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  Discussion on Concerns after Pre-Purchase exam
Author Message
Member:
Lizv

Posted on Wednesday, Jun 22, 2005 - 10:27 am:

I am looking at an 8 y/o Trakehner mare for purchase for dressage and have some concerns/questions following the initial vet check.
These were his findings:

The left front foot had a sheared frog and appeared to have a bad case of thrush. There was a small spur on the lateral wing of the navicular bone. He saw 1/5 lameness on the LF on a left circle on soft ground. Nothing on hard ground or to the right. LF Flexion was normal but he noted a 1/5 lameness in the first few steps after navicular pressure was applied.
Is it possible that this horse has the beginnings of NS on the LF only or more likely that the sheared frog, thrush and slightly contracted heel is causing this low grade "lameness"?
The horse is being treated for the thrush (Thrush Buster followed by 2 weeks of special formula) and we are putting shoes on the front feet as she is currently barefoot. She will be re-examined in a couple of weeks.

Thanks for any input.

Liz
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Thursday, Jun 23, 2005 - 6:20 am:

Both are possible Liz as are dozens of other problems but I don't see how this conjecture adds objectively to your decision making process. I personally would want 2 things at this point:
1) Sound barefoot in a circle on a good arena or asphalt surface.
2) No history of chronic lameness problems from the horses regular vet.
The fact the horse has contracted heels worries me.
DrO
Member:
Lizv

Posted on Thursday, Jun 23, 2005 - 9:00 am:

Thanks DrO. The horse has no history of lameness at all but has had the winter off (owner was boarding at a facility without an arena and we had a harsh winter). She was sound barefoot on an asphalt surface but not on soft ground - where she was 1/5 lame. I guess I am confused as to how it is possible that she be sound on a hard surface but lame on a soft one.
Also, I have never dealt with contracted heels - how big of a problem are they?
Thanks for your input.
Liz
Member:
Onehorse

Posted on Thursday, Jun 23, 2005 - 10:37 am:

Liz,

I can't answer your question as to why lame on soft ground and not on asphalt, but I thought I'd relate my experience with 'contracted heels' in my 18 year old quarter horse.

My horse has been shod on his front hoofs all his life ... with a couple of periods when shoes were removed for brief periods. He ended up with a problem about 3 years ago (sheared heels) which remedy was egg bar shoes to take pressure off the heel. The end result was a healing of the first problem, but the development of severely contracted heels. Perhaps the problem arose from using the bar shoes too long (as well as years of regular shoes) but the problem resulted in an 'offness' and at times lameness.

What happens with contracted heels is a) the weight bearing surface of the hoof is reduced and the weight of the horse is carried by a smaller and smaller area; b) as the hoof contracts there is no support for the horses weight in the heel area causing undo strain on the ligaments and hoof structure; and c) the balance of the hoof structure is thrown out of kilter resulting in lameness hat progressively becomes worse. All resulting in limited use of your horse.

Ultimately, contracted heels lead to lameness if not corrected.

I switched farriers to find one that felt he could address the problem ... which we have been working on now for 10 months ... with good improvement. What we did:

First, we changed the angle of the trim to allow more pressure on the frog. This was enhanced for six weeks by using a wedge pad with shoe to add additional pressure to the frog, stimulate it, and add pressure to the heel in an attempt to 'widen' the hoof area. Additionally, a hardening mixture/substance (equi - 'something') was inserted between the pad and hoof to apply pressure to expand on the entire hoof when the horse stood or walked. Note: when using a pad you always insert a substance to keep dirt out, but this was something a little different ... adding to overall attempt to 'push' the the entire hoof outward. Also, to facilitate expansion an angled cut between the area of the back of the frog and the hoof wall was executed.

When my horse was ready for his next shoeing, the shoes and pad where discarded and he was left barefoot and he has remained barefoot since to allow the hoof to grow naturally and allow the hoof structure to grow out. The result so far:

The hoof has widened creating more area for weight bearing. The distance between the hoof wall at the heel on either side of the frog has increased measurably, the 'meaty part of the frog' has expanded and is much healthier looking and my horse is standing square in the front end. If you look at the front hoofs from the side you can see that as the hoof is growing out, the angle of the hoof wall by the heel area is changing -- growing more vertical than at its previous inward angle. Obviously, when the hoof grows completely out it is evidently clear that there will be much more support in the heel and the entire hoof will be wider. My horse's lameness has disappeared and he's getting better and stronger as time passes.

I guess all this is to let you know that contracted heels (at least in my horse's case) can be dealt with. But it's a long process, and at a minimum it takes the time required to grow an entire new hoof. According to my shoer the key to this is to allow the hoof to grow naturally and allow the hoof structure to take on the 'shape' it is most comfortable in and strengthen itself. This has been done (after the initial shoeing with pad to stimulate the frog).

You've indicated that you've applied shoes to your horse. The shoes constricts the hoof tendency to expand with pressure. Unless there is a specific reason for the use of the shoes to address the contracted heal problem (as it was initially in my case), I would ask your shoer what his long term goal is in terms of the contraction and how he will address it.

As my shoer pointed out to me when we started this process last September, you simply don't know if the horse will respond and 'if' the problem can be corrected. Only time has the answer. In my case, it seems to be working and as we observe the 'new' hoof growing it appears we will attain the desired result. But we're still another 4 to 6 months off before the entire new hoof grows out.

I suspect it is this uncertainty over time that raises Dr.O's concern. But it's clear to me that you, your vet and shoer should have a clear strategy to address this problem ... and patience.

Sorry this has taken me so long to explain ... but I guess its indicative of the time required to cure contracted heels. Best of luck.
Member:
Hwood

Posted on Thursday, Jun 23, 2005 - 1:49 pm:

Lameness on a giving surface when sound on a hard surface makes me think that there is some tendon weakness . . . hmmmmm . . . OR maybe there is more pressure on the sole of the foot on soft ground whereas the sole isn't touching the ground on asphalt.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Friday, Jun 24, 2005 - 7:50 am:

We do tend to think lameness that worsens on a hard surface suggests foot, particularly solar, problems but soft surfaces suggest supporting soft tissue problems because the lower support at the heels puts every supporting structure under greater duress but it is important to remember that flexor pressure on the navicular is one of the increased stressed areas so there is crossover in some lameness. And there can be some types lameness that have circumstances as Holly suggests above. So, it may suggest a supporting structure lameness but this would have to be confirmed with a exam.

Today I will upgrade the contracted heels article to better explain the causes and prognosis. Though a lot of Rick's post is right on, I see many horses with contracted heels that are sound.
DrO
Member:
Sunny66

Posted on Friday, Jun 24, 2005 - 1:33 pm:

Great thread...thanks for posting! You can never learn too much about lameness issues!
Member:
Lizv

Posted on Friday, Jun 24, 2005 - 2:41 pm:

Thanks for all the input - I never would have thought of the soft tissue problem. The vet noted some roughening of the lateral pastern bone collateral ligament attachment in the LF (same limb that the lameness was found in) as well - could this be a factor in the equation? He did not talk about it being a significant finding.
Liz
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Friday, Jun 24, 2005 - 8:45 pm:

I have to rely on his judgement on what he saw but collateral ligament disease of the coffin joint may be present without any evidence on the physical exam. I have that update to the contracted heel article in place for those interested.
DrO
New Member:
Angelvet

Posted on Saturday, Jun 25, 2005 - 2:34 pm:

Thought I'd comment on the lame on soft ground, not on asphalt.My experience with several racehorses, as well as dealing with my own horse this spring is that often times horses that are thin soled, or have bruising of the sole, or foot lamenesses in general are often significantly more lame on soft ground. I think that the soft dirt will put a lot more pressure on the sole and bars,(and often any underlying structures) of these horses, making them significantly more uncomfortable. It may also be that the soft dirt gives unevenly under the hoof, acting a bit like uneven ground,thus stressing the soft tissue structures unevenly. I really noticed this with my own horse this winter, when she suffered a wall separation of the lateral hoof wall on the frozen ground. She became head-nodding lame on that foot just walking into the indoor arena, but did not take a lame step on the concrete alleyway walking to the arena. Even hoof testers applied over the area failed to produce as much of a reaction as did the soft dirt packing in that area.
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