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These are the front hooves of Whisper, a middle aged TB who has been lame in shoes. You can see the well connected growth only comes about halfway down from the hairline. The rest is flare. The shoe is sized and nailed on to flared hoof wall. This would be painful, and exacerbating the problem of peripheral loading, and a kind of mechanical laminitis-- separation of the hoof wall from the laminar connection from constantly bearing weight on the outer hoof wall.
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His hoof shows severe underun heels and runaway toe, but very shallow depth overall. The hairline to toe line is not straight. Here again you can see flare starting early.
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in pads and shoes and still lame his owner has decided to try natural hoof care.
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here is distortion is more apparent. toe slippered forward, and no depth to the foot, no collateral grooves to speak of.
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first trim. able to get breakover back, as much as possible. The rest is just good stimulation, and new healthier growth.
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we left him in boots and pads, with strict instructions to avoid hard ground, and his owner is to call if he is not comfortable. He has no concavity, and no depth to the sole around the tip of the frog. He is at risk for coffin bone injury. If he does not tolerate boots, or can't be comfortable in turnout, he will get casted.
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a new beginning for Whisper. Check back frequently for updates.
A week later, he is walking around a grassy field without boots, comfortable enough and no worse than when he was shod.
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Whisper four weeks later. Still pretty bad. But you can see tighter new growth coming in. He is more comfortable.
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this angle looks better.
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still very run forward and heels underun.
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Interesting that the entire frog looks like it is going to shed. But he has such little foot that I did not dare take it at this stage. The owner is keeping it clean with antimicrobial soaks.
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The good news is, he is actually being ridden, lightly, in boots. Isn't he cute!
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update on Whisper, who is having to walk on frozen ground and still not growing much foot. He was casted using 3 inch equicast and a pad. He was comfortable in the pasture post cast. Hopefully the casts will stay on for three weeks and an update will be posted early January, 2010, when he may get another cast depending on how he looks.
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update on Whisper: january 26, 2010. You can see about an inch of good growth at the hairline. He is still sensitive, so we gave him casts again, front feet, with pads.
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I think his frog looks better, but he still has a long way to go.
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Update on Whisper, who is reportedly doing MUCH better. Being ridden occasionally in boots and pads. Still has about four months to go, but you can see the tighter growth coming down.
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his left front is not as bad. Just a waiting game.
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I did not touch his heels beyond a few swipes of the rasp. But that stretched out toe gets backed up as much as possible, right to the edge of sole. There was blood in the white line.
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