Oh My Aching Hooves

Remember this foot?
It belongs to a very nice Arabian gelding that makes me think of MiKael's Arabians. This horse has been fighting with some hoof trouble, and five weeks ago we were called in for a consultation to discuss his glue on shoes.

He was not a happy horse.

This week, we removed those glue on shoes.
End result, thanks to the considerably thinner sole than the horse would like,
He wound up quite uncomfortable.

But we have an answer.

I introduce you to the "Build A Boot" Process.

Ingredients:
Duct Tape
Scissors
Marker
High Density Styrofoam board
Exacto Knife or Razor Knife
Flat hard surface

Step One:
Lay strips of Duct Tape length-wise (depending on size of hoof, average is 6 to 8 strips)

Step Two:
Lay strips of Duct Tape Width-wise.Step Three:
Styrofoam Board- have horse stand on it.Step Four:
Take your marker and trace outline of hoof. If you forget the marker like we did last night, use the pointy end of your hoof pick to scrape a trace around the hoof.

Step Five:
Cut out hoof shape.


Step Six:
Size boot to hoof pad- cutting off excess tape. Trim slits at 2, 5, 7, and 9 o'clock markers.
(This allows for easier folding of boot around hoof.)

In this case, we also cut out the frog area so that there would not be excessive pressure on the frog.

Step Seven:
Place pad in center and prepare hoof. (In this case, we used an Epsom Salt and Betadine scrub. Allow foot to dry if you must scrub with a wet solution before applying boot.)
This foot? That hoof looked exactly like the hoof that is at the very top of this post. Neat what a GOOD trim can do, huh?

Step Eight:
Apply boot to hoof. Wrap tape around outer wall of hoof, secure with additional Duct Tape.

Unfortunately, we slam ran out of daylight at the end of this, and I was unable to get a shot of the end result. However, I heard from the owner this morning, that the horse, whom I will dub The Mighty H,
was MUCH happier.

So why the hoof boot build? Equine hoof emergencies come in all shapes and sizes, and this system of building a pad for your horse with readily available and affordable materials can save your horse's life. At the very least, it can drastically increase his comfort levels, so that healing can take place. It has been shown that pain slows healing. By providing relief in a non-invasive form, with additional support to the internal structures, healing can actually be sped up.

In a founder incident, a boot like this can and WILL help STOP ROTATION. That along with cold hosing, can effectively save a tremendous amount of pain and suffering, not to mention vet bills on your part. (GET. XRAYS. Period.)

This boot can also be used to help ease pain from an abscess, during a transition phase from being shod to properly barefoot, or even to help stabilize a protruding object should your horse step on an offending object such as a nail. (In that particular case, a couple pieces of 2 x 4 strapped to the bottom of the hoof can also provide the needed stability until the vet can arrive.)

The beauty of the high density foam? It molds to the hoof, providing support where it is needed. It can not HURT your horse. It is non-invasive. And it also provides INSTANT relief.

Just ask The Majestic H here!