The Truth About Hoof Abscesses

The Truth About Equine Hoof Abscesses.

Hoof abscesses can be much more serious than most of us realize.  Abscesses usually are misunderstood, misdiagnosed, mistreated and cause our horses unnecessary suffering, loss of use and too often loss of life.

The following is a brief explanation of White Line Abscesses of the hoof wall and White Line abscesses of the hoof bar (sub-solar).

White line Abscesses of the Hoof Wall:  It’s commonly believed that a horizontal crack appearing in the hoof wall is caused by injury at the hairline (coronary ridge) that treks down the hoof with the wall growth.   

However, a crack or rather split in the wall that develops as a result of trauma at the hairline will typically be “vertical” and will nearly always become a permanent fixture of the wall to some degree.

Conversely, horizontal cracks in the hoof wall are most often caused by abscesses (affecting the white line - WL) that rupture at the hairline and migrate with wall growth to the ground where it should be trimmed off.  

Abscess rupture sites may be any width; from a hole the size of a match head, to several inches wide, as often seen in draft hooves. Multiple abscesses can affect the same hoof at the same time or in very close succession.  More than one hoof can be affected at the same time due to a duplication of the conditions that lead to abscessing.

Cause:   WL abscesses generally affect hooves that have been neglected, or that are trimmed regularly, but incorrectly, shod or unshod.

 

The hoof wall, if allowed to flare creates leverage on the connective tissue (lamina/white line) between the wall and the sole which can cause stretching of the white line.  Laminitic connection stretches to a point, and then separation ensues. 

WL separation (the primary and secondary layers of connective tissue detach interrupting life support of one to the other) causes death of the lamina.  Once necrotized, that tissue mixes with bacteria and debris and entire pocket of inflammation causing pus begins its ascension up the wall into the narrowing space between the wall and bone below the hairline.  Pain will increase due to the increased pressure as the pocket continues to become more inflamed and makes its way to sensitive nerves near the coronary ridge.  The abscess is most painful just prior to rupture.  At some point in the process lameness is usually presented in varying degrees.  

It’s important to understand that as the pus pocket treks up the inside of the wall to the soft hairline where it finally and painfully ruptures, a channel of dead lamina is left in its wake.

The abscess channel will eventually dry up leaving an area of disconnection (a tunnel) behind the wall from the ground to the hairline.                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

Lameness soon subsides after rupture. As the wall grows, new/well-connected lamina develops (grows down) above the descending “crack” and takes the place of the damaged tissue. Lameness soon subsides. As the crack (rupture site) treks closer to the ground, the detached wall below the crack may snap off.

White line Abscesses of the Bars:  Bar abscessing is more serious and painful than wall abscesses.  That is because affected areas of the WL may also migrate to the sub-solar connection (papillae) causing eventual detachment of sole (and frog) and in severe cases can cause permanent damage to the solar papillae. 

Mistaken assumptions are made that abscesses of the sole (bars) are caused by trauma to the sole. Sharp objects may impact the sole of a soft-soled hoof, but the result generally will be a localized wound.  Abscesses and injuries to the bottom of the hoof are different conditions and we need to distinguish between sole trauma and white line abscess to avoid confusion.

The bars of the hoof are an extension of the hoof wall.  Which means abscesses can develop in the white line of the bars, tracking up connective tissue to rupture at the hairline of the heel bulb. 

The lameness that the horse incurs is often described as “mystery lameness.”   The resulting rupture sites appear as horizontal splits in the back of the hoof and are typically misinterpreted as injuries caused by forging and other misstep type injuries.

Cause:  When hooves are neglected or the bars left unattended during trimming, the same stretching of the white line of the bar will result - just as we see in the white of the hoof wall.

In a hoof affected by bar abscess, a section(s) of white line of the bar will become blackened where stretching and invasion takes place.  The main difference we see in bar abscess is that its affect is not limited to the lamina.  But also invasion of solar connective tissue (papillae) often occurs. 

Left in the aftermath of a processed sub-solar abscess is profuse dried, blackened, necrotized residue in place of the once healthy connective tissue.  This disconnection will eventually lead to complete detachment of sole material from the hoof as well as the frog in severe cases.

Symptoms:  Usually we notice varying degrees of lameness.  Horses suffering abscess have been observed lying on the ground, unwilling to stand except to eliminate -- or no observable lameness at all.  When an abscess takes place in the hind we often don’t observe lameness.  Or a horse can process numerous abscesses that no one notices essentially because no one was observing the equine.

Treatment for both types of WL abscess: There is no actual treatment for an abscess once the white line has been invaded. The condition has to run its course. Epsom salt or vinegar soaks may help soften the coronet band, while pain meds and padded boots can offer relief post rupture.

Don’t Do This:  Digging openings into the sole or white line is a common approach to relieve pressure.  However, by the time the horse displays pain, the abscess is close to rupturing at the hairline. Therefore, that procedure most often only causes further trauma to a hoof, rather than relieving pain.  Poultices sometimes may help drain a bar abscess if caught soon enough, but the pain and rupture will still take place.

However, when veterinarians or farriers increase the opening of an abscess entrance site in the hoof as a treatment, they do offer the owner a means to feel like they are contributing to the horse’s rehabilitation.  Typically prescribed aftercare includes hoof packing (needed to treat the enlarged hole) along with hoof soaks, and ridiculously extended periods of stall rest.  Most horses would tell you they don’t appreciate any of the above recommendations.  

Skilled veterinarians have been known to drill tiny holes in the outer wall in the path of the abscess causing discharge and instantaneous relief from pressure and pain.   Done correctly, this is one of the only methods that can provide instant and actual relief to a horse suffering from a wall abscess.  However, this method isn’t practical for an abscess of the bar.  Also, many veterinarians aren’t aware that the abscess doesn’t trek straight up the wall, but treks at the same angle of the angle of the growth of the horn tubules.   Numerous holes drilled into the hoof wall in an attempt to find the abscess track could cause secondary problems.

Anytime I have introduced this technique at conferences, the first question is always, “How do you know when to stop drilling?”  The answer: When you hit pus!  The important bit is to follow the angle of the horn tubules from the entrance site and you’ll find the abscess channel.

What to Expect: For horses that have been processing white line abscess chronically for some time, expect it to take several hoof growth cycles before the horse stops processing abscesses or at least less often.  

Rehabbing an abscessing hoof requires trimming at 4 week intervals. It can take many months, or

years to grow out new hoof material to replace the involved connective tissue.

 For the sake of your horse, please be patient with the rehab process.  It will take as much or more time for your horse to make his way out of this condition as it took to get into it.

Prevention: Preventing abscesses of the white line is as simple as making sure that your horse’s

hooves receive correct trimming at regular and frequent intervals, removing and controlling flare.  

For optimum hooves, trim scheduling should be at 4 to 6 intervals.  Trimming strategies should produce healthy hoof horn (no flare) and well maintained bars with tight, connecting tissue (lamina/white line).  This strategy will reduce and eliminate abscesses. 

Common Misunderstandings of Hoof Abscesses:  Lameness caused by WL abscesses is frequently misdiagnosed because it’s difficult to identify an abscess until rupture at the hairline takes place followed by “gradual” relief.  Even then, the condition remains a mystery when we hear the owner state that “The lameness simply went away.”

Radiology and even MRI usually will not pick up the abscess channel.  This lack of obvious cause of the observable lameness often leads to a search for alternative causes.  The use of this technology can show us different hoof anomalies that otherwise would never be discovered, that have always been a part of the hoof internal structures, and have no relevance to the horses current discomfort, but will receive the blame.   Such as "navicular syndrome" which in most cases isn't a syndrome at all.

The above isn’t always the case, but it is not an uncommon scenario that leads to mistreatment, usually an unorthodox shoeing strategy, which may not produce an obvious, permanent and/or “immediate” cure.  So the only consideration for the horse at some point is to euthanize. 

Thermal Imaging does at times illuminate abscess inflammation.

Founder can result in more than one hoof caused by the severe inflammation in the abscessing hoof or hooves.  It’s not unusual for a horse to be diagnosed with founder, but the initial cause (abscess) miht never be detected.  That’s when horses who have never had an issue with “grass” are often pulled of pasture indefinitely, but needlessly.

Once a horse has been pronounced with the “f” word – founder.  It’s thought that the cure is troublesome and expensive, or worse, there is no hope at all.  That simple isn’t true in most cases.

Important Notes

Abscess pain often mimics colic pain before obvious lameness is displayed. I wonder how often horses are treated for colic, that would love to be able to say, “The pain is in my foot!” 

Founder can result in more than one hoof caused by the severe inflammation in the abscessing hoof or hooves.  The cause of the founder is mechanical in this case and not organic.

In severe cases a hoof can be fully engulfed in several abscesses at one time causing severe pain and lameness and founder. If left untreated (untrimmed) the hoof may eventually lose most of its attachment material.

Shoes can stall out the process of abscess and should be pulled during rehab.  Lameness in a shod hoof is frequently caused by abscesses located at the junction of the bar/heel (seat of the corn) which can be difficult to locate until the hoof has been indefinitely unshod and trimmed correctly and regularly. 

Abscess discomfort may not cause a horse to display obvious lameness all the time or at all.  Lameness may be off and on.  Not appearing at the walk, but obvious at the trot or canter.  A horse may seem fine until the weight of the saddle/rider is added. 

Even if we can drain an abscess, it will still rupture at the hairline in most cases.  

One hoof growth cycle (HGC) takes about one year so patience is required.  The horse will improve with frequent corrective trimming.

Creating craters in an abscessing hoof will only add further healing time and will allow pebbles and debris to invade the hoof that wouldn’t otherwise be an issue.  This procedure creates a secondary problem in the hoof.

Because no obvious signs of pain can be detected initially when a hoof is processing an abscess, very often riders will comment that their horse is lazy because their horse is fine in the pasture, but has learned that if he starts to limp when being ridden he will get out of work.  First, that is ridiculous.  Second, that is exactly how abscess pain is often presented.  Off and on!  Those horses are often referred to as “heartbreak horses.”  As if the horse is at fault!

The more we know - the better we understand the cause, prevention and cure of hoof abscesses, the more years of soundness our equines will experience.  Thank you for taking the time to read and understand this important information about a very common, yet commonly misinterpreted hoof ailment.

Patricia Morgan Wagner

Hoof Rehabilitation Specialist

Rainier, Washington

Revised: 1-2015

How My Horse Changed My Life Contest

Hi all!

I haven't uploaded a post in awhile as we have been super busy!  We've taken in several horses, Rudy, Roxy, Captain, and Star.  Captain and Star both suffered from severe hoof neglect, but they are doing much better.  Captain is on the REHRC website, but I have a few pages I need to upload for the other horses.

But this post is a request for your votes!  Recently, I entered the story about how my horse, Missy, changed my life in a contest that Horse and Rider magazine is hosting on their website.  I really want to become one of the finalists.  Not so much to win prizes, but to get the word out about our hoof recovery center.  If we should win prizes, we could raffle them to purchase hay and feed. 

So I'm really hoping you could go to the H&R website (that link will take you right to Missy's story) rate the story and vote for us!

Please vote once per day until the deadline.  This would be a great way to help out our horses without leaving your chair or spending a dollar!

The true story that I submitted for the contest is below if you'd like to read it here and then decide if you'd like to vote.  Thank you so much for taking the time to help us out!

In 1996, a scruffy little 8 year old quarter horse came into my life. Within months, I dropped a twenty year smoking habit and fifty extra pounds, while Missy developed into a beautiful bay mare. We earned awards and were pictured in an AQHA publication for riding hundreds of miles together. But while I worked in a basement office, I yearned for an occupation involving horses.
Then at 15, Missy came up lame and I was hurdled toward the emerging changes to traditional hoof care often referred to as bare hoof trimming. Missy’s unnaturally shod hooves led me to my new profession as an Equine Hoof Rehabilitation Specialist and the owner of my own business, Heel First Landings, Inc.
Before this sweet mare came into my life, I had rarely traveled, but my quest to learn more about equine lameness and corrective hoof trimming took me all over the US to mentor with other trimming instructors.
Overwhelmed with customers, I began offering workshops teaching the craft to others, and published a professionally filmed DVD, Discovering Your Horse’s Natural Hooves – How to Trim the Barefoot Horse.
Missy, at 23 has seen many horses move into her pasture, most with hoof ailments that destined them to be euthanized - each rehabilitated back to soundness without shoes.
Helping horses has become a passion that evolved into an official non-profit equine rescue called Rainier Equine Hoof Recovery Center. My horse saved my life so I could save the lives of many equines!

September 2011 Hoof Trimming Clinic

The Classroom!

Watching Captain's trim closely.

  What a great three days we had together! Everyone was a joy to meet and spend time together. It wasn't all one way, we shared so much important information.  We're going to do offer the next clinic at the end of October.  Go to our website or send an email for more information!

Rehabilitation of OTTB

We like to share our story of Captain (Really Unique) a 10 year old Off Track Thoroughbred gelding who has been having a very hard life for the past few years.  He is listed with a few of our other rehab cases at  www.rainierhoofrehab.com. 

My Advice for the New Trimmers:

Recently I was contacted by someone interested in becoming a professional barefoot trimmer.  I responded with this email only slightly modified for blogging.

I applaud you for removing yourself from that shoeing course.  People are so interesting when it comes to shoes.  Yesterday, I attended a local barrel racing competition.  I was there to trim a customer’s horse who lives a ways from me so we met there for this appointment.

She had sold one of her horses to another competitor some months ago and that horse happened to be there as well.  I was introduced to her former horse’s new owner and the horse had shoes on.  That owner smiled in my face and bragged about how he fixed his horse so its feet never hurt and he could ride him anytime he wanted.    

My customer and I walked away and under my breath I muttered, continuing his line of thought, “Screw the horse, it’s about me getting to ride, right!” 

We had just been discussing how ALL farrier reference books recommend frequently allowing the horse some time out of shoes. Why would that recommendation be in those books?  Because it's well documented that shoes damage the hooves over the long term. 

I get so tired of hearing, “My horse can’t go without shoes.”  Well, could that be because the shoes have wrecked your horse’s hooves and now they are too weak to support themselves?

I often hear that the walls of hooves left unshod will wear faster than the hoof can grow it.  That's true when the hoof is trimmed incorrectly which most are, but not true if the hoof is correctly trimmed and growing at a healthy angle with healthy connective tissue (laminae).

I saw an ad recently showing 3 different hooves, all very poorly trimmed and 2 shod.  The ad was for this band that is tacked around the outside of the hoofwall to relieve pain.  But the hooves wouldn't be in pain if they weren't so poorly trimmed and shod.  And the band does nothing except mask the pain caused by the condition the hooves are in.  Why not just fix the hoof with the trim?  I never can get that logic.  Wreck the hooves and use "this product" to mask the pain so you can ride the horse which will continue causing damage to the hooves until the horse can't even support its own weight, then put it down.  Common Scenario. 

The same can be said for some shoeing systems-such as NBS.  I've heard that even the developer of that system wished he'd had never shared it because it's so unnatural for the horse.  The few farrier's who are competent at applying those shoes do okay, but there are so many out there applying that systems who really botch the hooves up horribly and leave horses in serious trouble.  I've pulled so many of those NBS shoes off dead lame horses, I get angry just catching a glimpse of one of those shoes on or off a horse!

So where you live tells me you are up against more peer pressure to go with shoes than I am in my area.  We do have quite few open-minded horse owners in this region. Unfortunately not enough compitent trimmers to care for all the owners who want to go barefoot, but that's a good problem to have in some respects.

At that barrel racing event, I ran into 4 of my customers whose horse are barefoot and all raved about how well their horses are doing without the shoes.  That’s always nice to hear.  And other’s here it as well and begin questioning their line of thought regarding hoof care.

There is a lot to learn when considering to trim professionally.  Not just because you’ll need to know and understand everything that can go wrong with transitioning hooves from shod to bare, but because you’ll have lots of questions to answer. 

My DVD shows the natural maintenance trim from start to finish on several horses and a donkey.  So it is also a good place to start.  It’s professionally filmed in High Definition and I’ve been told that it is one of the best (hoof trimming) teaching DVD’s available.  DVD's by other professional trimmers are packed with great info, but it’s difficult to see exactly what being done with the tools on more "homemade" DVD’s.

Much of what I feel I know to be right about natural hoofcare, I learned from Pete Ramey, and from my own research.  I was able to get into a trimming clinic with Pete when he visited our area back in 2004, I believe it was, and then I went to Georgia the following year to learn from him directly.  With only 2 students (one from the U.K.) we were fortunate to get one-on-one instruction.  That will not be a part of any other professional trimmer's training as he only offered a couple of those clinics that I know of.  I realize how priviledged I was to be part of one of them.

To really become the best professional trimmer you can be, I recommend avoiding any  organization that dictates your trim and threatens to toss you out if your trimming methods don't adhere exactly to what they teach.  Different hooves call for different trimming strategies.  Learning to read hooves and knowing how to approach each one with your tools is the better than a one-size fits all trim when you're rehabilitating hooves.

Apply for a membership with the AHA American Hoof Association so you can be in contact with many other experienced trimmers.  As you go, you can work on getting certified by that organization.  It’s not a school, it's a screening organization to filter the hacks and only certify the true professionals and list them on their website.

Take everything you learn from each person and toss out what doesn’t seem right and stick with what does.  Just like horse training - which you'll want to also become adept at.  In most cases, you can't trim a horse who refused to allow you access to the bottoms of their hooves.  (Although there are times when you do have to trim a horse without gaining access to the bottom of his hooves.)  Let me just say, you will have to weed through a TON of misinformation. 

You don't have to agree with every trimmer out there.  You have to do much of your research on your own.  I don't agree with some of the trimmers for whom I have the highest respect.

Take abscesses for instance.  I honestly believe I’m one of the few professional trimmers out there who really understands abscesses.  I don't believe they are caused by trauma/bruising.  And there is no such thing as white line "disease" or "infection."  Those terms imply that there may be a cure.  Laminae is either live and healthy or dead and gone and there is no cure for what is no longer viable.  So soaking in chemicals in our attempts to cure WLD is probably only going to damage the healthy laminae attachement that is trying to grow to the ground with new hoofwall.  
WL separation is that is caused by flare.  Flare walls cause stretching of the white line which can lead to separation of the white line (dead laminae) and then leaves the hoof vunerable to abscessing either in the wall or the bar.  When I trim an abscessed hoof, I see what we have come to term as WLD.  But as I said, it's not diseased, it's dead. 
When a hoof is affected by an abscess in an overgrown bar (bar is an extension of hoof wall) the abscess often invades the much of, or the entire hoof.  Abscesses can cause problems in a hoof for years if the horse is shod and even after it goes barefoot can take years to completely fester out.  Not usually, but I have seen that situation and the cause if typically flare.

Review: Flare, (not "flair" as some trimmers spell the word:0) stretches the white line to the point of separation of the white line, then abscesses get their start either in the white line of the hoofwall, and/or the white line of the bar which is an extension of the wall.

An abscess in the bar can affect the entire solar papillae, which causes the sole to separate from the hoof, but new sole develops underneath the sloughing sole - like a blister.  Simple! 

Bar abscesses are so often misdiagnosed as navicular, founder, white line disease and a myriad of other hoof disorders which then puts a horse into corrective shoeing or an early grave.  So sad.  But we are here to fix that! 

All my best in your journey into a profession that is basically not accepted by the majority of horse owners, farriers, or vets, because we humans get so stuck in what they do because it's been what they've always done.

My best advice is to try to get to the horses while they are still young.  Before the damage has been done...

...and have fun!:0)
pat

Hoof Care Professionals and You

 As barefoot horses become more popular, which is awesome for the horses! More and more barefoot trimmers are getting into the business. Most have had lots of training and experience and are very good at what the do. Some are not as well trained or experienced and not so good at what they do. It's a horse owner's responsibility to pick up their horse's hooves and examine them frequently and ask questions if what they see doesn't appear to be right. Just as there are good and poor farriers/horseshoers, we are all hoof care professionals and some don't have the knack for it that others do.

Some don't recognize hoof issues like founder and abscesses and hoof ailments are often misdiagnosed so it's the owners responsibility to determine when a veterinarian should be called in to check their horses.

Hoof care professionals, in some cases may know more than your vet about hoof related illnesses, but we are NOT veterinarians and it's not even legal in the state of Washington for hoofcare professional to diagnose problems like laminitis/founder. If we suspect serious hoof issues, we need to recommend a vet be called in.

I have to write this because I'm seeing so much of the opposite going on and walking into cases with horses who have been under a farrier or trimmers care for months even years and finding issues that are usually associated with serious neglect.

Ultimately the horse's hoof care is the owner's responsibility. If you don't like what you're seeing call for a second opinion. If that bothers your hoof care professional, replace him/her. Second opinions are typical in other fields and we shouldn't feel guilty about making sure our horses are getting the best care possible and that our money isn't being wasted on anything less. If your trimmer/shoer objects, get's angry and quits, or assures you that they already know it all, then they don't know what they don't know and they are the most dangerous ones to have working on your horses!

Hoof Trimming DVD Now Selling

Easycare Inc. is now distributing copies of our barefoot trimming DVD, Discovering Your Horse's Natural Hooves. 

And it is also available on our non-profit website Rainier Equine Hoof Recovery Center

along with a few trimming tools that we are offering as a fundraiser for the horses here at the center.

Great gifts for the horse owners in your family!

Hope you all are having a happy Holiday Season

Pat Wagner

DVD Reviews!

We're happy to be receiving some greaet feed back from people who have purchased and watched the DVD.

Here are a few viewer testimonials for Discovering Your Horse's Natural Hooves - How to Trim the Barefoot Horse:


The DVD arrived yesterday and I watched it immediately. Twice! The DVD is terrific! Very informative, great quality, and just the
motivation needed! It is exactly what I needed. I've visited all the websites, I've read many of the books (including Pete Ramey's), but what I needed was a visual presentation that would give me the confidence needed to try that first trim. You're DVD was perfect! Eric, CA

We are extremely impressed and excited about practicing and learning to trim our horses. It isn't nearly as intimidating as we learn more about the goals. Keep up the great work and please realize that you are a prayer answered for so many horse owners. Dan, WA

What a very good DVD you made! It was easy to understand and done in laymans language. I've watched the trimming twice. It was nice to be able to see exactly what you were doing. Other DVD's are not as professional as this one and it's difficult to see what exactly what he's doing! Debbie, WA

Great DVD! Very professional. My wife is a teacher and she was very impressed with your teaching style. Cliff, WA

Pat, your DVD is awesome! It is wonderful. I love how it repeats so I don't have to replay what I want to hear again. It is totally, totally,totally too cool. Linda, WA

Okay, so going out to my barn now to make a few changes to my trims recommended on your DVD. I finally feel like I've found the answers I've been looking for! Thank you SO MUCH! Sara, OR.

DVD's are in!

Order yours today at Rainierhoofrehab.com.  I'll have them with me if you want to buy directly from me also.

Having a Great Time on Their Barefoot Ponies!

 

Tawna and I and our girls are going great! I attached a photo from this weekend after a 1 hour ride on the road in our easy boots! Both horses did great and had no problems! We had a REALLY good time and thought of you when we were headed home!

Thanks again for all your help!

Rachel & Tawna
Cashmere, WA

Update on DVD:  Expected shipping date: 5-25-10.  I apologize for the delay.  Thanks for your patience!

Hoof trimming video trailer

Here is the youtube link to the DVD trailer!

Discovering Your Horse's Natural Hooves

How to Trim the Barefoot Horse. 

Give us another week or so and it will be shipped to those who have preordered.  And Thank you to everyone who has ordered their video.

To order a video, go to rainierhoofrehab.com

Thanks!
Pat

Hank's Back

Regarding Henry whose story is on our blog, healinghenry.blogspot.com

Update on Hank: As of 4-25-2010, pre and post-trim, there was no sign of lameness in the arena while at a trot, under a rider. We will continue to watch changes in Hank's hooves such as sloughing of retained sole and if he continues to improve, he will be moved from the rehab list to the list of horses in recovery! Go Hank!


For more information on Hank and all the other horses at the Rainier Equine Hoof Recovery Center, please go to rainierhoofrehab.com

BUSY! BUSY! BUSY!

Well, I'm finally almost finished with the new website for the Rainier Equine Hoof Recovery Center !  Yay!  Along with that I've been working on the DVD, "How To Trim Your Barefoot Horse".

With my hubby's help, I've been taking care of 20 head of equines, helping with my grandkids and working on customers horses!  Whew! I have been a busy gal!


I got to help out with a cute little rescue pony, Jake, who is at Wildwood Pony Rescue in Fall City. I will be seeing him again on the 10th when Pam hauls him to meet me at Dr. Dick and Kathy Vetter's new clinic in Buckley.  I sure hope we can get this little guy back to normal after a few trims.

The completed DVD is in the mail to me and I will be shipping it soon to the packaging company along with my artwork. And that should be about a 7 day turnaround. Then I will publish the page of my website so it can be purchased on there through Paypal. Currently I'm considering the cost of the DVD to be under $70. Proceeds from the DVD will benefit the horses we are caring for here at the REHRC, as well as cover some of the production costs.


Old horses that are wonderful with kids are worth their weight in gold.  I never thought I'd be calling my amazing trail horse an "old kid's horse" but she's 22 now so I guess I have to face facts.  She and I  have been together since she turned 8 years old and we'll be together until one of us kicks the bucket.

Thank you so much for your support. I’ll keep you posted.

Pat

Okay so coming to the farm isn't all about the horses for these guys!

Seriously, this needs to stop.

How to Perform Surgical Tail Docking in Draft
Horses

Draft horse tails are commonly docked. The need to dock the tail of an adult draft horse occasionally
occurs. Surgical amputation will produce a cosmetically docked tail.

1. Introduction
Custom dictates that tails are docked in many draft breeds. A high percentage of draft horses shown in halter and hitch competition have bobbed tails. Commonly, breeders will dock the tails of foals within 2 weeks of birth using elastrator bands, allowing the tails to necrose and fall off. Occasionally, a client will present an adult draft horse and
request cosmetic tail docking. In this case, surgical tail docking is performed on the standing horse as opposed to banding the tail. This procedure is also effective when surgical amputation of the tail is warranted because of trauma and/or infection.

2. Methods
Surgical tail docking is performed on a standing horse within restraint stocks. Heavy sedation is achieved throughout the procedure using detomidine 2.2 to 4.4 μg/kg IV. Anesthesia of the surgical site is achieved by an aseptic caudal epidural using a combination of xylazine 50 μg/kg and 2% lidocaine q s to 6 ml. A tourniquet placed high around the tailhead serves as the best means of controlling hemorrhage during the surgical process. Determining the desirable length of the tail can be the most challenging aspect of the surgery; however, the following technique has proven to be the simplest and most efficient method. The tail is firmly grasped at its most proximal portion. The intercoccygeal space approximately 15 cm from the tailhead is palpated, identified and marked. This landmark will become the last coccygeal vertebrae of the docked tail. If the determined length appears too short, the next intercoccygeal space is identified and will become the end of the docked tail. Tail hairs are clipped 3 to 4 cm cranial to the marked intercoccygeal space and as far caudally as needed, being certain to leave adequate tail hairs above the surgical site for cosmetic purposes. These hairs are wrapped up and kept out of the surgical field. After aseptic surgical preparation of the site, the favored intercoccygeal space is once again palpated. A surgical incision is made on the dorsal surface of the tail in a U shape beginning at the level of the intercoccygeal space and extending approximately 4 to 5 cm from each lateral side of the tail toward the center while still remaining on the dorsal surface. This procedure creates a flap of skin that can then be folded over the end of the tail toward the end of the
surgery. The soft tissue underlying the skin flap is bluntly dissected, permitting the flap to be displaced out of the way. The ventral surface of the tail is incised in a circular fashion extending from each lateral side toward the other.

A no. 10 surgical blade is then used to incise the intercoccygeal space on the dorsal surface; at the same time, bending pressure is placed at the point of the intercoccygeal space. With the intercoccygeal space exposed, the remaining soft tissue, including muscles, nerves and blood vessels, is sharply incised to permit complete removal of the caudal portion of the tail. Ligation of blood vessels is not necessary if skillful tourniquet placement and postoperative bandaging techniques are implemented. The skin flap created earlier is then folded over the end of the tail and sutured to the ventral skin surface using no. 2 nonabsorbable suture in a simple interrupted pattern. The skin edges generally come together neatly, and the surgical incision heals exceptionally quickly. Before removal of the tourniquet, the surgical site is bandaged with gauze 4 3 4s, vetrap, and 4-in stretch tape. The bandage should be changed at least once during the first 48 hours of postoperative care.

3. Results
The result of surgical tail docking is a clean incision that heals by first intention, resulting in a cosmetically docked tail.

4. Discussion
The draft horse community is a small but thriving part of the equine industry comprising multiplegeneration breeders, exhibitors (at both hitch and halter), pulling competitors and hobbyists. The draft horse functions primarily as a work horse but also serves as a companion animal in parades, weddings and exhibitions. The draft horse industry has seen steady growth in recent years, as indicated by increased sales and transfers of horses.

First-time horse owners and long-term equine enthusiasts alike are buying draft horses because of the breeds’ gentle nature, versatility and popularity. Not only is our practice composed of at least 50% draft horses, but all three veterinarians within the practice are actively involved in the draft horse industry through breeding, exhibiting and promoting. Therefore, we are familiar with common practices and norms. In our experience, draft horse clients, especially show horse people and breeders, tend to consent to commonly accepted procedures. More than likely, especially if you practice in the Midwest, you will have some clients who own draft horses, and you may be asked to dock a tail. As in many instances in equine medicine, your ability and willingness to perform particular procedures may gain you a long-term client. Surgical tail docking in draft horses by this method has provided our practice with quick, efficient and successful results. We certainly hope this insight will do the same for others’ practices.

This is something that has been bugging me for a long time. Docking draft horse tails is wrong. It is just another in a laundry list of unnecessary, cruel and inhumane procedures that is performed out of tradition and because somebody stands to make some money from doing it. Whether it's tail docking in young horses or old horses - it needs to stop!

JMO
Pat

Basic Barefoot Trimming DVD progress

Just an update on how we are doing on the DVD.  The packaging is being developed and the title of the DVD is currently:

Discovering Your Horse's Natural Hoof.

Learn to Trim Your Barefoot Horses.

You will be able to purchase the DVD through the Rainier Equine Hoof Recovery Center website.  The original site has been replaced by one I'm working on myself and is still under construction.

And of course, all proceeds from the DVD sales go to the REHRC non-profit i.e. hay for the horses we are rehabbing.'

I'm hoping that we'll be distributing the DVD this Spring.  Just like natural hoofcare, it's a process!  But don't give up...it's just a very busy time of year.

Thanks!
Pat

For want of a horseshoe nail

For want of a nail the shoe was lost
For want of a shoe the horse was lost
For want of a horse the rider was lost
For want of a rider the battle was lost
For want of a battle the kingdom was lost
And all for the want of a horseshoe nail


Too bad they weren’t aware of what a healthy, perfectly trimmed barefoot hoof can accomplish. A win for the hoof, a win for the horse, a win for the rider, a win for the battle, and a win for the kingdom.


But most importantly it's a win for the horse!

Hoof Watchers

I had to share this comment! It's such a great topic. And my reponse was getting so long I had to post it. Thanks Desiree!

Hi Pat, I live up in Port Townsend. I do CMO rides so we go over lots of different ground. I do the trimming on my horses. It's interesting (scary) to be in a large group of horses and look at all of the different feet that they have to live with. I find that the feet are the first thing that I look at when I meet a horse for the first time! LOL!! Any updates on Whiskey? Desiree.

Desiree,

That's funny about the feet. I think we all get that way when we start working on our own horses. We spend so much time scrutinizing our own horses feet asking ourselves, "Is that angle getting better?" or "Is the foot coming down on the medial or lateral side or on the toe first?"

So as we really start seeing wonderfully healthy feet on our own horses, we can't help but look at others and wonder why their owner can't see everything that is way off.

One day after I had just gotten done trimming the hooves of one of my clients at a big beautiful boarding facility I was sitting in my car putting away my calendar and reshuffling the mountains of stuff on my front seat. (Stuff that flies onto the floor every time I have to make a quick stop. Drives me nuts!)

A horse came walking toward me being led by an attractive young woman in her twenties. Her horse was slender and black and beautiful. I looked down at the horses feet. Not intentionally, just that my eyes were drawn to them, just like the eyes of passers-by are drawn to my husband’s prosthetic hand.

Disbelief at first and I just settled on the horse’s hooves and watched her walk by. It was a little like watching a person walking in swim fins, but not as exaggerated. The heels were very underrun and the toes incredibly long.

Her poor mare’s hooves reminded me of glam finger nails that I sometimes see on people. Fingernails beautiful contoured and painted, but crazy long and causing their fingers to be nearly useless.

I think this owner was feeling proud of herself, walking past a barefoot trimmer with her barefoot horse.

Okay, I'm aware that there are some wild bands of horses who grow very long toes and very effectively use those toes to dig through snow, sand, dirt in search for the sparce food in their environment, but this would not be the case at a fancy boarding stable.

I wanted so badly to get out of my car and stop her and tell her what I saw about her horse’s hooves that could be corrected to make her horse so much more comfortable.

It is possible that the owner was trimming her horse herself. If so, bravo to her! I really think it’s great when owners get involved with their horse’s feet. If she pays someone for the service, I had to ask myself, how could a hoof care professional do that to a horse and not know it was really harmful and even dangerous, especially when she was riding her horse.

Horse’s trip and fall and roll over riders when their feet aren’t functioning properly. I believe that is why Linda Parelli recently took a bad spill on her horse Remmer. I bet she never even considered it might be his feet. His feet were the first thing I thought of when I heard about the accident.

It’s kind of like have bad tires on your car and expecting it to get you safely around. It can most of the time, but at some point…well, people have gotten killed.

And even more recently Remmer has abscessed and had to sit out their trip to the UK. Linda sounded okay with giving her lovely horse a break and she was happy that in a few days, the abscess would rupture and he would be good as new.

That tells me that neither she, nor her “genius farrier” understands the cycle of abscesses.  Or that separation in the white line of the hoofwall and/or bars is the cause of abscessing.  And there should really be no separation in Remmer's feet since he's been under the care of a genius farrier for awhile now.

Of all the horses I know, I feel so sad for that horse. He’s has an owner who loves him with every fiber of her being and would do anything for him no matter what the cost.  Sadly he has some of the worst hoof care money can buy.

What can you do though? I never stopped the gal with the horse who had the super long toes to offer advice. I figured it would likely fall on deaf ears. People are not ready to hear it until they are ready to hear it.

Thanks for the comment Desiree. Wisky is doing as best that she can. Her hooves are really improving and she has a great trimmer working on her at home and we are constantly brainstorming on ways to keep her comfortable while she is growing new hoof capsules. I learned a lot from working on her. So I’ll always owe her that.

Horse Poem by Jessica

This is a lovely poem my young niece wrote and her mom sent to me. I had to share with you.

A lonely barn

On a warm, cloudy day

Right before the sun sets

Stomping hooves
Wind flying through my hair
Running horses
The beautiful animals
I ride in the wind
I play with the horses
On a lonely weekend
I will be happy

Thank you Jessica!  You look great on Pearl.

I've Been Polled!

Well, no one has ever accused me of being opinionated.

That's not true.  Really a few hundred people have accused me of that. Haw Haw!  It's true.

But here's another opinion of mine that probably won't matter much to anyone else, but it might.

I think we should band together and rise up and demand more informative horse magazines! If they are going to whittle the pages down in horse mags today, the information should be more user-necessary and less user-fluff.

Okay, let me back up a little bit.

I was just over on the Eclectic Horseman site where I ordered a DVD set called
Four Strands of Rawhide with Randy Rieman and Bill Dorrance.  Because I want to learn to braid Raitas (or Reatas) just like Bill Dorrance used to. That was the only website where I could find any instructional material with him.

On that site they have an ongoing poll where you can vote on different horse related topics. One of the poll questions really surprised me when it came up and the results REALLY surprised me!

In general, when your horses are in use do they go:

barefoot
166 49.7%

shod all around
125 37.4%

shod on fronts
35 10.5%

in easyboots (or similar product)
8 2.4%

(334 voters)

I was so impressed with this site and the topics that I signed up for their magazine.  Which is what got me on this topic!

Over the years I've subscribed to many of national horse magazines or nag mags as some refer to them. Equus, Horse & Rider, Horse Illustrated, Dressage Today.  I love to keep abreast of everything horse related.  (I don't do any dressage riding, yet.  But you know, someday maybe.  And my dressage horse is a beauty!  He just doesn't know he's a dressage horse, yet.  But you know, someday maybe.)

My first poll question:

Have you noticed lately that horse magazines have been shrinking?
a. Yes, but at least the prices haven't gone up as they have with everything else.
b. Nope, and don't care about this stupid poll question.
c. Get real!  The only thing that hasn't been shrinking is my waist line.

Once you pull-out all the extra subscription cards, what remains isn't much. A front and back cover and 10 pages of ads and 5 pages of articles. Okay that's a tiny bit exaggerated, but it's getting like that.

I think they should combine all those mags, Equus and H&R (which are printed by the same publisher anyway), along with a few others and create one new mag.

Would you subscribe? 
a. Yep
b. Nope
c. Maybe

I let all my subscriptions drop (as did many others I'm assuming, which explains the reduction in pages) except two Equus and Horse Illustrated.

The next one I may drop will be Equus. That's because Horse Illustrated kind of is that magazine that combines all topics and I don't see as many really lame trainers in that one as I have in the others.

So in Equus recently I came across this picture. The article is titled Hoof Supplements on page 27 of edition number 387.

I looked at that photo and was instantly upset.  Someone has once again cut into a healthy frog!  Dang it! 

That same person cut into live sole!  Do you know that the hoof reacts to this assault as an injury because that's what it is?!  That's a fact, not a poll question.

But this hoof is ready for a shoe.  It needs the protection of a shoe now because every bit of protection that it's been busy growing over the past 8 weeks has just been hacked out of it.

One thing about this picture is that you can clearly distinguish the white line ( that yellow line around the outside of the sole) and the waterline just to the outside of the white (yellow) line. Then nail holes and outer (or pigmented) wall.  Sometimes the waterline is referred to as the unpigmented wall.

If your horse should start limping right after being shod, usually that's because of what is referred to as a "hot nail."  The nail was driven into the sensitive laminae above the white (yellow) line.

What would I have done differently with this foot?

1. I would have left the protective outer layer on the frog so it could function normally.  I would not have opened it up to the horse's world of manure, urine, bacteria and most likely thrush which can and will damage that foot to the point where the horse would be mildly to seriously lame without shoes.  If this type of damage continues with every shoeing eventually that frog will just give up trying to heal itself.  Two more poll questions: Do you see shriveled up, atrophied frogs on your horse?  Do you know that frogs aren't really supposed to shed every year?  They only go through that cycle when they aren't healthy and they are attempting to self-repair.

2.  I would not have attacked the sole and hacked any of it out unless there was a layer of dead, flaky sole that was trying to exfoliate because it was ready.  Then I might help it, if that what the hoof seemed to be calling for.  I'd leave it alone if it didn't.  A hoof on natural maintenance trims usually needs nothing done to the frog, bars and sole.

3. I would NOT put a shoe back on this foot because I wouldn't have damaged to the point that will take weeks to repair itself. I would simply put the natural bevel around the wall and grow out those ugly nail holes and any flare.  After the hoofwall was able to repair itself and the holes were gone, I would have a healthy foot the horse could use without shoes.  Or if not, I could just pop a pair of Easyboot Gloves on the fronts and off I'd go.

I do all the time, still I hate to see these pictures in magazines.  I wish editors would educate themselves in fields that have passed them by. 

Two more poll questions:

Why is the white line termed the white line?
a. because calling it "the yellow line" made too much sense.
b. because calling it the distal laminar junction is too hard to remember.
c. because there are no blood vessels in the area of laminae that connects the wall to the sole, so it's white, rather than red as is the sensitive laminae, the area that connects the wall to the coffin bone.

Why is the water line termed the water line?
a. because that where the horse stores water in dry climates.
b. because it sounds almost as ridiculous as calling a yellow line a white line. 
c.  because that area of unpigmented wall is the most moist part of the wall drawing moisture from other areas of wall and is generally the area of wall that should come into contact with the ground first during a stride.

I have never seen those two questions answered in any nag mag anywhere. Have you?

I like my answers!

Well, I know I'm going to get some flake for both of those "c" answers though.  I always seem to illicit at least a couple "you're so dumb" response when I try to sound like I know what I'm talking about. Haw haw!

And what is your response to that Eclectic Horseman poll question?

Just curious!

Thanks for reading!

Pat