Bruising, etc.

Q: I have a 7 year old gelding that is a pro caliber barrel horse. He has been competed on since he was 4.Early this summer I took the horse to Dr Hague in Oklahoma to be evaluated due to being uncomfortable on his feet. We did an MRI and this is the diagnosis.1. Bone Bruise right coffin medial wing and toe2. Bone bruise left coffin toe3. Inflamation of digital cushion at heels bilateral forelimbs4. desimitis of colateral ligaments of coffin joint bilaterally5. Synovitis bilateral coffin joints6. Navicular bursitis bilateral fore limbsHorse was stall bound 30 days and then confined another 30 days with egg bar aluminums and equathane then moved to performance shoes and lightly conditioned in a straight line for another 30. Horse continually rips off right front shoe as he has since I have owned him.5 different shoers have shod him. We have the front shoe balanced with the foot and the back shoe slid back to the white line at the toe at present. 1 week into shoeing..rips off right front shoe..again.All hock issues have been addressed with injections so an unsoundness issue in the rear should not be a factor.Integrity of foot is poor in the sense that the inside walls are very thin and close on the white line. No contraction of heels but pathalogically has thin soles.Brusing was accelerated due to front feet being out of balance. Frustrated shoers would shove shoe way forward and grind off the heels thus removing adaquete support of foot and thus heel bruising occured.Is barefoot the solution? I am concerned that barefoot would not protect the integrity of the sensitive tissues and bones in the foot.But I am sick on owning a horse for 2 years that has never had a set of shoes for 5 weeks.Help?


A: First off, let me say that I respect your decisions regardless of shod or barefoot. I am not a farrier; I treat horses professionally in the capacity of a natural hoofcare provider. I do advocate the use of boots; not shoes. My primary alliance is to the horse, not someone else's opinions or feelings, even the owners' EXCEPT when the owner is wanting what is best for his or her *horse*. You sound like you want what is best for the horse as well as your pocketbook and that is good. I would be a bit t'd off as well as you at this point in time. All the "symptoms" that you listed point to imbalancing of the hooves. Imbalancing AND the need for the hoof to be conditioned naturally. Let me explain. Two very important happenings have been recently discovered but right at this moment I am at a loss as to who "discovered" them. Either Dr. Bowker or Dr. Pollitt. 1. When a horse's hoof is imbalanced and improperly conditioned in a natural state there is little to NO "sling" underneath the navicular bone that helps suspension and connects the lateral cartilages from side to side. When a horse is allowed to naturally grow a natural hoof that "sling" grows, thickens and provides more suspension to the bony column and the foot in general. 2. The Digital Cushion of the horse in shoes or with other impediment issues is comprised mostly of fatty cartilage and the fat is constantly "squished" for a lack of a better term at this moment, as the horse weights the hoof during loading. The DC is flattened out and does not provide the shock absorbancy that a healthy, "natural" DC can. When the hooves are barefoot and conditioned and healthy, that DC is comprised of mostly fibrous cartilage ... good, strong fiberous material that provides adequate shock absorbancy and cushioning for the impact of weight loading to the foot. Big difference between the two -- fatty cartilage and fibrous cartilage. Logically, what happens when the shock system is not in full working order is pretty much what you've got on your hands ... bruising, inflammations, rubs, irritations and all the rest of the gamut. Instead of the "cushy" landing of the foot inside a fully working capsule, you've got jarring and tearing and bumping and bruising on bones and tissues not designed to withstand that kind of shock. More than that, if the hoof is not in balance and leveled properly, most likely the horse is not landing heel first and this puts even greater strain up through the bones of the lower limb as the shock goes straight there instead of being "filtered" or dissipated through the shock absorbing system of the frog and DC. This eventually causes "holding" patterns in the horse's musculoskelatal system as the horse begins to compensate and hold himself against discomforts which, eventually, progress into *pain* throughout the limbs and back as well as lameness in the hooves. Taking your horse barefoot with a physiologically CORRECT trim to allow the hooves to begin to function and evolve as nature intended may be the best thing for you to do in order to allow this horse to heal. He's young, he's, I assume, in good health thus resistant and will recover rapidly. Now, I might point out that to be in professional racing at 4 years old might have been enough to permanently damage your horse's back. The equine skeletal system, particularly the back, does not completely mature until around 6 years of age. This kind of heavy duty racing is the equivalent to professional football playing for a Junior High kid ... or even a High School kid who still has a few years til the body is fully matured. All the hoof care in the world may not be able to "cure" what is going on in his back BUT I fully believe that the correct, natural care will help to some degree. BTW ... my barefoot horse's time in a few races was 15.8 and 16.3 and he was 22 years old at the time with a middleaged Mom on his back hangin' on for dear life!!! He won the local championship for 2 years in a row (22 and 23 yrs. old) ... barefoot and against over 50 competitors. So, may not beat the national scores but sure was pretty impressive at the time for a barefoot, senior horse!!! Wish I had had the opportunity to ride him/race him when he was in his prime. -- Gwen

Born Without Shoes

Well, Phil ... we all agree that correct hoof balance is essential regardless of shoes or barefoot. Now, tho, comes the rift as to what is deemed "correct hoof balance". Is it a set of angles from a textbook or are the standards set by the individual horse itself. Of course, one would HOPE that most hoofcare people would say, "by the individual horse and hoof itself." But then there are those who say the horse or hoof doesn't know what's good for itself and proceeds to change the angles of the natural conformation through trimming and shodding according to what *should* work with relation to mathmatics and geometry. In truth, *shoulds* don't matter. What *is* is the truth. Of course competitive care can be complex but it doesn't necessarily HAVE to be ... the horse either "has it" or doesn't. As much as humans try, one is not going to make a winning H/J if the horse doesn't have 1. the HEART for it or 2. the CONFORMATION (including hooves) for it. I put the heart as #1 because we all know that if a horse has a heart to do something it will do it and excel, given the opportunity. Just like humans. There simply are no absolutes in this business with horses. One can argue methods and techniques and so on and so forth until he/she is blue in the face and it all sounds wonderful on paper and in theory. But, as Patty said in the *other* thread, hooves are not geometric objects. Neither are horses all created from the same mold. They are as unique and individual as each cell in its body. Of course there are "flaws", some more severe than others. Some flaws we can improve upon by mechanical and medical means; others we have to simply support and aid to the best of our abilities. What *we* need, as humans, is the wisdom to know the difference of what is needed at what point. Hard call for most. But, one absolute is ... none are born with shoes on their hooves.

Barefooted Horse Owners

Comment: After all the threads we've had on this, I'm not trying to start anything again But I have a question. In the previous threads, I've gotten the impression that you guys think that all horses can/should be going barefoot. Even if there is a long adjustment period.But obviously, not every horse owner agrees with the barefoot/natural method or trim, has the time for the adjustment period, or isn't willing to try it... and whatever their reason is, so the shoes stay on. As "barefoot" people, to you is there such a thing as a "correct" way to shoe the horse? Or is your opinion, that shoes are baaad and every horse should go barefoot? Sorry if this question doesnt make sense, I'll try re-wording it if it doesnt



My Response:
Absolutely correct! :) It's not about the horse not being able to be barefoot REGARDLESS of discipline; it's about the human and his or her choices. Any horse CAN be barefoot and is healthier for it. But ... if someone is consulting w/me about whether or not to remove the shoes on the horse and that person is giving me alot of "can'ts" or "won'ts" then I generally say, "I'm sorry. I can't help you, then. But here's the number for so and so who may be able to better serve your needs." I won't pull the shoes on a horse where the owner is not dedicated to what the HORSE needs - it's not fair to the horse.
There are parameters that need to be installed for a horse that is transitioning from shoes to barefoot that will quicken the recovery time of the hooves. Lots and lots of MOVEMENT on all sorts of terrain, is necessary for the hooves. Cutting out chemicals, preservatives and fertilizers as well as processed sugars and carbs in the horse's diet is a strong contributing factor in a successful rehab. Proper conditioning is imperative to restoration. This means you can't turn out a horse in a grassy pasture for 4 hours a day, return him to the stall with 12 inches of shavings, feed him concentrated grains and limited hay then expect the horse to be sound on gravel or stones or rocks and be able to contend in a judged 15 mile trail ride or endurance race. That's not the least bit fair to the HORSE! However, if the horse is turned out 24/7 in a herd on varied footing including rocks and gravel over which he HAS to travel, feed free choice grass hay and limited processed grains PLUS the hooves are trimmed *correctly*, then that horse has a wonderful chance for a successful barefoot life. Even if the horse is turned out for 12 - 14 hours a day on a softer pasture, encouraged to move, handwalked daily on firm, hard, surface during rehab/transition, etc. etc. then that horse has a far better chance of recovery than the stable flower. It *is* about what the owner chooses and the dedication to do what is best for the HORSE; not the human. Barefooted horses are a "way of life"; not something one "does" on a whim.
Take a look here: www.tribeequus.com and www.hoofrehab.com to see some rock-crunching, fabulous hooves on performance and working horses. Horses who are competing in 100 mile endurance races, barefoot, and winning! Horses that work 8 hours a day on rocky trails, barefoot, and are as healthy as ... well, a horse! ;) Police horses; carriage horses; 3 day eventers; backyards - all horses CAN go barefoot. The question is, can or will all horse owners take their horses barefoot? Do they have the dedication to conditioning the hooves? To giving the parameters the horse needs to be healthy and whole, barefoot? etc. etc. That's the real answer for you.
:) -- caballus

A response I wrote concerning unbalanced hooves:
Allow me to preface this little writing by saying that I don't believe that *the* Strasser trim is a "natural" trim. I don't believe, either, that there is any one trim that fits all hooves. That's just not according to nature, either. Some have stated that things like horseshoe nails etc. cause irrepairable damage to the horse's liver. Well, only to the point that if the iron from the nail, or the rust or whatever compound is there gets into the blood stream. Then, it would tax the liver in just the mere fact that the liver would have to work harder to be rid of the toxins in the blood. But that's true of any foreign substance that gets into the blood stream including preservatives, fertilizers and other chemicals that are used to grow the grain that makes the feeds and hay. ;)
I do believe that overgrown bars will cause navicular pain. But I don't feel that they're THE reason for navicular. When we start looking at the trees instead of the forest we miss alot and even more so when we begin to inspect just one leaf of one tree. Hooves and horses go together as a whole unit. So when I see less than healthy hooves I have to look to the rest of the picture, too. Feed, environment, use, social, emotional, etc. etc. We can microscope the feed; we can microscope the environment and we can give as close to perfect as we can possibly give but ... if one portion of the entire unit is off its going to have an affect on the rest of the unit, too. A depressed horse will not be as healthy as a content horse. An obese horse is not going to be healthy as a fit horse. Etc. etc. A horse that lives in fear is going to have repercussions throughout its body including its hooves, eventually, as the entire equine system is taxed. A horse with a physical/hoof issue is going to be affected mentally and emotionally. There is balance in all of nature, naturally. When the balance is thrown off kilter for some reason all is affected. Long standing imbalances cause issues. So, that's a given, right?
As to the mechanical ... as I said, I look to the natural hoof for my answers. Imbalances in the hooves will cause detrimental issues and pain. Sometimes there is mainly just one factor such as bars but that's rarely the case. One needs to ascertain where the breakover is, how the hoof lands, how long are the heels? Do the heels allow passive contact of the frog with the ground so the frog can do its job? The frog needs to be used to dissipate energy and, in doing so, will affect the workings of the digital cushion that also dissipates energy. They are both fluid filled; fluid dissipates energy. If, for some reason one is less than efficient then it will ripple effect to the other causing imbalance. The frog also is part of the circulatory system and helps to keep the nutrient and oxygen filled blood circulating efficiently through the hoof and the lower limbs. Since the DDFT routes around the navicular and is attached to the P3, it is part of all this in the fact that it receives the action of the frog and the DC. The breakover is part of all this, too - if the breakover is too far in front of the toe of the P3, it causes undue pressures to the P3, itself, but not only that, it affects the action of the entire hoof. If the horse is landing toe first because the actual toe of the hoof is left too long, the energy is shot right up through the front of the leg instead of through the back through the frog, DC, where it is dissipated greatly before even reaching the other soft tissues, ligs and tendons, etc. If the horse is landing harder on one side of the hoof than the other due to imbalanced walls then, again, everything else is affected on up through the shoulder, neck and back. If the walls are left too long and are weight bearing by themselves its much the same as what leverages on your own fingernails would do -- begin to tear away at the connections between the nail and the finger. This causes pain and ripples effects all the way through the rest of the hoof. The walls of the hoof are meant to share the load with the sole. And so on and so forth. I look to get the hooves balanced; I like to imagine superimposing folded hooves (individual to each hoof; not to each other) if that's possible; sometimes its not possible due to the individual horse's conformation of the hooves and distal limbs. It's all taken into consideration; balance, level, shape, lengths, pressures, etc. -- as close to what mother nature designed as possible but also in accordance with the horse's living and working/playing environment. Soft ground, hard ground, dry ground, wet ground, rocky ground, etc. etc. Soft ground means longer heels and less arch in the quarters. Hard ground means a rounder roll around the hoof. I just told a horse owner to start throwing rocks back INTO the paddock because she says her horse is ouchy on rocky trails. Well, if the hooves are not conditioned to rocks because the horse lives on grass, common sense tells me that of COURSE the horse is going to be ouchy on rocky trails. So, make a rocky area that the horse HAS to walk over in order to get to the barn, or drink or whatever so the hooves can condition themselves. Living on grass means longer heels, more imbalances to the hooves and more frequent trimming/care is required. Longer heels on rocks will be ouchy. Soft soles on rocks will be ouchy. Common sense goes a long way.
March 1, 2005

Page 2
I don't believe that we treat *the hoof*. We work and treat the entire body and mind of the horse. So, to say that there is one thing that causes navicular is not correct. It is a combination of imbalances, forces and leverages that have gotten out of whack and been out of whack for awhile. That imbalance has, by the time its affected the navicular, has also affected the rest of the body in some manner. Correct the mechanics (shape, lengths, widths, breakover, landing, balance etc.) of the hooves and if the rest of the horse and environment is in balance as much as possible, the issue should resolve if it has not degenerated to the point of no return. i.e. -- spurs on the navicular that are shredding the DDFT to bits and pieces.
The hoof is a marvel of science. It is amazing that this little, tiny, piece of nature's design can withstand 12,000# of pressure landing on this 4" round hoof for the 1000# horse jumping over 2 ft. of log. It's amazing that the skinny little bones do not shatter to pieces with the weight and leverages and pressures of the horse and its movements. It is designed in balance specifically for its job. When that design gets altered then it stresses the unit. When the design is allowed to recover to its natural state then the unit will recover, as well. Of course, again, there are points of no return but I would hope that, as hoofcare providers, that we would take it all seriously enough to be preventative, rather than reactive. Of course when we're inheriting the results of prior abuses or neglect then we can't always be preventative at the start. But we can help to correct and THEN be preventative with diligence and care.

Q:
Hey Ya'll well it was an upsetting morning yesterday- it was time for the horses to get trims or new shoes depending on what horse it was. Well when the farrier got there I told him I was going to put shoes on my horse because he stomps a lot with the flies and we are going to start jumping again and I personally find he rides better with shoes- I mean he is 20. So we did three other horses first and they were acting pretty good- although one bit him and he just yelled- well when it was my horses turn he started trimming and a few minutes later he goes next- I said are u going to put shoes on? He goes Do we have to? I said yea, I told you that earlier. He said Oh, so he started doing the shoes, and when he got one shoe on and was putting the other one on my horse pulled his foot off the stand, and I yelled at my horse- and he was doing good and while the farrier was filing, my horse reared up- and the farrier turned around and hit him twice- hard with the foot file. I yelled at the farrier for hitting him, that he had no right to hit him, and to pull the shoes off right there, and Ill find another farrier to do it. The farrier then got in my face and said If you would have controlled your horse then that wouldnt have happend, you were standing there goofing around- Which was not true yeah two of my friends were standing there, one was holding a horse waiting to get done, and the other was just talking. But I still knew wut my horse was doing, with my old farrier I would put the lead line over his neck and go do what I needed and then come back a few minutes later. So I was extremly upset, I was only going to pay him for the trim- he wouldnt exept the check. Im 18, I dont believe he treated my horse or me in a professional manner.Do you think that he was wrong in hitting my horse and I handled the situation appropriately or was he justified and I over reacted.
Toni
A: I don't believe there is ever a reason to hit a horse ESPECIALLY for a farrier, vet or other "professional" ... that merely shows the lack of maturity on his/her own behalf. Each one of us owns our own behavior.

When I'm underneath someone else's horse to trim I expect the owner to closely monitor the horse BUT at the same time *** I ***, also, am responsible to "feel" what the horse is going to do. That's not a hard task. Obviously if I have to hang onto the hoof for dear life then I have to expect that the horse WILL, eventually, pull out of my hands. I also understand, especially with a brand new client, that the horse doesn't know me and I can't expect to just go in and grab a hoof. That's asking the horse to give up his only defense ... to a complete stranger. Not fair to the horse, is it? If I am getting frustrated then that's my issue; not the horse's. If the horse is getting frustrated then it may also be *my* fault and it's my responsibility, as a professional, to recognize that and do what is needed to correct it. That doesn't mean wailing on a horse for being a horse. Period. No excuses. I WILL take the horse from the owner and do some quick leadership groundwork ... no, its not the job of the farrier or the vet to do that however, when owner's don't take up their part of the responsibility then I have to do what I can to save my own neck. But, not only that, I do it anyway, even BEFORE I ask the horse for a hoof ... I'll do some groundwork in the way of directing the horses feet and politely ask if I may touch him ALL OVER ... I'll ask for each hoof, individually, from the same side and thank the horse for allowing me to take away his only defense when he *does* offer me his hoof. I don't grab the leg and yank, either ... I merely touch the outside of the knee and ask the horse to "Up, please" and MOST of the time the horse's are wonderful. A couple of weeks ago I had a horse fresh off the range from the midwest ... had limited handling. His hooves were very long and definitely in need for a trim. This was the 2nd time I was there. The first we merely started ... just enough to allow the horse to feel comfortable with me and having *me* handle his hooves. The 2nd time out we did great on 3 of the hooves. The 4th ... well, it was horrifically HOT, he was getting bitten by flies, got impatient and started kicking out. When I FINALLY felt the touch of a hoof on my hair, I said, OK, enuf for today ... we'll come back another day (an hour's ride from here, too.) and finish that other hoof. In the meantime, I gave the owner some instructions of how to work with his horse calmly and respectfully. The horse is now offering me his own hooves every time. 3rd time around for a horse right off hundreds and hundreds of acres.

It doesn't take force or "punishment" or restraint ... that only causes more apprehension and fear on behalf of the horse and no one wins. When one uses RESPECTFUL behaviors with the horse it goes alot further than smacking and hitting and otherwise being controlling. No one likes to be "controlled" and that goes for a horse, too.

Respectfully ...

QUESTION: hope someone can answer this. On Sept 21 I had my OT TB trimmed. He was trimmed way to short (even farrier said so the next day). He has been sore ever since. At first he was holding up his back legs one at a time and was hardly able to walk. yesterday i turned him out as usual and when i brought him in he is 3 legging it. I had farrier back out last night and he said he thinks a stone bruise. i was hoping someone could tell me differences in stone bruise and abcess. how would i tell the difference. and would you treat either any different. i keep this horse barefoot and have for the years i have owned him. he has not been ridden all summer so i know that is not the problem. i don't feel a lot of heat in the hoof or leg. he is standing with the hoof held up or with the toe down on the ground - mostly held up. farrier said he is sore in about a 50 cent piece size on the bottom of his foot. it is about an inch in front of the heel - on the outside edge. my farrier is an older amish gentleman - with no formal training ( just a whole lot of experience) and i have no intention of changing. i just want a second opinion. i really don't want this to become an abcess and bust out at the top. i have the horse locked in his stall and i was going to get a davis boot or something similar to maybe help with the soreness. i have given several doses of bute.thanks



Answer: You won't know, for absolutely sure, if its an abscess until it erupts. Either throught the sole or the coronary band. Bruises don't necessary always turn into abscesses. I agree with the 4 week trimming. 5 weeks at the longest. At 6 weeks the hooves are losing all their balance unless they are always on firm, hard, dry ground and are "self-trimming". Doesn't sound like that's the case, however. Movement, plenty of movement, is the key to speeding up recovery of hooves. Movement on firm ground where the hoof is going to get the maximum stimulation for circulation. That circulation is the key to the recovery. If the horse is merely standing around a wee area, such as stall or small paddock, the circulation of the blood in the hooves and lower limbs is not peak therefore the hooves are not getting the maximum amount of O2 and nutritients that they need regardless of the feed you're feeding. It just ain't gettin' there to the hooves if the horse is just standing around. Movement will also stimulate the hoof to expel and abscess quickly if there is one brewing. So, I agree with your husband ... turn him out in the herd. Spread their hay all over the place and let the herd move this horse around. The more movement the better. Also, one more thing. You said the farrier cut him much to short. Short, how? In the sole? Did he bring the toe back too far? the heels down too far? What is short in this regard? --Gwen

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