We’ve all heard the saying, we all know that it’s true, but as horsemen how do we ensure that our equine companion has the best feet possible? Eighty to ninety percent of lamenesses are in the foot, this has been well documented, so why do so many people continue to say, just by standing back and looking at a horse that is limping, that it is in the shoulder?
As a vet, until I can feel a sore spot, and then take a little bit of local anaesthetic, numb that area and see an eighty percent improvement in the lameness, then I am very wary as to saying that a particular lameness is coming from a particular spot. The management of our equine athlete’s feet is very crucial in ensuring that we have an athlete and the main influence on those feet comes from the farrier.
The working relationship between owner, farrier and vet is a crucial and one that needs to be based upon respect for each other’s ability and knowledge. At the end of the day the person in charge of the trio is the owner.
They call the shots and it is probably their job to manage the sometimes large egos involved.
So as the person calling the shots how do you know if the main man (or woman) in charge of your horse’s feet is the best man for the job? Start asking yourself some questions. Do your horse’s feet look like this?
Or like this??
Now, if they look like figure 1, and you’re a little short of time, then you may as well flick to Ryan’s Rave and have a read of that. But if they are like figure 2 then you might want to keep reading. Now, not many horses have correctly shaped feet, so before you go out and sack your farrier, monitor the progress of your horse’s feet and see if they are getting closer to ideal with each shoeing. The ideal shaped foot from side on should have the walls, the heel and the pastern all at the same angle (below top).
As opposed to under run heels
Or broken back hoof pastern axis
From front on the foot should be pretty close to being symmetrical (ie-good medial lateral balance) so that a line drawn through the middle of the cannon bone bisecting the fetlock joint should also bisect the foot. A line drawn through the hairline of the coronary band should be parallel to the ground.
As opposed to…
From behind both heels should be level and symmetrical.
As opposed to…
When the shoe is fitted there should be no pressure between the shoe and the sole, this means that the wall of the foot takes all the weight. When a hot shoe is burnt onto the foot, the area that comes up burnt is the area that will have pressure on it when the shoe is nailed on. If some of the sole is burnt then that area needs to be pared away a little bit to prevent that sole pressure.
Every time the horse bears weight on a foot, the area back from the widest part of the foot (the heels) expands. It is essential that the shoe is shaped and fitted a little wider at the heels to allow for this expansion. As the foot grows over six weeks, the shoe is gradually dragged forward and if the heels of the shoe are not wide enough, or long enough, then pressure will be put on the sole in the heel area which can lead to bruising, which in this area is known as corns. This is a very good reason not leave the interval between shoeings more than say six weeks, depending upon the individual horse.
Pedal Osteitis
Pedal osteitis is simply inflammation of the pedal bone. It can present with varying degrees of lameness in one, or more commonly, both front feet. There is usually a painful diffuse area elicited with the hoof testers and sometimes the lameness is a little worse for a short while after recent shoeing. Pedal osteitis results from chronic or severe bruising of the sole, which leads to changes in the pedal bone that are evident on radiographs. The, once again, confusing thing about the radiographs is that radiographic signs of pedal osteitis can persist for years after the clinical signs of the inflammation have gone.
When managing these horses, it is crucial that the owner, farrier and vet get together and discuss the treatment options and decide on a plan. If this plan doesn’t appear to be working then the owner needs to communicate with both farrier and vet to modify the management or try another plan of attack. Pedal osteitis is not a death sentence, if you can limit the bruising then it is possible for these guys to compete at the highest level.
Things to try include:
* A short course of Non Steroidal Anti Inflammatories.(NSAIDs)
* Sole toughening agents such as formalin and iodine.
* Aluminium shoes, as these are softer and absorb more concussion than steel shoes.
* Play around with straight bar and egg bar shoes
* Wide web shoes, which offer the sole some protection, but make sure that the inner edge of the shoe is beveled out so that there is no sole pressure.
* Roll or rocker the toe.
If I’m going to use pads, I use shocktamer type pads and only leave them on for a week or so around the event. This is because with a pad on, the sole actually gets softer, you are unable to get at the sole to put your formalin on and the movement between pad, shoe, nails and hoof causes the hoof wall to weaken and break away. There is a whole new range of new-fandangle sole packing agents available with which I am not experienced, and you should be guided by your farrier’s expertise.
As always limit the amount of work you do on hard ground and use the anti-inflammatory effects of ice after hard workouts.
Navicular Syndrome
Navicular syndrome is a group of diseases bundled together as they present with similar signs. These signs include gradual onset of lameness in the rear third of a front foot which will improve dramatically when the posterior digital nerve is blocked. Both feet are usually involved, although this is sometimes not evident until one is blocked.
Unfortunately, navicular syndrome is a one way disease, we cannot cure it, instead we try to relieve and manage the symptoms for as long as is fair to the horse. It is no longer a kiss of death. Due to cooperation between farriers and vets there is now a fair amount of knowledge about the diagnosis and management of this syndrome, and many of these horses are living much longer and more active lives than was previously possible.
The basic farriery principles with managing these horses is to try and stand the foot up and to turn or break the foot over as quick as is possible. Both these principles reduce the pressure of the deep digital flexor tendon on the navicular bone and bursa. These goals can be achieved by:
* Cutting off as much toe as is possible.
* Use of half round or aluminium shoes.
* Set the shoe under as much as possible.
* Mechanically raising the heels.
* Egg or straight bar shoes.
Very, very briefly, from a vet’s point of view, we need to try various things including NSAIDS, pentosan, cartrophen and possibly circulon.
Temporary Painful Conditions of the Hoof
This group of problems is not major ones, unless you are actually trying to compete!! They include stone bruises, abscesses, quarter cracks and overreaches. Quite often a tiny little overreach that looks so insignificant is enough to stop your four-legged friend from trotting up sound on the last day of a Three Day Event. When presented with these problems treat the primary cause, ie. drain the abscess, ice the bruising and then actively chase around for the best miracle-working-genius of a farrier.
Be prepared to experiment with different types of shoes. Remember that the main objective is to remove as much pressure as is possible from the sore spot. This can be done via lowering the section of hoof wall surrounding that particular spot, beveling out the shoe and different types of bar arrangements. The main thing to remember is that if you are faced with one of these problems, and your poor pony looks like he’s walking on a tack, at the worst time in the world, give your farrier the chance to rise to the challenge and save your arse. So often they love the challenge, even if it is at some unGodly hour on Sunday morning. When they do come to the rescue, make sure you feed their ego and tell them how bloody marvelous they are, because they are!
In re-reading this article it is obvious that in no area is it a complete text. The main point that I want to make is that the management of the equine athlete’s feet is so important, in not only the prevention of major problems, but also the management of problems when they arise. Once a week, look at each of your steed’s feet on a hard, flat surface. Look at them from in front, the side, behind and underneath, take note of what you see and discuss it with your farrier and your vet.