Long toes that make bad angles...

[teampussecat]

I have had a small (14hh about) paint gelding for about a year and a half and have thought that he has always moved in a strange way. I thought...perhaps, this is a soreness problem, or possibly he just is young and just doesn't move like a more schooled horse. Well, after watching a shoeing program on television I went out to see if his feet could be the cause, soreness and health ruled out. Well, after finding the widest area of the hoof I found that the toe was about half again as long as the heel...not to mention that this particular horse has a nasty crack from the inside heel about 1 inch-1 1/2 inches up running parrallel to the ground for about 3 inches or so. Well, otherwise..his angles are off because of the long toe and short heel..he is nearly walking on his frog..right now anyways. I just would like to know if I could help him by gradually wrasping his toe more and leaving the heel, as he can't wear shoes..we live in MN so the snow prevents it.
Well, otherwise, I guess I could describe his movements as well as I can. He tends to be lazy in the walk almost dragging his hind feet, and his front feet always appear to be moving longer and doing more work. He looks like he is almost landing with his toe instead of the center of his foot. When he trots, his head instead of going up and down like a lame horse, the nose moves from side to side in time with his feet. If anyone has suggestions I would love them. And I would like to know as well if his feet could be the cause of his strange head movements, or if that is something he will always do. Thanks, Lauren

[calshoer]

There could be any number of things....does the horse get his feet trimmed on a regular basis? ? If not, first hire a farrier to do that. If you do get the hooves trimmed regularly, ask the farrier about the crack and long toes and see what he says.
Often the busy farrier is not even aware that there is a movement or soundness problem unless he sees the horse move, or you tell him.
If you are unsatisfied with the farrier's answers, get a second opinion. Your local veterinarian is usually a good resource for farrier referrals.
A couple of things more...if you were watching the horseshoeing segment on Dennis Reis' RFDTV show, you apparently missed a very important part. Leaving heels on the hooves to try to raise the apparent hoof angle is *incorrect*..the frog SHOULD be on the ground. The heels need to be not much longer than the sole in the rear of the foot. There is a whole lot more to how the internal parts of the foot get lined up than just heel or toe length. The frog support is part of the equation, ,and the breakover point at the toe is part of it.
As well, head tossing,stumbling, and the like can also be from any number of other things like poor saddle fit, tooth problems, ill fitting bits etc.
There could also be any other number of lameness issues that a veterinarian could help sort out.
If you want much more detailed information about hoof balance and trimming from the short segments on that TV show , I strongly suggest you order the trimming video they advertize. Patty

[caballus]

Two sites to take a look at: http://www.ironfreehoof.com and http://www.barefoothorse.com

Both will give you excellent advise as to trim angles, etc. as well as lengths of toes, heels, et al.

--cab

[teampussecat]

He does get trimmed on a regular basis by the barn farrier. The pony has less than Ideal conformation, when he stands, he splays his feet out, or, when asked to stop multiple times, with his his feet not everywhere, he will stand with them angling inwards, meaning when he stands, his legs don't make a straight line down to the ground, they go more under his body, both hind and front. He does not have a sore back, though he did a while ago, and he really shouldn't have any reason to be sore with the amount he gets ridden. I have a saddle that seems to fit him very well and he will move this way all of the time with a hackamore, or full cheek snaffle on. Thanks for those web sites, I will take a peek at them as soon as I get home from work.