The problem with educating yourself about hoof form and function is that the more you know the easier it is to find examples of bad hoof care. Everywhere.
I can't even look through catalogs anymore without seeing hooves that make me sad. But there is one photo in particular that I can't get out of my head. Check out the feet on this poor bugger:
This photo is supposed to be selling splint boots but I can't drag my eyes away from those hooves long enough to see them. I would bet money that this horse is a model because (s)he is too lame to do anything else. I would also bet they are paying a fortune on those shoes and that the farrier would punch you in the face for questioning him/her. Does anyone else see why these hooves are so depressing to me?
Sigh, sometimes I long for the days when I could look through a catalog and just shop.
This poor guy's hooves are way to long and the shoes sticking out the back make me nervous. Gem is barefoot, so I am not an expert on shoeing, but isn't it dangerous the way the shoes are positioned? They could get caught on something and pull the shoe and part of the hoof off?? Makes me crazy when I see stuff like this. Bet this poor guy's back is really sore, too.
ReplyDeleteWolfie you are 100% right, that foot is actually a LOT longer than it looks because the farrier has practically rasped through the lamina on the front of the hoof to get the "angles correct."
ReplyDeleteCheck this statement out that I found on The Horse, http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=9377
"The traditional treatment for underrun heels as I was taught in veterinary school was to use an egg bar shoe, which was often accompanied by a wedge pad to raise the angle of the heels and correct the broken-back hoof pastern axis that is usually associated with this condition. These shoes are fitted back to the bulbs of the heels, with the thought being that the increased ground surface of the shoe will support the palmar section of the foot, and the bar would stabilize the heels and, thus, correct the problem."
EEP!
And just look at that coronet band! EGADS
ReplyDeleteLooks like those are wedge shoes - generally a sign that something pretty bad is going on.
ReplyDeleteWelcome to my world. *sigh*
ReplyDeleteNothing like adding MORE leverage to heels already succumbing to external forces, to crush them up under the hoof even father right? Yep. *headdesk*
Hang in there. The more you see, the easier it will be to spot the GOOD work.
Hi Kate, yup- the wedges are part of what makes my head hurt.
ReplyDeleteMrs Mom, I don't know how you do it.
You'd think that a catalog company selling items to improve horses functions would know better.
ReplyDeleteYuck!
ReplyDeleteWhen I worked in a high-dollar barn, though, those horses had bad, bad feet. The farrier was good, but the act of keeping them shod every day of their lives since they turned one and living with very little movement really made a mess of their feet. The farrier was always fighting a losing battle.
You'd think so, GHM, but that photo passed a bunch of eyes before it got printed and they all gave it a thumbs up.
ReplyDeleteJessie, that's just sad. They were probably a mess mentally too.