Nearly 6 weeks

Ted has now been here nearly 6 weeks and is the first update of 2012 - I have masses to put up so bear with me and I will try to get updates on all the rehab horses posted in the next few days.   Unfortunately the weather has made photos difficult - its dark even in  the barn, even during so-called daylight hours, so I apologise for the lighting issues(!).  

Flash isn't an option, as it distorts hoof angles, which is the last thing Ted needs - he has enough going on already!  Here are his feet at day one, which you may recall from the last update...

Here he is a few days afterwards - you can see how the foot initially looks collapsed without the wedges.  The angles are actually pretty much the same but without being jacked up behind the whole foot appears longer.

Its interesting that the wedge makes the hoof pastern axis appear better, but without actually building up the internal structures of the foot at all.

Below is the same foot taken yesterday - and if you look at the line of new growth, you can see that Ted is already determined to grow a hoof at a healthier angle - and one which will improve the whole hoof, from the inside out.  

 He has the most dramatic angle change I've seen since Zan started growing a new hoof capsule - it makes his toe look even longer but  - as you can see from the sole shots - there is nothing to be done from a trimming point of view without being excessively invasive.

Once the new angle is complete, his toe will be shorter and his heel in the right place - without the need for wedges or fillers.  More importantly, a stronger caudal hoof will allow him to land better: heel first instead of toe first.

Here is his LF - the worst foot - in his remedial shoe and today.  As is usually the case, the shoe was providing stability but not allowing the hoof to strengthen - that only happens when it can actually start to work.   Look at how long his hoof wall was in shoes - even though his foot still looks long at the toe, its much shorter and stronger than it was in bar shoes.  

And for completeness, his sole shot from a few days out of shoes...

and today...

...a much better frog and a hoof which is starting to get back to correct medio-lateral balance.