My mare has a toe first landing problem i am told that horse boots may correct this but i dont like them?

some horse boots have awful barbs that dig into your poor horses hooves and scuffs them all up, others fall off when you go through mud or water, and some rub on your horses fetlock or pastern. Anyway i just don%26#039;t like them what else can i do? Apparently the really expensive boots are not so bad but i have heard that they still rub a bit. my horse ran free range this summer on my brother in laws ranch and then when i rode her she didn%26#039;t seem very sore riding with bare feet but is still landing toe first???? Do you think her feet have toughened up some? why is she still landing on her toes? habit? some sort of problem? the farrier is coming to look at her soon but what can i do in the mean time.

My mare has a toe first landing problem i am told that horse boots may correct this but i dont like them?
Toe first landing as you probably know is unnatural and a sign of a hoof problem. It usually has to do with a horse trying to avoid heel pain. Contraction in the heels is something I would be looking for. Horses with heels that are too long will often land toe first as well. A well balanced, healthy, functional hoof will land heel first without the help of shoes or boots which more or less mask the underlying problem.





Boots will probably give her heels some relief if it is a problem with pain, but boots will not fix the problem.





If you could email me some pictures of your horses hooves (front, back, side, bottom) and a picture of her in motion. I would be very happy to help you and give some advice. It will take up too much space to go into details on yahoo answers. barebackrider_19@yahoo.ca





Oh and by the way Most people find these %26quot;swiss boots%26quot; http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=h... to be some of the best when it comes to quality and fit. They don%26#039;t have the metal barbs that you described, and are supose to stay on even through mud.
Reply:If you have the farrier coming to look at her because she%26#039;s having a problem then I wouldn%26#039;t ride until after they%26#039;ve come and given you their opinion. If you just can%26#039;t wait until then, call the vet.
Reply:If she is landing toe first and your farrier/trimmer isn%26#039;t fixing it, FIRE HIM! Sorry but sticking shoes or boots on an unbalanced hoof doesn%26#039;t fix the problem.





A good trimmer will bring the toe back. I don%26#039;t care what this guy says, but clearly he isn%26#039;t doing his job. She may have a problem such as underrun heels or thin sole and he doesn%26#039;t know what to do about it, so perhaps that%26#039;s why he%26#039;s afraid to traim much off. A good trimmer will also roll the edge of the hoof to avoid chipping %26amp; make breakover easier. If you are forced to go to shoes, they make beveled edge shoes which also make breakover easier





Make sure she%26#039;s getting regular trims (4-6 weeks) especially until her feet are better. It make take a few trimming cycles to get her feet right.





By the way, the hoof boots don%26#039;t hurt the horse. If they fall off it may be because they%26#039;re not fitted well. Some brands also offer extra protection against loss such as %26quot;gaiters%26quot; which go up over the ankle. I know an endurance/CTR who rides barefoot and uses boots to protect the horse on rockier trails.
Reply:I%26#039;m assuming that she is stumbling as well. Horses generally land with the hoof flat. If she is landing toe first, it means that her heels are sore. And your farrier is the best one to determine why. In the mean time, I%26#039;d regard her as unsafe for you to ride.
Reply:if you%26#039;re jumping a lot, it is advisable that you shoe your horse. farriers can add specially-made shoes or pads under shoes that can correct things like this. also, the jumps you are going over may not be challenging enough for your horse so he is getting lazy. (unless this happens every time you land). and boots, when properly fitted, will not do any of the things you say will happen. and the only boots that go near hooves are bell boots, and those are made of rubber and don%26#039;t have %26#039;barbs%26#039;. ...and i don%26#039;t think boots can correct this problem anyways. get shoes
Reply:Is she doing that when your jumping or unloading from the trailor??


If it is jumping i honestly have no clue .. but when horses land on there toes they can wreck there knees. you should alwasy back a horse out of a trailor because when the jump thry do land on there toes and yes .. i dont no lol i hope i helped
Reply:Ditto the heel pain answer.


The big problem is that she is loading the pedal bone incorrectly if she%26#039;s landing toe first - will wear her toe faster than her heel and it quickly becomes a vicious circle. It may just be her heels are too high or it could be something more serious such as contraction of the heels or overgrown or impacted bars, degenerated frog and digital cushion or joint adaptation.


Even if it%26#039;s not those things yet, unless she starts loading her heels, they%26#039;ll follow on.


Heel first landing brings all the horse%26#039;s shock absorption mechanisms into play so toe first means increased impact forces which will have effects on all the tissue and joints.


You need to read up about hoof form and function - so you can talk to your hoofcare provider knowledgeably.


Boots won%26#039;t help other than giving her some cushioning. And she can%26#039;t live in boots. Shoeing certainly won%26#039;t help heel pain - it%26#039;ll just make the impact on her toes even greater and speed up the deterioration.


Hope this helps. Check out as many of the barefoot websites as you can - they are very informative.
Reply:Not all horse boots do that.
Reply:ok you will have to wait untill the farrier comes. but the problem is that she needs to have more of her heel taken off( the farriers job) if you have a good correct farrier he will do this for you.
Reply:without seeing the hoof it would be hard to say why your horse is landing toe first. is it just one or both fronts or all four? it is possible that her heels are to under run and need to be brought back. make sure her toes are not too long.





as far as boots go, i have used epic boa boots with my horse and love them. the boots will not correct the problem though but they can keep your horse comfortable if she is lame.





what type of terrain has she been on? pasture, dirt and rocks, gravel???





add- hey jamielne, you dont need shoes to jump.



nanny