Gallery II

       Farrier Case Studies (Pictures of Corrective Work and Hoof Repair)

   Here is a Dressage Friesian who presented with moderate lameness and problems making turns. His hooves were out of balance with overgrown bars, loss of hoofwall, and medial-wall and toe distortion. I trimmed him correctly and then shod him with an aluminum shoe and soft blue rim-pad by Soundhorse Technologies. This is a nail-less cuff that is affixed to the hoof with an acrylic composite polymer. This application will easily last 6-8 weeks. The cuff can even be dyed a variety of fun colors; here we selected black dye to match his hoofwall. He walked off feeling much better and he even made turns comfortably within moments of having the shoes on. It was a perfect shoe package!

  This Dressage Arab was experiencing lameness due to Navicular changes as well as a case of White Line Disease. The previous farrier has left him with a very long and distorted toe which started to deteriorate due to anerobic hoof bacteria, also known as "Seedy Toe". I trimmed him properly to reduce the inappropriate leverage and tendon strain that his long toe was causing. I also debrided and cleaned his toe, removing the necrotic tissue at the Toe/White Line. This will grow down by his next shoeing cycle. I fitted him with a thick leather pad and a shock absorbing pad to reduce concussion and restore his Hoof Pastern Axis. He has silicone coating his frog and sole. He is sound now!

 

Here is a Hunter Warmblood who injured his hoof pretty badly. He needed aggressive hoof rebuilding on both sides of the hoof wall to balance his weight distribution and help his lameness. The before shot shows how much hoof wall he was missing. I repaired the area with a Urethane Adhesive Filler called Vettec Adhere and the Horse was able to return to training and competing. This repair will typically last through several shoeing cycles and this Horse is good to go! He instantly felt the difference and he regained his soundness. This repair can be nailed into or provide sufficient hoofwall for glue-on shoes. Here, I nailed aluminum shoes and this horse is doing phenomenally.

 

Here is a Jumper Horse who has been diagnosed with arthritis and shoulder pain. He took some time off from Jumping because he seemed to be experiencing difficulty landing and his X-rays showed slight Navicular changes. As a preventative plan, I recommended the Easywalker synthetic shoes and wedge pads to change the angular distribution of weight. This helped unload the heels and after a few sessions, this horse is Jumping again!

 

Here is a Warmblood Show Jumper who has been diagnosed with Ringbone and intermittent lameness. He suffered a quarter crack as well. I cleaned and debrided the crack, it was fairly superficial and did not require placement of a drain and suturing as there was no soft tissue exposed. The crack was stabilized with a mix of Spectra fiberglass cloth & Equilox acrylic adhesive. Now, the crack can grow out and reveal healthy new hoof from the coronary band. Easywalker shoes are great for cases of inflammation & arthritis.

 

Here is an up and coming Jumper who became laminitic due to metabolic causes. During the crisis, we dworked closely with the attending Vet to administer ice therapy. We then used EVA clogs to give cushioning and frog support. This is a method pioneered by the world renouned Veterinarian, Dr. Mike Steward. This horse healed wonderfully after wearing clogs for a few short weeks. He is now in a frog support pad with super soft pink silicone impression material. He is extra comfy and has begun training again!

 

Here is a Warmblood Stallion with a case of Caudal Heel Pain aka Navicular Syndrome. His owner was close to euthanizing him before she hired me. When people contact me I often hear that they feel they've tried everything and are at the end of the road. I can respect that and I hate seeing any horse suffer, but if I think there is something I can do, I will make a plan of attack. I like to give every horse a very thorough work-up as not to overlook any unknowns and possible treatments. Knowing the full case history and having access to X-rays and MRI results is appreciated. Here, we were able to change this horse's entire shoeing package and the horse responded well immediately. This guy is 100% sound and he is having a blast working and winning in Halter classes. It is a proud moment for everyone!

  This Pony also came on with a sudden case of Laminitis. I fit her with an Aluminum Equilibrium shoe. I rolled the toe of this shoe for increased breakover and I riveted an Aluminum Spider Plate which acts to engage the frog and relieve tension off the hoofwall and inner laminae. A spider plate is like a super heart-bar shoe! When I saw her, this pony was struggling and in a bit of pain so, I riveted on a shock absorbing pad and drilled it to hold Silcone Impression Material. This formed a cushion for the sole and frog, providing the greatest relief. This shoe package was then taped on for the attending Veterinarian to come and take a second set of post-trauma X-rays and make changes in the application of the silicone. This pony is now doing much better!

 

  This Thoroughbred came to me with a very bad case of Navicular syndrome and collapsed heels. He was previously in flat bar-shoes with another Farrier, but when he came up lame, I was called in. After viewing his X-rays, I opted for a rolled toe shoe with a slight wedge to restore his negative palmar angle. This gave immediate support and comfort. His rider and trainer noted that he is going better than he has in years! He was given firmer support medially and a softer support laterally. This was key in getting him happy again!

 

Here is a Paint Mare who is suffering from Navicular Syndrome and has a balloon fracture in the Navicular bone. She has a bull-nose toe distortion, an underrun heel, and hoofwall breakage. She was shod with a custom-drilled degree wedge and a soft grade silcone impression material to provide better stability and proper alignment to the Navicular region. Here, we used a Natural Balance steel shoe to set her breakover back and give her more comfort. She walked off feeling better, but further therapeutic shoeing cycles are needed until the fracture has healed.

 

Here is a Dressage Horse that came to me with low and crushed heels. We call this long toe, low heel syndrome and it can cause lameness or discomfort. We decided to take a proactive approach and tackle it head on. I fitted her up in a custom made bar wedge pad and inserted soft grade silicone impression material to coat her frog and heels. I drilled holes to seat in and rivet the impression material for the soft, cushion support to relieve her heels. This improved her angles immediately and her gait seemed less forced.

 

Here is a Dressage Horse who has been doing really well in the arena since wearing Epona Synthetic shoes. He used to have some resistance during training, but has noticeably improved since having the flexible shoes. This is actually the same shoeing package as worn by Steffen Peters' horse, Ravel. This shoe requires attachment by nailing and glueing, but provides susbtantial benefits. Please read more about this shoeing package in my FAQ section. By the way, Steffen and Ravel just won the World Dressage Masters here in Wellington and we salute them!!

 

I wish I could have carried a better camera this day, but such is life! Here is a Warmblood Foal. She is 3 weeks old and had a flaccid deep digital flexor tendon which was causing the toes not to contact the ground. If this is left uncorrected, this has a potential of causing life long conformational defects. This can and will predispose a horse to lameness. I corrected this by glueing on an Ibex 3rd Millenium Babi Cuff. I modified this package to provide compensatory support to the back of the hoof. This put the hoof in correct alignment and the foal wore the cuff for a month. She is now completely sound and has good conformation thanks to this life changing and timely response!

 

 

 The Natural Balance shoe was an excellent choice for this retired racehorse thoroughbred who was recovering from suspensory ligament strain. His owner noticed a change within days! The swelling has gone down and he is ready for riding. He is confident and sound with the changed break-over that these shoes provide. His Owner says she had the ride of her life with him recently! Notice that these shoes are not fit along the perimeter of the toe, they are instead set back to enhance break over. The photo shows that custom orthodics like wedge rails and raised frog inserts can add angular height and comfort when needed most!

 

  This Draft Cross experienced a scary case of acute Laminitis due to unnatural stress on her right front resulting from an injury. A helpful veterinary diagnostic is the use of thermal imaging because it is 20 times more sensitive than other methods of temperature reading. Here, as shown in hues of white and red, there is intense inflammation of the laminae. I was able to affix shoes by using a urethane adhesive. I coated her sole in a soft silicone, then casted over the hoof capsule lightly with Equicast Hoof Casting for added protection. This cast still allows the hoof to flex naturally. The cast was removed in 3 weeks and this horse is doing much better. The laminitis has subsided and healed without any complications!

 

The image above shows a Stallion with chronic Founder. There are Founder rings and Hoof Wall distortion present. He was shod with EasyWalker Plus Synthetic Shoes with Pads and sneaker-like tread for traction. The unique properties of the polyurethane allow the hoof to expand and contract normally, which increases blood flow to the laminae. The shoe has superior shock absorption. The heel support and pad provide vital support to the frog & sole. He is doing phenomenally and getting better every day!

 

This is a Fox Hunting horse that was taking a break from training. Unfortunately, Florida's off season is a muddy one and it can be brutal on the hooves. Here, the entire hoof wall has flared out and started to crack in humid and moist conditions. He also had a frog infection also known as Thrush that I pared away and medicated. These cracks can potentially reach a horse’s sensitive hoof tissue and cause an infection or pain. The toe crack was fairly large, but after rebuilding with acrylic and Kevlar, new healthy hoof has re-grown. The after photo was taken about 3 cycles after I was called in to help. He is sound and happy!

 

This is an example of hoof remodeling due to improper weight loading. The quarter & heels were over-growing and the horse was experiencing lameness. Also, the toe was starting to fold under the hoof. This process is not only painful, but forces the sole, frog, and bars to atrophy from not bearing weight properly. The after picture shows that the hoof has been restored to a normal shape & length, achieving balance. This is my style of correct Barefoot Trimming. It is important to note that Barefoot Trimming is not a process and does not take several sessions to achieve. We can and will trim and restore balance right there at your first appointment. We don't force our clients in shoes, however most of our Performance Horses who actively train and compete do wear shoes. Many of the Pleasure and Farm horses do not need shoes and they do fine in Hoof Boots or Barefoot.

 

When an horse's hoof is allowed to overgrow, it can “remodel” itself from the abnormal stress placed upon it. This horse was landing toe-first. His heels and quarters grow faster from not bearing weight properly. This places great strain on the Navicular bone and Deep Flexor Tendon. The After photo depicts corrective Barefoot Trimming, releasing the tension and allowing normal hoof growth. This hoof is maintained on a 4 week trimming schedule. For most, a trimming cycle of 5-6 weeks is adequate.