World Horse Welfare, an equine charity based in the United Kingdom, focuses on rescuing and rehoming horses in need of a soft place to land. One such horse was Joey, a 17.2-hand gelding who arrived at the shelter in December of 2022.
Staff at Hall Farm noticed that Joey was slightly lame in his left front; X-rays showed that his hoof had developed a keratoma, a benign tumor on the inner surface of a horse's hoof. A team of vets, farriers, and caretakers devised a plan to remove the keratoma and help Joey heal.
The keratoma was removed by John Blake of Breckland Farriers on Feb. 7, and a specially designed shoe he created was attached to Joey's hoof. The shoe has a special aluminum “door” that opens and can be locked shut, allowing access to the surgical site.
This allows the wound to stay clean and allows Joey's caretakers to treat the healing wound safely; the large horse doesn't have to pick up his hoof to have it treated. Iodine solution has to be applied to the hoof daily and the dressing is changed every few days.
The shoe has three screws in the hoof wall on the hinged side with acrylic to hold it in place. The opposite side has a small plate with a fly nut to keep it closed. The shoe wraps around the bottom of the hoof as well to keep the dressing in place.
See more images of the custom shoe on World Horse Welfare's Facebook page here.
Read more at Horse & Hound.
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