Trimming the Saddlebred

[Dakotasand]

Hi, I'm in a dilema and was hoping someone could help me out. I just bought my first Saddlebred about a month and a half ago. He's a yearling. When I bought him, the farm (who have raised Saddlebreds for over 20 years) instructed me to have his hooves trimmed in a certain way. They said that for proper development he should have his heels kept low and a longer toe to prevent injuring his ligaments. He had his feet done right before I took him home, so they were trimmed in this manner. Well, he sheared a rear heel last week, and the other heel is going in the same direction. The vet I had out, that doesn't have much interaction with Saddlebreds, said that because he wasn't allowed to grow a decent heel, he's just blowing them out and suggests that we allow the heel to grow. I contacted the farm and told them what the vet said and they said they had a horse that they let the heel grow and she went lame and had to have surgery to straighten out what happened to the ligaments. So now I don't know what to do. I don't want to cause my horse any more harm either way. Any information on this subject would be very helpful. Thank you.

[Jeanie Connors]

I will admit this from the outset, I have a bit of a pet peeve about the unnatural angles and shoeing used on Park horses, and I'm a little surprised they recommend starting them right out with a "special" type of trim.

Especially for a yearling, any breed, a proper trim is imperative. His feet should be trimmed like any normal yearling's feet. Have you spoken to your farrier about this topic? Are you going to be using a different farrier than the barn who owned him previously?

Long toes can cause undue stress on the leg in and of themselves. I would recommend finding a good farrier in your area (nevermind a saddleseat farrier, just someone who will trim your yearlings hooves in the normal fashion), and ask their advice. Especially if you are hoping to show your colt someday, allowing his feet to develop strong and healthy as they were meant to (not given an artificial shape early in life), he will have a much easier time learning to gait properly, and with expression, pain free :) .

[Dakotasand]

We will have a different farrier from where he came from. The farrier I talked to about this said that most Saddlebred owners like a built up heel, but he didn't say anything about the yearling side of it....this is why I've been so confused, I've been told so many different things. I own mostly Arabs and Quarter Horses, so I've never had to deal with this before. What you said makes alot of sense though. Thanks.

[Jeanie Connors]

It's true, there are a lot of opinions out there, and mine is just one ;) .

Do you have big showing plans for your colt, or just to enjoy him? As far as feet go, Saddlebreds do not *need* different treatment than Arabs and QH's. The big reason why Saddlebreds often have special types of farrier work is to improve their gait, or make it easier for them to break into a proper gait.

If you are interested in having your colt learn to gait as well as he can without trying to force him to, trimming him just like any other horse will suit him fine. Gaited horses *can* gait with "natural" feet (I had a Tennessee Walker gait wonderfully barefoot ;) ).

As I mentioned, this is only just my own opinion, but I would treat his feet as any other horse's. Good luck with him! I hope his hoof troubles clear up soon.

[Gary Hill]

You said his heels were sheared and blown out on his rear feet, correct? The hinds of gaited horses need to be trimmed pretty close to any other breed. Gaited horses should step and slide alittle behind anyway. I see lots that the heels are way too long on and the pasterns almost look broken forward abit. Trim to the widest part of the frog always, gaited horses need alittle more toe up front but not as much behind. Good Luck! Gary

[calshoer]

I've said it before and I'll say it again. A foot is a foot is a foot. No matter the breed or expected future discipline, all hooves have the same needs for health and proper growth and function. Trim each foot to the natural sole plane. Doesn't matter if it a saddlebred or a draft colt . In other words just remove excess hoof wall that extends beyond the sole of the foot. Leave the rest. Round the toes up. Pretty damn simple. If heels are shearing, it is probably because somebody is trimming the feet out of balance medial alterally to try to straighten something that should not be straightened. Yearlings often naturally toe out some, it is natural and part of the growth proces, and most will straighten on their own as they mature. Don't wory about where the feet may point, as long asthey trimmer has followed the foot's own sole. And do NOT leave extra toe on it! Extra toe will strain structures inside the foot, which could cause pain inside the foot, COULD actually lead to club feet as a response. Breakover neds to be natural, not delayed by a longer toe. Patty

[Greg Thomas]

MY opinion-

Try to make the pastern/hoof wall somewhat match the shoulder angle. A Saddlebred (and most all gaited horses)has a significantly steeper shoulder than Quarter Horses for example. More often than not this will also match the live sole plane unless it has been "messed" with beforehand. Run of the mill farriers trim every horse close to the same- so because of this I wouild strongly suggest a "gaited" farrier. A QH farrier will probably cut the front heels a little too low. Just my observation and a very general statement, not an absolute- I am sure there are plenty of exceptions.

The back feet should be pretty much the same as a QH except the horse will likely be a little more cowhocked/sickle hocked(while standing still) than a QH for example and this should not be attepted to be shoed out of the horse. Most gaited horses will square up in the backend when that are in a gait or to some extent even while walking.

A sheared heel -in the back foot no less-of a yearling means something is very wrong with what the horse needs.

When the horse is through basic training then some slight changes may need to be made according to what he will be used for. For example a park horse will be a little differently trimmed and shod than a 5 gaited horse. Their desired hoof flight path is somewhat different.

The Saddlebred is my pick of the breeds but it will amaze you as to some of the theories and practicies that have been tried and/or are being used. Often being rewarded in the showring at all levels of competition. In addition confirmation of feet/legs and/or total body is often not a critical factor in breeding. Headset and front knee action seems to be the only concern with some major, and not so major, breeders and trainers. So much so that I am personally concerned that the breed is suffering. The breed association numbers sorta back my thought up on this.

Thanks, Greg

[Gary Hill]

At the TWH barn I work at every Wed. they get in horses every week from all over the US for sale. Quite a few come in with their front feet trimmed like QH's. The Trainer want's more toe up front so they will gait properly. Some come in with Diamond heels and borium and usually a size too small. So they have me shoe them with St. Croix Extra Ez for a cycle then may go to a lite shod shoe. The shorter toe in front seems to make them too pacey for the Trainer, so I do them the way he wants them and they seem to sell all over the world. 45 stall barn and they do sell the horses around the country. Gary

[Greg Thomas]

Like Gary said-

Most of the time(not always)-to get a horse to gait properly a pacey horse needs longer foot(not just toe necessarily)-more weight or something in the front. A trotty horse needs it in the rear. This breaks up the paired legs hitting the ground at the same time and allows for the 4 beat gait -IF the rider can hold him in gait. A lot of TWH's are pacey(some are trotty) and most Saddlebreds are trotty(a few are pacey). This usually cannot be determined for sure(by me at least)unless they have a rider(weight) on their back and collected. I can get a hunch by just looking at a loose horse but to be sure I need to see or feel the horse move with the weight of a rider and a bit in their mouth. Breeding is the biggest factor as to how they move. After they have been trained properly then you can usually shoe them like any horse and they will hold their gait because of muscle memory and/or just plain being broke and knowing what they need to do. Of course properly shoeing for that particular horse, at their particular stage in life, for their particular discipline makes it easier for them to properly perform their gaits.

I am talking about flat shod horses-not big lick TWH's.

It is all just my opinion and I am yet to sell the first copy of "Greg Thomas' Book of Philosophy, Horse Shoeing and Other Important Thing That You Don't Know About But I Do".

My wife often asks me to write a book so she can slam it shut, throw it in the garbage and not have to listen to me.

Thanks, Greg

[Matthew Guillemette]

You're barefoot yearling Saddlebred needs to be trimmed and balanced like any other yearling horse. About 55 degrees angle approx. front and hind. I shoe alot of Saddlebreds and Saddleseat horses. I have never heard of trimming babies or yearlings with long toes and low heels. Usually they start to let them grow a longer foot when working and riding for show to exagerate motion. This is done by applying a shoe and sometimes wedge pads so the angles don't get to low. Having a long toe and low heel on a young horse can put unneeded stress on tendons and effect the way horses legs develop. For sheared heels I would pare the bars of the hoof out and shorten length of toe allow the heel to grow. I've seen sheared heels in horses that have been lunged or worked in the same direction constantly. I'n you're case it doesn't sound like that is what's going on......probably just long toes and low heels. :confused:

[Phil Armitage]

After reading the original post, I get a feeling there is a miscomunication on what the barn meant when they said long toe and trimming the heels. I would quess they meant to trim as Patty suggested. They probably do not mean for the toe to get too long, the sole in the toe should be thick and hard to protect the coffin bone and live tissue, this is what they may have meant by leaveing toe, this would be commen sense. Horses will paw and can wear the toe while turned out. The heels need to be trimmed to widest part of the frog, heels left too long are just as bad as toe left too long. Long heels will cause sore heels and become contracted and the frog will also atrophy. A good Farrier will know exactly what to do. The function of the foot will be compromised if allowed to grow excess horn in the toe and heels and become deformed. Young horses grow hoof faster than older horses, so they may need to be trimmed more often maybe every 3 to 4 weeks instead of 6 to 8 weeks like mature horses. The important thing to do is only remove the excess horn that grows beyond the hard healthy sole and do not invade hard healthy sole. This is a feel and skill that a Farrier develops over time by trimming and shoeing everyday. Pretty soon a farrier sees exactly what needs to trimmed and what needs to stay and it becomes second nature. A Vet or horse owner really has no buisness telling a Farrier what to trim or not trim, as they do not have the skill and knowledge to do so.

[Dakotasand]

I'm so grateful for all the great opinions. I wouldn't even be having this trouble if the farm hadn't insisted that I make sure my farrier trimmed in the same way theirs did. They even told me to rasp his feet myself every two weeks or so to make sure that heel stayed low. I've always just trusted the farrier, but this farm really got me nervous and then having him shear a heal shortly after getting him home when they were the ones who trimmed him last really got me thinking. I've talked to three different farriers in my area, one had no experience with the breed, and the other two had some experience. I had told them what the farm had told me, and they weren't sure that they would totally agree. But I will just trust that they will do the right thing for my yearling and pray he grows correct. My husband and I were talking too, we got thinking, our pasture is not the smoothest. And with the ice and show it's really been bad, where the yearling came from he was in a barn most of the time and when he was turned out it was a nice little paddock with even terrain. I just wondered if the reason for his sheared heel is because he hit it off the side of an ice chunck or stick in the pasture and the pressure sheared it up. Maybe it wasn't even the way he was trimmed. There are not many Saddlebreds in this area and so it was hard to find someone who could give me the information I was looking for, so I'm thankful that I was able to find this forum and at least learn alittle more about this type of horse related to other types. Thanks everyone.

[Phil Armitage]

Actually your pasture is probably better for any young horse than you may think. As long as there is nothing he can get injured on if he slips and falls. It is important for all horses to run around and play as they grow and develope. This insures proper growth and function of the feet as the horse grow. Unfortunately the risk of injury is pretty high with young horses because they do not understand there bounderies yet and I think this is why many barns leave them in and turn them out for short periods of time. So use commen sense if your paddock is icey or has dangerous objects that he can get hung up on or fall on. I will keep my horses in if it is too icey until I get it salted and sanded for better traction. He will figure things out and will be carefull on the slippery stuff, however if your conditions change over night that will be a problem because he will not be prepaired for slippery footing and may take a dive if he thinks the footing is good. Uneven terreain does not cause sheared heels, uneven trimming or poor conformation causes it. A balanced trim not invadeing the live sole and useing common sense will help a lot no matter what the breed is. Some breeds geneticly have poor feet and this is difficult problem to manage, but is can be managed with the right Farrier. If the horse was kept in a lot at the previous farm then he may need time for his feet to adapt to the harsher enviroment. More turn out and his feet adapting to harsher enviroment with proper farrier care is a good thing. Good luck and best wishes. Do you have a older horse that can be a mentor and baby sitter? I find mature older horses are great for young horses, has saved me alot of stress and worry while I am gone during the day and there turned out. Young horses do not venture off to far from the older ones and the older horses teach them manners.