Trimmed too short...Now what?

[Keg-A-Bacchus]

We just got a new very talented sale sport pony in last week. His hooves were VERY long. Our regular (and usually amazing!) farrier came in and trimmed him on Saturday. It seems he took too much off. The poor little guy is extremely sore and tender. I was supposed to be taking him to a show in 6 days as well as we have him listed for sale already and have interested parties to come and see him. His comfort is our main priority but I have never dealt with this and have no idea how long it takes to feel better. So far we:
-Gave him bute
-Put Venice Turpentine on
-The ground is very hard and dry right now. We will flood his trough and give him a nice squishy muddy place to stand.

Any other suggestions? Anything we should look for/test? He's turned out 24/7 but can be kept in a nice matted stall if that will help. I've also seen people are using other "hoof toughening" products besides venice turpentine. Any experience with things of this nature?? Thanks in advance for any advice!

[Tom Bloomer]

Any farrier can make a mistake when faced with trimming a neglected hoof. When it happened to me the cilent didn't tell me about it and let the horse suffer for a few days.

I heard about it through the grapevine from another client. So I went and put shoes on the horse for free. Also admonished the client - "If your horse is sore after I work on it, then I made a mistake, and you need to call me immediately so that I can correct the problem."

So my question to you is, have you told your farrier about this? We can only correct the mistakes we know about. If not, then your horse is suffering for no good reason.

OTOH, if you have already told your farrier about it and he or she blew you off or made excuses, then you need to find yourself a responsible professional that stands behind their work.

[mvp]

I think you are going in the right direction with bute and venice turpentine. But the mud bath is working against the venice terpentine. It will make the soles of his feet softer while the venice turpentine is making them harder. Can you continue with the VT and keep him in a well-bedded stall for part of the day. If he is smart, he will lie down when he wants a break from foot pain.

Best of luck to you guys.

[trubandloki]

I agree with Tom. Have you called the farrier?

[Nanerpus]

FWIW, my horses feet were cut too short one time when I was in college and my Mom (non-horsey person sort of) immediately freaked and had the vet out. She noticed my horse shifting on his front legs and walking a bit "ouchy".

Vet came out, Put him on a bute regime to keep inflammation and pain down, and also he put styrafoam pads on the bottoms of his feet and wrapped this with duct tape for cushioning and support (I think?)

Not sure if any of this will help, just my experience so far with feet stuff, and it sounds like my guy's feet were worse than your pony's.

[qhwpmare]

Same thing happened to my friends horse....a month ago.The horse has been barefoot and sound for 2 years...done by a "barefoot" trimmer.A local farrier trimmed him this time and he is still ouchy over 4 weeks later.Could he have done serious damage?:confused:

[trubandloki]

Same thing happened to my friends horse....a month ago.The horse has been barefoot and sound for 2 years...done by a "barefoot" trimmer.A local farrier trimmed him this time and he is still ouchy over 4 weeks later.Could he have done serious damage?:confused:

If you are worried why not call a local professional to have a look at him? There is no way for anyone over the internet to be able to tell if any damage, serious or not, was done.

But I can not imagine letting my horse be sore for over four weeks and not have the vet out. :no:

[qhwpmare]

We know the trim caused this...if it were me ,the vet would have been out quickly.I will advise her that this is going on way too long.She has the idea that he will toughen up like when he was started with his barefoot trimmer...this doesnt seem likely after a month.Thanks for your input.

[Daydream Believer]

A local farrier did this to a horse boarded at my farm last year. He was so crippled from a very short trim and thinned soles that he could barely walk. The owners did not want him shod either. I put him in Easyboot Epics with pads and he walked off sound. He only had to wear the Easyboots a few days and he was back to normal. So if you don't want to put shoes on for 6 weeks or however long to fix a short trim, try a set of boots with pads. Equicast can also help and you might be able to show in them.

I do agree with Tom though. You should let your farrier know what happened. Anyone can make a mistake and NO horse should be left uncomfortable to hobble around.

[nextyear]

We have a horse in the barn that shoes were pulled and was very sore also, keep the venice od turp on and on bute for a few days and if there are any acupunture vets in the area that work with chinese herbs the product hot hoof worked mircles.

[chancellor2]

I'm dealing with this right now with my horse. My question to the farriers is this. What would my farrier do to fix the problem? It isn't like they can put the foot back on that they trimmed off. I WILL tell him at my next appointment...but why call him now?

[Daydream Believer]

I'm dealing with this right now with my horse. My question to the farriers is this. What would my farrier do to fix the problem? It isn't like they can put the foot back on that they trimmed off. I WILL tell him at my next appointment...but why call him now?

The point in calling right after it happens is so that the farrier has a chance to remedy the situation...ie shoe the horse for free as Tom said. If a trimmer, they might come back and cast or boot the horse also to help it not be so sore.

I have had people not tell me also when something was not right post trim. I hate hearing about it weeks later and would much rather know immediately so I can make the situation right or come out and see if indeed the trim is the problem. In one case, a horse I trimmed became laminitic a week later from rich grass, and I was blamed for soring the horse when it was nothing I did. :no: That can be a real problem for the horse's welfare if it goes untreated, and it does seem that owners are sometimes quick to blame the farrier or trimmer rather than consider other possibilities. Either way, the farrier/trimmer should know if they made a mistake and should be given the chance to make it right.

[chancellor2]

Well, in my case, my horse IS shod. So, there isn't much he could do for us right now. I will call him though. I think he just trimmed too much.

[Daydream Believer]

Well, in my case, my horse IS shod. So, there isn't much he could do for us right now. I will call him though. I think he just trimmed too much.

It could be a close nail or something...definitely call him though. Good luck!

[chancellor2]

I doubt seriously it is a close nail. He's sore in both front feet.

[Daydream Believer]

I doubt seriously it is a close nail. He's sore in both front feet.
Ah...I did not realize that. It well may be too short. Is he thin soled? Either way, let the farrier know. He might be able to put some pads on that could help.

[BornToRide]

It is not always "just" the trim, although over trimming the sole can cause unnecessary soreness. Anytime the hoof balance is changed that much, a horse can come up sore since suddenly hoof structures, such as the heels for example, are bearing more weight than before. Any HCP should anticipate and thoroughly explain this risk to the owner.

A trim can also bring an underlying weakness, such as subclinical laminitis , more to the surface.

Does this horse walk better on soft surfaces like grass, but is ouchy over gravel and hard surfaces?

[chancellor2]

Ah...I did not realize that. It well may be too short. Is he thin soled? Either way, let the farrier know. He might be able to put some pads on that could help.

I just called the farrier and we're going to give Magic Cushion a try. He's not usually thin soled. I really do not want to put pads on this horse as I JUST got his thrush cleared up.

[Daydream Believer]

I just called the farrier and we're going to give Magic Cushion a try. He's not usually thin soled. I really do not want to put pads on this horse as I JUST got his thrush cleared up.

Good luck! :)

[Guilherme]

I doubt seriously it is a close nail. He's sore in both front feet.

I know a guy who used to shoe around here who reset his own horse and quicked it in all four feet!!! It probably didn't help that he was drunk as a hoot owl when he did it. I know he was drunk because I know his then drinking buddy. :eek:

Watching a horse move that's symetrically lame in all four feet is an interesting experience. :(

If the foot is trimmed too short then this may be a time for some bute, a boot, and some soft footing. Tincture of time will ultimately heal the wound. But if it's something else then it may need more aggressive intervention. Just 'cause the lameness began after the trim does not mean that the trim caused the lameness (although that would be the first place to look).

As Tom suggested call the guy who did it and give him the opportunity to fix it or refer it on.

Good luck in whatever you choose.

G.

[EqTrainer]

Please call the farrier.

It is SO EASY to make a mistake on feet that have been neglected. The line between taking off enough to help the horse and taking too much can be very, very fine. Yes, there are markers but depending on the nature of the foot, they can be obscured or difficult to read. And everyone makes mistakes.

It is also possible that the previous trimmer/farrier knew something about the pony that you don't... not saying this is it for sure, but there are a lot of pathologies that cause horses to like their trim to be a certain way, regardless of what the foot indicates.

I hope your pony feels better soon. In the meantime, boots or some sort of wrapping are your friends and using styrofoam if you know how is not a bad idea. No mud, please and just waiting it out is not always the best idea.. again, call the farrier.

[aiken4horses]

Perhaps the pony was long for a reason?

I've got a horse that has to be trimmed every 3 weeks, if left any longer the change after a trim is too dramatic and he's lame.

Have you x-rayed since the trim?

[Keg-A-Bacchus]

Hey guys! Thanks for all the advice! Sorry for the delay in a progress report. We had called the farrier and he stopped out today. The little guy was already moving much better, although still a bit tender coming into the barn down the concrete aisle. We didn't do the mud (thanks for the reminder that venice turpentine and mud cancel each other out! LOL) but did the bute and venice turpentine. We'll see how he is feeling tomorrow, but so far so good. Please send jingles that he recovers quickly and is back to his springy little self in no time! We'll continue the bute and venice turpentine for a few more days and then discontinue the bute and see if he stays sound. Thanks again and I'll keep you posted!