Ok, this post really made me laughing. This and club? NO, its nothing, for me ;) I have owned a club footed horse for over 3 years now and i was told he never do endurance. Now hes feet are good (HE has slight club ;)). and if a would have more time he could be doing 120km rides (cas i dont have time, we have done only 50km as the longest).
BTW, I LOVE your blog! Endurance blogs are the best!
I agree with Karen. I think her heels are too high. I also think her toes are too short. Over trimming going on here, causing the hoof angle to be steeper than the pasturn angle. But I must say I just recently started to get into horse's hooves. I am NO EXPERT. It's just what my eye is telling me. I noticed it first thing when I seen her in person at Versailles. I know since, your farrier is your husband, it makes it a little tough to be critical. But it wouldn't hurt to get a second opinion from another barefoot trimmer. My barefoot trimmer says that horse's hooves don't grow as quickly in the winter as the summer. I don't trim my horse's hooves near as often as you do. They keep their's looking great when I am riding them alot. Plus, their pasture is a bit rocky and so is their barn flooring. So they wear their hooves naturally. I know everytime I've had Shula out, she barely does anything to Stormy because she says she's wearing them down nicely and she doesn't want to take away anything more or she would get sore. She hasn't charged me the last 2 times she's been out. Jazz usually needs some taken off her fronts. She gets flares and I like Shula to do it so I know they are done right. She's had training in barefoot trimming and has worked on numerous cases of horses that were diagnosed navicular, chronically lame, etc. and cured them.
Anyway, she's not lame. It's not that bad. I'm just commenting since you posted the pictures. Maybe I'm wrong. I can give you Shula's number if you want it though. She's super nice and truely cares about every horse she works on. I usually don't go on and on about people but this lady deserves it.
Oh, and she can tell you how to fix the club hoof--I think. I had a Tennessee Walker who had 4 club feet. She worked on them all summer and by the fall they were looking better. She said it was from trimming the toe too short, it was all fairrier induced in this horse's case anyway. She cut down the heels, had to cut away some soul and let the toes grow out. Jazz had short, terrible feet when I got her. And now she looks 100% better. And moves better than when we first got her.
My husband hasn't used nippers on Phebes in a long long time. He just finds the sole plane, rasps to level, rasps the heels level with the frogs, and touches up the roll if it needs it.
We won't be trimming back any healthy frog and we won't carve into her sole.
My husband was trained by a barefoot professional and has brought a dead lame horse back from laminitis / founder.
My truly club foot, not minor as Phebes, older mare took me a 1000 miles in a year span, bare, no boot. (She ran over gravel and vetted out in clean on one of the toughest courses in Indiana under my husbands care.) I haven't measured the height of her heel, but it does not strike me as being "overly" high with foot on the ground, load bearing. ~E.G.
One last thing, take a look at some photos of working bare hooves, not booted hooves, but bare hooves.
http://www.hoofrehab.com/
At Ramey's site there were at least three sets that look just like Phebes. Every horse, and every hoof is an individual. My personal belief is that a cookie cutter approach does not work when it comes to natural hoof care. Cutting away the sole, or trimming back the frog (other than the loose crap) goes against everything Ramey teachs.
We each have our own views on hoof care, and I've seen that inflate into a hot topic on a lot of forums. I won't do that, I like you all too much! We will just have to agree to disagree :)
Ok, this post really made me laughing. This and club? NO, its nothing, for me ;) I have owned a club footed horse for over 3 years now and i was told he never do endurance. Now hes feet are good (HE has slight club ;)). and if a would have more time he could be doing 120km rides (cas i dont have time, we have done only 50km as the longest).
ReplyDeleteBTW, I LOVE your blog! Endurance blogs are the best!
I agree with Karen. I think her heels are too high. I also think her toes are too short. Over trimming going on here, causing the hoof angle to be steeper than the pasturn angle. But I must say I just recently started to get into horse's hooves. I am NO EXPERT. It's just what my eye is telling me. I noticed it first thing when I seen her in person at Versailles. I know since, your farrier is your husband, it makes it a little tough to be critical. But it wouldn't hurt to get a second opinion from another barefoot trimmer. My barefoot trimmer says that horse's hooves don't grow as quickly in the winter as the summer. I don't trim my horse's hooves near as often as you do. They keep their's looking great when I am riding them alot. Plus, their pasture is a bit rocky and so is their barn flooring. So they wear their hooves naturally. I know everytime I've had Shula out, she barely does anything to Stormy because she says she's wearing them down nicely and she doesn't want to take away anything more or she would get sore. She hasn't charged me the last 2 times she's been out. Jazz usually needs some taken off her fronts. She gets flares and I like Shula to do it so I know they are done right. She's had training in barefoot trimming and has worked on numerous cases of horses that were diagnosed navicular, chronically lame, etc. and cured them.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, she's not lame. It's not that bad. I'm just commenting since you posted the pictures. Maybe I'm wrong. I can give you Shula's number if you want it though. She's super nice and truely cares about every horse she works on. I usually don't go on and on about people but this lady deserves it.
Michelle
Oh, and she can tell you how to fix the club hoof--I think. I had a Tennessee Walker who had 4 club feet. She worked on them all summer and by the fall they were looking better. She said it was from trimming the toe too short, it was all fairrier induced in this horse's case anyway. She cut down the heels, had to cut away some soul and let the toes grow out. Jazz had short, terrible feet when I got her. And now she looks 100% better. And moves better than when we first got her.
ReplyDeleteMichelle Detmer
My husband hasn't used nippers on Phebes in a long long time. He just finds the sole plane, rasps to level, rasps the heels level with the frogs, and touches up the roll if it needs it.
ReplyDeleteWe won't be trimming back any healthy frog and we won't carve into her sole.
My husband was trained by a barefoot professional and has brought a dead lame horse back from laminitis / founder.
My truly club foot, not minor as Phebes, older mare took me a 1000 miles in a year span, bare, no boot. (She ran over gravel and vetted out in clean on one of the toughest courses in Indiana under my husbands care.) I haven't measured the height of her heel, but it does not strike me as being "overly" high with foot on the ground, load bearing. ~E.G.
One last thing, take a look at some photos of working bare hooves, not booted hooves, but bare hooves.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.hoofrehab.com/
At Ramey's site there were at least three sets that look just like Phebes. Every horse, and every hoof is an individual. My personal belief is that a cookie cutter approach does not work when it comes to natural hoof care. Cutting away the sole, or trimming back the frog (other than the loose crap) goes against everything Ramey teachs.
We each have our own views on hoof care, and I've seen that inflate into a hot topic on a lot of forums. I won't do that, I like you all too much! We will just have to agree to disagree :)
~E.G.