Kaydence
09-18-2006, 03:25 AM
I'm working on a horse who had foundered 3 years ago. I've been working on him for almost a year now. He had a relapse of some sort last week and rads were taken on Friday. I have had the horse in Eventers and last time I did him I put a pad from the tip of the frog back (leaving the toe area open) and filled it with equi-thane in order to see if I could support prolapsed frogs and the bony column in general. Anyway, owner said horse moved better with this set up for the first three or four weeks then he went sore all of a sudden. (our weather took a change but the horse isn't on pasture, just paddock turn out with a buddy so not a reaction to grass.). Friday the vet took new rads. They show the same 3 to 5 degrees of rotation as vet had seen three years ago (I've still never seen the old rads) and some slight sinking.
Vet wanted heartbars put on. I went and did them (reluctantly) today. When I pulled the old shoes, the prolapsed frog on the right foot was no longer an issue as after the foot was trimmed up, the frog was flush with the hoof wall for the first time since I've know the horse. The other frog showed improvment but not as much. When I chatted to the owner a bit about the vets comments about the equi-thane he said the vet told him that the equi-thane was creating too much pressure on the bony column and thus his reason for wanting the heartbars instead.
I'd much prefer to go with the equi-thane as the horse was sound with it for a number of weeks and I don't believe the lameness starting up later was caused by the pads. I was happy with the improvments to the foot with the set up I had on the horse. And basically, the idea of getting a heartbar just right stresses the h*ll out of me. I am much more comfortable with the equi-thane. I feel the pressure from the equi-thane, being more spread out and being flexible, is more gentle on the horse than the heartbar could be. What am I missing here?
I did as the vet instructed but I'm really hoping to go back to the equi-thane (preferably before I have to make another pair of god awful heartbars!) eventually.
I have talked the owner into attending the farrier conference next month that Katy Watts is a guest speaker at as well as Jim Ferrie as there will be lots on founder. I told the owner I'd like him to be on the same page as me with some newer ideas and he was very open to it.
Before you ask to see pics or the rads, I took pics seven weeks ago but they didn't turn out (I was so discouraged that I'm not bothering to try and take more photos without my other half to take them for me. It is his camera and he can figure out how to fix the lighting) and the owner has the rads. I don't know how to post the rads on line anyway so I didn't bother asking for them, even though they would be very nice to have copies of myself.
Vet wanted heartbars put on. I went and did them (reluctantly) today. When I pulled the old shoes, the prolapsed frog on the right foot was no longer an issue as after the foot was trimmed up, the frog was flush with the hoof wall for the first time since I've know the horse. The other frog showed improvment but not as much. When I chatted to the owner a bit about the vets comments about the equi-thane he said the vet told him that the equi-thane was creating too much pressure on the bony column and thus his reason for wanting the heartbars instead.
I'd much prefer to go with the equi-thane as the horse was sound with it for a number of weeks and I don't believe the lameness starting up later was caused by the pads. I was happy with the improvments to the foot with the set up I had on the horse. And basically, the idea of getting a heartbar just right stresses the h*ll out of me. I am much more comfortable with the equi-thane. I feel the pressure from the equi-thane, being more spread out and being flexible, is more gentle on the horse than the heartbar could be. What am I missing here?
I did as the vet instructed but I'm really hoping to go back to the equi-thane (preferably before I have to make another pair of god awful heartbars!) eventually.
I have talked the owner into attending the farrier conference next month that Katy Watts is a guest speaker at as well as Jim Ferrie as there will be lots on founder. I told the owner I'd like him to be on the same page as me with some newer ideas and he was very open to it.
Before you ask to see pics or the rads, I took pics seven weeks ago but they didn't turn out (I was so discouraged that I'm not bothering to try and take more photos without my other half to take them for me. It is his camera and he can figure out how to fix the lighting) and the owner has the rads. I don't know how to post the rads on line anyway so I didn't bother asking for them, even though they would be very nice to have copies of myself.