[Claudius]

My horse has thin soles, and I have fought with farriers to keep them from paring his soles out....my present farrier does not do this thank heavens. I have three other memberss of my horse's family with similar feet....lots of wall, but thin soles. I have read about Durasole, and various other foot treatments....I am presently using Venus Turpentine because I had it already. A highly respected pro suggested I have his coffin joints injected. I wondered if one were to take this route with this problem, how often is it safe to have this done? this pro indicated that this was a common treatment for show horses on the AA circuit. any information would be appreciated.

[kelsey97]

I use Keratex on my mare with thin soles and my farrier is not allowed to touch them with his knife. If you go to the Keratex website you can read the science behind the product.

I'm not sure what injecting the coffin joint area would do to help the sole? What type of injection was the pro talking about, steroid, HA? Honestly, I've never heard of this. What did your vet say about this type of injection? I'm really interested to hear what others have to say.

[CBoylen]

Coffin joints injections are common, and would probably temporarily help your problem, depending on the contributing factors.
However, first I would personally just talk to your farrier about some leather pads. I have one that lives in them and tends to get tender very quickly without them. They are infinitely better than plastic pads, in my experience, since they dry out instead of holding moisture in.
If you really do want a sole paint, the way to go is Dr. Belden's. http://www.farmvet.com/pc-1220-186-s...dr-belden.aspx

[enjoytheride]

I have leather pads on my mare to prevent abscesses, she's been in them for about 2 years with no problems. You can reset the pads at least once and they breath pretty good. My farrier packs them with something I don't know the name of.

[JB]

If soles are thin, then it would best serve the horse to really think about pads with cushioining for at least a while. Thin soles mean less room between the ground and the coffin bone, and repeated concussion in that situation can lead to pedal osteitis, and you just don't want to go there.

[doublesstable]

If you post pix it would be easier to recommend what to do. Usually thin soles are caused by a few things - - - horse is too high in the heel and this creates the tip of the coffin bone to be closer to the ground, pressure on the sole; conformation; lack of vault of coffin bone.

http://www.equinextion.com/id9.html

Here is a site that explains it better.......

You can paint all the stuff you want but the hoof needs to be trimmed to deal if it can....

[JenEM]

Been there, done that, mare had the bruised coffin bone to prove it Based on vet recommendations and working with my very excellent farrier, we've got her in the leather pads CBoylen mentioned for most of they year, and they work great. When it gets really hard during the summer, we switch to Equi-Pak. It's kept her pretty happy the last two years. I'd look in to that before injecting the coffin bone.

[Rival]

I would have your vet out to x Ray your horses feet and have him/her do a consult with your farrier. There are lots of things to look at that may or may not be helped by injections. Pour on pads might be worth looking into as well.

[Pennywell Bay]

1. Discuss with vet to X ray his feet
2. After X rays ( digitals are on the spot diagnosis), discuss with farrier
3. I suggest pads.

My boarder's horse has thin soles. Subsequently, he was prone to abscess as the rocky terrain of our area. Even with all the topical applications.

We have found that the pads that work best for him are the leather pads, not the rubber. There are a variety of reasons but since switching to leather pads ( with not filler), he has been abscess free and comfy for the last 8months, but it took us a long time to get there.

[mojo7777]

I've just gone down the thin soles road (see posts with numerous responses in Horse Care forum) and am having great results with front shoes and Equibuild. The problem is pretty much solved for us. Farrier thinks we'll only need the Equibuild for one shoeing cycle, while the sole builds up, then front shoes alone will suffice. Definitely be certain your farrier doesn't pare off any sole!!

[Beenthere]

Ask your farrier about putting the horse in flip flops which are half shoes with rubber flip flop. If you need my farrier's contact to discuss the idea I would be glad to provide it. He did that on one of our horses and she was perfect thereafter. It helps to keep the laminae from stretching and reliving the thin soles. With our horse it allowed her soles to be treated and to gain thickness.

[Equilibrium]

I had my mare x rayed and a consult with vet and farrier. We used the gel pads as well as changing hoof angle. The gel pads(squeezed in and sets) were amazing. She grew an amazing amount of sole. She was out of pads then for the winter. I put her back in them as our ground is so hard at the moment. It just helps.

Terri

[Paris]

do you put anything below them?

[Pennywell Bay]

do you put anything below them?

On my boarder's horse, they did not put anything between the pad and the sole.

It is hard to say, but the leather seems to be doing a better job than the rubbery ones. I have to admit, it was not what I expected.

[JustABay]

Just had leather pads put on my guy yesterday. My farrier packed the sole with Magic Cushion then applied the pad. There was a noticeable improvement by today.

[JenEM]

do you put anything below them?

It depends. The first time we switched her back to leather, we used some of that pink rubbery stuff under them. Lately, we've just been using a bit oakum, which seems to work just fine. My mare has flat, FLAT feet (which grow out, not down, so there's really only so much my farrier can do to fix) and there's not a lot of room to really pack anything under there with her.

[FlightCheck]

equipak on front feet
leather horseshoe shaped pads on hind.

This is what has worked on my mare, AND change from Farrier's Formula to Glanzen (more expensive but we actually have some sole now!)

(All of this, of course, after extensive Xrays and a terrific vet - Dr. Aric Adams at EMCO Ocala FL)

[CBoylen]

we used some of that pink rubbery stuff under them.

That is what I like best.

[RugBug]

Anyone got a name for "the pink rubbery stuff?"

My horse has thin soles as well and it's been troublesome getting real information on what to do. I feel like I need to be proactive and might just suggest the pads/pink stuff myself.

[doublesstable]

I would have your vet out to x Ray your horses feet and have him/her do a consult with your farrier. There are lots of things to look at that may or may not be helped by injections. Pour on pads might be worth looking into as well.

I think x rays would be a really good idea too.... sometimes when you use pads it puts pressure on the sole and can make them more sore... pour in pads made my horses worse..

Determining where the coffin bone is in all this would be a good thing to know...

also, interested in the flip flop.. sounds cool....