imbalance in horses feet

Question
Hello.I was just wondering if you could tell me a bit about imbalance in horses feet.I have a 6yr old 15.2hh gelding and he has been on and off lame for the past year.I have had his back checked and he has some back problems.I wasn't happy with his result as I had been doing the required amount of lunging for his back and he is still lame and thought there was more to it than that so today I had a vet out and he told me my horse is very imbalanced in his two front feet but especially his front right foot.He basically told me to retire the horse or I could give him a year off and get a specialist farrier to put special shoes on him to try and straighten him up.I would like to hear your opinion on this and what you think I should do.Thanks, Keshia.

Answer
Good Morning!  Thanks for your question.

First, let me say that the horse's hooves have everything to do with the back, the withers, the hips, the pelvis, the shoulders, etc. etc. Imbalanced hooves cause havoc in those regions.

Secondly that if the hooves are imbalanced then no amount of chiropractic, massage, energy work or other related physical and/or kinectic therapy is going to take and stay.

Thirdly, regardless of shoes or no shoes, the hooves, once again, have to be balanced properly according to the individual hoof on the individual horse. While shoes may prevent sole bruising or tenderness for the hooves, they don't address imbalances that are left by inept trimming. A correct trim is a major foundational block to the overall functioning and well-being of the hooves as well as the horse, as a whole.

I would suggest that you research trim specialists in your area or farriers, take a look at the horses they trim, get references and find yourself the best you can find!!  Get the hooves balanced, leveled and functioning correctly. Then get the back adjusted and work on remediating those muscles.

Gotta get the foundation set before building the rest of the critter!

:) -- Gwen