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Discussion on Do hoof flares indicate anything special?
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Member:
chrism
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Posted on Saturday, Jul 28, 2007 - 5:07 pm:
I've recently been told that a horse who had developed flares in recent months had a lot of hock pain the flares developed because of this and indicated such.
Up until this, I've always thought that flares were due to a horse's way of going/conformation and typically the farrier would do a "flarectomy" when trimming the hoof. By the next cycle the flare could reappear. I've never really considered the significance of hoof flares and would never thought of using them to diagnose a problem or to decide to seek vet assistance.
Do hoof flares merit consternation???
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Member:
frances
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Posted on Sunday, Jul 29, 2007 - 3:58 am:
That's very interesting. My mare has a bone spavin on the RH and her RH hoof also develops a flare pretty regularly. Never thought there might be a connection.
Looking forward to DrO's reply.
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Sunday, Jul 29, 2007 - 8:42 am:
Hello Christine,
Hmmm...you could conjecture that DJD of the hocks might change the foot flight in such a manner that the hoof lands heavier on one side and that excessive loading results in a flare. It is not something I have noticed in chronically lame horses and there is a bigger problem with this idea. A good analogy would be diagnosing a flat tire because of the wear on the tire rim. Long before you damage the rim the flat tire is making the car go bumpty-bump. To bring the discussion back to the horse if we assume such changes are happening, long before such changes in the hoof were seen, the horse would have noticeable lameness.
Some better established reasons for flares is a unbalanced hoof, weakness of the laminae (like in the damage done by founder) or a hoof allowed to grow too long.
DrO
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Member:
chrism
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Posted on Sunday, Jul 29, 2007 - 2:30 pm:
This horse did not exhibit lameness per se. He became difficult to straighten under saddle (crabbing a bit, like a dog) and became less willing to round/take up the rein. Floating did not help.
Radiographs showed he did have a small negative rotation in one of the hind hooves.
Age and vet evaluation suggested early DJD and injections.
I think the concern about the flares was communicated via the 'net in discussions with the owner.
Which does remind us all to "vet" our information sources carefully.
Cheers.
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Member:
gwen
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Posted on Sunday, Jul 29, 2007 - 2:36 pm:
My horse tends to flare his hind feet. He has arthritis in his hocks, and he sort of twists as he begins to push off. When he is feeling icky, he flares more. The sounder he appears, the less he flares. We ended up putting hind shoes on him because it supposedly helps him compensate in his hind end. Not sure if that discourages his natural tendency of movement, but he continues to be his soundest to date. I have no conclusions, just anecdotal information for you!
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