Toed Out Opinions

Its a disservice and not helping your case of fixing anything to let a horse with limb problems go 8 weeks if this is the result of 8 weeks of growth. Those feet look 4 weeks overdue at LEAST no matter what the time frame actually is and are very distorted. The farrier may not be trimming enough off if they are this bad at 8 weeks. Those heels are crazy long and there are some serious balance issues that may affect her soundness. Im glad to hear you are getting X rays. A 8 yo, you cannot change joints other than to balance them as best possible.

By now, the farrier is going to be chasing his tail trying to correct overgrowth problems at this next shoeing like the distorted hoof capsule and long toe you have there from excessive overgrowth. I would put this horse on a 5 week cycle till those feet are in better shape. 6 weeks MAX.

Good advice above.

I personally would get her a trim and leave her barefoot and see what SHE wants. It's hard for her to tell you what she needs with shoes on. I really do think that watching how she grows her own feet barefoot will/can be a good starting point towards any correction that's appropriate.

Xrays are a great idea. A great reference.

I don't have hoof in hand, but is any hoof on her clubby or grows more heel than the other?

Why is your farrier out of work?

we tried leaving her barefoot and she goes unsound again because she will wear the insides completely down and not the outside. I don't know how long her feet were like this before we got her but I had never seen a horse this bad. When we first put shoes on her the third day she had them on was the first day she could actually walk without a limp. Her heels and toes grow like crazy. She is the fastest growing horse we have. I don't think she is clubby in either front. Farrier has said nothing about it. I don't know if I mentioned it in the first post but she has floundered previous to us getting her
Posted via Mobile Device

My farrier was out of work due to an injury.
Posted via Mobile Device

Hi,

In addition to the above, Yes, better pics would be helpful & some post-trim ones too. See the link below in my signature for good hoof pic tips. Also yes, include the whole body, side-on, from front & from behind. Have you had a bodyworker(eg veterinary chiro or such) out to check her out? That's the first thing I'd consider. Bone/joint changes can't be made as a mature horse but adjustments & soft tissue changes may make all the difference.

Sorry for the hold up on pictures. I was hoping the weather would break but instead today we are just getting a heavy layer of ice on everything to make it worse. I will definitely get pictures before the trim tomorrow on hard top and then get some after pictures. Tomorrow is suppose to be fairly decent weather so hopefully the rain/ice will go away.

All our horses go on a 4 week cycle starting the first week in april due to how much we ride and the shoes get loose or thrown before we can make it to five or six weeks. We go to six weeks during the winter because we don't ride that much due to all the rain and snow. I can't help it that our farrier was injured at another job. I still didnt feel it necassary to take a risk and have someone I don't know shoe her. I realize that her feet are way overgrown and he's going to have to do some major work to get all the access off but that is just what he is going to have to do. This mare has come a long way in a year. I wish I had before pictures to show you but I was more worried about getting her to where she could walk and move around without being in pain than I was taking pictures. Please wait till tomorrow when I can post pictures of the farriers work so that you can critigue his work.

We have two different vets working with her. One here in VA and then we take her back and forth to the one in NC (which is the one who will be doing xrays). We also have a chiro that will be back out in april along with the VA vet and farrier in the same day. The chiro comes out in april and october. She is also working with one of my other horses. Rain has a hard diet to figure out because their are some many things she can't have. We have talked to both vets a nutritionist about what we can give her and how to help maintain her weight better. Pretty much the only things she gets or can have it straight timothy hay, timothy pellets, and beet pulp. All feeds have been rulled out because she can't have oats, alfalfa, soy, corn, or molasses. I don't know that sense we have ruled out some of things causing her issues if it has helped promote alot more hoof growth.

If that is what your horse's hooves look like usually at 8 weeks, then I don't believe you can afford to stretch it to 6 over winter either, particularly if shod. Be interesting to see the fresh job. Is she being shod? Does she ever get breaks from shoes, or shod back to back year round?

You have to trim her to balance the foot she has. If you try to "correct" her legs (make them straight), you will lame her and potentially cripple her. Balance the foot to her.

If you're going to correct legs, it must be done as a very very young foal.

If she is toed out, she is always going to be toed out. It MAY get better once her hooves are balanced, but she isn't going to ever be straight. That is her confo and she needs her feet balanced to her confo.