A pony mare was brought into a rescue looking like this. It was obvious that she had been neglected for some time. Contrary to what some people may think, this appearance DOES NOT automatically indicate previous founder. I do not believe this mare had ever foundered. She did have some imbalance issues and conformation traits that caused her to toe out. When this was combined with neglect it led to hooves that literally curled under and out to the sides. It is amazing to me that horses like this do not completely snap the tendons and ligaments in their legs. The tremendous tension placed on all of these structures is at the very least, intensely painful. Watching her walk on these hooves was a bit like watching a tightrope walker doing his very first performance.
Before Toe Trim
After 4th trim.
You can see here how the toeing out is a bit worse on her right front.
Case #3
About 1 year after initially being brought in to the rescue, she was shod for support with a silicon pad inside of the shoe and Adhere added outside the hoof wall to try to support the toe out conformation.
Case #3
About 1 year after initially being brought in to the rescue.
*Note from Dr Julie; this is another case that I would have treated differently knowing what I know now. I would have adjusted this mare regularly for the first few visits at least. Conformation faults cannot be fixed by shoeing but can often be influenced by chiropractic care and rehab/muscle work! I would have focused on balancing her hooves and trying to alleviate tension in the shoulders that might have been causing her to wear them unevenly.