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  Discussion on Large sidebones found on xrays
Author Message
Member:
mhorse

Posted on Friday, Apr 18, 2014 - 9:29 pm:

Hi, I purchased an 11 year old horse 1 1/2 years ago. He has a mild club foot. We have had continued problems with getting him to bend and developing the canter. One shoulder is quite a bit larger than the other. My trainer suggested shoes with pads to even his legs. I talked to my farrier who said lets get an x-ray first. X-ray showed "club foot not too bad but lots of extra heel on that foot. Large sidebones on both feet." My questions are:1) How long does it take for sidebones to develop? 2) Is there any way by looking at the x-rays to tell how long they have been there? 3)Is this career ending for an eventing/jumping horse? 4)Would they be the cause of some of the issues he has been having? Thanks!
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Saturday, Apr 19, 2014 - 8:30 am:

Hello mhorse,
1) It is quite variable and is more a continuous process rather than a discreet event.
2) No
3 /4) If no lameness is present not necessarily but it suggest a weakness in the foot. The article explains this and your last question in detail.
DrO
Member:
vickiann

Posted on Saturday, Apr 19, 2014 - 4:57 pm:

My farrier gradually took down the heel on a long-standing club foot on my daughter's now 19-year old jumping horse and he is doing well barefoot.

Just my opinion but I think that your trainer's idea is a bad one.

As for one shoulder being more developed than the other, you can do a lot of different exercises for that.

I had the same condition in an Arabian horse that I rode for 20-years.

Len Brown's CorrecTOR pad also helped me address that issue and it is available in Western or English.

Read the page about horses that have a strong preference for one lead over the other.

My farrier took an old dressage horse that had "high ring bone" out of shoes and the feet underneath were very unbalanced, poor horse.

Putting proper balance laterally and medially fixed him up and he performed for many more years.
Member:
mhorse

Posted on Saturday, Apr 19, 2014 - 11:00 pm:

Vicki I balked at the idea of putting shoes on him. His reasoning was to even up the knees so he is better balanced. I'm resisting.
I have an appt with my current farrier and vet to review the films and with another farrier for a second opinion. I've always put a lot of trust in my farrier. He came highly recommended and has a very good reputation but I am beginning to question that trust. I feel his feet are no better than when I got him and maybe even worse.
I've been researching these sidebones and I have to wonder how long they have been there and why they developed. I wish I had gotten x-rays when I first got him!
The canter issue is not that he does not pick up the correct lead but rather rushing and wanting to turn his head to the outside in a very crooked frame. With training it is getting better but I do wonder how much of the resistance is due to physical issues.
Member:
vickiann

Posted on Sunday, Apr 20, 2014 - 10:31 am:

In my experience it has been very hard to find good farriers.

And a lot of so-called foot and leg expert veterinarians who I have employed are lacking with regard to knowing how to properly balance a foot too.

It seems to me that carrying out a good trim depends not only upon a good understanding of the dynamics of the foot but the ability to actually apply the knowledge.

It does not seem like it should be so difficult and complicated but it almost seems to me that fine farrier work is a special talent -- kind of an art where the farrier has the right instincts and ability as well as the knowledge.

It took me years before I found a good one who has had my horses sound for many years now and has also fixed many serious issues for a great many fortunate horses.

Out of between 200 and 250 horses, my farrier only has about 2 in shoes presently and he cares for numerous horses who have been diagnosed with a myriad of the worst problems before he took over their foot care. And he has clients who reside in a variety of conditions and climactic environments.

Good luck with finding the answers and getting good results for your horse.
Member:
mhorse

Posted on Monday, Apr 21, 2014 - 6:35 pm:

Interesting evaluation today by my trainers farrier. He doesn't think the horse has a club foot "at least if he does it is less than a 1" He thinks he has a limb length disparity and agrees that a pad to even the legs out would help. He says it could be a temporary thing. We ducked taped a pad on one hoof and I rode then we took it off and I rode. We did that several times. There was a marked improvement in his movement with the pad on. So Vicki do you think in this circumstance it is okay to put a pad on? It scares me but if it would make him more comfortable I am willing to try. Dr O I did not see anything that addresses this issue. Please direct me if I missed something. Thank you!
Member:
vickiann

Posted on Tuesday, Apr 22, 2014 - 8:49 am:

I have a hard time seeing how that would fix anything.

Having tried a lot of "corrective shoeing" (including pads) over the years, sometimes things would seem to help short term but in no time the horse was back to where he had been in the first place, or even worse.

I wonder if the pad is helping for some other reason.

It probably would not cause damage to try this short term, but it is hard to imagine how it would accomplish anything positive.

Just my opinion based on my personal experiences.
Member:
sdms

Posted on Wednesday, Apr 23, 2014 - 11:21 pm:

Hi mhorse. Vicki offers a lot of good advice. I'm also a fan of the CorrecTOR pad and keeping horses barefoot, if possible.

If you truly believe you saw an improvement with the pad, I would be tempted to try boots instead of shoes. In the long term they're cheaper than shoes, can be reused and can be taken on and off as you so desire. You can also play around with the height of padding you add inside the boot to determine what works best.

Just a thought. Good luck!
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Saturday, Apr 26, 2014 - 7:53 am:

Hello mhorse,
I am uncertain which issue you are asking about. I remember several decades ago the idea that some horses were having lameness issues because of uneven leg length as observed at the shoulder. I could never convince myself this is a issue.

I have seen horses with uneven foot conformation that travelled better by trimming and shoeing so they matched more closely.
DrO
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