Just thought I'd share some comparison pics of Gracie's hooves, since she had all four shoes removed at the end of March. The newer pics were taken at the end of June, so pretty much 3 months, a day or so after a trim. The purple spray is just a health booster/issue preventer. Each "before" pic is on the left and they were all taken 24 hours after shoe removal.
So this is her off fore. Things I can see that have improved are...
Her frog is more pronounced and the central sulcus thrush has been treated and is now gone. The crack has nearly grown out too.... It was very deep.
Her bars have migrated to the back of her hoof and her wear pattern is over the whole hoof and not just at the toe, so her tendons have stretched.
This is her off hind. This one had the worst central sulcus thrush and it had cleared up until it got damp again recently. However, it's far better this time, more suoerficial, less deep and as her frog grows out (and I continue to treat) that little hole should heal before winter. Again, the bars have migrated to her heels which gives a better all-round wear pattern.
This is her near hind. This was her only hoof that didn't have any central sulcus thrush. This hoof has done really well in terms of the increased side of her frog, the overall widening of the hoof itself, the bars and wear pattern again. A slight split now in the frog which I will monitor closely, but no infection. I think it was just a prolonged period of dry weather.
And finally her near fore. Again, big changes here. This is what I used to call her "gimp foot" in that she toed-in and it was quite noticeable when she didn't have feather. You can see in the pic on the left that the hoof is uneven and wider on the left side than the right. However now, she has magically evened herself up and the hoof looks a lot more balanced. The CS thrush has gone and the frog, whilst not as wide as her hinds, is looking a lot more healthy.
Gracie has taken to being shoeless very well and I have managed her carefully with the best nutritional balance that I can muster. Whilst she still has a long way to go until she's completely grown a whole new hoof, I certainly feel that we're on the right track. We occasionally hack over all terrains, to help condition her feet to become "rock crunchers" and so far she's doing brilliantly.
So this is her off fore. Things I can see that have improved are...
Her frog is more pronounced and the central sulcus thrush has been treated and is now gone. The crack has nearly grown out too.... It was very deep.
Her bars have migrated to the back of her hoof and her wear pattern is over the whole hoof and not just at the toe, so her tendons have stretched.
This is her off hind. This one had the worst central sulcus thrush and it had cleared up until it got damp again recently. However, it's far better this time, more suoerficial, less deep and as her frog grows out (and I continue to treat) that little hole should heal before winter. Again, the bars have migrated to her heels which gives a better all-round wear pattern.
This is her near hind. This was her only hoof that didn't have any central sulcus thrush. This hoof has done really well in terms of the increased side of her frog, the overall widening of the hoof itself, the bars and wear pattern again. A slight split now in the frog which I will monitor closely, but no infection. I think it was just a prolonged period of dry weather.
And finally her near fore. Again, big changes here. This is what I used to call her "gimp foot" in that she toed-in and it was quite noticeable when she didn't have feather. You can see in the pic on the left that the hoof is uneven and wider on the left side than the right. However now, she has magically evened herself up and the hoof looks a lot more balanced. The CS thrush has gone and the frog, whilst not as wide as her hinds, is looking a lot more healthy.
Gracie has taken to being shoeless very well and I have managed her carefully with the best nutritional balance that I can muster. Whilst she still has a long way to go until she's completely grown a whole new hoof, I certainly feel that we're on the right track. We occasionally hack over all terrains, to help condition her feet to become "rock crunchers" and so far she's doing brilliantly.