Dr. Kellon indicated that my 17 year old quarter horse had underrun heels and that might be a contributor to her recent lameness.  Someone else on the thread indicated I should post a request to Lavinia specifically.  So, here it is. (If others have comments on how to ensure my horse's hooves remain in the best condition possible, I am here to listen.) 

My farrier trims my horse every six weeks, but her hooves grow really quickly; I try to rasp her some about every two weeks.  My farrier visited on Oct 22 and my uploaded hoof pictures were taken on Nov 2.  At this point, I had not done any hoof maintenance.

I normally rasp the toe and front quarters back so they are only a little longer than the sole and not flared.  (I heard one person on the ECIR thread discuss trimming in to the white line.  I have not done this, and I do not believe that my trimmer does this either.  Is there a video or site that explains this well?)

I do a little bit with the heels, but I am not as comfortable with heel work.  I know that the heels are somewhat flared, but I am not exactly sure the best way to address this.  I am guessing this is linked somewhat with the underrun heels.  Is there a video or site that explains how to address this?  

Based on the trim in the photos, do I need to identify a new trimmer to work with my horse?  (Sadly, I am somewhat limited because I only have one horse.  Even the trimmer that I use has me trailer in to another barn.)  Or, are there specific recommendations that I need to make to my trimmer?

When I do maintenance work, is there anything specific that I need to focus on?  What areas would you regularly maintain, and how would you know you had done enough?



Thanks so much for any guidance!

Sincerely,
Jessica B
GA, 2021

 

Hi Jessica,

I took a quick look at Gypsee's photos. Nice job on having clean feet and clear photos.

Generally speaking, the trim looks nice and is a lot better than most that we see. I agree with Dr. Kellon that the heels are underrun. Her toes are too far out ahead of where the bony column needs them to be, so there are lever forces on her hoof capsules every step she takes. Her soles appear to be flat, which often goes along with long toes and underrun heels as the entire hoof capsule has squashed down and forward, out from under the leg.

Trims need to get the toes moved back a lot more, which means backing thru what appears to be the "white line" at ground level. The white line is a seam that is formed at the perimeter of the coffin bone, where the sole and lamina meet. It continues to grow down along with the lamina and sole toward the ground. It is a stretchy connection, which gets pulled forward as the toe runs forward so it isn't always a reliable indicator of where the toe should end.

I can get you some mark-ups to help guide where you need to go with the trim. In the meanwhile, have a read on these links for some more in-depth discussion:

Pete Ramey's site:

https://www.hoofrehab.com/Breakover.html

https://www.hoofrehab.com/HeelHeight.html

https://www.hoofrehab.com/HorsesSole.html

https://www.hoofrehab.com/FrogTrim.html

Also check out Paige Poss' site:

http://www.ironfreehoof.com/long-toe.html

You can listen to Dr. Bowker's interview on causes of navicular here:

https://thehumblehoof.libsyn.com/long-toe-woes-perspectives-on-navicular-with-dr-robert-bowker

Would you please add the link to Gypsee's photo album to your signature.

--
Lavinia
Jan 2005, RI

Moderator/ECIR Support

Here is the link to Gypsee's hoof photos.

I apologize.  I thought it included it automatically once you include it in the signature.  I think the problem is that it is in my ECIR signature.  I did not create a separate one for this separate group.

Thanks for any more detailed mark-ups you can give. The advice sent in your previous note is aligning with the research that I have been doing, so I am building my confidence and knowledge!

Thanks,
Jessica Brown
GA, 2021

Gypsee's Case History: CaseHistory@ECIR.groups.io | Files
Gypsee's Photo Album: CaseHistory@ECIR.groups.io | Album

Unfortunately, signatures don't carry over from group to group - that's not something we have any control over. Once you create one here, it will remain, inclding any links in it.

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Lavinia
Jan 2005, RI

Moderator/ECIR Support

I took Gypsee to the trimmer yesterday.  She didn't use the nippers on the toe area at all and only did a couple of strokes from the top to create a beval.  I hadn't done any maintenance trimming since her last trim.  So, it looks like I am going to need to get the toes where they need to be on my own, at least for now.

When you get a chance, I would love to see your suggested mark-ups.  I will use them as a guide for my work for the next few weeks.

Thanks for the time you put in to help make sure all of the horses on this site are as comfortable as they can be!
--
Jessica B
GA, 2021

Gypsee's Case History: CaseHistory@ECIR.groups.io | Files
Gypsee's Photo Album: CaseHistory@ECIR.groups.io | Album

Got it, Jessica. I'll get those to you in the next day or two.

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Lavinia
Jan 2005, RI

Moderator/ECIR Support

Lavinia,

I think I must not be looking in the correct place.  Are they posted in the photo album, or will they be somewhere else?

Thanks again!
--
Jessica B
GA, 2021

Gypsee's Case History: CaseHistory@ECIR.groups.io | Files
Gypsee's Photo Album: CaseHistory@ECIR.groups.io | Album

They'll be in the photo album and a discussion will be posted to go along with them

--
Lavinia
Jan 2005, RI

Moderator/ECIR Support