TEXAS VET NEWS By Dr. Bob Judd, DVM and the Texas Farm Bureau Texas Farm Bureau Radio Network

Today on the program I am going to talk about horses that have low heels in their hind feet and how to solve the problem.  Low heels are common in the front legs but can also occur on the hind legs and can cause lameness due to heel bruising and heel damage.  At our clinic we see a lot of horses with low heels, and know you may have a horse with low heels and not be aware of the problem.  I encourage you to look at your horse’s feet; it is abnormal if your horse is walking on the heels and the hoof wall stops before it gets to the heels.  Your horse should have at least 1 inch of hoof wall at the heel.  Other symptoms of low heels are that the frog will be prolapsed.  What this means is the frog is lower than the rest of the sole because the frog should be level with the solar surface and the horse is actually walking on the frog.  In horses with a prolapsed frog, all of the weight bearing is on the frog, which causes pain and bruising. 

Many people believe that if you have low heels you simply use a wedge pad to raise the heels.  However, Dr. Steve O’Grady from Northern Virginia Equine indicates that using wedge pads to raise the heels actually crushes the heel further and causes more damage.  To treat a prolapsed frog, apply a pad over the prolapsed frog and then apply a poultice pad to soften it and allow the frog to be pushed back into place over a 48-hour period.  This allows the frog to be pushed back level with the sole and then the horse can be shod.  If you have a horse with a prolapsed frog and low heels, you need a veterinarian and farrier to treat this condition as it can be difficult to treat. 

Date Published: 5/25/2009 9:41:00 AM