Grand Prix Guidance
Using Radiographs to Trim and Shoe
by Mark R. Baus, DVM
W
hether you know it or not, your horse has experienced hoofrelated pain during his or her athletic career. It’s commonly recognized that the horse’s hooves, especially the front hooves, are vulnerable to many external and internal forces. In short, it’s where the rubber meets the road. Fortunately, we can control how these forces act on the hoof with a careful evaluation of the relationship between the skeleton of the lower limb and the hoof. How do you know your horse’s hooves are causing a problem for you or your horse? If your horse is lame, and the source of the lameness is isolated to the hoof with diagnostic nerve blocks. But painful front or hind hooves can manifest in multiple different ways other than obvious lameness. Does your horse lose shoes for no apparent reason? Does your horse trip or stumble periodically? How about forging? All of these are indications of a potential imbalance in the horse’s hoof. Radiographs of your horse’s hooves can be an invaluable guide to determine the best way to trim or shoe your horse. This process is reliable, and the X-rays are easily obtained. Let’s start with a few definitions: Sole depth: Measured from the tip of the coffin bone to the bearing surface of the hoof (the ground). Ideal sole depth is 15 mm give or take a couple mm. Too little sole depth and the hoof is vulnerable to bruising. Too much sole depth and the hoof is likely too long, causing tripping, lameness, and other problems (see photo 1). Heel height: Measured from the back of the coffin bone to the bearing surface of the hoof. Ideal heel height is compared to sole depth. If it does not measure 76
Community Horse Fall/Winter 2022
longer than the sole depth, there is a negative coffin bone angle and if there is less than 10 mm of heel height, the digital cushion is likely affected.
1. Negative coffin bone angle: A negative coffin bone angle is usually caused by inadequate heel height (see photo 2). Ideally, the coffin bone has a slight upward angle compared to the hoof (usually 2–5 degrees).
2. Latero-medial heel balance: This is a measurement of the height of each heel and, ideally, they are even. Horses that
