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 AFA Member # 7332

Farrier Art   by Chris Minick


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Acute Laminitis

I'm a Thorobred who foundered in the summer of 2003.  At first, my farrier made me rocker-toe shoes with frog support pads and two-part silicone putty to redistribute my weight towards the back of my foot and promote easier break-over so that there is less tension on my deep flexor tendon.  Later, when my foot grew down some, the farrier moved my shoes back under me and removed the excess toe that was running out the front.  At the time this picture was taken I could walk, trot and even run.  But, the farrier wouldn't let my owner ride me until the laminae in my dorsal hoof wall was no longer separated from my pedal bone.

In the picture below, that the farrier took, you can see how my foot had a bulge on it on the lower front. However, the new hoof above is properly attaching to the pedal bone as it grows down.

Below:  Here's a view of my foot from the bottom that shows the stretched out lamilar wedge that needs to be cut off.  The farrier also made a rolled toe in his forge and used a frog support pad with two-part silicone putty to support the weight of my bone column to keep me from tearing my laminae as it grows out.

Below:  Here's a view from the side showing what needs to cut off the front.

Below:  The farrier moved the shoes back to line up with the new growth just below the hair line but didn't cut off the bulge in the front to make it pretty so that my hoof capsule would be stronger.  It looks ugly, but I can't tell the difference when I walk.

Below:  Here I am 7 months later, and my feet have grown down far enough that they even look pretty now.  The farrier told my owner that she could start riding me easy now to get me back in shape.  It's been a whole year since I foundered, but I get around just great now.

 

 

 

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