[lvmypnt]

We came home yesterday and whilf fly spraying so that Ponch as "U" shaped" chunks of hoof missing on the side wall of two feet. The area thats missing is probably about a 2" area and it ends right at his sole.

Horses shoes were pulled and they trimmed on 08/05/08. Shoes were not put back on. However, the nail holes in Poncho's feet were still there after she was done and she didint put on any of the hoof cement stuff to fill in the holes and then sand that down.

I immediately called my farrier to see what we should do and she never called me back. I called her again this morning and she did answer the phone. I voiced my concerns about doing further damage and the possibility of putting shoes back. What were her thoughts.

I will try to do this verbatim......

Me: Should we put shoes back on to prevent further damage and to make sure he is comfortable.

Farrier: There is no damage unless there is a crack all the way to the coronet band and unless he is dead lame or you have an event coming up I would not worry about it. You know you pulled their shoes at the hotest and dryest time of the year. What did you expect to happen? (laugh, laugh) If he becomes dead lame call me and we will see what we can do.

So that is pretty much how the conversation went. I have been using this farrier for 4 years and thats what I get.

So I hung up the phone and was right ticked off....

#1 Just because we dont "event" doesnt mean our horses are less important.
#2 I thought she should atleast come evaluate the situation.
#3 My horse has to be "dead lame" in order to get you to come out (unless of course its her scheduled day to come out)


Am I over reacting? My gut feeling is I should be looking for another farrier??? Shouldnt farriers be kind of like vets and be on call to their clients?

I will post pictures of Poncho's feet later this evening when I get home. I guess I will need some one to look at them and tell me wether he needs immediate attention.

[BettaBlossoms]

Honestly if it were me, I would so shopping for a new one....to me it seems irrisponsible to not check up on a client that may be in trouble...

[JBandRio]

Your farrier has valid points, though if they were indeed presented in that manner, they were not presented in a very user-friendly way.

Do you have a picture?

It sounds like the hoof wall below the nail holes has finally broken off - not terribly uncommon in your situation, especially, as the farrier said, if you pull shoes off during the hottest, driest, foot-stompin'est time of the year.

The location of the chips sound like it's at the quarters - feet that are too long there will either flare out, cause the coronet band to jam upwards, or chip off. The latter is actually the best of those 3 options as it gets rid of the excess foot.

[lvmypnt]

Originally Posted by JBandRio

Your farrier has valid points, though if they were indeed presented in that manner, they were not presented in a very user-friendly way.

Do you have a picture?

It sounds like the hoof wall below the nail holes has finally broken off - not terribly uncommon in your situation, especially, as the farrier said, if you pull shoes off during the hottest, driest, foot-stompin'est time of the year.

The location of the chips sound like it's at the quarters - feet that are too long there will either flare out, cause the coronet band to jam upwards, or chip off. The latter is actually the best of those 3 options as it gets rid of the excess foot.

Well then if she felt it was a concern she should have spoken up when we said that we werent putting shoes back on because we knew we wouldnt be riding until the fall. She should have recommended that Poncho keep his shoes on and we certainly would have done so.

The hole is way way above where the nail holes were. it is probably 2" up from the bottom of his side wall of his hoof.

I will post pics tonight.

So because I dont event and because the horse isnt dead lame that means that they do not warrant attention when I have a concern about a possible problem? I dont know if I buy that.

[WashingtonBay]

Pictures would help, but if it's only broken off below the nail holes, it's probably not a real problem.

I don't know how good you are with distances, but most horse shoe nails are not two inches long to begin with, so they wouldn't be two inches up, after a full cycle and a trim.

[RickB.]

I agree with Jordana.

Also, when the shoes were removed were the hooves trimmed down at all or was the wall just 'rolled-up' along its edges?

Regardless, it sounds as though your horse is doing some self trimming(and the quarters are usually the first to go) so if you have your own rasp, you can smooth off any rough edges.

Now I probably would not have dropped everything and rushed right out to check on your horse, but I would have stopped by when I was in the area or if the chipping got worse or the horse was uncomfortable.

Truthfully, it does not sound like it should be a very big deal or problem right now, but when it comes time to put shoes back on, your farrier may have to do some creative nailing.

[lvmypnt]

Originally Posted by WashingtonBay

Pictures would help, but if it's only broken off below the nail holes, it's probably not a real problem.

I don't know how good you are with distances, but most horse shoe nails are not two inches long to begin with, so they wouldn't be two inches up, after a full cycle and a trim.

Thats what I'm saying the hole is way above where the nail holes would be. In another words its from where the nail holes would have been all the way up to his sole.

[WashingtonBay]

Ah - I see. I misunderstood then. Is it possible this horse had an abscess break out there, or clipped himself to cause the damage?

I think pictures would really help. If what they show is meaningful... heck, send the pictures to your farrier. She may be thinking it's just the nail holes too.

[lvmypnt]

This isnt Poncho's hoof, but the part circled in red is completely gone

[lvmypnt]

Originally Posted by RickB.

I agree with Jordana.

Also, when the shoes were removed were the hooves trimmed down at all or was the wall just 'rolled-up' along its edges?

Regardless, it sounds as though your horse is doing some self trimming(and the quarters are usually the first to go) so if you have your own rasp, you can smooth off any rough edges.

Now I probably would not have dropped everything and rushed right out to check on your horse, but I would have stopped by when I was in the area or if the chipping got worse or the horse was uncomfortable.

Truthfully, it does not sound like it should be a very big deal or problem right now, but when it comes time to put shoes back on, your farrier may have to do some creative nailing.

Nope they were trimmed. There is nothing there to smooth there is a "chunk" of hoof missing.

I will get pictures and post them when i get home.