PaintMeAMini
Well-Known Member
The farrier was finally able to come out and trim of my minis long toes two days ago and I know barefoot horses sometimes are sore after a trim but is it normal for them to be hopping lame after?
Sore mini
- Thread starter PaintMeAMini
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Only once have I ever had a horse sore after a trim...I never used that guy again.
No, they should not be sore. That being said, my cushing's/insulin resistant pony used to be a bit tender after a trim once in awhile before we figured out he was metabolic. In hindsight, that was the first symptom. He was only tender on gravel though and not hopping sore. Did you have more than one trimmed and are they both lame?
You might give a dose of banamine if he is that sore.
My sister's biggie got trimmed last week right before we did out hike to the elevator. One of her horses was very sore on anything but the flat road. He went to the vet this week for his annual physical, and the vet thought his walls should have been left longer. She will probably mention that to our trimmer next time. The other three little horses that were trimmed that day wore boots, so not sure if they would have been sore also.
I think horses stand on that soft ground 24/7 and their hooves don't have a chance to harden.
My sister's biggie got trimmed last week right before we did out hike to the elevator. One of her horses was very sore on anything but the flat road. He went to the vet this week for his annual physical, and the vet thought his walls should have been left longer. She will probably mention that to our trimmer next time. The other three little horses that were trimmed that day wore boots, so not sure if they would have been sore also.
I think horses stand on that soft ground 24/7 and their hooves don't have a chance to harden.
PaintMeAMini
Well-Known Member
Thank you for the replies. This was our attempt at a new farrier our last one wouldn’t take his time with them and would kick them if they moved. We got rid of him very quick, there isn’t a lot of farriers around here but we will keep looking. He had a really long toe that was splaying. Our other mini was fine and didn’t need her feet trimmed. Should I keep him in the stall for a little while or leave him in the small paddock he is in right now? The farrier said he is just being dramatic but he is clearly in a lot of pain.
Ugh farriers!! I started doing my own a few years ago after having all my horses get sore. Contary to what the farrier said they should not have a sole that is one eighth of an inch thick with their toes squared off and no heel. Do you have any big horses that need shoes? How many there total? You might want to think about doing them yourself, it's actually really fun and it's nice to be able to do then when they need it. Banamine might help, wouldn't hurt. I'd try him in the stall and leave him wherever he's happiest. Poor boy.
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PaintMeAMini
Well-Known Member
Thank you for the help! I was thinking about starting to do my own to. None of the others need their hooves done and the thoroughbreds are all good on shoes.
Ryan Johnson
Well-Known Member
I've only ever had one go a little tender after the farrier. He was a TB with very brittle hooves. My farrier told me as he was leaving he may be a little tender for the next day or so and he was. Sorry you are having issues finding a good farrier. Had your original one kicked one of mine for moving , he would have been leaving my property with the rasp inserted ................................ ( I think you get the idea 
)
You will know when you get a good farrier , they are worth their weight in gold. Hope you can find one soon !!
)You will know when you get a good farrier , they are worth their weight in gold. Hope you can find one soon !!
Willow Flats
Well-Known Member
Over the years I have on occasion had a horse get "a little tender" after a trim. It was always gone the next day and (never hopping lame.) I agree with Banamine for the pain. What you describe seems extreme and the farrier's reaction should have been one of concern. Hope you can find a good one now that you have a little time. That poor guy!
As someone who has trimmed a lot of different horses, I wouldn't say it's ever "normal" for a horse to be sore after a trim. The only time it would be something I would expect to happen is if the horse had really thin soles or extremely weak feet and in that case I would recommend shoes or some other kind of protection until the feet improved. Of course you can sometimes misjudge and take a little too much or do something you find out later doesn't work for that horse but to cause a horse to be hopping lame means you either trimmed WAY too much off, or the horse has something going on with the feet.
Does the horse have any other signs of metabolic issues (cresty neck, fat pads, ridges in the feet/dished toes)? Did the farrier take out a lot of sole? Do you have boots for him? If so it might help to put them on him, maybe with some padding inside, if you don't have a soft place to put him. It is possible he could abscess later on from this incident so just be aware of that, nothing to be done about it really except to try to protect his feet as well as you can from bruising until they can grow out a bit.
Trimming interval can play into this too - sometimes if horses go too long between trims they can be more prone to ouchy feet when they do get trimmed just because it's such a big change. So whether you have to learn to do them yourself, or just keep farrier shopping, especially when you're trying to correct an issue like long toes, it's good to take less off at a time but at more frequent intervals. However, again, I would not say it's normal for a horse to be hopping lame after any trim. A farrier at a clinic I attended told me about a feral pony he trimmed that had been turned out for years with no hoof care, he used a Sawzall to lop off 6 inches of toe, rounded everything off as best he could (I doubt the pony stood very well) and the pony took off bucking and farting and happy as could be after.
Does the horse have any other signs of metabolic issues (cresty neck, fat pads, ridges in the feet/dished toes)? Did the farrier take out a lot of sole? Do you have boots for him? If so it might help to put them on him, maybe with some padding inside, if you don't have a soft place to put him. It is possible he could abscess later on from this incident so just be aware of that, nothing to be done about it really except to try to protect his feet as well as you can from bruising until they can grow out a bit.
Trimming interval can play into this too - sometimes if horses go too long between trims they can be more prone to ouchy feet when they do get trimmed just because it's such a big change. So whether you have to learn to do them yourself, or just keep farrier shopping, especially when you're trying to correct an issue like long toes, it's good to take less off at a time but at more frequent intervals. However, again, I would not say it's normal for a horse to be hopping lame after any trim. A farrier at a clinic I attended told me about a feral pony he trimmed that had been turned out for years with no hoof care, he used a Sawzall to lop off 6 inches of toe, rounded everything off as best he could (I doubt the pony stood very well) and the pony took off bucking and farting and happy as could be after.
It's hard to find farriers in my area also, especially, ones who will do minis. Thankful I have a good farrier who listens to me.
If he is still really sore a temporary hoof boot might help. You can make a boot out of a diaper, vet wrap and duct tape. Take the duct tape and make a square with several pieces stuck edge to edge. Cut the diaper hoof shaped, place it in the sole, run the vet wrap around the hoof (do NOT wrap coronary band). Place the duct tape square onto the sole and fold it up around the hoof, trim below the coronary band then secure by running a strip of tape around the hoof (below the coronary) There are some good videos out there on how to do this that make more sense that my instructions probably do.
Going to add to what Cayuse said. If he needs it you can cut a piece of any kind of padding, I use e piece of the sole from a generic crock from the dollar store, and put that under his foot inside the diaper.
When I was concerned about a new horse and all the gravel around here someone on another forum suggested using those rubber mats ( like they use in offices, under the chairs or like the kind cashiers stand on) and making a pad from that and duct taping it to the hoof.
I never tried it, though...she didn't go around the gravel too much and didn't have a problem.
I never tried it, though...she didn't go around the gravel too much and didn't have a problem.
Poor baby!! I hope he has a speedy recovery!!! Poor little thing!!
