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Post by elizabeth_h on Jul 4, 2011 11:28:00 GMT -5
**Update** I spoke with the farrier and he does not want to do egg bars. He says they will encourage the heel to run under instead of grow out, which is what Ansel needs. He is going to shoe him in a slightly larger regular shoe and use some special pad I am not familiar with (tough on the outside with a cushion in the middle...can't remember the name). He spoke with my vet and they are in agreement, so hopefully this will make Ansel much more comfy!
Ansel is now recovered from his rain rot nightmare, and is growing in a new coat (though can't go outside because he'll burn to a crisp, so he's not so happy about the arena turnout). He seems to have some heel pain however, and my vet checked him this morning and felt he would be more comfortable in eggbar shoes. He is currently shod in regular steels in front, bare in back, and has the stereotypical TB feet (long toe, flat sole, not much heel). I have noticed that off and on he seemed to move short and toe first so I suspected his feet were ouchy and I have been painting with venice turpentine, etc.
I have never done eggbar shoes. We have a farrier at the barn who is very experienced with them and would be able to re-shoe him in those properly. I am just curious about everyone's experience with eggbars on their TBs.
Pros, cons, effectiveness? Any tips?
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Post by TeachU2Ride on Jul 4, 2011 18:42:14 GMT -5
I'm with Farrier No. 1 on the no-eggbars thing. They can be good for temporary support (with appropriate frog-support to go with them), but can certainly make a crushed heel problem worse.
IME, the best thing for underrun/crushed heels is a competent farrier (who understands you often have to remove heel to encourage it to grown down instead of forward) and short periods between trims/resets. Working on a 4 week schedule for 3-4 resets gets fast results.
It sounds like the pad you're talking about (with the squishy center) is designed to provide frog support/stimulation, which can help with pain as well as encourage hoof growth (though better blood supply). I use Equipak pour-in pads on one of my guys who's a tender-foot (due to very shallow depth of sole)... it gives you a bit more control over how much pad you get between the sole/frog and the ground, compared to a pre-shaped pad. For some horses, a thick pad, even if soft, can be uncomfortable because it exerts too much pressure on an already tender area.
If you haven't already, I highly recommend at least a lateral xray of each foot before you do any more trimming/shoeing. They'll take all the guess work out of how much sole you have to work with, show the vet/farrier/you how the bony column (P1,2 and 3) alignment is working (or not), how much toe and heel can come off, etc. There's no way to be certain about this stuff without xrays, and taking those pics can save you a LOT of time and money in the long run.
Finally, IME most TBs who need front shoes also benefit from hind shoes. Yes, they are often "comfortable enough" with fronts only, but I've seen some pretty remarkable changes when all four feet are protected. With fronts only, the horse may be over-weighting his front end to take pressure off the hinds... and can end up sore not only in his heels but also throughout his musculature. You could always try hind shoes for one shoeing period and note the differences, then take them back off at the next appointment if you don't see a positive difference.
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Post by jenarby on Jul 5, 2011 9:19:06 GMT -5
What about squaring off the toes and setting the shoe back with a slight trailer? We did that with a new mare we got in that was hitting toe first....and had heels that were under-rung. She is so much more comfy now after 2-3 shoeings. I agree on the hind shoes as well.
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Post by elizabeth_h on Jul 7, 2011 13:29:22 GMT -5
Ansel was re-shod with Vibram pads yesterday and today is sound! ;D I think the heel pain was also causing him body soreness because I noticed a huge difference in his demeanor today. He had been growing rather nasty while being groomed, and while he was fine with me grooming his back half, he would try and bite me constantly if I brushed his neck and shoulders. It was really weird and definitely out of character for him. Today I curried him all over his front end and brushed and fussed in that area extensively and he was perfectly happy the whole time. It was totally night and day. I was very happy to see his usual sweetheart personality return, and especially glad to have gotten to the bottom of the problems. Poor guy has been through the wringer these past couple of months!
I may end up putting back shoes on him before long, with the ground being so hard right now. You guys made a good point about compensation for hind foot soreness. Although I had planned to put hind shoes on eventually, I may do that sooner rather than later.
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Post by BoyleHeightsKid on Jul 8, 2011 8:40:50 GMT -5
Yay! I'm glad Ansel is feeling better!
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