Farrier question.....

["Julie Lindeman" <rayna777@uswest.net>]

Hi all, 

I have a TB gelding who has typical bad TB feet. : (

His back feet are okay, though he has lousey hoof quality.  I am
supplementing him with biotin, etc, and come late fall, when I have had him
for a year I am hoping to see better quality hoof where I need it.

He has poor walls, but worse yet, he's got no sole.  I live where it's rocky
and wet, and have been using my "Secret Sauce" on his feet religiously.
It's ALWAYS worked before, but not on this guy. (It's formaldehyde, tincture
of iodine, and venice turpentine) His sole is so bad, if we ride him on the
rocks, his feet literally bleed.

So we put pads on all four.

Well, of course, as soon as you spend $40 on pads, a horse who had never
lost a shoe starts throwing them!  He chucked one a couple weekends ago, and
one last Thursday when pawing through the fence at a visiting horse.
(Naturally, he also cut his foot, but it's superficial, and healing nicely)
On top of all this, my farrier pulled a muscle in his back, and had to put
me off a couple days, but he'll be here tonight.  (Does all this sound
typical!  Special Murphy's Laws apply to horses, you know?!)

Anyway, Decker's front feet are awful.  Too much toe, No heel.  His heel
grows, but is literally crushed under, toward the frog.  My farrier is very
good about not taking off ANY sole, or heel, and couldn't take off much toe
last time he put shoes on because it'd only been three weeks since he was
shod.  (We HAD to put the pads on)

So, I am thinking...... Put square toes, set back as far as possible to
break him over.  This should take a lot of pressure off his heel, right?
And use wide web eventers, for extra support.  Please dont tell me to go
with aluminum, it's just too rocky here.

I am hoping this will allow him to grow the heel he needs, while encouraging
his toe back.  FYI: This horse is 15.1, weighs 1100 lbs and when the farrier
trims him, his toes are 4.25 long. I don't remember what the angle
measurment was last time.

IF his hoof quality gets better after I've had him a year, which will be in
October, and I still can't get heel on him, I will go with a wegde shoe.  If
his hoof quality doesn't improve, he's not a mountain endurance horse, and
I'll sell him.

So, suggestions anyone?


Julie, Rayna the Mountain Monster, Jynxie the Wonder Pony,
Mark and Decker the Rookie
Brush Prairie, Washington