Flare

[GloryGirl]

I have a few questions about flares and flaring that I hope some of you knowlegable people will be able to help me with :)

How serious are flares?

I think that my 2 1/2 year old filly is flaring on her left fore to the inside. She is barefoot and was trimmed about 2 weeks ago by a new farrier. I am unsure if this has always been a problem and my old farrier had a handle on it so that I never noticed a problem. There is definitely something different about the shape of her one foot now though. All the others look decent enough (at least to me). I am going to attempt to get some pictures tonight, but in the mean time should I be calling the farrier back out to fix this now? Flares are an indication of some sort of hoof balance problem, correct?

Thanks for your time.

[wundahoss]

Hi,

Yes, flaring is an indication of unhealthy stress on the hoof. You seemed a little unsure of whether there was actually a flare. If the hoof wall isn't a straight line from hairline(coronet) to ground surface, it is flared.

If a horse is made to carry it's weight just on the walls - as are many, by farriers who don't beleive the sole should be weightbearing - the excess pressure on them, and leverage forces will cause flares, separation and splits. The hoof wall should be trimmed down to flush with the outside of the sole. Quarters are usually(not always) naturally 'scooped' - that is, lower than the rest of the foot. However, when shoeing, it is generally better to trim the foot level. A lot of farriers do this regardless of shoes, so the horse has more hoof wall than necessary in the quarters, which generally equals flaring in that area.

If the horse only has a flare on the inside of one foot, then my guess would be that she has been trimmed in an unbalanced way on this foot, with perhaps too much wall left on the outside. Or perhaps she had more flares but they were all rasped away except this one. If the filly had not been trimmed regularly prior to this last visit, or if too much hoof wall was left, especially at the quarters, flaring would happen. I don't know that you should blame the new farrier tho, as if she has obvious flaring, it's more likely to have been around longer than a few weeks.

Respectfully
Wundahoss

[Red Amor]

G,Day
Wundahuss
Isnt flairing indigative of length?

[Dave Purves]

I don't scoop the quarters, and I don't have flaring. And I think you should be more specific when talking about the sole bearing weight. Too much hoofwall bearing weight seems a little silly to me, can you explain.
Many times young horses as they grow will bear weight in different ways, causing minor flares. Most "minor" flares can be handled very easily and these flares maybe telling your farrier that something needs to change in the way he or she is trimming. Not that they are doing it wrong, just need to tweek it a little. Something that wasn't talked about is the conformation of the leg. Does it toe in or out a little? Is it a little more upright, than the other? All of these things and many more can cause a foot to flare. I wouldn't call your farrier now. Watch the foot, take some pictures now and more in between farrier visits. If the flare seems to get worse, let the farreir know. Show him or her the pictures, and discuss what could be causing this flare and how to deal with it.
good luck
Dave Purves CF :)

[cakersk9]

I specifically logged onto this list to learn about flares, so found these posts interesting. I have some follow up questions I would appreciate expert advice on: I recently bought a 6 year old QH that has never worn shoes. I had just missed the regular farrier visit when I brought him to the ranch where I'm boarding him and rather than call him out specially waited until the next visit. By then, a flare had developed in his right hind foot. The farrier noted this and trimmed as much as possible, but I want to make sure that I'm doing all I can to help correct it. Should the farrier come out more often? How often can the foot be trimmed? How long should it take before the hoof can be trimmed to it's normal shape? He doesn't show any signs of lameness, but as a first time horse owner, I don't want to make any ****** mistakes. Thanks for any advice.

[cynthia-jay]

flaring is an imbalance in the hoof

You will also note that due to a new location and enviroment can add havoc to your horses hooves

If it has been wet or wet to dry as in stalling then turn out this will add to the situation

Your new Farrier should address the problem as long as it doesn't get out of hand

As long as your horse is sound don't worry about it

It should grow out with balanced trims and the horse will adapt to his new enviroment

best of luck
as always
Jay

[fairweatherforge]

generally speaking, flares are due to conformation. Toe-in, toe-out, base wide, base narrow. If a horse toes-out, he's going to want to get a flare on the lateral toe. Just the opposite in toe-in. If he's base narrow he'll want to get a flare in the medial heel quarter. It all has to do with weight bearing. The same goes for dishing at the toe. A tight deep flexor tendon will cause excessive weight bearing at the toe causing it to dish. I wouldn't call this unhealthy stress on the hoof. I'd call it life. Moisture content will affect the rate at which a flare will appear. The more moisture the easier it will be for the wall to bend. Less moisture will mean a harder hoof, which will take more time to flare. Trimming you feet level does not cause flaring. You can tell where a horse is going to flare before it ever happens by looking at his conformation.

[Jeanie Connors]

Flares can indeed be predisposed by conformation and inadequate natural wearing of the hoof wall, but they *should* be kept in check to prevent them from causing problems. My mare had flaring in all fours for years; my farrier said that was just her, that he was taking off as much as he could, and that was the best we could do.

You *can* treat flares very efficiently by rounding in the hoof wall close to the white line; yes, this is a barefoot treatment, but an effective one and causes no harm (as some would like to say). My mare has no flares now at all :) , and it took less than a year of dressing them as they grew down and out to "fix" her feet.

With your two year old, there are definately steps you can take to prevent the flares from becoming a problem (I trim as often as every two weeks to address any flaring in hooves, to keep the hoof wall from exerting those levering forces which cause flares).

[Gary Hill]

Balance the feet and the flares will not get worst. Dress them back and keep balanced whether you barefoot trim or shoe. Balance is the key! Good Luck! Gary