"Two feet move our body, Four feet move our soul"
Whether your horse is a companion or a competition partner, preventative hoof care should be a principal part of your annual veterinary plan.
Performance Horses:
Annual radiographs let you, the veterinarian AND the farrier take a "deeper look" into your horses shoeing.
We often find that these images present us with new information and on occasion show a pathology we weren't looking for.
Companion Horses:
While this group of horses may not be competing at a high level, they are just as important! If a hoof problem arises, a set of radiographs before the lameness incident can be crucial in determining how long something has been brewing, and how severe the changes in the hoof are. This is especially imperative in our middle-aged horse population who are at a higher risk for developing metabolic laminitis.
Team work makes the dream work!
We believe that a strong team made up of the owner, farrier and veterinarian is the only way to make a change with regards to the hoof.
This team effort is essential to promoting good hoof health all the way around.
These images are of the same hoof on the same horse, 3 years apart. In the first photo, notice how much of the shoe is out in front of the foot. The horse has to "break over" about 40% of his foot before it can effectively come off the ground. The shoe does not support the heel of the hoof.
In this second photo, the shoe has been pulled back underneath this horses foot. The "break over" is drastically shorter allowing this horse to use less effort to get it's foot off the ground. The heel has good support and the foot is balanced.
This hoof was changed for the better with radiographs, correct shoeing and a strong veterinary/ farrier/ owner team dedicated to the comfort and performance of this horse.