BSharpRanch
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We had are only bred mare foal a month early. The foal had died before foaling due to a severely twisted umbilical cord.
It was really sad. However I was thinking enough to get a couple photos of this precious foal's hoof to share. While Most people that have and raise foals know of these golden slippers, many people do not.
The golden slippers help protect the mare's uterus and birth canal from damage caused by the foal's hooves. The coverings are almost gel-like in their texture. These two photos show why some miniature foals tend to have the appearance of rundown pasterns or laxities in their pastern/fetlock tendons/ligaments. My experience/observation has been that a lot of the laxities are more often caused by the golden slippers not shedding off as well as the full sized horses do. This may be caused by the fact that miniature foals have no real weight to their bodies so they fail to be able to efficiently wear their golden slippers off. This allows the heels to "run under" and cause the fetlock to drop downward while raising the toes upward, making it look like the toes are way too long and the heels appear too short. I call this the "fulcrum effect" because just like our childhood teeter-totter, the hoof will totter to the heavier side of the fulcrum. The fulcrum is the heels. If the heel is very far under the hoof, it will allow the hoof to rock backwards. If the heels are brought back under the column of the leg to provide a base, the dropping will end at the back of the hoof and the toes will come back to earth.
I see a lot of questions on foal hooves that are long and the toes are pointing skyward, while the fetlocks are near to or on the ground. Most responders tell the person that the toes are too long and the heels too short. Take toe, leave heel. However, all this does is allow the heels to continue their forward march under the hoof and for the pastern to continue it's decent. Now picture that this foal is now six months old. He will start having pain because now his overgrown heels are folding up into his bars and frog. Now he gets a real trim and suddenly this foal is very upright. Why? because of the pain generated from the crashed heels. Make sense?
So take those heels gently, it is okay. Go ahead and take the toes too. Balance that foal hoof just like an adult hoof. Stop the "fulcrum effect".
It was really sad. However I was thinking enough to get a couple photos of this precious foal's hoof to share. While Most people that have and raise foals know of these golden slippers, many people do not.
The golden slippers help protect the mare's uterus and birth canal from damage caused by the foal's hooves. The coverings are almost gel-like in their texture. These two photos show why some miniature foals tend to have the appearance of rundown pasterns or laxities in their pastern/fetlock tendons/ligaments. My experience/observation has been that a lot of the laxities are more often caused by the golden slippers not shedding off as well as the full sized horses do. This may be caused by the fact that miniature foals have no real weight to their bodies so they fail to be able to efficiently wear their golden slippers off. This allows the heels to "run under" and cause the fetlock to drop downward while raising the toes upward, making it look like the toes are way too long and the heels appear too short. I call this the "fulcrum effect" because just like our childhood teeter-totter, the hoof will totter to the heavier side of the fulcrum. The fulcrum is the heels. If the heel is very far under the hoof, it will allow the hoof to rock backwards. If the heels are brought back under the column of the leg to provide a base, the dropping will end at the back of the hoof and the toes will come back to earth.
I see a lot of questions on foal hooves that are long and the toes are pointing skyward, while the fetlocks are near to or on the ground. Most responders tell the person that the toes are too long and the heels too short. Take toe, leave heel. However, all this does is allow the heels to continue their forward march under the hoof and for the pastern to continue it's decent. Now picture that this foal is now six months old. He will start having pain because now his overgrown heels are folding up into his bars and frog. Now he gets a real trim and suddenly this foal is very upright. Why? because of the pain generated from the crashed heels. Make sense?
So take those heels gently, it is okay. Go ahead and take the toes too. Balance that foal hoof just like an adult hoof. Stop the "fulcrum effect".
