Long Toe, Low heel

["Lynette" <helgeson@ndak.net>]

And, in most cases it's just mis-education.
> It's the fact that people don't realize this stuff can
> be changed.  But, it's being done over and over.  Cow
> hocks go away, toeing in and toeing out disappear,
> crookedly screwed on hooves can straighten out.  There
> is really nothing that can't be fixed eventually.

Hi,
I have been following this thread with great interest. I purchased an
neglected 3/4 Arab when he was 2 1/2 yrs. old. He had spent a lot of his
growing up time in pens and small corrals and I don't think his feet had
ever been touched, because you could not get near him. He had long toe, low
heel so bad that his fetlock joint almost touched the ground.  We had just
started with a natural trim farrier who was taught by Lyle "Bergy"
Bergeleen. He improved the angle somewhat, but his heels still were too low.
I think this is because he always cut the heels short, and they would grow
forward instead of back. My vet who is also a farrier, told me to leave his
heels alone. I have started to learn to do my own trimming and I have kept
his toe short and his heels long. He has a 3 in. toe and a one inch heel.
Now remember this heel grows forward, so it is still low even though it is
long. But it has started to come back and grow more down then forward with
leaving it longer.

I have noticed that the inside heel grows faster and the heel bulb on that
heel is pushed up. I have no problem with trimming ever week and I am
wondering if I should keep the heels level. Should I continue to rasp the
faster growing heel back to make it level with the outside heel. What needs
to be done on a weekly basis to get those heels growing down instead of
forward?

Best Regards,
Lynette Helgeson
North Dakota ( where it is 53 degrees and you all thought that it got cold
in ND!!!)
helgeson@ndak.net