When falling into the barefoot rehab rabbit hole I found that knowing your basic structure to be the first thing I needed to check. Some people talk about thin soles others focus on the frog and thrush, and even others say the heel bulb is the most important for heel first landing. It can be so overwhelming so where do we start? I decided to really take a hard look at Gideon’s feet and get as many different professional opinions as I could.
Starting with the vet we talked about his not so halter class winning conformation. We knew he wasn’t a 1st place QH but he sure is cute. He isn’t pigeoned toed or splay footed, his legs are straight and clean, however he is working with a less than ideal genetic lottery. We consistently work with him on the ground getting square and practicing showmanship. He now is very good in this department and is able to really overcoming the slight way his weight tends to load to the inside of the hoof. You really cant see it much if you aren’t really looking.
Next we had a lovely saddle sitter at the barn for another horse who explained her farrier background and whole body work rehab business. In her opinion his right heel( the problem foot) was a bit pinched on the outside. She felt like we had a really good shot at getting his feet trimmed to help him be sound barefoot in just a few more trims. It also needs to be mentioned we have just as much of a chance of not obtaining the correct trim and ending up with shoes. It was a breath of fresh air to hear I wasn’t crazy and barefoot rehab was possible.
Then we had our sweet farrier out to trim. He very patiently listened to me explain my thoughts without judgement or eye rolling. I asked for his opinion and he focused on the frog and heel bulbs. He got those nice and cleaned up and found a very soft hind heel bulb. He figured out how to put into practice my explanation of pulling the outside heel out, complete with strange hand gestures and lack of farrier terms on my part. He understood exactly what the team saw and how to go forward. I cannot be more thankful that he was so willing to humor me and not dismiss my ideas. I will be heavily leaning on his knowledge and years of experience to put my research into actual practice.
With that being said after his first trim he was still as sound as he was before. Which is currently sound at the walk and about 60/40 at the trot line. He tends to come off of the Vibe very sound and much more comfortable.
Here are his feet right after his diagnosis
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Left. 
Look at how his leg looks like it is leaning in. His weight goes to the inside. Almost making his inside wall appear shorter or rounded.
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Left 
Notice how you can see that pinched heel on the top right of the right hoof picture. vs the left hoof heels are more open.
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Left 
You can really see the heel differences here!
Now for 5 days after his first trim.
You can still see he has more of that turn out and loads to the inside.
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Left 
After one trim look at how much Mr. Stacy was able to open that right outside heel! That is just a beautiful sight!
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Left 
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Left 
His heel wasn’t really run under before but it is already sitting up much nicer here.
So far I feel like we are on the right path and am so thankful for the horse community that is really giving me the knowledge and support to help Gideon. Our current plan is to watch for when we need a trim, daily Equivibe, and 15 minutes of exercise including poles and different terrain. Stay tuned to see how much he will progress!