Question about a crazy day with a draft horse in Bend

Last Thursday I had a call for a big Belgian draft horse in Bend that needed all four shoes. The owner said he was usually fine, but this time he would NOT pick up his back left. I tried for like 45 minutes, using every trick I know. Finally, his owner mentioned he'd been favoring that leg since a trailer ride the day before. We called the vet right there, and it turned out he had a mild stone bruise. I felt so bad for pushing it. Has anyone else had a horse hide pain that well during a shoeing?

2 comments

2 Comments

grace_fox32mo ago

Oh man, that's rough. I had a gelding do the same thing, just totally shut down about one foot. What finally got through to me was watching him in his paddock later, he was totally fine. So now my first move is to just stop and watch them move a little if they're being weird about one specific foot. It saves a lot of time and worry, and usually tells you if it's a pain thing or just a mood.

finley_flores282mo ago

Check for heat or swelling first, then watch them walk off.