Welcome to another date night with hooves, in our "Friday Night Hoof Nerd Club"
Only the coolest get to join in ;)
Tomorrow is going to be an exciting (hopefully) day!
My trimmer M has her friend/trimmer/odd case specialist coming out to meet with us tomorrow at 4. He is going to help us figure out how to get Laz in better shape overall with his hooves, and his thoughts on his RH (hoof wall separation issues, etc)
So, in preparation, I'm taking pictures tonight to compare in case things are dramatically different by tomorrow. I don't suspect any major drastic changes, but pictures are good.
So good.
Starting with his platypus splat foot, his LF
This hoof takes a beating, it lands first and hard supporting his RH
Not happy with how spread out his collateral grooves are.
They are not supposed to be spread out that much, right?
And the lateral (outside) is pushed over farther.
May not be a big deal..we'll see.
I think there is a bit of thrush in frog sulcus...which I found by wriggling my finger in and I've been treating with ZG's thrush spray, Vetricyn Gel and No Thrush alternatively-depending on weather, etc.
Comparison with below, from mid May, before my trim
I want to ask tomorrow, about why his sole seems con-vexed at heel buttress area
This LF foot, I think I want more heel on...
His LF heel seems under run and crushed..
and uneven?? I'll have to check that tomorrow..
Below;
Here is his LH, lots of things going on with his sole...lots of shedding??
Also, I DID end up trimming it a bit, cleaning up wall/toe growth from 10 to 2 o' clock, if toe is 12.
During our walk, he seemed to favor his LH..wtf? So I stopped, looked at it and it seems, where I pared away an odd hard bar feeling thingy (yes I'm technical) on his medial (inside) wall/sole area, there appeared a small black hole.
HA! Did I expose a small hiding old abscess exit?!
HA! Did I expose a small hiding old abscess exit?!
We treated it when we got back, but I did end up switching his pad/slipper from RH, to LH half way through.
Can't see it in the picture which I'm surprised at, but I'll see if I can zoom in tomorrow on it...or see what the team thinks of what I uncovered.
Compare with below from mid May
And the star of the show, the RH
Compared to below, from May 26th
Seems the frog seems more straight and not so curved and sole is showing some movement/sloughing
Bruising at where I took bars down...wonder why, because he's walking so much more sound.
Yet, another question!
And back around to "Club" the RF, below:
A little spread on the lateral side, but seems like there is more frog/sole contact happening since lowering his heels on this 'club' foot
He does appear a bit more 'testy' on this hoof on the road, but he's landing better than when it was more vaulted/club and doesn't trip on it.
Not sure where the happy medium is yet...
This is the 'club' RF, on May 26th, (mid trim clearly)-below
I see a LOT of sole difference between the two and am I crazy, but is his frog getting plumper and wider?!
Our SloMo's
After switching the Boot/Pads to LH
I know this may seem crazy boring, but it's a great journal log for me as I'm becoming much more hands on with his trimming!
Happy Hoof dreams!
Please leave any hoof thoughts you may have!
UGH! I want that slopro video on my phone but I haven't drank the iphone koolaid. I like my droid but UGH.
ReplyDeleteLaz's feet look good. Sometimes some things that seem wrong with a horses foot work for the horse, even if they aren't "right". Shoe/trim a horse like hes made and he travels and you will never have trouble.
Hi SK-Yes, I totally agree. Here's our 'issue'..leaving him as is, tried it and becomes increasingly more lame. Bars are aggressive and impacted into soles-OUCH. Removal leaves him licking/chewing and walking off normal.
ReplyDeleteRe; the 'club' and I put it in '' for a reason...not sure it's a true club. He had a possible old racing injury in that shoulder which causes him to hold/pinch in shoulder but it's slowly releasing with massage/chiro work. Left vaulted, he would stumble horribly on that foot. Since taking down heels, no more stumble BUT it's a bit much on sole/frog being he's now landing a bit more heel first..not perfect, but better.
So, in theory, horses that travel sound-leave alone, YES. When they aren't sound, well, that is the challenge I'm facing currently
It's a delicate balance b/c I'm not one to argue with nature, but she's being a BEEyatch lately and we are having some discussions..I'm hoping she'll return to take over once things are progressing. ;)
Okay, so on the left hind- I don't think those black holes are from abscesses. I see that a lot under bars that have laid over the sole for a long time. There's room between the two layers and bad stuff gets in there. Don't worry too much about it, once you've exposed it the thrush will stop growing.
ReplyDeleteNow about the frog getting plumper. Yes- they probably are. This is part of what I've been learning from James Welz: once you've got the bars properly trimmed to end at the midpoint of the frog or shorter they work as wedges to help the hoof decontract. As the hoof decontracts thrush goes away. It's amazing. I've been documenting my two since February and it really is working.
I'll be interested in reading how it goes this weekend.
Oh interesting b/c I thought to myself, NO WAY, would I miss him abscessing!! Sometimes he's so stoic but usually, I know when there is a teeny tiny pebble wedged in his foot..surely I would not miss an abscess but there is a black hole, so who knows!
DeleteYes, I'm VERY excited for Sat :)
Also Smaz-what do u think of LF, those heel bulbs look pointy, yes? Jammed up a bit? I feel too low of heel on that foot. M think I ought to take him to 1-1/4" which I agree with being a taller boy, for his heels to see how it helps with his comfort. But, do his lateral cartilages look weak in that LF? Too hard to tell?
DeleteHonestly I think all his heels look a little too long. His heel bulbs are pointy because the hoof wall is too long and is jamming up into the coronet band. That's why I said you should roll the heels.
DeleteI can't answer your lateral cartilage question from these pictures. I'd probably need to palpate them too.
Anyway- good luck today!
Thanks for this "set-up" post, it will be interesting to read about the feedback you get from your trimmer.
ReplyDeleteLaz looks really good in the walking videos. His weight and coat are beautiful, so you must be doing a lot of things really well. Kudos for grooming his feet yourself!
Not boring at all actually perfect timing, we made vids like these yesterday and I'm uploading them now.
ReplyDeleteHoof nerds need stuff like this!! Let's get everyone to upload slow-motion videos of our horses walking! (Mine are under saddle though.)
I will join the club this week.
ReplyDeleteA good hoof knife, rasp with handle and nippers are on the way to my house. Overgrown bars beware - you are in my crosshairs. My farrier is due the end of the week - hoping to find a happy way to discuss / encourage the bar removal in future without stepping on toes.
Well - Val can step on his toes all he wants. (downloaded slomo so we'll be videoing walking soon too!!)
I ♡ the hoof club!
Love posts like this! You can always learn something.
ReplyDelete