The terrible problem

Fixing miniature horse hooves

This miniature horse wasn't abused -- but it was terribly neglected. Its owner had died and a relative took over feeding chores, but there's much more to horses than making sure they're fed. Its mane was tangled with thousands of cockle burrs, but more important, its hooves had gone untrimmed and the poor animal was in perpetual pain.

21 Dec 2016

167 visits

The terrible problem

The hooves on this 10-year-old miniature horse had been neglected for years and had grown so as to deform bone and tendon and produce constant pain -- as well as make it nearly impossible for the tiny equine even to walk.

21 Dec 2016

164 visits

Like a toddler with a splinter

Frightened and in pain, the tiny horse did not welcome those there to help. Sedation would have been both expensive and dangerous. The actual hoof trimming, like cutting toenails, would be painless.

21 Dec 2016

156 visits

Scary, but it didn't hurt

Even a very small horse can deliver a powerful kick, so it was soon all hands holding her down while ferrier Marc Setzer of Langsville in Meigs County first used a saw, then nippers to trim away years of overgrown hooves.

21 Dec 2016

175 visits

Preliminary results

A tense 45 minutes later, the little horse is back on her feet, in a lot less pain, and enjoying some grass. The process was not complete, though -- there will be more trimming and shaping over the coming months, as tendons gradually contract to their proper formation.