Posted by Patty Stiller on June 05, 2000 at 23:59:10:
In Reply to: Horse with club foot help needed urgently !!! posted by Catherine Walton on June 05, 2000 at 16:52:53:
: I have a 15.0hh hackney X welsh cob mare who is 17 years old. She has had a club foot on the off fore for many years (since she was 5 ish). She was not broken until she was 7. Her shoulders are out of 'a-line' she almost looks lame but is not she hops of the foot when she walks. The foot shows a dish to the wall which is concave. Here current farrier feels that there is nothing more that can be done but has tried to cut the foot back. She often goes lame after shoeing and has problems when cantering,jumping etc. She has a reocuring back problem which i now feel may be attributed to her feet. I have talked to another farrier whom uses the EDSS system but has only recentley done so. I wonder i you could give me some advice .
: 1. Would EDSS make her condition any worse.
: 2. Is she to old to try.
: 3. Where can i take her to try the EDSS shoes i am based in Bromley, Kent UK.
: 4. Is there any thing else that we could try as she has alot of life left.
: Thanks
The club foot can not be totally corrected but the stresses that caused it in the first place can be eased, making the mare a lot more comfortable. The deep flexor tendon and/or flexor muscle is the culprit, though the underlying cause of that excess tendon tension is still under much debate.
To make her more comfortable, there are some principles that need to be adhered to. Do NOT cut the heels down to try to make them the same height as the other foot.If you do, the tension on the deep flexor tendon is just increased more. Instead, trim the heels down only to a point about an eighth to a quarter inch above the healthy layer of sole in the heel area(the live sole plane). Do Not trim the toe down past the healthy sole in that area, either. Rasp back the flare at the toe so the hoof wall is straighter. Now observe her while she stands, and walk her a little bit. If she is reluctant to land heel first, she will need some wedge pad with frog support to get her to land heel first, or at least flat. If she is landing toe first or reluctant to stand with her foot flat on the ground, the heels are too low. Trimming to this guideline will reduce the strain in the critical areas that can make her sore.
Applying a natural balance shoe, or other shoe which places the breakover point correctly, as per Natural balance insguidelines, will complete the shoeing. When I treat club feet in this manner, the horses get sounder and the foot will improve with each subsequent shoeing. Her stride may not ever get totally even because of the imbalance between the two feet, but she will be sounder. Also note that many older horses withg club feet may have developed pedal; osteitis, and could need pads. Mpst do well in just the Natural balance shoe however, because it covers and protects th tip of the coffin bone nicely.
As for finding a Natural balance/EDSS farrier in the UK, I would suggest contacting David Nicholls, at Total Foot Protection,in West Sussex. E mail is dave@tfp.uk.com
Patty