All three horses got trims today - Dawn's was minimal in front as she's only out of front shoes for a couple of weeks. All were good for the trims - Dawn always is and both Drifter and Pie were much improved, although Drifter was still a bit fussy with the left hind and Pie had to take a rest break with his left hind.
I thought that, since they were newly trimmed, it would be fun to take pictures of their feet to record where they are and document any progress in developing better hooves. So, without further ado, here they are:
Dawn, left front:
Dawn, right front:
For a horse that's been in front shoes probably continuously since she was very young - she was a racehorse - her front feet aren't too bad - she's got a decent frog, decent depth of sulci, but is still lacking in sole convexity and her heels are still somewhat contracted - but not too bad at all as a place to start.
Dawn, left rear:
Dawn, right rear:
Dawn's been out of rear shoes for about 10 years, and her hind feed are doing pretty well - decent heel development and sole convexity.
Drifter, left front:
Drifter: right front:
Drifter's fronts are a bit odd - the left front is quite round but the heel is fairly contracted. The right front is very narrow to the back. His front soles also lack convexity. I attribute his lack of heel development and sole convexity to the fact that he hasn't had the opportunity to develop a competent foot - he wasn't ridden much if at all for over two years before I got him and only was on soft surfaces.
Drifter, left rear:
Drifter, right rear:
Drifter's rears aren't too bad - decent heel development and good proportions.
Pie, left front:
Pie, right front:
Pie, left rear:
Pie, right rear:
Pie has amazingly nice feet - good substance and convexity, and nice, broad frogs and well-developed heels with good sulci. Pie grew up on a ranch in Montana and then spent a few years in a hilly pasture in Minnesota with lots of exposed rock, and has never worn shoes. This is a good illustration of the importance of the surfaces a horse's feet are exposed to.
I've just gotten 14 tons of pea gravel installed in the lower end of Pie's paddock - he and Drifter will each be spending a half day in there and a half day in dry lot, and PIe will stay in there at night. I expect this will help Drifter's feet develop heel structures and more convexity. Pie loves his gravel - he has moved his bathroom area out of that area and whenever he takes a nap, he can be found curled up on his comfortable, conformable gravel.
I'll try to document the 12 hooves over time to see what changes occur. (And many thanks to our wonderful p.m. barn lady who helped out by holding hooves.) It should also be noted that both Pie and Drifter are completely comfortable walking on all surfaces, including hard surfaces and irregular gravel as in our barn parking lot.
I love hoof pictures! I'm curious if you've noticed much of a change in Pie's hooves since he's been with you. Seems like the difference in terrain is pretty substantial, at least judging by pictures you've posted...
ReplyDeletein2paints - Pie's feet have held their own, mainly because our trails are limestone with a gravel base - they can be very hard and abrasive, which is very good for his hoof health. Our turnouts and pastures are very soft - mud and grass - but I'm hoping the pea gravel will make a difference to both Pie and Drifter in the paddock they'll both be using (at different times).
ReplyDeleteIt's always nice to have documentation of their hooves for reference. Sounds like a good day for them.
ReplyDeleteWe have pea fravel in our runs, and we love it.
ReplyDeleteKate, pretty nice looking feets!
ReplyDeleteI'm no hoof expert, but there are two things I notice: It seems like Pie's left front frog doesn't extend near as for toward the toe as his other three feet, barely making it half way, where the other feet are closer to 2/3 of the way to the breakover point.
Also, on both Dawn's and Drifter's photos, it seems like there is some flare to the outside of each foot--more sole on that side of the frog. Or am I seeing things?
As far as those frogs go, they all look pretty healthy to me! But I do see the contracted heels you mention--oddest on Drift, because it's worse on the one foot.
Overall, though, all twelve hoof look pretty good. Good for you and your farrier!
What the heck, I'll throw my opinion out there. Do with it what you will: I think the issue with Drift's right fore is the bars. They are overgrown on every foot but that foot is the worst, they are bent and folded over the sole. The heels can't open up because that excess material is holding them together.
ReplyDeletePie does have beautiful feet! Look at the difference between his digital cushions and Dawn's. A good beginning will definitely set a horse up for life :)
Can't wait to see how they change over the winter!
ReplyDeleteThese were all taken after the trim, right? If so it seems that your farrier tends to be a bit conservative with trimming the bars. It seems like the bars could be trimmed a little more on all 3 of your horses, but especially on Drifter's fronts and on all 4 of Dawn's feet, especially the front.
ReplyDeleteMy! But what huge round front feet Drifter has!
They all have beautiful wide frogs, though. And Pie's feet almost look artificial, especially the rear feet....they are too perfect!
Hoof photos are fascinating. Such a great idea to have photos of all 12 hooves as a record to compare any changes over time.
~Lisa
Should be interesting and informative.I noticed Pie's frogs on his front are markedly different than the others.
ReplyDeleteAmazing feet!.....Makes me think.
ReplyDeleteOh, my. I am not a barefoot expert and honestly have not studied hoof structure too much myself. So, the pictures and commentary are very interesting to me.
ReplyDeleteGreat post. I love seeing the differences in their feet. I wish I had done that with my horses, who just began with a new farrier two trims ago. He has subtly changed the angle of Pippin's rear feet. The biggest difference between his trims and the former farrier is that he leaves the frogs longer, so they take more pressure with each step. So far, their feet continue to look great. Pippin is having some performance issues, but I'm thinking it is due to sore stifles (which were a result of his heels being too high, according to the new farrier) and not the trim itself.
ReplyDeleteI always think I should do before and afters, but it seems like a lot of work, so maybe just after shots wgen I am not taking up the farriers time would work too.
ReplyDeleteI sure noticed a difference in feet last year when it was so wet here, sure are nicer when the ground is dry and hard
Great hoof pics! Thanks for posting these. Photos make for excellent records and the blog gives you a timeline. Sometimes I am not sure if photos are the best for analysis (a 3D foot represented by a 2D image), but they are still fun to examine.
ReplyDeleteI love comparing hoof pictures!! Pie has such great feet. :)
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Kate! Such a detailed look at their feet. Lena has about as perfect a set of hooves as I've ever seen, but Bar? Well.. not so much.
ReplyDeleteI might copy this at our next shoeing, just to warn you. :)
The most interesting thing about hoof pics is comparing the same feet over time, I think :-) Personally I never make judgments on feet based on photos, simply because they can be really misleading without the whole horse to take into account :-)
ReplyDeleteI am looking more and more though at the frog as the key to hoof health and the best indicator of medio-lateral balance - a frog central in the foot is usually a balanced foot. If you have an "off-centre" frog then often you have a hoof capsule which is slightly out of balance. I'll be interested to see how the hooves on your guys change (or don't!) as time goes on.
As you say, though, the most important thing is the horse's comfort and performance - if thats right, then probably the feet are right.
Nic - thanks for taking the time to comment! You're right, we'll have to see what changes occur over time. I don't expect Pie's to change much, if at all, but Dawn's should change due to now being out of shoes.
ReplyDeleteKate, its my pleasure, and I really enjoy your blog. I meant to add - if you are able to get some shots across the caudal hoof (like the ones on my blog today) they are really interesting for monitoring development in a horse like Dawn particularly.
ReplyDeleteNic - caudal hoof pictures are a very good idea, and I'll see what I can do!
ReplyDeleteCan you tell me the diameter of the pea gravel you're using, please? And, would the size of the gravel change if the horses are shoed? Love seeing the hoof photos. We have been farrier and foot challenged for years and it's really interesting to see how others look. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteUnknown - the pea gravel is 1/4"-3/8". I'm not sure about shod horses, as none of mine are. I suppose bits of gravel could get stuck under the edges of shoes, but I bet no more than any other material they might walk on. But then I really don't know.
ReplyDelete