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Soft Feet & Lameness - All The Time!!!!

3K views 15 replies 8 participants last post by  loosie 
#1 ·
So my mare Annie came off the track and she steps down totally flat on her frogs. She is so tender footed it's no wonder she didn't perform well on the turf.

First, she had to have all four feet with silicone pads and then normal shoes as well. STILL she tip toes her way around. God forbid I take the shoes off. She will literally lay down in the pasture and not move.

I gave asked several differant sources what was wrong. The vets all say it's not arthritis or joint problems, that it's definitely in the hoof itself. They can't offer anything besides "She's just really soft footed."

Suggestions please. She is one of my favorite to ride and she isn't that old. :/
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#3 ·
Did the vets do x-rays to make sure she doesn't have a fracture, founder, navicular or any internal issues going on? I assume they did x-rays to check for arthritis, bone spurs, ringbone?

Poor horse. That sounds very not right :( Did they prescribe any pain killers or treatment?

Edit: Did you ask your farrier for suggestions? There are all kinds of corrective shoes and pads that may go beyond what she has on and be helpful. Poor thing!
 
#9 ·
I'll take some pics of her feet but I don't have a scanner to put the x rays up. I'll take some when I get home from camp.
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#12 ·
luvs2ride's beaten me to some more relevant questions again:wink:

Hoof pics are best taken on firm levelish ground, clean feet(amazing how many want critique of mud caked feet buried in pasture or such!); squarely front- & side-on from near ground level and a few different angles of underside, including sighting down from heel to toe, to get an idea of depth, heel height & balance.

In addition to pics, diet, nutrition, management, exercise & environment info is all helpful. History also. Has she been long off the track? I gather you got her very recently? What was her feed/management as far as you know prior to you?

When you say there is no evidence of founder, this might seem a dumb question, but what does that mean exactly? Just no rotation? Does it mean the bone's still high in the hoof capsule? Or like a lot of TBs, does she have flat feet?

You have said she has soft frogs. Does she have deep 'cracks' in them? Thrush may be a big problem causing her a lot of pain, as this opportunistic infection loves the environment of unhealthy, soft frogs. Sometimes it's not obvious either, if it's deep in the central sulcus. Treating this should be a priority, but will be difficult or impossible while she's got pads on permanently.

I would be inclined to get the shoes off for a start, BUT I appreciate you don't want to see her more uncomfortable, and that is not helpful for rehab anyway if she's hurting, so I wouldn't do that until you have either hoof boots(& probably needs foam pads too at this point) or Vettec Sole Guard or some such(they have stuff that's impregnated with copper sulphate for treating thrush too.

Obviously I am just one of many opinions, so I'm not in the least wanting you to take my word for it. But as there are different opinions, even among 'experts' and many 'experts' also may or may not have good knowledge & experience in rehabbing hoof probs(there has been heaps of recent research leading to new approaches & attitudes), I suggest you do lots of homework yourself. Learn what you can about hoof function & anatomy, and the factors which effect soundness, in order to at least have a fair idea of whether the 'experts' at hand may be good, bad or otherwise, and to get an idea of which approaches & opinions may be worth following. hoofrehab.com, barefoothorse.com safergrass.org and feedxl.com are some great sites to start with.
 
#13 ·
Or like a lot of TBs, does she have flat feet?


This may sound dumb coming from someone who has had horses for over thirty years, but is it normal for a TB to have very soft and flat feet?
I have had Arabs and mustangs! Dakota is my first TB X, and he has soft feet and what I call fallen soles with little to no heel? I have only had him 6 months and his feet are improving, but just seem.....too soft!
 
#15 ·
This may sound dumb coming from someone who has had horses for over thirty years, but is it normal for a TB to have very soft and flat feet?
I have had Arabs and mustangs! Dakota is my first TB X, and he has soft feet and what I call fallen soles with little to no heel? I have only had him 6 months and his feet are improving, but just seem.....too soft!
Yes, TBs(among other types) have feet that tend to 'splat' when not well managed / in good health, while arabs(among other types) tend to just grow more 'upright' when not well managed. This is a generalisation tho.

Without pics & more info, I can only guess at what exactly you mean by 'fallen soles' & 'little to no heel'. My guess is that his feet have indeed gone 'splat' and foundered(sunk in the capsule). The heels may well be long, but have become 'underrun', meaning that they've collapsed forward & he's walking on what should be the upright section of them. Or, as horses should generally(to whatever degree suits them) have 'little to no heel' compared to what is frequently seen & in some circles fashionable, he could have nice short heels & you're used to seeing too high heels. Just speculating, not assuming...
 
#16 ·
Thats exactly it, Ozark. She leans rights back on her heel and every little thing scrapes her frogs.
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BTW Sorrel, gorgeous horse in your pic - looks like my boy!:wink:

Horses should have short heels(as above, depends as to how much) and have the heel/back of frog impact the ground first. But if her heels/digital cushions are not well developed, or thrushy, so soft, weak & sensitive, it will be uncomfortable for her to do this, so they tend to 'tippy toe' which may appear as 'choppy' or 'short' strides, esp downhill, or being 'ouchy' on gravel for eg. This is not helpful, aside from being not nice for the horse, and treating thrush & protecting/supporting the weak heels with boots/pads, in order to allow them to *comfortably* land heel first will get the hooves functioning correctly & start developing strength in the heels.
 
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