[JavaLover]

Okay, so I got my horse's feet trimmed approx. 7 weeks ago. I called my farrier the other day and today he came to trim them but said that they didn't need to be trimmed.. His back feet are bare and his left hind hoof seems to have some problems so I took a picture of it.

Please excuse the dirt of this hoof! I didn't have time to clean it out as I was in a hurry, but it seems kinda.. I don't really know. It just doesn't seem healthy, but my farrier says it's fine.

Are his back toes too long? They're shaped weird because when I got him he still had racing shoes on even though he hasn't raced in 5 or so years.

I also think his front feet are too long.. He has pads in between the horse shoe and the hoof.

 

[sillybunny11486]

backs- too much toe. but the hooves arent long per see. it takes several trims to get control of a longer toe.

fronts- way too long for my liking. the long heel is making them look more upright and almost too short of a toe. I'v never had the fortune for my horses heels to grow that much between trims, so I dont like to see hooves like that. Its like hes got platform shoes on.

 

[JavaLover]

His back feet were never given the chance to spread out and expand because he's had tiny racing shoes on his whole life. He's barefoot now to help his feet expand, but it seems like his back feet aren't growing, just the toe is getting longer.

His front feet are too long for my liking too, but my farrier said they look fine..

 

[sillybunny11486]

My mares fronts also grow alot faster then her backs. The fronts get alot more taken off. She doesnt have shoes on her hinds either.


Can I ask why he has pads in the front?

My mare had them for navicular. With simmilar hoof problems you cant go too long between trims, and an extra week could cause discomfort. You have to be very careful with a hoof angle, and getting a hoof too long will cause even less blood flow in the right places.

 

[JavaLover]

I haven't had him too long so when I called the farrier and got him to take his old shoes off, he noticed that his feet had hemorrhaged and were bruised to he put pads on to make it a bit more comfortable for him.

 

[Honeysuga]

You need to get a new farrier then.

He has white line stretching due to long toes, and too much wall. You need to find a good barefoot trimmer to get his feet back in shape if you are goign to want him barefoot.

That shod foot looks terribly boxy and uncomfortable.

Yup., I vote you get an opinion from a different farrier.

 

[sillybunny11486]

^^ sometimes it takes a long time to get toes to the right angle, so I wouldnt say hes doing a horrible job there. But I really dont like the fronts.

Its silly when farriers say they'll come back in a few weeks, hooves wont grow that much more in a week or so, most of the growing has already been done in the last 7 weeks. Its a waste of everyones time, waiting for them, then having to reschedule. I would understand if you horse was on a 4 weeks schedule. But I will not push my horse past 7 weeks, esp when they have shoes on.



Sometimes pads work, other times pads can cause more brusing, depending on how close the sole is to the hoof walls. If you horses foot is about flat, pads might create more pressure on the hooves. My made got abcesses/bruises from them.

 

[JavaLover]

You need to get a new farrier then.

He has white line stretching due to long toes, and too much wall. You need to find a good barefoot trimmer to get his feet back in shape if you are goign to want him barefoot.

That shod foot looks terribly boxy and uncomfortable.

Yup., I vote you get an opinion from a different farrier.

There aren't many farriers around where I live. He trims all of the horses where my horse is kept and their feet all look wonderful. I don't know, maybe it'll just take time.

^^ sometimes it takes a long time to get toes to the right angle, so I wouldnt say hes doing a horrible job there. But I really dont like the fronts.

Its silly when farriers say they'll come back in a few weeks, hooves wont grow that much more in a week or so, most of the growing has already been done in the last 7 weeks. Its a waste of everyones time, waiting for them, then having to reschedule. I would understand if you horse was on a 4 weeks schedule. But I will not push my horse past 7 weeks, esp when they have shoes on.



Sometimes pads work, other times pads can cause more brusing, depending on how close the sole is to the hoof walls. If you horses foot is about flat, pads might create more pressure on the hooves. My made got abcesses/bruises from them.

Yeah. He said that the next time he comes out he's going to take the front shoes off because ice has started to pack in his shoes and the snow will do wonders for his feet, so he says.

 

[JumpingTheMoon]

From what I gather it takes about a year to grow a good hoof with effective and consistent trimming. Also, pay attention to what you're feeding. Good nutrition is definitely a factor.

Both my horses are barefoot. Both are ex-racers, ok one ex-racer and one ex-pacer (woo I can rhyme lol). I don't advocate shoes or barefoot, I advocate what works for that horse.

With that said - the barefoot farrier I found in just one trim has made both of my horses more comfortable. I'm counting down the minutes til she comes back Jan 6th for the next trim lol.

It might be worth doing some searching for a barefoot guy - or research yourself about barefoot, get a ton of info from the barefoot trimmers on here and talk, talk, talk with your farrier you have now. If you're not happy with the outcome discuss it with him.

Of course - you can't expect gorgeous feet after one visit.

Good luck!!!

 

[CharliesMom]

This is just my own opinion, but the fronts need to have some heel and toe taken off, it makes it look like his angle is way to steep. its not really good for those tendons. the backs have too much toe and not enough heal. I have an ex racer too who had plates on even after he didnt race anymore, and what my farrier told me was that (and this is for my horse) he should be between 52 and 55 degrees (he has fairly straight pasterns)
Also, if you have concerns and your farrier is just dismissing them, i would seriously consider getting one who will listen to your concerns. He is your horse and when you have his best interests in mind and your not receiving what you need, that's no good for either of you.
Good luck though!

 

[Honeysuga]

I agree with jumpingthemoon, I assumed that you had already aired your complaints about the hooves and had been told that they are fine. Definitely talk to him about your concerns, educate yourself on barefoot trimming, and relay that to him if necessary.

 

[JavaLover]

Thank you all for the advice. I guess I have some research to do

 

[sillybunny11486]

Barefoot trimmers are sometimes hard to find, because they're arent many in alot of places around the courty. I prefer a farrier whom does shoes and trims, otherwise if you want to put shoes back on your horse you'll need to find another farrier again.

 

[Ne0n Zero]

Backs look like the toe is a bit long. The heel length actually looks fine to me, the heel bulbs are meant to touch the ground. However, the heels are contracted.

Fronts.. way way WAY too much heel. Too much everything. It's a box hoof, as I saw someone mentioned earlier.

(shoes with pads generally make things worse)

 

[sillybunny11486]

If you are worried about bruising your best bet is to use some type of leave in pack. Check out vettec.com. I use their equi pack for my mare. I can get about three hooves out of one tube so its just about the same as paying for pads. Sole guard would be great for transitioning him to barefoot. But you need to get the gun ($50) and a mixing tip per hoof (sometimes more). Some farriers already have the gun.

I give it a great product review. Its a great idea. The pack usually stays in 4 weeks in winter though, and you need the farrier to cut his sole back a little if you want to reapply. So I just call the farrier when it comes out and we do resets around that time.