Little Lady

Little Lady was living in a field with too much grass. Her feet were overgrown and she was struggling to walk. Members of the public contacted the charity to ask for our assistance. Following an investigation she was promptly signed over to Help For Horses for treatment, rehabilitation and rehoming.

Little Lady’s front feet were so overgrown at the toes that they no longer made contact with the ground and so would never naturally wear down as she walked on them.

Following sedation and administration of pain relief, xrays were taken to reveal the extent of the damage and to establish the position of the pedal bones prior to a farrier trimming away the excess hoof.

You can see an excess of hoof growth forcing the pressure back through the fetlock and putting the weight through to the heel. All of the weight of the pony is resting on the bulbs of the heel horizontally and none on the sole of the hoof as it should be.

After the initial trim you can see this now looks more like a normal hoof and the hoof pastern axis is already more vertical. This allows the weight to be placed back on the sole. There is still a lot of remedial work to be done as the hoof now will go through a period of more rapid growth as weight is placed on it. In time more can then be trimmed off both the toe and the heel.

The future is looking hopeful for Little Lady and we will post updates on her progress.