Hoof troubles

[secuono]

Having an impossible time finding a trimmer who will Show Up to work on my yearling mini. They either never show, suddenly cancel or just stop communication...
While I'm searching and waiting...What can I do to help fix this?
I trim my big horses myself, easy peasy, no issues with them. But I don't know how to work on baby feet, mini feet or feet with this issue.
New hoof is growing evenly, just in the wrong direction! It's a hair off from being vertical. Legs are nice and straight, no tenderness or anything. She zooms around like a fire cracker.
She has far too much everything, toe especially. I'm thinking I should get as much toe off and then slowly work on getting the heel down while maintaining proper toe. This should help slowly rotate things back into place. Is this right?
I'm in Virginia. Anyone know someone in the US who can help that will actually show up?

 

[disneyhorse]

I would get X-rays done. A yearling is awfully young to have that abnormal of hoof capsule abnormality!

I would get X-rays done. A yearling is awfully young to have that abnormal of hoof capsule!

 

[Marty]

Don't even attempt to mess with this on your own. You have a serious problem and need a vet with an X ray. Please do not let any farrier touch her feet until you get x rays. Best wishes.

PS Don't suppose you have a full picture of your horse you can post?

 

[Margo_C-T]

Completely agree with the two prior posts! Would also like to see a full picture of the horse. Please let us know what your vet and the X-rays tell you,,,,

 

[Rocklone Miniature Horses]

Definitely something wrong, but they are also very long. I would get the vet out but ask him to bring a farrier or recommend one who will be there at the same time as the vet. They are far too long and that won't help whatever underlying issue there is. Hope it is nothing too serious

As for farriers being unreliable, i am on my 5th and still not happy. Such a hard task to find someone worth the money!

 

[BeeBopMini]

Sometimes a vet will actually do farrier work in an emergency like this one seems to be. How long has it been since she had her little hooves done? Please get x-rays done

 

[lucky seven]

Please follow the above advice. Your vet can recommend a farrier that his business uses for extreme cases. I had trouble finding a farrier that I liked and would show up, also, so I called my vet and his office recommended a saint. Good Luck!

 

[shorthorsemom]

My farrier (took me 3 to find him) does amazing work on horses feet. Some of his worst cases he tells me are on young stock. Young horses need their hooves tended on a regular basis as much as older horses. They can also founder and show changes of feed in their hooves in the form of rings and flares and angle and direction changes just like big horses. To me, those rings are saying "HELP"...

In my opinion this horse needs regular trimming by an excellent farrier on a shorter cycle. Until these feet are in better shape I would say no longer than ever 5 weeks for a trim, maybe even 4 weeks.

Before I would make any drastic changes, I would start with an xray first, and then you need to find a great farrier (show him the xrays) and begin the long task of getting these feet back in shape. In my opinion this is not heredity, but the result of changes over time and the hoof responding to these changes. Could even be laminitis changes. This is my opinion folks... don't fry me please.

I can keep guessing, just giving you some things to think about. Start with your vet and xrays and find a farrier experienced in minis and young stock and get to work on finding what is normal for your horse.

Bless you for being brave enough to post photos on here and ask for help. that is the first step. I would like to see a photo taken of the bottom of the hoof and one of the whole horse and front and back and sides for educational purposes.

My opinion is from a farrier that turned my horses feet into tin cans with tall heels, flares and horrible white line issues.

What I did notice at first was that between trimmings the hooves were trying to revert back to the unhealthy angles. After some time, they quit changing and stay beautiful now for 8 weeks. . Its that tendency to try to change back that makes folks think it could be genetic or "he just grows weird feet" I wish I had taken photos before during and after my horse hoof ordeal. My guys do not grow "weird feet" they were responding to unbalanced trims.

take care...

 

[secuono]

Never been trimmed, last people did nothing with her, bad diet, no training. She has no issues standing or running on them, no pain anywhere when pressed. Stands just fine, too.

newest picture

 

[Minimor]

I know how I would trim her--but I will not advise someone on how to do it. Do not just trim the toes down and then slowly work on the heel--a big part of the problem here is the excessive heel. I will be surprised if she doesn't have an excessively white line in the toe--it may not be visible now but will be when the toe is trimmed. That is going to have to be brought back a lot, and the heel has to come down--a lot. You are fortunate she is not sore--that could change any time if her feet are not brought back into prop alignment.

The problem is not in how the new growth is growing--the problem is in how the oldest part of the hoof is pulling away at the toe and in how the heels are being underrun.

As said--the problem will not be corrected in a short time--she needs a rather extreme trim now and then regular, frequent trims until the hoof grows out completely--only then will she be able to be on a regular trim schedule.

 

[secuono]

Right, I know that.

New pics after a trim with shears, got 1cm or a bit more off before the rain hit. Horse nippers are far too large to use and the shears cannot get the heel off. Need some mini/tile nippers to do any more. Quick marks where feet need to be and yellow where heels are now. Didn't mark the side pics.

Raining heavily now, supposed to rain all week w/thunderstorms. No vet/farrier will come out in these conditions to a sopping wet/muddy horse with no dry place to work.

Rear feet

 

[secuono]

Front feet

 

[Minimor]

I use 15" GE nippers even on the month old mini foals.

 

[secuono]

They are just way too big, floppy and impossible to use one handed. Got some tile nippers to try out.

 

[chandab]

I have a set of Diamond 12" nippers and they aren't too bad to work one-handed. They are available at TSC. They are stamped FN12 on the handle, and they are about $80-90 depending on where you get them. I also have a set of 14 or 15" nippers that I use on the saddle horses and one mini with bad feet, now those can be a bit tough to handle, but its possible. I've used cheaper nippers in smaller sizes, but they didn't hold up or do a decent job.

 

[bevann]

Hope you can find a great farrier.These feet look very similar to hooves of my older mare who is 23 and has Cushings,IR.she developed white line and then laminitis(thought I would have to put her down)My farrier has worked with her for almost a year and she is looking much better and even trots.Her feet are not yet normal looking but we are on the way.He had to cut way into the hoof and trim out lots of junk.As previously suggested you need to ask your vet to suggest a farrier who really is an expert.In my area there are vets who will work closely with a certain farrier on problem cases.Good luck-keep us posted.Where in VA are you located?

 

[secuono]

Tile nippers don't work. Guess I'll try a spring on my big ones.

I know they make 8in nippers, but they are $130 and that's a huge no.

My 15in nippers were $25 from a farm store, work great on big horses.

 

[chandab]

Check the farm store for smaller nippers, some people get by using nail nippers (for cutting horseshoe nails, they're only like 10" long), but I found they didn't last very long (if you only have the one mini, they might last you forever).

 

[Minimor]

When I first got Minis I thought my regular GE's would be much too clumsy--figured they would especially be too big & clumsy to trim foal feet--so I ordered the 10" "mini nippers" which are, of course, actually nail cutters--they were awful. Too small, and I guess not sharp enough--I couldn't use them. I tried them once, resold them, and have used my big GEs ever since.

I wondered why the big nippers wouldn't work for you secuono--I can use mine even one handed--but I guess it's the type you have. I just got a new set (old ones badly need sharpening) of GEs for $270...believe me, they are well worth the money. There is a huge difference in how they work compared to the cheap ones.

 

[secuono]

Oops, 14 inch. 14in Special Diamond nippers.
Going to try attaching a spring of some sort to them.

http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTFwgUB7AhRosg4BMqzgb_dsBbiMje4EXPYvPbb59UHH-T_62fr7g