Outer wall chipping

[endurancerider]

Hi,

I had my farrier pull my horse's shoes on the 4th of July (HE set that schedule, not me!) and just leave the shoes off for a couple weeks. I wanted to alter the shoeing schedule so it would fit in more nicely with my competitions this fall so my horse wouldn't be doing long distance at the very end of his shoeing cycle.

Anyway, my farrier told me I might see some chipping, but just to roll the edges of his hooves with my rasp if that happened. But the chipping I'm seeing isn't exactly what I expected.

I'm seeing the outer wall chipped away just under the old nail holes. If you look at his foot from the bottom, though, there is no chipping to speak of. Just the outer wall. This is worse on his front feet. His back feet have a couple spots of the outer wall missing under the nail holes, but the fronts don't look good at all. Pretty much the entire hoof wall under the old nail holes is gone. His feet seem ok, besides that. No crumbling or gooey stuff or anything weird like that.

It's been very dry here and his feet are quite dry. Could that be a factor?

Is it going to be bad for me to ride him barefoot? I'm talking 10 miles in an hour and 15 minutes. So a pretty good trot and some cantering mixed in.

Is the outer wall cracking going to delay my farrier being able to reshoe him?

I was going to ride him barefoot around on the road (and shoulder) near my house, but I'm wondering if I should just let him be a pasture potato until my farrier comes back out next week to re-assess and hopefully reshoe.

Thanks for any thoughts.

AJ

[J.H. shoeing]

AJ

So you are going to have your horse bare foot for about 20 days to get him in a schedule that will better suit the shows you are going to attend?

Why didn't you just shorten the shoeing cycle from six weeks (I'm guessing) to five weeks for three shoeing cycles?

I manipulate shoeing cycles all the time so horses are fresh shod at the shows. Most of my western horses are within 10 days shod we they get to the show.

If you are taking him on a ten mile loop and he is already having hoof quality issues I would sugest shoeing him to insure that you don't lose any training time.

Yes, the lack of moisture can be a factor.

I can't say if the cracking would keep your Farrier from being able to shoe your horse. I believe that most Farriers can get a shoe on pretty much anything if they aren't inhibited by cost, enviromental issues, or husbandry

Of course I don't have any idea what the ground is like where you are at or do I know any history on your horse that would be relevant.

So if he were mine I'd shoe him based on the info that you have given.

[endurancerider]

Hi,

Thanks for your reply.

I am planning on reshoeing my horse. Next week when my farrier comes out again. I just wanted to do some training rides between now and then. Heat conditioning and the like.

My horse is on a 4 week shoeing schedule in the summer, so shortening the schedule further didn't seem practical.

The ground here is hard at the moment. Waiting for rain...

Might just leave him be until my farrier comes back next week. It's so dry I'm considering making him stand in 4 pans of water while he eats!

AJ

[mmhorseshoeing]

AJ
I would advise against putting you horse’s hoofs in water while he eats. The hoof consists of keratin tubules that essentially are hair. Soaking the hoofs will allow the hoof to swell and absorb water but as soon as he is turned out on the dry ground the ground will suck all the moisture back out of the hoof and cause it to split even more. A hoof conditioner is your best bet. There are many sealants on the market that will help retain the natural moisture in your horse’s hoofs.

[endurancerider]

Thanks for the advice, John.

I'll go by my Stateline Tack or co-op tomorrow and pick up a hoof conditioner. Any particular recommendation? I found Farnam® Horseshoer's Secret® Deep Penetrating Hoof Conditioner on SLT's website, so likely they will have it in store.

Thanks,
AJ

[riderready]

Anyone like Corona? I really like what it does for my horses feet. :D

A question for the Farriers: Do you recommend these agents for the entire hoof, or only the coronet band area? I've been told that they can hurt the lower hoo, but I don't know whether to believe it or not.

[billylamp]

The best situation for this horse would have to leave the shoes on and just adjust the shoeing cycle accordingly, as stated by Jeff. I am sure that this is what your farrier recommended. With horses in night turnout, hooves tend to get soft if there is heavy dew. When these hooves are that soft and on extremely hard ground, there is only one thing that can happen around those old nail holes and that is to chip. It sounds like it may be pretty difficult for your farrier to get those shoes on. Good Luck
Billy Lampley

p.s. Hi April

[endurancerider]

The best situation for this horse would have to leave the shoes on and just adjust the shoeing cycle accordingly, as stated by Jeff. I am sure that this is what your farrier recommended. With horses in night turnout, hooves tend to get soft if there is heavy dew. When these hooves are that soft and on extremely hard ground, there is only one thing that can happen around those old nail holes and that is to chip. It sounds like it may be pretty difficult for your farrier to get those shoes on. Good Luck
Billy Lampley

p.s. Hi April

Hiya, Billy,

You're right, my farrier DID recommend not pulling the shoes right now. But I'm a bit thick-headed sometimes. ;)

As an update, my WONDERFUL farrier came out today and shaped up my horse's feet a bit and we decided to leave the hooves bare for several more weeks to allow the old nail holes to grow out before putting shoes back on him. I'll be getting some boots to ride with in the meantime. I should still be on schedule to still do my rides in the fall.

Thanks!
AJ (April)
:cool: