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Discussion on Shorten toe or lengthen heel
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Member:
lynnland
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Posted on Friday, Nov 26, 2010 - 8:11 am:
Hi Dr. O.,
I am a little confused on whether to shorten the toe or allow a bit more heel to fix the paster-hoof angle on my horse. I just got some radiographs done on one of my horse's feet(as part of a lameness exam) and asked the vet to also take some laterals of both feet so that I can use them in discussions with my farrier. I'm afraid I am a little (?) confused. I was wondering how to determine, using the radiographs, whether I should be shortening the toe or allowing a little more growth in the heel. The vet is supposed to email me the radiographs next week.
thanks
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Saturday, Nov 27, 2010 - 10:21 am:
To achieve the best trim you have to have in your mind's eye a picture of the ideal foot, then apply this ideal to your horse's leg and hoof conformation and then modify what is possible to do given the quality of the hoof horn.
Often feet that are badly out of balance can benefit by both longer (and straighter) heels and shortening the toe and the radiographs alone don't tell you the whole story. They are best used to rule out movement of the coffin bone in the capsule that may require corrective work. One way for you to start on this project is by studying what is considered ideal conformation and trimming practices. You will find many articles on these subjects in horseadvice and most can be reached from the HorseAdvice.com » Horse Care » Hoof Care, Hoof Trimming, Shoeing Horses menu.
DrO
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