Rebuild a foot

[flemmerl@rcbhsc.wvu.edu (Flemmer, Linda)]

At the risk of making this sound like a farriers bulletin board...

My husband's horse has had chronic toe cracks (hx of founder many years
ago & a resulting upright foot with toe cracks up to the hairline).
Over the years debris coming through the crack had undermined the hoof
wall to the point where the farrier debrided the toe halfway up the hoof
for about 2" to each side.  No blood, no sensitive tissue reached.  He
then sanded the foot, cleaned it with acetone, and applied an epoxy-like
hoof filler.  He says that his experience is that the filler grows out
with the hoof and is simply trimmed away until healthy foot regrows.
Major is sound & was galloping in the field today as though nothing had
happened to his front feet.  (Had Mike not been there with the farrier
when they decided to do this, I would have NEVER given permission.  I'd
be too afraid that I'd be responsible for laming his horse.  The area
that was debrided was pretty gruesome looking to me - and I'm a nurse.)

Has anyone had this done for their horse?  If the horse was otherwise
sound, did they compete with the hooves rebuilt?  Mike would like to
take him on a LD in early November as his last ride of the season, but I
worry about the concussion affecting the debrided area.  He doesn't want
to ride my "silly" horse - he remembers the only time he ever rode in a
competition on Rocket - the first ride ever for the poor gelding.  (He
<was> a little silly on that ride.  He thought he could hand gallop over
anything for 25 miles as long as there was a least one horse ahead of
him.  He wouldn't move if he was in front - ?stage fright?  No longer a
problem.)   :-)

Thanks!

Linda Flemmer