Farrier screw up.. or???

My sister got her horses shoes taken off on 3 days ago. We asked the farrier if he would need any special treatment or if anything would happen when he took the shoes off.. he said no, he'll be fine. When he was doing the back left hoof he cut the underside of his hoof about 3/4 inch away from the toe. He said it was probably from a bruise. Anyways he told her to soak the foot in epsom salt for a week and keep him in that night. So that's what we did. The next morning we soaked the foot in epsom salt, let it dry and then let him out. We came back that evening to feed the horses and his feet were all chipped.. especially the back hooves. I think it's because his feet are more sensitive because the shoes were just taken off.. but we asked if we had to do anything and the farrier said to do nothing. So anyways what should we do? Have the farrier come back out and fix them.. get a refund? What do you think about the cut on the hoof? Thanks for any input.

Farrier screw up.. or???
Trimming the horn back at the site of a bruise is common practice and will eventually grow out as the hoof does. Keep it clean and apply a standard hoof dressing to keep the dirt out. The Epsom Salts will have dried out the horn so some hoof-moisturiser, or applying Cornucrescine, should help.





Hooves will chip away if not shod; it is Nature's way of trimming and is nothing to worry about unless it's extreme. One way to minimise this is to have the toe rolled which any farrier can do or find a podiatrist (bare-foot trimmer) who can put a mustang-roll on the feet.
Reply:If your horses have always had shoes they are probably just very soft and sensitive. My older horse had shoes most all his life and when we first started to try him barefoot we just had to be cautious and let him build them up slowly, Tuff Stuff does help some with the chipping, I keep them is a softer footing for a short while. But I would also call the farrier if he is not helpful I would find one that will be.
Reply:So many things are probably running through your mind! Alright like you did state you got it right, the reason they are all chipped is because they are weak because the shoes had just been taken off. It's not uncommon to have a horse with chips on their hooves, especially if shoeing had just been undone. What you don't see is that because you do have the shoe stuck on the hoof bottom, it's contracting and constricting the hoof to grow outwards. Of course that doesn't mean that as soon as the shoe comes off the hoof is going to decontract, it just means you are allowing blood flow into parts of the hoof that hasn't had it in a long time.





As for having the farrier come back out that would be a waste of money and I can guarantee they won't give a refund! If the chips are tiny and not bothering the sole and are on the hoof wall, don't worry about them, they'll grow out, and remember the hoof wall will harden the longer the shoes stay off. If the chips are very severe, then I would recomend getting a rasp and doing a mustang roll on the entire hoof. It's simple, but effective. It actually makes it nicer for the hoof wall.


Example: If the hoof is flared or bell shaped, as the hoof is lifting up and pulling down, it actually slightly pulls on the toes and hoof wall, and that can create the cracks!!





Here's a way of doing the mustang roll.. http://www.easycareinc.com/Education/art...





that's a very good article on the mustang roll...if you can see the edge of the hoof is rounded so that the outside hoof wall isn't touching the ground!





Also the cut on the hoof could have resulted from many things. Depending on the location of the cut, it could do several things, mainly just make the horse sore and uncomfortable for a little bit. Luckily horses hooves grow extremely quickly when they have good feed, lots of turn out and exercise! If the cut isn't on too much sole then I would just let the horse have a break, let him have turnout (preferrably 24/7) to let him/her get used to it and let the hoof attempt to harden up!








Good luck!
Reply:start using tuff stuff
Reply:well, my horses obvisley get there feet done and this has never happened, so perhaps it is a case of your horses feet being sensative. but just to be on the safe side i would maybe contact your vet, and just ask if its anything to worry about, he will probably povide a hoof creme that restores all the protein and strength back into the hoof, or you could probably find some of this hoof creme in your local equestrian shop, just ask before purchase :)





hope i could help.


good luck :)
Reply:i think shoeing is a very hard job because youre working with a very hard material.





the chips come from unshod horses, it happens alot thats why my horses are always fully shod.





i think you should ask the farriar to come back out and replace the shoes because the horse's feeta re obviously sensative however chips mostly come from roadwork so im not sure.
Reply:i thin kyou should have left him in for a couple nights since his feet are so sensitive
Reply:As the horse is used to wearing shoes it's going to take a while to get the feet to toughen up. Keratex hoof hardener or another similar product ( I don't know all the names !) can help to do this but either way you are going to get the feet chipping until they are hard enough not to.


For whatever reason you had the shoes taken off I'd suggest not working the horse for a while as he's going to get sore until he gets used to being barefoot.


We had the shoes taken off my friend's horse because she was on long term pasture rest for a year and hand walking for about 6 months after that, by the end of that time her feet were like rock and she now hacks out everywhere and it'd be a real shame to put shoes back on them.


Get the farrier back to give him a trim in around 6- 8 weeks.
Reply:It's very difficult to find a farrier, I wouldn't ask for a refund. But I would call your vet and ask, or do some research on hoofcare yourself. Ultimately, you are the one responsible for the horses and you should know what to do or find out before you make changes. I would have left the horse in for a day or two and then only put them out in a soft arena, paddock, or pasture. It takes awhile for hooves to develop strength once they've been shod for a long time. You should probably get a supplement to help them out while they strengthen and grow. It's like your teeth, if you don't chew on something hard now and then you actually lose the strength to chew! You could also try some boots, especially for the front feet. And you can try soaking the feet in epsom salts with a little iodine added, it will help harden the feet. I have four horses, none are shod and I live in a rocky environment. I use Old Mac boots for riding and nothing for turnout. My horses all have very good feet and very seldom need anything more than good trims. Do a search for "natural hoof care/equine". There are a lot of articles and studies being done on the subject.
Reply:Horses without shoes are going to have some chips on their hoofs. That's just the way it is. The cut doesn't have anything to do with the farrier, things like that just happen. Some times a horse will be more sensitve weth the shoes are taken off. If the sensitivity doesn't go away in less than a month he may be the kind of horse that always has to have shoes. I tip I got from a vet tek down at UCD for epsom soaks - get a large size baby diaper fill with epsom and as much hot water as it will hold. Use the diaper tape/velcro to strap it to the horses hoof and then wrap with a polo. It last long enough for the soak and there isn't any fighting with a bucket.
Reply:Most horses who are used to wearing shoes will be a little tender without them at first, and the chipping is to be expected. Just give it a little time and he will be fine. I can't really say about the cut on the hoof since I can't see it, but soaking it and trying to keep it clean seem like good recommendations.
Reply:Your farrier has probably cut the hoof away to let out any infection from the bruise. His feet will chip more without shoes but if they don't get too bad they should eventually harden up. If his feet are not good you might have to keep shoes on especially if you are working him on the roads or hard ground. However try using a good supplement especially for hooves and just keep an eye on them for a while. get your farrier to trim them every couple of months. Some horses go happily barefoot but others need shoes.
Reply:Talk to the farrier and tell him your concerns. His respons should be an offer to help. If not get another farrier and a vet out to look at your animal.
Reply:Leave the feet alone. You just pulled the shoes off and it is natural for the wall to take a few weeks to toughen up.





I do my own farrier work and occasionally trim for other people. I



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