Does your horse have a swollen elbow?
I have a client, whose horse developed Shoe Boils within a month after getting new shoes put on.
These big, ugly lumps are named Shoe Boil because they come from the shoe rubbing on the horseβs elbows, while the horse is laying down. This causes swelling.
In this horseβs case, the farrier wants the heel to grow down so he added bar shoes where the heel extends beyond the bottom of the hoof. The back edge of the shoe was sharp, so when the horse was laying down it was pressing on the elbow. There was a matching line where the shoe contacted the elbow. Ouch!
We have to address the cause of the problem, but also need to take care of the resulting issue. The shoe should be filed down so itβs not so sharp. There are also shoe boil boots that go around the ankle to prevent the shoe from pressing on the elbow when the horse is in the recumbent position.
Then we want to get rid of the big, ugly lump. In this case, I put
Dynamite Release Spray on the elbow and gently massaged the area to encourage draining.
Addressing the overall hoof health of the horse could lessen the need for corrective shoeing that created the shoe boils in the first place.
Listen to my podcast on hoof care to learn more.
β
β
β
β
β
β
β
β
