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View Full Version : Need barefoot trim help - crack in bar/heel


wrightdanes
07-17-2006, 05:52 PM
6 year old, paint mare, shod for one year - out of basic shoes for three months now - ouchy on gravels but otherwise fine (very lazy, thought). Rarely ridden, dirt lot kept with nightly turnout in the desert, grass hay and alfalfa pellets only - selenium and vit. E supplemented. EXTREMELY dry/tough feet. A hoof knife wont cut them without a good daylong "mud bath".

The problem not seen in this picture is that the outside (right) heel has cracked from the bar to the wall at a depth of only about 1/8 inch. Also, the horse lacks quarter walls. They chipped out immediately after the shoes were removed and the horse is basically walking on its layed -over bars.

Doesn't this front foot seem long in the toe and contracted? Also, aren't the heels different lengths?

What needs to be done on the next trim. We have a professional come out every 8 weeks, and I rasp down any excess wall growth between.

caballus
07-18-2006, 07:51 AM
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v664/caballus/wrightdanes.jpg

I'd take back the toes some more on this hoof - I'd roll them to the red line and take the heels back also to the widest part of the frog. I'd check the levelness of the heels - the heel on the LEFT side of the photo is higher than the right as evidenced by the larger heel bulb and the greater curve to the bar. The qtrs. breaking out is just the hoof's natural trimming itself for an arch that will allow for greater expansion of the hoof during loading. That, in turn, will allow the heels to widen and decontract as well as more functioning of the hoof will help to exfoliate the old stuff/sole. If the laid-over bar material is easy to remove then pare it on out of there. If its really hard to remove then leave it until the hoof is ready to get rid of it; it's still needed for some support.
If there's enough calloused toe then I would probably do a rocker on the toes to help the hoof get a heel-first landing.

Take a look at Gene Ovnicek's site http://www.hopeforsoundness.com and read the Natural Balance TRIM section - that will give you some good directions as to what form the hoof should take. A couple of other sites:
mine - http://www.barefoottrim.com
Marjorie Smith's - http://www.barefoothorse.com
and read some of the article on Pete Ramey's site - http://www.hoofrehab.com
I think you'll find the answer on Pete's page as to why your horse is still tender on gravel.

--Gwen