| There are several ways to shoe a foundered hoof/s and there are experienced farriers in dealing with founder. In reference to the latter, it is best to leave the decision up to the farrier in what to do and how to shoe or handle a particular case of founder. The severity of the disease will influence how it should be treated. The following type of shoeing cannot be applied in all cases, therefore this information is to one's discretion as well as it is a part of information sharing for the sake of the horse well being. |
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Pic. 1 Pic. 2
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This particular case
involves one year-old case of founder, mainly of the left front with about
3.5 degree drop/rotation of the coffin bone. Soles were still protruding,
the left front sole more than the right, hence it required to following
type of shoeing and trimming. This horse was/is used for riding, while
relatively sound, but on this particular day the horse also lost the right
front shoe and was lame at this point. Both feet were trimmed in such way
that the sole and the walls were even and flat (Pic 1 and 2). The left
front heals were lowered to maximum, while in the case of the right front
not much was done, since the horse had most of his foot worn off to
minimum. Therefore right front toe could not be rolled, because there was
no foot to work with and the roll would cause injuries to already inflamed
laminae. The left front toe was rolled (pic. 2 and 3) only mildly as it
also had very little foot to work with. If and when the soles have the tendency to protrude it is important to provide for the foot a similar contact with the ground as it would be when bear-footed, which is the whole idea behind the design of this type of cross-bar-shoe-pad combination Pic. 6). In most cases I have seen folks using rear bar, which serves to no purpose what so ever in foundered horse’s hoof/s. The design of this particular bar serves to provide a support for the sole at the point of its weakness (Pic. 13 point B) caused by the rotation/dropping of the coffin bone, thus preventing further turning. In some cases the horse may go a little lame for couple of days, but most of the time they do not. To set such bar under the foot is somewhat delicate work and requires some experience with it. As in most cases of founder, the sole should not be removed lower than the carrying ability of the walls in order to share the weight with the rest of the hoof. In this case the sole has to be lowered just enough so when the rasp slides flat across the sole of the foot, it will not leave any marks on the sole where is to be the bar. Of course this cannot be done always, as many cases are more severe than this one and the walls may be more damaged. In such cases other therapeutic treatments come in effect. Never the less, this type of shoe seemed to work for me in positive way in several cases. The roll in the toe plays also great role in reduction of the stress on the coffin bone at the point of break-over as well as it will reduces the progressive white line crumbling/rot often associated with older foundered hoof. The cross bar will put sufficient pressure on the sole, enough to stimulate it’s growth. In time, the sole under the point/toe of the coffin will get thicker and thicker and in some cases (especially in the early stages) will repair to some point the damages caused by the founder. In older founder there might be some set backs associated with some forms of permanent arthritic changes in the coffin joint as well as in the pastern. In such cases it is best not to change the angle of the hoof too much. This is very much to the discretion of the farrier as well as the veterinarian who is the only one who can estimate the damages through x-rays. All in all one has to observe the horse, who will let anyone know how things are going and what is the best form of treatment for him. |
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Pic. 4
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Pic. 6
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A rubber pad is not used, since it is too
soft and not firm enough as the ground would be. There are several reasons
for this particular pad used in this combination. 1) To prevent dirt
accumulation under the bar. 2. The nylon has similar firmness as the
ground, but not as hard as the steel, thus protecting to some point the
sole from the bruising that could be caused by the bar. 3) The frog
cushion provides an extension of the soft carrying part of the foot and
plays a great role in the equal distribution of the weight on the foot,
similar to its nature, as well as to the general health of the hoof. (Rear
bar serves to no such purpose). 4) The pad also protects the already
bruised sole of the hoof as can be seen on some of the photos (pic. 2 and
3).
In this case the horse was lame about 25% in the right front (lost shoe) before shoeing and not willing to move or trot. After the shoeing the horse was 98% sound in the right front and about 10% off in the left front, only when lunged to the left. The left front hoof capsule is obviously somewhat offset which will take some time to correct, especially with a slow hoof growth. Otherwise the horse seemed to be much more willing to cooperate and willing to move. In this case, there must be some arthritic problems present due to being it an older case of founder and often in such cases when the angle of the affected foot is changed/lowered it could make the horse slightly lame for couple of days. In this case 2 pills of Bute were given and than one pill for next two or three days. The Bute is also practical to use as preventative measure after this type of shoeing, to prevent possible inflammation = abscess under the coffin bone, should the pressure be too much. Though it never happened for me in all the cases when this type of shoeing was applied, the precaution should be taken by administering the Bute for two or three days after. Should the horse’s lameness increase more than 10% in comparison before and after, the whole treatment should be revised and redone immediately. |
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| Pic 6. A light shoe is used to reduce the increased weight of the shoe by the pad and the bar. The use of wide web shoes is not practical for a performance horses. |
Pic. 7 The heel and toe ratio is more to normal (2:1), while the previous ratio was 1.5 to 1. The wall was remove from the front, but not too deep to reach the white line, thus not disturbing the strength of the hoof. |
Pic. 8 Finished job from the front. The unfortunate offset capsule can be noticed here. May or may not be related to founder. |
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Pic. 10
Pic 11 Right front |
This horse also had very
uneven feet and as mentioned, the right front could not be rolled and it
was in much sharper angle than the left front. Adjustments were made to
accommodate the horse the best way possible. To substitute a roll in the
toe, the front of the right shoe was beveled (Pic. 10) to adjust the
break-over to the left foot as close as possible. This was the first time
of this kind of shoeing for this horse and follow-up article will be
published here to learn about a progress in this particular case.
* * * Remember that all cases of founder have various degrees of severity and many of them have other side effects. In what to do in reference to therapeutic treatment of founder is solely up to the experienced farrier who needs to know the report on damages from the veterinarian. Hence cooperation of both, veterinarian and the farrier is of the essence to provide the best solution - treatment to the particular case of founder. Follow up: |
All my comments are merely my opinions and beliefs gained from 40 years of professional life with horses. All drugs should be used only by the consent of a veterinarian and according to his instructions. A person who is with the horse everyday, should know him better than anyone else.
