# URGENT- Horses hooves trimmed too short??



## AdrienneS (Aug 13, 2010)

Hey everyone My horse and a friends horse got their feet trimmed about 1.5-2 weeks ago and my horse is sore on his back foot and my friends is very sore on both front feet... is it possible to stay sore for this long? Would shoeing them help? I was told tenderness should only last 3 days or so? The farrier did their feet so fast like 10 minutes and he was doen one and on to the next so he did a very sloppy job. I ask these questions because I wanted to take our horses on a over night trail ride this friday and people I know suggested shoes, so I have a different farrier coming out tonight to see if he can shoe them.


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## PaintHorseMares (Apr 19, 2008)

I can't answer your question about shoes, but yes, soreness can last 1-2 weeks after an overly aggressive trim. Also, in my experience, removing too much sole causes much more soreness than trimming the hoof short.


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## Rachel1786 (Nov 14, 2010)

I would find a new farrier and not put shoes on them. My horse was trimmed by a very very bad farrier who took off her sole callous and she is still sore(that was may 8th). A horse should NOT be sore at ALL after a trim ever. I got boots for my horse from a good barefoot trimmer and have been having the barefoot trimmer out every 4 weeks. Shoes are not going to fix the problem, I don't even know that they will make your horses any less sore.


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## AdrienneS (Aug 13, 2010)

Thanks!! I was worried about him being sore for so long... The other farrier(s) that I called said that a pad and shoe could work. what you think?


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## trailhorserider (Oct 13, 2009)

AdrienneS said:


> Thanks!! I was worried about him being sore for so long... The other farrier(s) that I called said that a pad and shoe could work. what you think?



I am generally pro-barefoot, however, in this case I think you should do the shoes with the pads. That would be a quick fix so you could ride her. (Also something like Easyboots would work if you wanted to stay barefoot). 

If you shod her you could go ahead and enjoy her until her hooves grow out, then try barefoot with a longer hoof (no trim at that point). Just basically pull the shoes at the end of the shoeing cycle at 8 weeks or whatever, and then try barefoot with a longer hoof. But in the meantime a shoe with pads should give her immediate relief. 

I say "should" because I have a friend whose horse was trimmed too short and shod and she was still sore even with shoes. But I think the farrier actually drew blood on one foot. :shock:

So even though I am pro-barefoot for the long term, in the short term the shoes should help to undo the mess the first farrier made and allow the horse to be in comfort and usable while her feet can recover from the too-short trim.


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## AdrienneS (Aug 13, 2010)

Oh for sure I prefer barefoot too. I have never shod him. He has nice big feet... my friends horse on the other hand is prone to abceses because her horse is flat footed. Would you recommend she continue shoeing for the summer? She's a beginner rider and I continuously tell her not to ride fast on gravel but she doesn't listen. I ask all these questions because I have NO experience with a shod horse. I've been riding for 12 years and never rode a horse with shoes lol and it seems in the horse world EVERYONE has different opinions.... but I think for my guy I'll shoe him for now till he grows out then when it's time to take them off I'll go back to barefoot. I would let it be but I have so much stuff coming up Clinics, Gymkhanas etc that I can't wait it out and would like a fast fix which means I can't order the boots because it would take weeks to get them here.


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## PaintHorseMares (Apr 19, 2008)

AdrienneS said:


> The other farrier(s) that I called said that a pad and shoe could work. what you think?


If it were me/my horse, I would have a farrier examine the horse first, determine where the soreness is, and then provide a set of choices/options based on my goals/limitations/requirements, e.g how much I want to spend, how fast I want a ride-able horse, my riding surface/terrain, etc.


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## mbender (Jul 22, 2009)

Even if you shoe your horse the farrier will trim the sole again taking any callous away. To just want shoes for a weekend ride you will keep those shoes on for at least 4-5 weeks. After that, if you decide to take those shoes off, your horse will be sore until the transition of shoes to barefoot is over. She has to build up a callous all over again. I would look into boots for a ride over the weekend. But this is my opinion. Good luck.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Gluey33 (Jun 2, 2008)

One cycle of shoes won't hurt and will probably help. Putting shoes and pad will give the horse protection 24/7 while the sole recovers and grows. Get some Durasole or similar for when the shoes come off. hopefully this farrier will be much better and your horse will come out of shoes with no problems.

As for your friends horse sounds like she has foot shape issues that need addressing and if she is ignorant enough to dash over ground that hurts her horses feet then yes she should definately have shoes until the horse can cope or she learns better.


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## PaintHorseMares (Apr 19, 2008)

AdrienneS said:


> Oh for sure I prefer barefoot too. I have never shod him. He has nice big feet... my friends horse on the other hand is prone to abceses because her horse is flat footed. Would you recommend she continue shoeing for the summer? She's a beginner rider and I continuously tell her not to ride fast on gravel but she doesn't listen.


I would have your friend try walking a 1/4 mile on gravel barefoot ;-)
Typical driveway gravel on top of hard ground (like the brick hard clay we have here) is sharp, nasty, and nothing like riding on rocks you find on the trail (and doesn't make good footing for your horse either). We've never shod our mares and they'll walk over anything, but I still don't make them walk over that stuff for a long distance.


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