The Evolution of "Navicular" Feet

Here are some updated photos of GG, the "navicular" horse I adopted in November, 2011 and have been rehabbing since. First, a body shot to show that he's been on a diet! GG had very flared, flat hooves with prominent growth rings, signs of laminitis. GG started his rehab with simple grass hay and low-sugar timothy hay pellets, and is now eating free choice hay and grass, Triple Crown Lite, Animed Remission (a mineral/magnesium/chromium supplement for horses prone to laminitis) and MSM (for inflammation and to help his heaves). The lack of weight also helps him because his small hooves don't need that extra pressure.

And now, photos of GG's left front hoof, which he has shown intermittent lameness on for about 3 years:

The heels and toe have come back, and the wall has smoothed out showing less stress rings. I also like how the hoof went from look "dead" to looking "alive but stressed" to looking "alive but relaxed" in the photo progression. The significant arch in the 3/3/12 photo is from aggressively dressing back GG's severe quarter flare, as seen in the below "front view" photos. The flare is now grown out, so GG's "arch" is much more natural.

Also, I did change my trimming style after viewing the 3/3/12 photo, and started taking flare off higher up the wall. This can be a controversial practice, but in GG's case it has seemed to work very well and the stress rings have not returned. He just was not growing the flare out using the method of just beveling the bottom. Of course, there is no way to know if this would have occurred using the more conservative method eventually, but I really like the results and believe that being more aggressive with the flare higher up the wall did help.

Here is the back of GG's foot:

GG's foot still isn't pretty, but it is functional. What I like the most about the 10/7/12 photo is that GG's heels are expanding, a sign that he is using them more. After these photos were taken, GG free lunged around the pasture barefoot and for the first time EVER I watched him land flat at the trot and canter. Ideally, we want a horse to land heel-first at these gaits, but the combination of GG's upright pasterns and long history of heel pain means that he may never be able to achieve a truly heel-first landing. However, he was landing heel-first at the walk, and we are moving in the right direction, so you never know!

Here are the front views of GG's hoof. He started out with a very large flare. I believe he was actually slightly "sunk" on the lateral (outside/right) side. Look at how crooked the short pastern joint looks, much lower on the side with the flare. In the subsequent photos, it looks much more even:

Again, notice the lack of stress rings, and how perfectly balanced the coronary band is now, even though the foot itself is skewed due to GG's rotational deformity (his pasterns rotate in below the fetlock joint, making him pigeon toed).

Finally, here are the sole shots. Again, the progression of "diseased/dead" to "stressed but alive" to "alive and relaxed" is apparent. In the 3/3/12 shot, GG is exhibiting what farrier Esco Buff refers to as "retracted soles" where you will have a marked "scooped out" solar concavity that is common in thin soled horses in wet muddy conditions. His sole is probably around 1/4 inch in this photo, but someone unfamiliar with this condition might think he has full thickness and concavity to his sole! In the 10/7/12 photo, the "retracted sole" is gone and the hoof is much rounder. I also like how the heels and bars look more even. Finally, the toe has been brought back, and the heels have opened up:

That's all for now! All in all, not bad! :)

Lacey's Two Left Feet

Here are some before and after shots of Lacey's feet. Lacey came out of shoes the day the before photos were taken, June 28th, 2012. The after shots were taken about 3 months later, and two trims later, on September 23rd, 2012.

First, Lacey's left front foot. Notice how much shorter the toe has gotten, and how much the heels have opened up. The hoof is much less contracted.

Here are comparisons with the shoe to show how much her heels have opened up, and how far her toe has come back:

Now, Lacey's left hind foot. This is Lacey's problem leg. The hoof was very out of balance, with an extremely long/high toe. The pictures speak for themselves as far as how much her heels have opened up, are no longer run under, and how the imbalance has righted itself:

And here is Lacey enjoying her new, better balanced, healthier feet!