I sincerely hope that when Nina gets through remodeling her feet that we can just leave well enough alone for a while. She is shedding her front soles. I have had horses all my life and never seen this. I know it happens, but apparently any horse that I have owned has done this in a more subtle fashion.
I picked up her right front foot today (the one with the hole in it) and immediately thought that she had another hole. Then I realized that what I was looking at was just a piece of sole missing, like a jigsaw puzzle. The rest of her foot looks like a dry river bed. Sort of like this:
Another piece fell off while I was cleaning her foot. I decided not to pry anything off, just let it come off on its own. She is totally sound and moving well. The other front foot is doing the same thing, it seems to be a day or so behind. The rears are not, apparently, interested in shedding. They got a little thrushy during the last rains, but that is cleared up.
So much has gone on with her feet in the last year. She was very unhealthy when I got her and I wonder if her body is just getting around to repairing her feet over the last year or so.
Time will tell, I am just glad that she is sound.
Anyone else have experience with a sole shedding all at once like this? I did a quick run through Google looking for a cause and found everything from 'it happens all the time' to 'chronic bad hoof care' and everything in between.
I picked up her right front foot today (the one with the hole in it) and immediately thought that she had another hole. Then I realized that what I was looking at was just a piece of sole missing, like a jigsaw puzzle. The rest of her foot looks like a dry river bed. Sort of like this:
So much has gone on with her feet in the last year. She was very unhealthy when I got her and I wonder if her body is just getting around to repairing her feet over the last year or so.
Time will tell, I am just glad that she is sound.
Anyone else have experience with a sole shedding all at once like this? I did a quick run through Google looking for a cause and found everything from 'it happens all the time' to 'chronic bad hoof care' and everything in between.
My guy just has just has white flaking when he sheds his soles, but sometimes the flakes can be large. Strangely, only on his front feet... :-)
ReplyDeleteIs she shod? On the bare hoof the sole will change with the weather/footing, and all hooves will shed no longer needed sole. Look at the depth of the grooves (or valleys, whatever you prefer) around her frog. If this is shallow, I doubt she would be shedding sole. If it is nice and deep then her shedding sole shouldn't concern you, it just means she has developed enough sole thickness in her living sole that she doesn't need the old compacted dead stuff for protection anymore. I would love to see a picture! :)
ReplyDeleteShe is shod. She is always shod in front and just got shoes last month in the back, she was barefoot for almost a year. It does just look like discarded sole, coming off evenly. I had noticed that the 'grooves' around the frog look very deep and was starting to get concerned about that. Obviously there was extra depth to the sole. I have just never seen the whole thing dry up and fall off like this. I will try to get pics today.
ReplyDeleteYeah, sounds like it is just old sole shedding. It can look a bit kacky huh?
ReplyDeleteIt happens to Pixie just like you describe. I have asked the farrier, and he says it's nothing to worry about, let nature take it's course. Pixie never goes lame or has any other trouble over it.
ReplyDeleteWow! See, I learn new things all the time from you and Miss Nina. ;)
ReplyDelete