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Links To Important Hoof Information
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Susanella Noble, CNBBT
Hoof Care Practitioner
Case Studies
The importance of the TRUE FLIGHT PATH
It is NOT possible to "correct" anatomy by raising medial heels and toes in order to make a pigeon-toed horse toe-out or visa versa. By outward appearance it might look good for a while until the horse develops arthritic deposits (as seen in the following x-ray) and the hooves remodel in order to compensate for the improper shape of the capsule.
It is IMPOSSIBLE to physically change the direction of the coffin bone. Farriers who "correct" have only revolved the hoof capsule out of alignment. The identifying characteristics of this pathology are constricted heels, thin non-functioning frogs, curled bars and uneven sole planes. The ultimate proof is to feel the vertical lumps on either side of the dorsal hoof wall.
How To Re-correct
By following the Natural Balance mapping and trimming protocol we are able to find the point of articulation or center of balance in every hoof. From there we need to determine the true flight path of the hoof in order to allow it to breakover as it would if the horse wore it down from traveling 20+ miles a day on rocky terrain. When the horse is walking, observe movement from the poll and follow it through the neck, withers, down the shoulders through the joints to the ground for each foot. If the horse swings a foot out instead of rolling over the toe, then the alignment is off. Stand behind the horse and watch the bottom of the hooves when walking away and determine the direction that each frog points just before hitting the ground. This is the key to the true flight path to determine the placement of breakover.
Draw a line from the heel buttress clef through the apex of the frog and bring it over the front of the dorsal wall.
Extend the frog line up the dorsal wall and you'll get the exact visual reference. The following photo is a perfect example of a horse who has NOT been allowed to toe-in during a lifetime of ranch work in shoes.
Exagerate the breakover for the true flight path which will allow the capsule to realign with its coffin bone and, over time, will restore circulation and proper foot function.
Hoof Capsule Strength Prevents Laminitis
Roz
Accidents happen. Roz and her filly friend got out of their pasture one night around dusk and Roz was hit by a van. Her right rear leg took the brunt of the impact and there was lots of blood but she was able to gimp home on three legs. Dr. Brady Bergin came with his portable, digital x-ray and said there was a chip broken off the tibia and torn ligaments but that it was the best possible scenario for the outcome of a horse in a vehicular accident.
A big concern was that Roz might develop laminitis in her weight-bearing LR hoof which was what happened to the great racehorse, Barbaro. All the king's horses and all the king's men in a state-of-the-art equine hospital complete with slings and pulleys couldn't save Barbaro when his "good" LR hoof started to fall apart. Seven days after breaking down in the Preakness, the vets and farriers fitted Barbaro with a special three-part shoe to prevent laminitis. Even though the break in his RR leg healed it was laminitis that led to putting him down seven months after his "accident".
When Roz' owner asked if her LR hoof could hold her up during convalescence, I consulted my photos and notes and determined that the capsule was healthy enough to do the job. (photo below - dirty but solid without separations)
A year and a half ago when I first met Roz, my evaluation was that she was born with both front feet toe-in and that, over the many years of shoes, the farriers had continued to try and "correct" her deformity by raising the inside heels to twist her hooves out. This only caused the arthritis that blossomed in both front knees and crippled her - the last set of shoes being the 'last straw'. I wish I'd taken photos that first day but it was pouring rain and I didn't want to get my camera wet so I drew pictures of cracks up the front of the hooves, separation of the lamina, broken hoof walls, shrunken frogs and uneven sole planes. I shaped Roz' hooves to allow her to breakover for toe-in in front and toe-out in the rear and, within a few days, the owner rejoiced that Roz was starting to move around and the swelling and heat had gone down in the front knees. By October Roz was suffering from raging hoof abscesses. I explained that it was an unfortunate but necessary part of the healing process = the necrotic (dead) tissues were sloughing off and breaking out through the soles and coronary bands. By January '09 I noted that Roz looked like she had "real hooves" and several months before the accident I noted that the hooves were solid and in great shape.
Roz' wounds and the break healed and she was moving soundly six weeks later.
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