Collapsed Heels please help

[pebbles82]

Does anyone know what causes collapsed heels?
Or know of any place where i can find out more about it

Thank you

[Yann]

Its usually caused by poor trimming / farriery, though some horses are more prone to it than others. There's a really good book called No Foot No Horse which covers the subject in some detail. There are a few good barefoot horse sites that will also provide useful information.

[pebbles82]

have you got the details of the sites so i could have a good read about it. She has been on loan so it wasnt my blacksmith who shod her but when mine came today he said they were in a awful state and it was caused by bad shoeing but i was just curious if the person who had her on loan could of contributed to this because i have been hearing bad reports about her since i got my pony back :eek:

[baxter]

its usually down to poor farriery... can be corrected slowly with the help of a good farrier, mine is still correcting my boys collapsed heels almost a year after i have got him

[Yann]

You could try a google search or use the search facility on here?

I'm afraid the collapsed heels will be entirely down to the farrier and the job they did, other than that person not spotting what was going on, which isn't uncommon. We all trust to the professionals and they don't always do a good job.

[shandy84]

From what little I know about the condition the horse can be predisposed to it genetically but the farrier should shoe accordingly and avoid making it worse, this condition can be helped by correct farriery and other than not orrying about the feet I am not sure the previous loanee could have helped it in any way

[deborah ann]

Whatever the reason is that the horse has gotten the problem, now you need a top notch farrier so as not to make anything worse. And it probably won't be cheap. Someone once cut my horse too short and he went lame. Some farriers are just more qualified than others. The vet gave me the name of the farrier in my area most qualified to help my horse. All the hoof supplements and good feed in the world won't make up for bad shoeing, (and no farrier is infallible.) But a good farrier is like an insurance plan, you want to ride your horse, not see them stall bound like I did once for almost 2 entire months because he was cut too #@^ short. If the said horse is a TB, say no more......

[Wally]

Poor trimming and shoeing is the usual culprit. An idle farrier might shoe too short in the branches because he can't be bothered to finish the branches properly.

Folk often whinge that the shoe could be trodden off if it overhangs the back of the foot, but if you don't give good support under the bulbs of the heels it can cause collapse. I'd rather have a shoe trodden off then a collapsed heel, but then if the branch is finished properly it shouldn't get trodden off!