Hello Alex,
The two pictures aren't really much to go on. Can you tell us more about this horse? Age, breed, health history?
That's a laminitic hoof in the pictures, that much is sure.
There is a common (world wide) metabolic problem of horses of certain breeds and conformations. My mare is one of those. A baroque body, heavy full musculature, with a tendency to fat and a very easy keeper. Andalusian. Most breeds that are effected in this same way descend from the Spanish horse. Horse's whose metabolism was thrifty from having evolved in the dryer harsher parts of the planet.
They have a difficulty with metabolising sugars and moving them into the cell as energy. Insulin is the problem - unused. Too much unused insulin. It's called, "Insulin Resistence," and the connectoin to colic (with founder and laminitis for the longer term) is becoming much more recognized.
I suspect, as I find more and more research, that it, IR, will be found to be the major cause of colic and laminitis over all other causes.
The concavity on the front of the hoof wall capsule (you can see it under the fingers of the hand holding the hoof up) is a dead give away as is the white line separation. Contracted heels though may be trim problem more than laminitis alone.
I think you are on the right track and should follow through. Likely this horse needs the weight taken off the toe (a rocker trim on the first third or quarter of the toe) with rounding of the toe back to the white line is often recommended. It puts more bearing on the sidewalls which, if done by a skilled trimmer, will begin to move pressure to the heels and open up the frog and heel.
That toe needs freeing. Do not let anyone recommend to her that this horse have special "corrective," shoes for this condition. That is the way to ruination for hooves in this shape.
The point of the rocker is to allow the hoof, as the stride is completed to "break over" sooner with less or no pressure at the toe. It's also imperative that without xrays "radiographs" to determine if the coffin bone is rotating downward into the sole one does NOT cut away sole.
Your idea of boots is the way to deal with tender sole - not to cut it away. One does NOT want the coffin bone tip to penetrate the sole.
Even with all this though, if the horse is IR (or Cushings with IR) all the trim in the world will not stop the progress of the rotation if it's going on. The only thing that will, I believe, is deit control. The removal of sugars and starches from the horses diet is required. No mean feat considering how we feed our horses. But it can be done, and cheaply if one spends some time searching for sources.
If you would like to, or when she has Internet access again, she would like to find the best resource I know of at present for this problem of IR and related laminitis and hoof care please join the list(s) you'll find on the web site:
http://www.ecirhorse.com/The list called ECushings is where to start, but also one will want to subscribe to EChoof, and ECHorsekeeping eventually.
Insulin Resistance is only now becoming identified for what it is, and though there is adequate research still not enough information distributed even to the equine veterinary world.
ECushings is owned by a veterinarian that has made this her life's work apparently. I believe she lost a horse to it, a beloved one.
Best wishes and a good recovery for this horse that you care about.
Donald
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