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This
first photo shows the right front leg and it
shows that the mare is reluctant to place
any weight on that leg. In this situation
there is more weight and stress place on the
opposite or left front leg and can lead to
excessive strain on the good leg just from
over use. A close observation of the
affected foot above the pastern area shows a
tendon problem, in fact this mare did have a
bowed tendon that had happened some time
before I first saw her and other farriers
had over corrected and made the problem
worse than it initially was. |
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This
is a closer picture of the affected area of
the tendon to show the size that is always
evident. This happens when the tendon is
stretched and or torn and during the healing
process it is that process that creates the
scar tissue and enlarges the size of the
lower leg. I have also trimmed the foot to
its correct angle to allow for greatest
balance. |
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When
the foot is trimmed correctly it will be
balanced and even and allow for the greatest
support of the limb and the entire horse. |
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Once
that both front feet are correctly trimmed
and balanced for the structure of the horse
that we are working on it allows the width
of the chest to be realized to its greatest
advantage and give the horse the best
support for itself. |
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What
this photo shows is the shoe that was
created to cover the front of the foot and
leave the heels uncovered. This is done to
protect and allow the toe of the foot to
continue to grow and at the same time allow
the heels to wear down at a faster rate. |
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This
is the underside of the same shoe, it is
shown this way to allow you to see that the
shoe is beveled on the underneath. Doing
this allows for the greatest comfort to the
horse since the shoe itself only touches the
outer wall of the foot and not on any of the
sensitive areas of the foot. |
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This
photo shows the half shoe and how it tapers
off to the heel area of the foot. It is also
best to bevel the toe of the foot to allow
for the greatest ease and comfort in the
rollover and smooth operation of the foot. |
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This
photo shows how the foot appears once the
shoe is attached to the foot. A close look
shows that there is a bit of the shoe
sticking out past the front of the shoe.
This has been accomplished since the wearing
down of the toe area has rounded out the
front of the foot and made it operate
incorrectly. |
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In
this photo we get to see what the bottom of
the foot looks like with the shoe tacked
onto it. This allows you to see that the
foot is better balanced in the overall
appearance and with the use of a half shoe
will allow us to re-educate the growth
patterns of the foot to allow for the toe
growth and the wearing down of the heels. It
will also force the mare to start to use her
leg properly and placing the necessary
amount of strain on the tendon area forcing
her to use her leg as it is intended and not
allowing her to drag her foot to wear off
the toe area. |
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This
is how the foot looks when it is all done
and the front shoe has been nailed on and
finished. |
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Here
is a close up of the right front foot after
it is done. Getting this close allows you to
see that the protection that is allowed to
the toe area of the front foot and allowing
the wear to happen at the heel area of the
foot. Again, this will start the front foot
to be used in a manner that will force the
mare to use the restricted tendon in a
manner that will force it to be used and
start a therapy program to develop the
strength necessary for the initial healing
process. |
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One
last photo showing the entire front end of
the horse and the appearance once that we
are all finished. There is only one foot
that has a half shoe on it, this is mainly
due to the fact that what we are trying to
correct is the right front foot. This mare
is kept in the pasture and has no stressful
training or exercise regiment. In addition,
the main objective of this process is to get
the mare to start to use both of her front
feet and legs as normal as possible. |
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With
the use of this type of shoe it will allow
less dragging of the right front foot and
make a demand of the horse to use the right
front leg in a more correct movement. This
demand in a sense is like a physical therapy
program designed exclusively for this horse
and her specific problem. This program did
come out successful and not only made the
mare use her front end correctly but created
a stronger front end on the horse and
allowed the tendon to become more flexible
as well as stronger.
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