Page 241 - The Veterinary Care of the Horse

• Long-term use of a full bar shoe, e.g. in a horse with a pedal bone fracture, often leads to

contracted heels. Similarly a cast or restricting glue-on shoe can produce similar signs.
VetBooks.ir Clinical signs

The foot becomes narrower at the heel and the frog appears narrow and shrunken (Figure

6.32). The increased pressure on the sensitive tissues underneath may cause heel pain and
lameness. The condition develops slowly over a period of time.

Figure 6.32 Contracted heels: this photograph was taken just before the horse was re-shod

Treatment

• Any underlying condition causing lameness should be diagnosed and treated.

• The foot should be trimmed to address any conformational defects, e.g. shortening of

long toes.
• The foot should be shod to encourage expansion of the heels, i.e. the foot should be shod

wide and long (the shoe is fitted so that it is wider than the hoof wall at the quarters and
heels and extends further backwards than the weight-bearing surface of the heels) (Figure

6.33).