Ted has now been here nearly 6 weeks and is the first update of 2012 - I have masses to put up so bear with me and I will try to get updates on all the rehab horses posted in the next few days. Unfortunately the weather has made photos difficult - its dark even in the barn, even during so-called daylight hours, so I apologise for the lighting issues(!).
Flash isn't an option, as it distorts hoof angles, which is the last thing Ted needs - he has enough going on already! Here are his feet at day one, which you may recall from the last update...
Here he is a few days afterwards - you can see how the foot initially looks collapsed without the wedges. The angles are actually pretty much the same but without being jacked up behind the whole foot appears longer.
Its interesting that the wedge makes the hoof pastern axis appear better, but without actually building up the internal structures of the foot at all.
Below is the same foot taken yesterday - and if you look at the line of new growth, you can see that Ted is already determined to grow a hoof at a healthier angle - and one which will improve the whole hoof, from the inside out.
Its interesting that the wedge makes the hoof pastern axis appear better, but without actually building up the internal structures of the foot at all.
Below is the same foot taken yesterday - and if you look at the line of new growth, you can see that Ted is already determined to grow a hoof at a healthier angle - and one which will improve the whole hoof, from the inside out.
Once the new angle is complete, his toe will be shorter and his heel in the right place - without the need for wedges or fillers. More importantly, a stronger caudal hoof will allow him to land better: heel first instead of toe first.
Here is his LF - the worst foot - in his remedial shoe and today. As is usually the case, the shoe was providing stability but not allowing the hoof to strengthen - that only happens when it can actually start to work. Look at how long his hoof wall was in shoes - even though his foot still looks long at the toe, its much shorter and stronger than it was in bar shoes.
And for completeness, his sole shot from a few days out of shoes...
and today...
...a much better frog and a hoof which is starting to get back to correct medio-lateral balance.
8 comments:
No matter how many times I see the pictures of how the new hoof wall grows in at such a radically different angle, it never ceases to amaze me. Good work Ted!
Nic, you're so right that the wedges create an illusion of a corrected hoof, while nothing is corrected. Support without strenthening. I wish more farriers and vets could get that concept. The front half of his sole appears to have lost circulation in the solar papillae and has turned black. I have a theory about abscesses Nic, that I would like to run by you to see what you think about it and possible help me with my research on them. Good job on Ted!
Pat
Jen - me too :-)
Pat, I'd love to chat over your research - if you PM me on Facebook that's probably easiest - will look forward to hearing from you.
The photos were taken in bad light, so I think the area of the sole which appears black is just shaded, as in real life the sole is fairly uniform. You are dead right, though about sole necrosis being common - many horses come here with black areas on the sole which gradually improve over time.
I wondered if it was the lighting or the hoof, but I've seen it on many neglected/recently deshod hooves so assumed. I will send you some info on what I've learned about abscesses soon. Getting ready for a trip to Costa Rica to trim horses there...if you can believe that! I can barely. I do have an article I wrote a while back on my website, www.heelfirstlandings.com, and most the info is there, but I do need to do some updating to that one. I think I also duplicated it on the non-profit site wwww.rainierhoofrehab.com. I love reading you blog and appreciate the work you put into it, uploading and explaining pictures. I know how time consuming that can be. I should be doing more of that too, but yes, time-consuming! Thanks! Nic! Pat
He's the kind of horse who can badly lame himself if he does too much with a long toe levering itself against the white line, when that extreme angle change grows down a bit further, isn't he? Like Campero did when I let him have a hooley too soon! I know you won't be making that mistake Nic.
C
Its not so much the leverage on the white line which causes problems I suspect as strain on the collateral ligaments - sometimes, because the hoof capsule is the most visible thing, we need to remember that with these horses we are dealing with primarily soft tissue injuries!
unfortunately I actually managed to make Campero bleed into the white line, so with him it was pretty clear. I felt dreadful, but he was sound again within a few days, so it was better than a re-strain of the collateral ligaments, thank goodness.
C
Campero was laminitic, though, wasn't he? Luckily Ted isn't, so his white line isn't compromised.
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