Posted by Patty Stiller on April 26, 2000 at 00:14:42:
In Reply to: Flares posted by vince on April 10, 2000 at 07:12:54:
: HI....I looked at a Cleveland bay TB X 2Yr old to buy as a foxhunter.Both front feet are flared at the quarters and look like a cloverleaf when viewed from the bottom.He's always been barefoot.Can this be corrected with shoeing or will it always be a problem?Thankyou.
I answered this before, but due to a Bulletin Board glitch that hjad to be fixed it was lost...:-(
Feet lke this are a sign of neglect. If properly trimmed from birth, the flares wouldn't develop. With the help of a really good farrier, this condition can be corrected, but remember it will take many months for the hoof to get back to a normal shape, as the flares are reduced, the weight bearing is correctly placed on the correct foot structures through good shoeing or trimming, and the hoof wall grows down from the coronary band. I would highly recommend that you get a thorough vet exam pre purchase, including X rays of the feet to check for secondary bone/joint problems caused from the neglect (or to locate other possible unsoundness). Patty