Ringbone?

QUESTION: 

I have a client who called me in to remove shoes on a 4 yo. Paso Fino. She had been on the show circuit, already, for 2 years. Her hooves were black and crumbling - very poor quality and, of course, her soles were very thin after being in shoes. I did a minimal trim the first time. Of course she was ouchy on gravel but more comfortable on pasture. She was turned out during the day with a couple of other horses - soft pasture - then brought in on mats during the night. She improved slowly and after the 2nd trim seemed to be a bit better. By the third trim she was bucking and messin' around in the paddock, galloping around and, for the first time since the owner got her 9 months previously, she gaited down the gravely drive! I was encouraged by her spirit and her movement even though she was still ouchy on the rougher terrains but figured it was to be expected with the very thin soles that were still not grown in completely. She was then moved to a different barn, stalled at night and turned out during the day. It was because she was still tender on her right fore that the owner decided to have xrays taken to see what was going on. The results came back showing (in the owner's words) --"the bones between the bottom of the cannon bone to the tip of her coffin bone, are very concave, with the exception of the unusual "growth" of bone/tissue where the coffin bone connects to the short pastern bone. This is present on both sides, with the left side more prominent." Thus, the attending vet's recommendation was to "lift the heel to take pressure off of that area and straighten the angle of the bone alignment." The attending vet also said that the horse would have some "serious problems down the road" if left barefoot in a natural trim and this abnormality were not taken care of now. Also, that the growths were part of the tender and ouchy feet in addition to the very thin soles. So now the horse in in "high heels", as the owner states, and "moving beautifully". The owner was told that "Other than that (hooves), however, the vet said she was very well put together....all we need to do is work on the foundation, and with her being just 4 years old, she didn't see any long-term problems if this is dealt with now."

My contention is that she is only 4 years old and if she is going to be wearing "high heels" she WILL run into MORE serious issues in the future!

I do not fault the owner at all - she wants only the best for her first horse. Unfortunately, the vet and I do not agree with what is "best" and in this instance, the vet wins out.

Would you, with your medical knowledge, explain what these "bumps" might be? I understand that without seeing the xrays, yourself, that it may be difficult to make a general statement however, perhaps this is something that is common in gaited horses? Also, how barefoot trimming would be a better way to go about natural healing that corrective shoeing with wedges and pads?

Thanks, Dr. Tom

DR. TOM'S ANSWER:

HI Gwen,

Perhaps these changes are ringbone? That's likely what you're seeing...all
other possibilities are too weird to consider without seeing the films. We know that ringbone is a result of either trauma and/or concussion from improper hoof form 
or shoeing.

Ringbone and barefoot? I've yet to have a case of ringbone NOT improve,
and Courtney, a trimmer and friend in Tucson area says that she has NEVER had a
ringbone case that didn't do very well and have the bumps go down pretty
fast. It's amazing what some good circulation will do for a horse, you
know?
And concussion? Well, we shouldn't be putting a steel shoe that raises
concussion "through the roof" on a foot that has a problem that stems from
concussion in the first place! Raising the heels is also a common mistake
used to give the illusion of soundness...it simply decreases circulation and
pinches the nerves to the hoof to the point that the horse seems sound in
their state of numbness. It's no wonder this is done with regularity, but
it is done without realizing WHY it makes the horses better. Only with
proper hoof form do we get proper limb AND BODY alignment of the whole
horse. To raise heels in these and other horses with problems can only make
the problem worse. We now know that shoes simply can't offer honest therapy
to a horse...they disrupt the physiology of the hoof so badly that it's just
impossible that they would provide any real help. Unfortunately, a long
history and tradition of shoeing will take a while to die down, and it's too
bad, because the horses shouldn't have to wait for us to figure this
out...they just want their own normal feet so badly, and though they've been
"telling" us for a long time what the problem is, we just keep on doing what
tradition mandates instead of listening to them and realizing that their
problems and deformities of their hooves come from the way we treat them.

Dr. Tom T.