What do you think of his feet?

[Lot1983]

Sam basically has terrible feet, I just wondered what people thought of them, I have wondered a couple of things, firstly why do the shoes stick out further at the back that the actual heel of the hoof, and why does he have white tips of his toes at the front??

Back, off side
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/Lot1983/PhonePicsNew007.jpg
Nearside
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/Lot1983/PhonePicsNew011.jpg
Forelegs
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/Lot1983/PhonePicsNew008.jpg
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/Lot1983/PhonePicsNew010.jpg

[Wally]

If you shoe tight up to the wall of the hoof, you are leaving no room for natural felxing and expansion of the hoof as the horse moves. This will result in the hoof, very quickly, over growing the shoe and casuing corns and bruising to the sole of the hoof.

It is good practice to shoe a bit proud to allow expansion. If you constantly shoe tight you can cause the whole hoof to contract. If you look the farrier has bevelled off the edges of the shoe.

The white is the deeper layers of horn with little pigment in them. It's just where the farrier has trimmed and shaped the hoof, nothing to worry about at all.

[puzzles]

they're in good oevrall condition but they look too short to me - boxy.

looking at that second pic, do those shoes really fit??

[Yann]

The shoe extends beyond the heel because the heels are underrun, that is actually good practice as the shoe should always go back to where the heel should be. I don't like the look of the toes either, they look like they've been chopped off, and the white is inner wall showing. Has he had laminitis at any point? Why is he shod with quarter clips in front?

The last pic looks like the hinds again BTW.

[MelanieD]

They have underrun heels and long toes. The shoes stick out at the back to support the leg better, since the heels are forward of where they should be. The white bits are unpigmented layers below the surface. The toes aren't the prettiest looking but at least something is being done about them, would be far worse to keep letting them get longer. The quarter clips on fronts let the shoe be set back further.

[Wally]

Yes the shoes in the second pic do fit.

[Lot1983]

When Sam came to us he had wide flat feet in terrible condition, his feet are apparently now the best they've ever looked.

Yann, he's shod with quarter clips at the front for extra support, despite being fed a range of suppliments the hooves aren't great and he does have occasional parts that appear to crumble, I am pretty sure that he hasn't ever had lamainitus.

I don't understand, Puzzles states that they look short and boxy, but then MelanieD says the toes look too long, which is it? I think his toes look okay as if you look at the line of the foot then it goes in a straight line, does that make sense?

[Nayds]

He has been shod like he has had Cytek Shoes put on. Which I hate but everyone to there own.

Are you sure those are 'normal' shoes your farrier has put on?

If so I would look at getting a new farrier lol

God knows I have gone through 5 so far lol
I have a great one now though :D

Cheers Nayds

[MelanieD]

I don't understand, Puzzles states that they look short and boxy, but then MelanieD says the toes look too long, which is it? I think his toes look okay as if you look at the line of the foot then it goes in a straight line, does that make sense?

They look like they've got a tendancy towards long toe and underrun heels, but because the farrier has really gone for it with chopping off the toe they look quite short now, so both really :) Should have been a bit more clear with what I meant sorry! Going in a straight line is good because it means they're not flared, but the whole wall from the top down can be at the wrong angle so if the farrier hadn't chopped off the toes like that to bring them back and just left them in a straight line down to the ground the toes would be much too far forwards.

[puzzles]

He has been shod like he has had Cytek Shoes put on. Which I hate but everyone to there own.

Are you sure those are 'normal' shoes your farrier has put on?

If so I would look at getting a new farrier lol

God knows I have gone through 5 so far lol
I have a great one now though :D

Cheers Nayds


that was my initial thought too. :confused:

[Wally]

You must ALWAYS be aware that horses all have different shaped feet, you need to look at the horse on top of the legs and then the legs on top of the foot. Some foot shapes are not going to work for some kinds of horse.

If they all had the same foot shape we wouldn't need vets and farriers.

Don't let that pale line take your eye, it is confusing, look at the foot and the leg and the horse as a whole....then you have to see him move too.

Hákon has the worst shaped feet in the world, sadly due to lack of trimming as a baby, it has influenced his whole foot and bone/joint growth. We have to strike a balance with influencing a good, practical foot shape, but allow his joints to work as they have formed on a badly shaped hoof.

[Roofio]

They look a lot like J's feet did a few months back and your farrier seems to be doing similar to what mine have done.

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n248/Roofio24/DSC00185.jpg

As others have said, setting back and the toe etc are all fine. Just watch that they don't set them back too far, my new farrier said that my old farrier was setting them back a bit too far and shoeing a bit too square and in shoes that were a bit too small (:rolleyes:)


Js feet were also wide and flat and are now the best theyve ever looked (they look better now than in that pic). Good luck with them!