Case Study 1
Note the angle of the new growth at the top of the hoof, the green line follows this new growth and shows where the hoof wall SHOULD be (well attached to the coffin bone - pink lines). The red
line at the toe follows the old growth with the separation (note how the flair at the bottom, between red line and hoof wall, had been rasped off trying to get the
toe back where it should be, but this doesn't address the underlying problem). The corresponding heel lines are also drawn in; the separation at the toe pulls the heel forwards/under as the size
of the hoof capsule remains the same as it grows out. The green lines combined show the hoof we want to grow. The sole is too thin at the toe and needs to grow thick, callused
sole, while the wall needs to grow well connected to the coffin bone, thus bringing the toe and heels back. Note the white foot behind shows exactly the same pattern. Also note the swelling in the fetlock joint.
Same foot three and a half months later. Note the distinct line around the entire hoof wall showing the difference in angles between the old growth and the new growth. Like the
previous photo, the green line shows the new, well connected growth, the red line shows the old growth that is separated from the coffin bone. Note the exact same pattern at the heel, the entire
old hoof capsule had been pulled forward by the separation at the toe.
Same foot as above.
Note the slender heels without a solid landing platform. We can determine from this image, without even watching the horse walking, that she lands toe first because of the wear at the toe and lack of wear at the heels. When the lateral cartilages were palpated they were very underdeveloped and tender to thumb pressure (imagine the pressure of her weight when walking!).
Same foot six months later. The frog still needs more development after some thrush issues which have now been taken care of. Adding a mineral balancing ration to the diet made a huge improvement on treating the thrush.
Note how the back of the foot has developed significantly. The heels have a solid landing platform and they are no longer squashed together. The back of the foot is now the widest part of the foot, whereas before the toe was widest due to wall separation and the weak, unused heels, bars, lateral cartilages and frog. When palpated, the lateral cartilages are much stronger and palpation no longer elicits a pain response. The sole is also developing well and showing some concavity.
Case Study 2
Ripples in the hoof wall like these should sound the alarm bells immediately. They are an indicator of metabolic upset, usually caused by carbohydrate overload in the diet, and often either
accompany or precede founder. Notice how the hoof wall at the toe has been severely rasped off to hide the wall separation.
Same foot 8 months later. The only changes made were eliminating grain from the diet and feeding a copper and zinc supplement. There is still a bit of wall separation at the base of the toe
that needs to grow out but the smooth new hoof wall without ripples shows the diet is now under control. Without amending the diet, this horse's hooves would not have improved, regardless of the
trimming.
Case Study 3
Miniature horse with laminitis, founder, hoof deformity, and LFS (lack of farrier syndrome). At the first visit this pony was in acute founder and was
extremely lame to the point where she could barely walk. Six months later she was galloping around her paddock 100% sound and getting up to all sorts of mischief!
Unfortunately I was unable to complete this mare's rehabilitation due to my moving out of province, and the hooves were still a significant way from being healthy when these photos were
taken but I have included them as a case study none-the-less as they show what can be done in as little as six months with rehabilitative trimming and appropriate dietary
changes.
Please click on the photos to enlarge them.
Case Study 4
Severe separation (founder) and wall cracks to compensate for the enlarged, flaired size of the hoof capsule. Note how at the top of the hoof wall there is much tighter growth where the new
growth is growing down from the coronary band and then flairs out severely where the wall separates from the coffin bone, stretching the laminae (a zip-like structure that connects the hoof wall
and the coffin bone), causing severe pain. The laminae is a similar structure to what holds your fingernail on. Imagine slowly pulling your fingernail away from your finger, as with hoof wall
separation, and stretching everything underneath the nail out till it separates from your finger.... ouch!
Same foot 6 months later. Regular rehabilitative trimming, changes in diet, and various hoof protection boots, pads, casts etc later. This is still far from a healthy foot and has a long way to
go but it is a drastic improvement from 6 months prior and most importantly, x-rays have shown that the coffin bone is no longer rotated (see next photo). She is still in boots for turnout and is
very happy and sound with her boots on, however still walks very gingerly without her boots due to coffin bone remodelling. Note the much tighter wall to coffin bone connection without the severe
flair. This is grown in tighter from the top down not rasped off.
X-ray of same foot showing corrected coffin
bone angle after 4 months of rehabilitative trimming and a nice thick sole. Note the skitip in the front of the bone and the way it is actually separating away from the bone like a bone
chip. We can also see an abscess directly under it in the sole. Unfortunately, due to this chipped skitip, subsolar abscesses will probably remain common in this foot, causing pain
when these occur. Again, as with Case Study 3, I was sadly unable to complete this Mare's rehabilitation due to my moving out of province.
Case Study 5
This is a before trim photo but it's the thin, flat soles that I am focusing on here. See picture on the right for vast improvement.
Seven months later: Note the huge amount of sole this mare has grown and the nice uniform concavity. The frog is also much more developed, even after going through a spring shedding (you can
see the apex - towards the toe - is not protruding out as far where it has shed off). You may notice her walls are trimmed back quite far, for this horse in particular her walls
have to be trimmed like this (as if she were in a laminitis rehabilitation state) as she re-founders very quickly if the walls are allowed to grow passed her sole plane due to her previous
chronic foundered state that has weakened her laminae (hoof wall to coffin bone connection). Because her soles are now so thick and callused she is 120% sound and using her foot correctly, even
without the support of her hoof walls on impact. This trim would not work for many other horses, but is a good example of how every horses is different and no single type of trim will
work for every horse.