[ilovelucy91]

I know probably next to nothing about hoof care, I am attempting to rectify that by reading everything I can on hoof care. I am having difficulty in applying it to my horses hooves though, so I was hoping someone could help me out.

I have asked my instructor and BO plus all of my horse involved friends on their opinion on her hooves, and other then the obvious missing hoof wall from where she ripped her shoe off and the lines in her hoof wall they said they saw nothing wrong. I disagree...am I wrong? I couldn't pin-point anything ( like I said I know nothing and when I tried to ask I was told her hooves are fine) but when I saw the pictures I saw some things I was not able to see earlier and I am not happy about them.

Sooooo I hope someone can help me out.

I also managad to mix up the order of the hooves so I am not really sure which ones are which...if this makes it impossible or difficult to critique I will go take more.

 

[kevinshorses]

How long have the shoes been on? It looks like your horseshoer is inexperienced or kind of sloppy. The nails are set pretty high and the third picture looks like the shoe is crooked. Some of the nails were either poorly crimped or not driven in all the way and are causing the foot to be out of balance.

 

[ilovelucy91]

One day :/ ....The farrier had been doing her shoes since before I got her and came highly recommended by my instructor and BO, but the more I read about shoeing etc. the less her hooves looked ideal. I just couldn't tell you why, which is why I am asking for opinions. Thanks.

 

[CharliGirl]

My horses have never been shod, so I can't help you with the shoeing question.

As for hoof growth, you can try putting her on a Source Original or a hoof specific supplement. It will help her hoof wall to grow back sooner and stronger. You'll be amazed at the impact a bucket of supplement can have!

 

[Indyhorse]

I agree, those nails are out so much at the bottom it does look like she's walking on the nails rather than the shoe.

She also looks like her heels are a bit long/under run. And very contracted.

I'm no expert by any means, I'm still learning myself so count me as only a crackerjack box opinion. You should definitely listen to Kevin on this.

 

[kassierae]

I see very underslung heels and a not so good shoe job.

 

[Jugornot]

Cutting back on the carbs will help out on those horizontal lines.

 

[jazzyrider]

man those nails are set high. i agree with everything else that has been mentioned. your farrier appears to not really know what he is doing. i would seek out another farrier. if there are no others in your area i would suggest expressing your concerns to your farrier. take what you have learnt on here and express it with confidence so he cant shut you down.

also, is there any specific reason your horse is shod? personally i would recommend a good barefoot farrier as long as there is no real reason why he/she is shod. a good barefoot farrier will be able to correct the heel issues and slowly start strengthening your horses feet. the whole angle that the feet are cut on just looks wrong to me. i would definitely find a new farrier.

 

[kevinshorses]

Anybody that can buy a set of tools and a foge can call themselves a farrier. The only difference between a barefoot trimmer and a farrier is it takes less tools to call yourself a barefoot trimmer and you don't have to learn how to pound nails. As hard as it is to find a good farrier it is far more difficult to find a qualified barefoot trimmer. There is also much more to going barefoot than just not putting shoes on. You need to change the diet and the housing just to start. Shoes won't hurt your horse but they need to be put on correctly and those are not.

 

[jazzyrider]

thanks for that but i know a fair whack about barefoot and resent the insinuation that i dont if indeed that is what you were meaning. i have had my horses barefoot for a long time and have found a fantastic barefoot farrier that has fixed many problems and fixed them well. i would have to disagree that the only difference between a barefoot farrier and a normal farrier is not pounding nails ??? a good barefoot farrier is worth their weight in gold and IME no normal farrier can do a proper barefoot job.

having barefoot horses myself, with excellent feet i might add, i would also have to disagree with the notion that diet and housing must be changed. any horse whether shod or not should be getting a nutritious diet that covers all its dietary needs. IF this is happening, things like coat, mane, tail and feet should be in optimum health. same as housing. all horses should have access to a dry, flat area etc whether barefoot or not. aside from a horse needing proper nutrition for great feet and having suitable housing i cant see any other reason why switching to barefoot is a big drama. in most instances, the horses benefit from a good barefoot job within a short amount of time. i have a tb who was so typically tb when i got her with flat feet and weak walls from years of shoeing. after 6 months of regular barefoot trims her feet had gained concavity and were strenghtening well. 3 years later her feet are a picture of health. combined with a good diet and good housing (which every horse should already have) her feet are thriving.

 

[ilovelucy91]

My horses have never been shod, so I can't help you with the shoeing question.

As for hoof growth, you can try putting her on a Source Original or a hoof specific supplement. It will help her hoof wall to grow back sooner and stronger. You'll be amazed at the impact a bucket of supplement can have!

Read more: http://www.horseforum.com/horse-health/help-hooves-please-49932/#post575349#ixzz0i1gvpfp1

Thanks for the info. I did have her on Farriers Formula for six months but I didn't see enough improvement to continue the product ( I personally believe now that with the enviroment she was in at the time nothing could have helped) but everyone else I talked to loved it.

agree, those nails are out so much at the bottom it does look like she's walking on the nails rather than the shoe.

She also looks like her heels are a bit long/under run. And very contracted.

I'm no expert by any means, I'm still learning myself so count me as only a crackerjack box opinion. You should definitely listen to Kevin on this.
__________________



Read more: http://www.horseforum.com/horse-health/help-hooves-please-49932/#post575349#ixzz0i1k3H70v

I noticed the nails look odd when I picked out her hoof, but didn't realize how bad it was until I saw the pics :/ Thanks for your help!

I see very underslung heels and a not so good shoe job.

Read more: http://www.horseforum.com/horse-health/help-hooves-please-49932/#post575349#ixzz0i1kvLBaB

I was hoping it was just me being paranoid again :/ but I guess not.

Cutting back on the carbs will help out on those horizontal lines.

Read more: http://www.horseforum.com/horse-health/help-hooves-please-49932/#post575349#ixzz0i1lDf1RF

For the first nine months I had her (I have had her for a year) she was on free choice hay and 3 quarts of grain (not sure what kind) 2x a day. The next two months (moved barns...long story) after she was slowly weaned of the grain she had been getting, she was put on 5 flakes of hay (per day) and 3 quarts of Gro-Strong 2x a day. As of the last two months she was slowly weaned off of the grain she was getting there and onto the diet she has now, 6 flakes of (per day) and on pasture (almost everything is dead though) and 1/2 pound of beet pulp 2x a day w/ her Grandvite and cocosoya. Ack! sorry for the novel! Am I missing something? Anyways, do you think the diet she is on now would help with the lines? Thanks and kudos if you read all of that!

man those nails are set high. i agree with everything else that has been mentioned. your farrier appears to not really know what he is doing. i would seek out another farrier. if there are no others in your area i would suggest expressing your concerns to your farrier. take what you have learnt on here and express it with confidence so he cant shut you down.

also, is there any specific reason your horse is shod? personally i would recommend a good barefoot farrier as long as there is no real reason why he/she is shod. a good barefoot farrier will be able to correct the heel issues and slowly start strengthening your horses feet. the whole angle that the feet are cut on just looks wrong to me. i would definitely find a new farrier.

Read more: http://www.horseforum.com/horse-health/help-hooves-please-49932/#post575349#ixzz0i1pUByWG

I will start looking to see what I have available around me. I keep forgetting to ask but why is it a bad thing if the nails are to high? Thanks

I was told her hooves would wear down to quickly. I am going to see if I can find someone who isn't for or against barefoot or shoes and see what their opinion is...if I can even find said person lol. Thanks!

Some of the nails were either poorly crimped or not driven in all the way and are causing the foot to be out of balance.

Read more: http://www.horseforum.com/horse-health/help-hooves-please-49932/#post575349#ixzz0i1rttDEz

Does it look like JUST the nails are making the foot to be off balance or is the trim adding to it as well? Thanks!

 

[jazzyrider]

hahaha good luck finding someone neutral on the issue lol IME people are either for or against. there is rarely a middle ground. try doing some research on the internet and then try finding other people that use barefoot as well and ask them. just from my point of view i will never go back to shoes again.

 

[tealamutt]

wish I could get my guy to go barefoot, but he is a TB and has been shod his whole 20 years and comes up lame no matter how we try to transition him. we have at least gotten him to just front shoes for now.

Since horse's hooves grow from the top you need to have them on suppliments for close to a year to really start seeing the good results so don't try something for afew months and then give up and switch.

and for the record, I don't think Kevin was insulting anyone at all, I think he was just stating that one must use extreme caution when using a farrier OR trimmer because any whack-a-doodle can out there can call themselves one and you just dont know what you're getting.

 

[ilovelucy91]

Ha! I know! but I thought it was worth a shot All the barefoot/shod horse people I know are either from my old barn (and use the same farrier) or at my new barn (and use the same farrier) OR lol not to fond of their farrier but since he doesn't lame the horses........

 

[ilovelucy91]

wish I could get my guy to go barefoot, but he is a TB and has been shod his whole 20 years and comes up lame no matter how we try to transition him. we have at least gotten him to just front shoes for now.

Since horse's hooves grow from the top you need to have them on suppliments for close to a year to really start seeing the good results so don't try something for afew months and then give up and switch.

and for the record, I don't think Kevin was insulting anyone at all, I think he was just stating that one must use extreme caution when using a farrier OR trimmer because any whack-a-doodle can out there can call themselves one and you just dont know what you're getting.

Read more: http://www.horseforum.com/horse-health/help-hooves-please-49932/page2/#ixzz0i1y683C9

Lucy only has front shoes as well....I have been reading the barefoot vs. shod debate and I would like to learn a little more before I make a change from shoes to without. Plus everyone is so sure they are right

I was told to wait half a year (I was told a lot of things lol) I did and then I used the money to move barns (The best thing I have done for her feet since I got her). The next time I put her on a hoof suppliment I will wait a year ^.^ Thanks!

 

[jazzyrider]

tealamutt - agreed that caution is needed cause there are a lot of duds out there. as for the rest it is sometimes hard to tell in written form exactly what a person means when saying something. and you cant hear their tone

 

[trailhorserider]

What I see on the original poster's horse is high heels (notice the frogs come nowhere near to touching the ground when viewed from behind). Clinches that were never cut to a proper length (which, in my opinion, is very shoddy workmanship) and maybe the biggest thing that jumps out and grabs me (which has nothing to do with the farrier) is the growth rings in the feet. That can be a sign of low-grade laminitis. So that might be something to look into, especially if the horse is on grass or getting grain. You can have the best farrier or trimmer in the world, but if you have low-grade laminitis or metabolic issues, you will have a sore horse with less than optimal feet.

I am NOT one of those people that soaks their hay and denounces grain. I actually give my horses a little bit of sweet feed each evening as a treat. But I don't have grass and I've never had to maintain a horse on grass either. I'm sure I would be always worried about laminitis if I did. I just think the growth rings are note-worthy.

If I personally were shoeing this horse, I would bring the heels down AND bring the breakover back. Something like a Natural Balance shoe. Then the frogs would get stimulus from the ground and the horse would have some breakover.

As for barefoot, I have been on both sides and consider myself pretty neutral.

I took farrier science, learned everything I could, watched a lot of farriers and shod my own horses for probably 8 or more years.

Then I had some health problems and wasn't able to shoe for a while. I went on the Internet and discovered that a lot of people believed in barefoot and decided to try it for myself.

My Mustang, whom was shod for years when I bought him, transitioned GREAT from shod to barefoot. Maybe because he wears a size 2 shoe (nice, big healthy feet) and had a good barefoot start in life since he was feral.

My Paint, whom was in his 20's at the time, never did do well barefoot. I always had to ride him in boots. He's barefoot now, but that's because he's 30yrs. old and no longer ride-able.

My Arab did really well barefoot for the most part.

Barefoot works GREAT if you don't have to ride on rocks. If you ride on rocks, it is still possible, but I find myself always worrying about the rocks even if my horse seems to handle it okay. I usually use boots if I think I will encounter tons of rocks on the trail. But my Mustang is basically able to go anywhere barefoot now, wether his Mommy worries about it or not! :lol: It did take over a year, maybe more like two years, for him to get really tough feet. In the meantime, Easyboot Epics were my best friends.

I am not convinced that all horses can get to the point of riding barefoot in the rocks without hoof boots. (on soft ground, yes). But even if I am not sure a horse will make it to that point, I plan to keep doing it because I do think it is healthier for the foot to be without shoes 99% of the time. And then if I am riding the horse in the rocks, I will use hoof boots. So I think I am barefoot to stay, even if it means booting the horse in rocky terrain.

I think keeping the horse on the terrain you plan to ride on is the key to getting good feet, but my pens simply aren't big enough to give them enough movement and keep them out of the mud in wintery weather. So probably some of my barefoot limitations are due to not having a big enough turnout area for the horses to move around in. I did try the pea gravel but most of it sunk to China!

 

[trailhorserider]

Sorry, I guess my posts are kind of redundant from what others have said. I responded to the pictures without reading all of the posts. But it looks like we are all pretty well in agreement, lol!

 

[jazzyrider]

hahahaha lol yes. im definitely in agreement with everything you have said

 

[jazzyrider]

Sorry, I guess my posts are kind of redundant from what others have said. I responded to the pictures without reading all of the posts. But it looks like we are all pretty well in agreement, lol!

no educational posts are ever redundant :wink: