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Discussion on Looking for encouragement
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Member:
Quatro
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Posted on Saturday, Jan 1, 2005 - 9:23 pm:
 Levi has been diagnosed with a club foot problem that apparently will need special shoes to correct the breakover/angle. I have had to travel 2 hours to find a vet that finally diagnosed him, and they use a farrier there to apply the rocker shoe. I was wondering if anyone else has been presented with this situation. The new shoe has made him completely sound, although it is too cold here to ride, so I don't know how it will affect that. I am just feeling a little depressed at the prospect of having to spend $170.00 every 5 weeks on my horse to address this problem. I quess I just need a collective hug. It seems incredibly expensive, normal shoeing around here is $55.00, trimming around $25.00. Is anyone else out there dealing with corrective shoeing for a club foot, and what kind of experience have you all had.
I have tried to be such a good horse mom, raised him since he was 4 months, so I feel like I missed something. He is only 4 years old so this looks like a very long road ahead.
Happy New Year and thanks for all the advice
suz
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Member:
Jojo15
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Posted on Saturday, Jan 1, 2005 - 11:28 pm:
Susan,
Have you read up on everything you can on club footing? And pros and cons of shoeing? I think there are other options. And they might prove less expensive. But, standard shoeing out here is $125 and corrective has got to be in the $200 range. And i know that barefoot experts (strasser trained) who trim cost around $90 or m ore depending on their availability to your area. So, no matter what you do expect the added expenses.
My TB is club footed and is barefoot. She is doing great. But, she is not a bad case. And the farrier trims her accordingly. But, if i did some heavy riding that might not be the case.
I am no expert in any of this so my advice would be to keep learning and finding out the best solution for you.
And keep your chin up. Horses are resilient.
joj
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Member:
Alden
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Posted on Sunday, Jan 2, 2005 - 10:28 am:
Susan,
Is the rocker the only thing special about these shoes? If that's the case I don't see a reason for a whole lot more to apply them. What's the difference in applying a keg rocker or a keg standard. Now, if he were forging special shoes that would be different.
In many ways I consider horse ownership a vice (mine included), and myself having more than one vice (not too many more mind you) , just give up another vice and break even.
Now, $90 for a trim is highway robbery I don't care what fancy name you put on it.
Good day and Happy New Year,
Alden
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Member:
Quatro
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Posted on Sunday, Jan 2, 2005 - 2:33 pm:
Thanks Jo and Alden. I do think that the guy may have heated something up in the back. They are aluminum shoes. I am just hoping that I can get the vet up there to write me out a script or something that I can try to find a farrier closer to my home that could follow up. I know this last time he re-radiographed and said he wasn't going to change much. If he did not have the rotation going on, I guess the club foot would not be as much of a problem. All this is so far out of my league of expertise.
Levi has also become a bear about trailering all the way up there. He has never been on a trailer that long, and the first time we went up there, the other horse that went with us stumbled off the trailer, and Levi slipped and fell under the slant rails. Now he is hesitant and panics on the trailer. When the weather would cooperate, I will have to go back and try to make his trailer a happy place again. Youngsters are a lot of work aren't they? I just need reinforced that it is all worth it
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Member:
Astbury
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Posted on Saturday, Jan 29, 2005 - 12:02 pm:
Hi Susan - thanks for your note to me. Thought I'd better check what's happening with Levi. Not sure what the exchange rate is currently but your US costs seem to be pretty high in terms of shoeing. Hot shoeing with stud holes (during the event season) costs me around £54 Sterling. My friend has remedial shoeing done on her mare with a slipping stifle and that costs £70 Sterling. Don't think I will move to the US!! What is a club foot - may be a different term used in the U.K? Not something I have come across. You mention rotation going on - is this rotation of the pedal bone as in laminitis - or have I got completely the wrong end of the stick?
Thanks again for your thoughts. Pad is still fine, thank goodness. Good luck with Levi.
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Member:
Quatro
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Posted on Saturday, Jan 29, 2005 - 1:59 pm:
Hi Jenny, not sure what a sterling is,in comparison with the dollar, but I am slowly figuring out that the cost of the horse initially is the cheapest part of the deal
Under the discussion of what is a palmer angle. I have an x-ray posted on levi's rotation. I still don't know what exactly is going on with why he has the rotation of the coffin bone, but today he is walking funny, but the ground is frozen and he is in this rocker shoe, so I don't know if it is from the shoe or if his feet are bothering him we have an appointment with the farrier in 8 days, so we will have to re x-ray and see where we are at.
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Member:
Suzeb
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Posted on Saturday, Jan 29, 2005 - 4:19 pm:
Hi Susan H. and Jenny A.,
When I get back from changing a bandage, I would like to elaborate the difference from Pound Sterling and the US Dollar. I have to convert to Canadian Funds. My boy also has special shoeing needs, so I know it is not going to be the same as a standard trim or shoe.
Will get back later.
Susan B.
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Member:
Suzeb
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Posted on Saturday, Jan 29, 2005 - 10:33 pm:
Hello All,
Looking up a currency converter; here is what I get.
$100.00 USD
£52.9505 GBP
$124.095 CAD
Susan H., I can't say whether you are paying too much for shoeing or not. Are these the Banana Rocker shoe that your farrier is putting on Levi? If so, that could explain the higher than normal cost. You could also check the breakdown of the the farrier's cost to get a grasp of what you are paying for. In going over your discussion about "What is a Palmer Angle", am I to understand correctly that the present farrier has to sedate your horse? That will drive up the cost of shoeing if Levi is hard to handle while shoeing.
Hope this helps.
Susan B.
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Member:
Quatro
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Posted on Sunday, Jan 30, 2005 - 11:47 am:
Hi susan, the shoe is an aluminum rocker type shoe. the farrier messed up the first time and did not charge me for the shoe and shoeing. It was $124.00 for resetting the shoe, would have been $190.00 for supplying the shoe and setting it. the x-rays are $60.00, sedation is $25.00, and $50.00 in gas to drive 2 1/2 hours up and back, plus I have to pay an employee to be here, so I can go up there. It is pushing $300.00 crack every 5 weeks. That is why I am trying to find someone who can come here.
Levi has never needed sedated for shoeing, trimming before. He just has not been off the farm more than 5 or 6 times in his life. The vet clinic is on a busy highway, and very scary. Levi also fell on the trailer the first time we went up there, so he was a bit shook up. He did fine for the vet examination. The vet did crack him once, backed him up and told him to settle down, which he did. The farrier said he doesn't have time to mess with him, so just sedated him.
I am hoping this next time will be the last time we have to load him up to work on him. With any luck, the new farrier here, will be able to follow up with him.
Levi does need his mom to work harder at getting him out more.
thanks
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Member:
Astbury
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Posted on Tuesday, Feb 1, 2005 - 3:59 pm:
Whew - I can see why Levi was feeling fraught! Hope your new farrier can sort him at home. Sounds like you need to get him out for some "fun" stuff, so he doesn't think going away from home is scary. It IS difficult sometimes getting them out and about though. A friend and I sometimes box the horses up in the lorry and take them out somewhere else for a hack - mainly so Padraig isn't so "hyper" when he goes to an event - but it ALWAYS takes at least half of the day and sometimes there just isn't time. Cheers. Jenny
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