Hey Alan

[Alan]

what's OCD? i know i should know, but.........

would trimming a front foot a little too much cause the horse to limp and maybe even go down? i was walking my mare last night with the saddle on and she was limping good. loosened saddle a bit cause she was acting funny. i checked her left front foot and while i was holding it she dropped to her knees in front only. scared the bejesus outta me. she freaked a bit after that, so i completely took the saddle off and then put her up. she is still limping on right front, one i think is clipped too much, but otherwise fine. suggestions? comments? concerns? thanks in advance.

Yes, trimming a hoof a little too much can absolutely cause a horse to go lame as it throws off their balance and can put stress on muscles and ligaments that otherwise wouldn't have that stress put on them. Depending on how short that foot was trimmed, it could possibly cause enough soreness for her to go down when the other foot was picked up. I haven't seen that happen, but I have seen horses come up lame when their feet were trimmed too short. Just my thoughts.

Sorry cow girl I didn't read your original post close enough, ms is right on. Hoof trimed too short the horse will look like a barefoot kid, a little tender and if steps on something will look like a barefoot kid going over gravel. If the heel is cut too much from what it is use to this can cause problems also. It can cause lameness very quickly, even cause horses to bow tendens. A good way to show you what I mean is to do a test on yourself. Lay your hand flat on a table or counter and bring you arm up to a 90 degree angle, so your hand and arm make a "L". Then without bending any joints in your hand, lift the heel of your hand off the table slowly about an inch. You should be able to feel "things" stretch, legiments, etc., now think about adding 1000 lbs too this and you can see how much changing the angle ot the hoof affects a horse. If you have to change the angle stall rest for 2 or 3 days.

Good farriers are a must, if one hoof is 1/4 inch shorter than the other, that means the knees or uneven, one shoulder is higher than the other which is putting some strain on the spine, saddle fit is different, muscle usage is different, making the horse sore quicker, the gates are different. All because someone didn't measure the hoof length to keep them close to the same length. A tape measure is a good test to see how good your farrier is.

Sorry I didn't read your post very well the first time.
Alan

 

[cowgirl580]

what's OCD? i know i should know, but.........

would trimming a front foot a little too much cause the horse to limp and maybe even go down? i was walking my mare last night with the saddle on and she was limping good. loosened saddle a bit cause she was acting funny. i checked her left front foot and while i was holding it she dropped to her knees in front only. scared the bejesus outta me. she freaked a bit after that, so i completely took the saddle off and then put her up. she is still limping on right front, one i think is clipped too much, but otherwise fine. suggestions? comments? concerns? thanks in advance.

Yes, trimming a hoof a little too much can absolutely cause a horse to go lame as it throws off their balance and can put stress on muscles and ligaments that otherwise wouldn't have that stress put on them. Depending on how short that foot was trimmed, it could possibly cause enough soreness for her to go down when the other foot was picked up. I haven't seen that happen, but I have seen horses come up lame when their feet were trimmed too short. Just my thoughts.

Sorry cow girl I didn't read your original post close enough, ms is right on. Hoof trimed too short the horse will look like a barefoot kid, a little tender and if steps on something will look like a barefoot kid going over gravel. If the heel is cut too much from what it is use to this can cause problems also. It can cause lameness very quickly, even cause horses to bow tendens. A good way to show you what I mean is to do a test on yourself. Lay your hand flat on a table or counter and bring you arm up to a 90 degree angle, so your hand and arm make a "L". Then without bending any joints in your hand, lift the heel of your hand off the table slowly about an inch. You should be able to feel "things" stretch, legiments, etc., now think about adding 1000 lbs too this and you can see how much changing the angle ot the hoof affects a horse. If you have to change the angle stall rest for 2 or 3 days.

Good farriers are a must, if one hoof is 1/4 inch shorter than the other, that means the knees or uneven, one shoulder is higher than the other which is putting some strain on the spine, saddle fit is different, muscle usage is different, making the horse sore quicker, the gates are different. All because someone didn't measure the hoof length to keep them close to the same length. A tape measure is a good test to see how good your farrier is.

Sorry I didn't read your post very well the first time.
Alan

no prob alan. don't have a stall for our horses. they are in pasture 365/24/7. will be going out to change water here soon so will take a tape and measure her and try to remember the hoof pick this time to clean her feet a little more. just looking at the hoof, it looks to me like the RF is smaller than the LF from the toe of the hoof. but will measure it to be sure and then talk to the vet tomorrow. we had a really good ferrier, but he injured his back and can no longer do that. like i said earlier, they are hard to come by in this area. the nearest big town is about 60 miles away and they don't want to drive that far. even for 5 horses or so. usually i let others in area know when ferrier is coming so that they can have theirs done too and he gets more business. hopefully i can find someone soon. thanks.

 

[gabz]

There's a couple of things you can do for a horse with sore feet.

Sugardine: Make a mixture of sugar (yep, the kind you put on cereal) and Iodine. Make it a paste. pack that into the foot, then put a piece of brown paper (like brown grocery bag) against it. Have the horse stand with that for a while, or tape it with duct tape. Helps with sole bruises and long trail hours.

The other thing is to apply Venice Turpentine. Not the painting kind of turpentine, it's too runny. Venice Turp. Farriers use it. Most farm supply stores carry it. Anytime you get a close nail or thin sole, use the Venice Turp. Helps with sole bruises too.

Sounds like too much trimming, too soon.
May sound wimpy - but some farriers suggest waiting 24 hours after a trim before riding on rocky/gravel ground if the horse has only been on pasture the past couple of weeks.

 

[flaboy-]

Cowgirl, how much sole does your farrier take off? I like to take the minimum. I don't shoe my horses either. You might just want to watch that with your farrier. I had one that really cut the sole down too far. I found another.

 

[cowgirl580]

gabz, i will try the sugar thing tomorrow. she was ridden a couple days after i think it was, but it was only my daughter in the round corral, so it was soft dirt. my daughter doesn't weigh too much. but if her foot hurt then, i guess that could still be too much pressure.

flaboy, this guy wasn't our regular ferrier, he's a neighbor and the only one we could get. been trying for months for someone to trim for us.

she doesn't have a prob walking on it that i've seen, but she still has 3 other strong legs. would hate for anything to happen to her as she's a really awesome horse. bought her when she was 3 straight off the track. got her trained for other stuff and now i can do pretty much anything on her. did 4-H on her for years. a little too smart at times though. :roll: she will open a wire get and let everyone out to explore. jumps wire gates too if she doesn't want to be there. anyway, sorry for getting so long winded.

 

[cowspider]

I was taught in farrier's school to measure both front and rear feet so as to make sure they are even. I carry a carpenters spanner and measure from cornet band to the toe. each should be even. also paring down the frog or sole will sore a horse for a few days. :cboy: