Incorrect trimming and neglected feet

Incorrect Trimming and Neglected Feet

Many horses are trimmed by farriers or other barefoot trimmers. There are lots of "styles" of barefoot trimming. Generally, I shoot for close-to a ground parallel coffin bone, appropriate mechanism (not too much and not too little) for what I feel needs to be accomplished in the foot's reshaping from a deformity caused by neglect or incorrect trimming.

Incorrect trimming

This young draft horse was being trimmed regularly by a trimmer who did not understand that long bars can cause the horse to put too much weight on his toes. In this photo, you can see that the lateral cartilages are pushed up out of the hoof capsule by the bars. the steep toe angle tells us that the coffin bone is tipped up and pointed down. The laminar wall in the toe showed much damage in the sole view. The foot was already becoming very contracted and this horse was less than 2 yrs old.
The above foot is similar to this diagram of a trim in which the hoofcare person did not understand some of the principals of a healthy barefoot trim: a ground parallel coffin bone; a 45 degree toe angle; a 30 degree hairline, etc. You can see how a trim like this causes the coffin bone to be tipped foreward, causing the lateral cartilages to be pushed up out of the hoof capsule. This horse had 2-3 inch bars which were weight-bearing and walked on tippy toes.

Dissection of high heeled hoof

This is a cross-section thru a high-heeled hoof. The hairline in this hoof was dragged down similar to the hoof diagram.

Same hoof, other half trimmed

This is the other half of the above dissection that was trimmed. It very clearly shows the difference in the balance once the foot has been trimmed to a near-ground parallel coffin bone. See subsequent photos comparing high heel side with trimmed side.

Young Draft Cross neglected feet

The walls are supposed to diverge but this is a little extreme. this horse was about 5 when I first trimmed him. He is about 9 now. I just wonder what his coffin bone looked like at this time. The owner did not want to get x rays though.

1 year later

RF sole prior to 1st trim

One year later RF

3 yr old Han with neglected and incorrectly trimmed feet.

'Platter' foot

one year later

Same LF 3+ years later.

LF prior to 1st trim

One year later

LF in winter (long hair) after trim 3+ years later.

Prior to 1st trim

RF After one year

RF after 3+ years (sorry about the mud and long hair) but note smooth wall horn indicating great attachment.

Extreme Neglect

Late Twenty Something Tennessee Walker

This horse's feet remind me of the cadaver feet from my SHP course! The problem with trying to trim this horse to help the hoof return to healthy form is that he probably wouldn't live through it. Like a person who is addicted to heroin, the cure can kill them. I trimmed this horse very conservatively taking all of the considerations into account. i just backed the toes waaay back. He was given to the new owners who know nothing about horses and had two kids. With the horse being barely able to get around, he seemed like a quiet safe old horse.

Exteme contraction and long toes