Re: Poor hoof quality help
This message is from: [EMAIL PROTECTED] In a message dated 6/30/2004 10:30:22 PM Pacific Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: Contrary to everything I've read about Fjord's Frodo just has the worst hooves. He came shod all around and the prior owner told me they had to keep him that way or his feet fell apart. So far I've found that to be true - they are weak walled and when I tried to pull his shoes even on the soft ground down here in Florida they just fell apart (we moved from CA two months ago). ** Hi Paula- I've heard this story a hundred times, with horses of various breeds. What is weak is not the horse's hooves, but our idea of what they should look like. One of the national magazines, maybe it was Horse Illustrated, published an article with photos a while back which was extremely helpful to owners wanting to pull shoes, whether permanently or temporarily. The photos showed how the shoes allow the hoof to overgrow, so when the shoe is removed the dead tissue cracks, peels, and chips off. That's the key here; if it's falling off, it's dead and needs to come off. Live tissue will not fall off unless there is infection or disease, in which case you would need not shoes but veterinary care. Healthy bare hooves are quite short; as short as 3" at the toe and 1" at the heel. My Fjords measure about this and can be ridden for hours on rocky trails. Most farriers do not know what an unshod hoof is supposed to look like -- you'll see that the feet depicted in text books and medical charts are have the "shod" shape. Angle of the hoof is about 50-55 in front and 55-60 in back. If your Fjord's angles are higher than this, you have a lot of overgrowth in the heel. Most importantly, the base of the hoof should be visibly wider than the coronet area. Hooves shod for long periods of time develop a conical shape which cannot efficiently support the horse's weight. Here is a link to books, videos, etc. about hoof care. www.star-ridge.com Since this list does not accept attachments, I am sending you photos of healthy Fjord feet. Hope they are helpful! / )_~ /L/L Brigid Wasson SF Bay Area, CA www.Brigid.Clickryder.com
Poor hoof quality help
This message is from: Paula Chmura <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Contrary to everything I've read about Fjord's Frodo just has the worst hooves. He came shod all around and the prior owner told me they had to keep him that way or his feet fell apart. So far I've found that to be true - they are weak walled and when I tried to pull his shoes even on the soft ground down here in Florida they just fell apart (we moved from CA two months ago). He's on a good timothy hay and gets a small amount of sweet feed daily. I tried him on a biotin supplement but that made him high as a kite and virtually unrideable (can we say even he was so high even the grooms couldn't get him back and forth to turnout - yahoo!). Any suggestions? My prior horses were appaloosas and warmbloods who all had great feet so this is new ground for me. Also, is it common for Fjords to react like Frodo to supplements? He just couldn't tolerate either daily dewormer or the biotin and retain his normal sweet sane disposition. It was like jeckyl and hyde pony on both. Thanks! Paula and Frodo (who is waiting for the farrier to come put his shoes back on while he still has a foot left to attach them to)
Hoof Quality
This message is from: "Sherrie Dayton" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> This message is from Ron Dayton, Yes Marsha, I know what you mean about the climate and humidity and the effects on hoofs. A few years ago we stopped at our friend Del Tanners farm near Minden Nevada and he had his two geldings, "Dick" and "Duke" standing in wet moss for a few hours before the hoofs could be trimmed. This was in the mid summer July/August and very dry conditions. Our farrier said we could get the thin wall built up by some of the hoof dressing they have out now and if there is a crack, use a good coating of iodine (we use a spray bottle) to kill the fungus that causes the crack to spread. It does seem odd that most of our horses have very thick and healthy hoofs. One thing I have noticed is that the overall build of the horse with the light hoofs, is long body, more athletic and lean, where as the others are more drafty and larger boned. RD
re;fjord feet/hoof quality
This message is from: "Karen McCarthy" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> I think that most fjord owners would agree that good feet on a fjord is not a "myth", but a reality. It is truly the exception to see bad feet. But,I do find it a bit ironic that for having such good feet,ie. shape, sole & hoofwall,etc. that they can be tenderfooted. Are they that smart to know,that,if they set off with you on a trail ride (unshod), that they had better "react" sooner than later, when later they might become more tender? My shoers have never been able to physiologically figure it out, but it is fairly predictable that they will act a little gimpy, a little sooner than you would expect... Speaking of feet and hooves: in looking over the NFHR Eval. criteria on conformation, in regards to the shape of the rear hooves, they are looking for: " Hooves full,large". Does this seem a little implausible to you? Is it only me, or have others seen a differently shaped rear hoof to be the norm? A little smaller,sometimes narrower, even triangular., but not ugly or abnormal looking. I have even noticed this on many warmbloods. If it is undesireable, does anyone know why? I'm not loosing sleep over this, but it's always been one of those "Why?" questions, filed in the back...somewhere. Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
