After seeing some truly disturbing and heart-wrenching photos of Abby's hooves pre-rescue, I emailed Tim to ask about how the rescuers had handled her hoof problem - from the photos, it seems they decided to take a lot off all at once, with the consequence being that she was in pain from the remedy. You can see her in later pictures standing holding her leg in front of herself, a definite "pain pose" for a horse whose feet are hurting.
I couldn't help but wonder if perhaps they could've tried a less painful method for her.
Below is Tim's response. I especially love his last sentence.
Lynn
For some reason I was unable to see the photos. However, I can tell you that I do not have a lot of experience working with severely damaged hooves. I mostly just have practical training trimming feet on healthy horses. I do remember the photos of abby’s and her feet and they were bad. The decision to make a drastic rather than an incremental fix was probably made as much for convenience as for health. Getting the hoof out of its neglected state immediately was probably paramount. I am not sure that it was wrong or right – but it definitely was an improvement over what it was.
Unfortunately neglecting feet can cause long term damage to the hoof growing point as well as indirect damage to ligaments and tendons. While Abby may never be 100%, I do not see her hurting excessively. Your eye is better than mine, however. Sometimes a good farrier can adjust things as well.
It it was me, I would just up her daily carrot allotment :).
Tim
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