Foal with Hoof Problems (Club Foot)

The owner of a Quarter Horse foal with an early club foot asks for information on farrier/hoof trimming strategies and the possibility of surgery.
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Q: We have a colt that was born April 19, 2009. We have worked with him since he was born. The farrier was out about two weeks ago (in late Sept. 2009) and trimmed his hooves. They had gotten long and had started to have some small cracks. We live in an area with really soft/sandy soil.

We had the vet out last on Oct. 2, 2009, to give him shots and pull a Coggins and he saw nothing wrong with his hooves.

We are planning to show him in a show next weekend (Oct. 16, 2009). We had him picked up on Oct. 5 to get some "finishing" training and got a call that afternoon from the trainer who said it appeared the colt either had a bad farrier job or he was starting to get a club foot.

This horse has great conformation. He is 95% foundation Quarter Horse. He did have a "growing spell" about two or three weeks ago. He is on hay, pasture, and Omolene 200 for growing foals

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Stephen E. O’Grady, DVM, MRCVS, was a professional farrier for 10 years prior to obtaining his degree in veterinary medicine. He learned farriery through a formal apprenticeship under Hall of Fame farrier Joseph M. Pierce of West Chester, Penn. After graduating from veterinary school, O’Grady did an internship in Capetown, South Africa. Then he joined Dan Flynn, VMD, at Georgetown Equine Hospital in Charlottesville, Va., as an associate for five years. Since that time, he has operated a private practice in Virginia and South Africa, with a large portion of the practice devoted to equine podiatry. He has published numerous articles and lectured extensively on equine foot problems. His web site is www.equipodiatry.com.””tephen E. O’Grady

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