[Beastie89]

I'll check that out thank you. I guess I'll be looking for a farrier again.... the one I used had been recommended to me by a trusted friend. I has seen the work he had done on her horses feet and I approved of it but I guess he just won't work for my horse.

[Lopinslow]

don't feel bad! Unfortunately many people don't know everything to look for when evaluating a farriers work. I've had friends recommend someone to me and they did awful work when i let them trim one horse for me ONE time and she ended up sore.

1. does the pastern angle match the angle of the hoof? or is it broken back ( toes too long ) or broken forward ( heels too high ). are both front at the same angle, and the rear feet the same as eachother?

2. is the foot balanced on the bottom? if you pick the foot up, hold the pastern and let the hoof fall foward, so you are looking at it directly above and level from the heels down to the toe. is one side higher than the other? or are they even like they should be?

3. take a caliper and measure the length of the feet. are the front the same? the back the same? in the summer i would say a good average is a little over 3 inches in length just after a trim. in the winter when the ground is hard or if the horse is staying barefoot, a little longer. if they are on the short side, pick up the foot and press your thumbs into the sole, if it gives a little when you press, then the foot was trimmed too short.

4. were the flares removed from the feet?

5. are the heels of the hoof the same angle as the front, which should also be the same as the pastern. if the heels angle in more than the front, then the horse has under-run heels and it needs to be addressed and the horse needs support.


It really is amazing how much bad farrier work you'll see once you really know what to look for, and it would be really scary if you got down with an angle gage and checked some horses.
my previous farrier who had reset a special pair of navicular shoes on my gelding all last summer appeared to be doing a good job. He lost one in November and the guy had to put a new set on.. which were TOO small to offer the support he needed, so i had him pull them a week later and he wore soft-ride shoes, and then a trim before he went in for surgery. I got referred to a specialist and saw him right after his stall rest was over, which was not quite 5 weeks from his previous trim. his bad foot was 1/2 inch longer and several degrees different in angle from his good front foot! needless to say i was TICKED and very glad i had gotten the referral to the new farrier who is one of only 6 journeyman farriers in my state.

i hope everyone is very critical of the work their farriers do, as a unbalanced and poorly trimmed foot can cause serious problems for your horses.

[Beastie89]

Thank you so much Lopinslow for your encouragement and advice. It makes me feel much better... I have pictures for you all. I can get more pictures tonight of different angles if you tell me what you need.

Right Front


Right Front Again


Left Front


Left Front2


Left Front One more time


Right Hind


Right Hind Again


Left Hind


Left Hind2


Left Hind3


Left Hind4 ( the spot on the outside of the foot is where the lameness and blood came from)


To treat her foot I cleaned it and then put betadine on it. I put gauze and vet wrap on and then duct taped it. Is that a good way to treat it? If the foot is completely bare she doesn't want to walk on it.
Also the hoof and leg are fairly hot to the touch. I was thinking of cold hosing it for 15-20 mins but she is afraid of the hose and has never had the hose used on her before (as far as I know). I don't have any bute to give her. Where would I be able to get bute?

[LOVMYPASO]

Is that a hole?? It looks like it from the picture. You can get bute from your vet.

[Lopinslow]

it's hard to know really well just from photos, and without getting out an angle gage and caliper to check things out for sure, but i think i would be looking for a new farrier.

from the photos alone,
it appears the outside wall of the right front may be longer than the inside, so it would be like standing the outside of your foot on a wedge, while the inside is flat.

left front ( and probably the right front as well ) seems to have heels that are a little under-run. see how the heels are at a sharper angle than the toe?

hinds are not as round shaped as front feet, but the left hind seems to be more mis-shapen, and when the bottom of that foot is looked at, the outside heel is back further than the inside heel.

I would check the balance of the feet ( pick up the leg and hold the pastern, letting the foot fall relazed. position your head and eyes dead center over the horses pastern and heels, and see if it's balanced, or one side is higher. )

as the other poster said, you can get bute from your vet.

for the hole, it could have been an absess? i would make a paste of sugar and iodine, pack in the sole, cover with a diaper ( small or newborn size works best ) and then cover with duct tape. When you take the diaper off the next day, the sugar will be white again, as the foot will absorb all the iodine.

[Beastie89]

Thank you everyone, I have some bute and will be giving it her to tonight. The problem on her left hind isn't a hole.... it looks like a scrape of some sort. I'll try to get a good pic of it tonight. Should I put the sugardine on it tonight anyways? I'll definitely be looking for a new farrier. It's just hard to find one that is willing to travel. I'll be looking on the farrier website and call a couple of them. Thank you all. Anymore input is greatly appreciated.

[accphotography]

I back the finding a new farrier idea. There's quite a bit of imbalance there.

Not sure on the injury but I suspect an abscess.

ACC

[Dawn]

You also have to consider what the farrier might have had to work with here. The horse was quite overdue for a trim, so this might have been the best he could do.

I do personally see some things I would like different. But overall, it's nowhere near the hack job I was expecting to see.

The spot you've shown does look like it could easily have been a blown abcess, but then again, might be something else.

[sugarsgal]

I'm no expert on feet but I'm learning quick with all Sugar's issues and Farrier mess ups. What I see is, the farrier took to much hoof off in one trim. He should have done 2 trims to get to that shortness. Also it looks like he hit the sensitive lamina which would make him bleed and cause lameness. His back heals look too short IMO. As far as the egg shape goes, Sugar's back hooves are like that too. Just the way they are but my farrier will square them off a bit and file the outside wall but Sugar's back right was turning out.