Page 238 - The Veterinary Care of the Horse

• every effort should be made to keep the horse in good general health and boost the
immune system, e.g. with a suitable and balanced diet
VetBooks.ir Prognosis

The prognosis is reasonable if the condition is identified and treated early in the course of the

disease, but there is a high rate of recurrence in some animals.

SHEARED HEELS

Sheared heels is a condition where there is instability of the tissues between the two heel

bulbs so they move independently of one another.

Causes

The condition may be caused by:
• conformational faults causing mediolateral foot imbalance

• incorrect trimming so one heel and quarter is left longer than the other.

Horses with long-toe, low-heel and ‘toe-in’ or ‘toe-out’ conformation seem to be susceptible.

The longer side of the hoof is subjected to greater forces during weight bearing and this

creates a shearing force between the two heel bulbs.

Clinical signs

• When viewed from behind, one heel bulb is higher than the other (Figure 6.31).

• The hoof wall on the displaced side is often straight and upright while the hoof wall on

the opposite side may be longer with an obvious flare.
• The coronary band is higher on the affected side.

• The central cleft of the frog may become deep and narrow, predisposing the horse to

thrush.
• The horse is not invariably lame. When the condition does cause lameness it is usually

mild to moderate and is due to heel soreness or a severe thrush infection.
• It is possible to have instability between the heel bulbs in a more normal shaped foot.