> "Skye and Sally ~Fire Island" [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> responded to:
>
>> >> ... please explain to me the pronounced hoof rings that are so
>> common in horses just imported from Iceland. Those rings sure look
>> like what in the States are generally considered to reflect
>> founder...
>
with:
> > We think they are stress founder rings.... Rings can mean
> founder, but they can also be stress, and travelling horses are in
> stress....
certainly, a single ring can develop from the stress of
shipping. and then, over the next 1/2 - 1 year, that ring moves
downward from the top, as the hoof grows. (that is because, as you
well know, rings develop at the top of the hoof, where it is
currently growing; rings that are partway down the hoof are ones that
developed months previously and are now growing out).
but such a single ring is not what i was referring to. rather, i
meant the common situation of imported Icey's feet having multiple
rings, basically from the top to the bottom of the hoof wall, already
when they arrive. this of course means that almost all these rings
developed well before the horse was being shipped. [the rings nearer
the bottom of the hoof developed at least 1/2 year before shipment
(probably more like a year, since these horses were generally shod,
so their hoofs grow slower than barefoot).] it was those "old" rings
that i was asking about
> > Usually if the ring is straight across in the front and has a
> curve on the sides of the hoof, that is
> a founder ring.....if it is straght all the way around it is
> usually stress....
while rings with curves are certainly seen on badly foundered
horses -- hoofs that are completely detached and had too long toes
continually causing compression on the front of the new hoof -- many
rings caused by limited pasture founder and binge eating-laminitis
that I have seen on horses here in Maryland have been fairly straight
across. my understanding is that such straight rings can arise from
laminitic attacks caused by too rich grass or getting into the grain
room when there is not complete detachment (i.e., if the hoofs are
then soaked in cold water to minimize detachment) and/or when the toe
is then kept short enough so that the growth area is not compressed
at each step (trimmed as advocated by Pete Ramey, etc). don't you
see that also?
yours, Barbara
