lame on near fore since shod

Lucy J

Lucy J

Weaver's Tale aka Ciara!!
Dec 5, 2001
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Renfrewshire, Scotland
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Maci, a new pony in our yard had shoes put on 6 weeks ago and he has been lame since. he was fine before and its not bad lameness, some days he's OK, some days he isn't.

I can't help thinking its maybe to do with improper hoof balance, its just strange that he was fine before he was shod then as soon as he was shod he went lame. Any ideas?
 
Hi Lucy!

Lameness apparently caused by shoeing can be for several reasons.

Have you changed farriers? How long does your farrier spend when shoeing? Does he take his time? etc etc.

I've known horses to become lame after shoeing because of shoddy work - the farrier has not taken his time and put a nail into the foot, or over tightened a nail, or the shoe hasn't been put on properly causing bruising somewhere - perhaps on the heels or bulb of the heel, frog etc.

I would suggest removal of the shoes and see what difference there is. It could be that the pony has just bruised his sole, or it could be something different. Ask the farrier to come back and check the pony. It may even be something completely unrelated to the shoeing and has just been a coincidence!
 
he is a new farrier to me and to that pony, and to be honest I don't like him, he doesn't take a lot of time and when my youngster lost her balance he kept hold of her leg and she fell on her knees. I don't like his shoeing ideas either, he's convinced all horses should be shod with eggbars and comes out with other things I've not heard before, but I am not a farrier and don't want to downgrade his work. I have heard good reports about him too and the other people on the yard like him.

The other chap that comes out is really good, but he charges £60 per set and I can't afford that every 5 weeks.

I am just concerned for the poor pony - I'll ask if they've thought about taking off the shoes and seeing if he comes sound. He's really pretty.
 
I don't like the sound of this. You are so right to be concerned.

As the saying goes, no foot no horse - and it is so true.

Does your horse really need shoeing every 5 weeks? At the moment, we are going 6-8 weeks between shoeings. It may be worth saving a bit extra and perhaps leaving an extra week - if your pony's feet are good - in order to be able to afford the better farrier. Or perhaps someone else knows of a good farrier in your area - it is better to go on recommendation.

If a farrier spends less than half an hour on your horse, something is wrong. Try this link for farriers.


http://www.the-forge-pages.co.uk/pages/farrier/
 
My horse needs done so often because he puts the nails in really high up and the clenches rise really quickly - perhaps your right, the other chap every 6 weeks would really be a better option.

Last month the clenches had risen so much she really needed done after 3 weeks - her feet looked terrible.

Poor Maci has been lame since he has had shoes on from this guy (he was unshod), one always has to have egg bars cause he has flat feet (they don't look that bad) and the others are unshod.

It is so hard knowing if the farrier is good or not
 
If clenches are rising that quickly on good feet it sounds more like poor farriery. Egg-bars are for corrective/surgical shoeing and not routine use - they are more expensive than ordinary shoes as well.

My farrier charges £40 for new shoes all round, £30 for removes now (we are 'up North' so life is a bit cheaper up here) and if the shoe comes off in the first four weeks on any of my horses he replaces it for free. Mine are done every 8 weeks and the clenches are never up even at this point. At times the older mare could probably go a little longer as her feet do not grow very fast, however with doing the dressage I prefer that her foot balance is spot on all the time.

I would suggest looking for another farrier, it may be more expensive per visit but the visits will probably be less frequent.
 
I don't know about putting off farrier work.
This is what I have learned:
When the hoof grows it will change the angle. This can put strain on the joins. Farrier care is kind of an investment. It's expensive but it has the potential to create or prevent major problems later on.
It probably has something to do with the diet but it seems that at least in our area the hoofs grow faster in the summer.
Financially it's no fun, but I follow the farriers advice on frequency. DJ gets shot every 5 weeks in the summer and hopefully less in the winter when hoof growth slows down a bit...
What do the owners of the pony think?
Personally I agree: "No hoof, no horse"
Since it's so very important I would not use a farrier I don't trust.
 
It does sound like your farrier is a bit dodgy. We used to have one that came to our yard who always cut the foot down too short and the horses ended up with bruised feet. To top it all off the shoes were always dropping off as well. Needless ot say I never let him anywhere near my horse!

You may know this already, but legally, every farrier has to be registered which actually means that we do have a way of checking up on them and making complaints.

If you want to check him out or make a complaint then go to this link....http://www.farrier-reg.gov.uk/
 
I don't think registering necessarily guarantees the quality of the workmanship. However, you might be able to find out through the register if there have been any other complaints about his work. This would at least give you an idea of whether this is just a one off or not (everyone has a bad day, though this doesn't excuse causing lameness!). Otherwise, the difference in price may just be down to experience and may the other guy is just a bit more experienced. You don't think your farrier is giving you the run around a bit because your relatively young and female? Some farriers can be notoriusly sexist. My old farrier used to chat up anything under 25, when you phoned up to book an appointment if his wife answered the phone it was like the spanish inquisition before she believd you weren't his mistress. He was much more careful and took more time with my Mum in the yard. Otherwise he just told me a whole load of ****!
 
No Hoof no horse,
um a phrase i know all to well at the moment.Punch foundered back in april,the vets more or less wrote him off! Made a fantastic recovery,but went lame nearly 3wks ago,with what appeared to be an abscess,buts its still draining.He is being x-rayed next week as he is suspected of having quittor.The reason i'm telling you this is because both these problems are foot related,the first one nearly killed him.This one looks like it will.My farrier is fantastic and has been extremely helpful throughout all this.Its well worth taking your time and finding a farrier that is good,and well help you as best he can.There is nothing worse than having a bad farrier messing your horse about.Punch is shod every 4wks because he needs heartbars.The other horses go 8wks all year round.
 
Hoof abcess??? Not likely but a possibility I don't see mentioned.

It is well worth finding a farrier that you are happy with. A great farrier is rare and hard to come by, but when you do stick to them like glue. If you don't like the farrier dont get them back, find someone you think does a good job and that you get along with. The farriers role is such a big part of you and your horses life, and well being, that it is important you trust and share a good relationship with them.
 
well I have left a message with the 'expensive' farrier. I do hope he calls me back. That is only 3 weeks now since she has been done, and the clenches have risen alraedy. I know her feet are not good, but they just look terrible. The heels look far too long to me, the whole hoof just doesn't look right. Fingers crossed this chap can fit me in. My horse has just gone on grass livery now, so that is saving me £30 a week for the time being
 
Good luck with the new farrier. It shouldn't really matter if your horses feet aren't good - a really good farrier should be able to help you improve the look/shape and health of the hoof with regular, correct shoeing.
 
well we had a visit from a new farrier on Saturday and he was brilliant, he was on the yard for about 6 hours. He made shoes from scratch ie a straight piece of metal for every horse.

I am about to make a complaint to the address above, but get this. The farrier that was out before had all the horses back shoes back to front (ie right shoe on left foot and left shoe on right foot). The shoes weren't the right size for any of the horses, and the reason the pony was lame was because the angles the feet had been trimmed to were different on each feet. He pointed it out, and the difference was unbelieveable.

It is absolutely shocking that he is qualified. His theory was always goodish, but he was very slap dash about the way he shod.

I know this farrier I have now is more expensive - most expensive I've ever paid at £60 per set, but he is so full of goof advice, my horse loved him to pieces and he actually cared.

Now...I'm going to make a complaint about the other chap. I am horrified.
 
...Oh my God! Yes - definitely complain. Farriers are all supposed to have certain code of conduct and this guy certainly isn't doing his job properly. Also make sure you discretely spread the word around the local area. When you make a complaint I would also tyr and get your new farrier to include something in writing to confirm that the horse's were incorrectly shod. If there is enough evidence then he will be 'struck off' the register, which on the evidence you've described is not entirely inappropriate. Like Skye said - "no hoof no horse"

Am glad you have got the problem sorted though!
 
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