concerns because there is not much left to the hooves and the horse could sustain stone bruising or cracking of the hooves could leave her with not too much to walk on. The vet said that she may be on stall and pasture rest for close to a year and should not be ridden. The farrier said that the horse could be ightly ridden for exercise until the feet start to grow. The one hoof has actually shrunk compared to the other 3 hooves. I am baffled and confused and afraid to trust as I have been misled so many times and now it effects the health of the horse. I want what is best for the horse. If the horse is off too long, then it will take even longer to get her back in shape. Once the horse is considered "not Lame", when is it safe to ride...of course, jumping and hard grounds would not be an option. How long does it take for hooves to grow to alleviate the soreness? What questions should I be asking so that I can ensure that my horse is treated for correctly and not to have any further issues or permanent damage happen? Any advice would be welcome as I do not know enough to make a sound decision in making and keeping our horse sound. :confused:

[calshoer]

If the feet were agressively trimmed, and th shoes are too small, it may be better to remove the shoes for a while to allow more hoof growth so the next farrier can safely make the needed changes. You cannot nail a bigger shoe to nothing. There needs to be adequate hoofwall and sole.
There are options to prevent damage while the feet are growing and recovering .......hoof boots, bandages, a deep soft living area (sand, a plowed paddock, a deeply bedded area, soft grass whatever is rock free and a bit yeilding. Yes you may not be able to ride a for a little while, but as to a year to recover, IF the only problem was too small of shoes and too much trimming, I seriously doubt it. More like two to three months at most to grow enough hoof is more likely. After that the new farrier should have enough hoof to work with to do whatever she needs.
Patty