Meet Hank

Hank is a draft cross that was used in dressage and had a wonderful life until laminitis and then founder happened to him January 2008.  The following is a short journal of what happened before he was able to heal.

Hank had his two front leg superficial tendons cut to reduce the pull on the back of the coffin bone from further separation from the capsule. (I don’t agree with this type of action with founder)

He was fitted with custom built shoes that elevated his heels.  The owner spent $1M month in bandages.

The months of standing in a stall that afforded him little room to restrict movement. 

His capsules were detached and he was suspended in the air by the shoeing.  This began to put further pressure on his coronet and he had 5 resections of the dead and infected tissue.  There was nothing done to bring him to the ground so he could support himself so month after month he deteriorated in his capsule.

The shoes came off and he was instantly more comfortable.  His soles looked like cottage cheese with the clumps of scabby like sole.

The separated capsule had crushed inward the alive capsule back into the foot (ingrown horn at the lateral cartilage attached area on the coffin joint.  This had to be removed.

The capsule and sole quickly began to develop a better horn covering.  The infection in the lateral cartilage finally healed.

The following is a picture series to understand what this mighty and strong horse endured that was avoidable.

I was not told to this surgeon who I was until months later.  It was a healthy barefoot trim that saved this wonderful horse survive the surgery, resections, infection and pain.

Here is his journey the resections were prior to our taking the shoes off.  All pictures without shoes are after his barefoot journey began.:

In the next picture series you can see where the true dorsal wall connected to the coffin bone

was pushed inside the coffin joint area. "Ingrown Horn" so painful that this hoof would not walk

normally.  He would lift and before landing slide it back without flex.  What you are seeing in

the second picture on the left is the two walls that are in founders.  I found years ago with my

trimming partner that founders have a dorsal wall covering the laminar wedge.  But, under that

is another dorsal wall that is alive and growing but, never see's the light of day. And it merges into

the sole adding hard keratin horn into it!