Re: [RC] PICS: Crushed heels (Kristene and Abby)

[Abby Bloxsom <goneriding@snet.net>]

Karen Standefer wrote:

 > John put the pics up for me.
 >
 > http://www.goldhill.com/feet.html
 >
 > The bottom is Roy's hoof 2 months after we started
 > trimming him the way I outlined in a previous post.
 > You can see tremendous changes from the previously
 > very underrun heels.  In the top pic, he doesn't have
 > the typical long toes (at least not as long as they
 > were) because he has just finished trimming his hooves
 > himself over 20 miles of crushed gravel.  He also
 > didn't have that hairline the previous day as it was
 > almost horizontal to the ground.  His coffin bones
 > were not ground parallel, but after months of keeping
 > his hairline as close to the hairline in the top pic,
 > it has reseated itself in the hoof capsule and is not
 > ground parallel (confirmed by x-rays).
 >

Karen, I'm not sure whether I really get this, or maybe there are some
typos in here ... Do you mean that the day before the top picture the
hairline was vertical, or really horizontal?  I can't visualize a
horizontal hairline with long toes and those heels.  I also think you
mean "and is NOW ground parallel", right?

Observers also note that not only are his heels standing up now, but the
bulbs of the heel are much rounder.  A "flat" heel bulb is very typical
with poor heels like these were.

 > I wish the top photo had been at exactly the same
 > angle as the bottom photo, because you would have seen
 > even better how underrun the heels are.  But, I think
 > you can get a good idea from this set of pics, anyway.


Absolutely.  I've always been reluctant to make changes like that and
then go out and work a horse hard straight away.  I am surprised that
after a radical trim like that and then 20 miles of work he remained sound.

Also, you had said you seek 45 deg in front - did you eventually allow
his toe to grow out more, or did you keep it this way?  It looks closer
to 55 degrees to me, with just under 30 for the hairline.  The pastern
is aligned with the hoof as I would set him up (I use the axis of the
pastern, not the ventral face of the pastern - there's actually a
"crease" there that shows in the picture).  The other one (which I guess
is the one that was clubby?) looks more like the 45.

Also, I do see that the pastern on the right foot is much more upright -
did this settle as well the way you described?  Do you have pictures of
that from more recently?

Thanks for the pix.

-A



-- 
* * *
Abby Bloxsom
ARICP Certified Instructor
Level III Recreational and Distance Riding
Colebrook, CT USA
goneriding@snet.net