Lame pony

Question
Our 13yr old pony was loaned out and has been returned to us lame.  She has been x-rayed and was found to have a slight fracture of the pedal bone.  The vet felt that she should be fine after 8 weeks box rest.  However, she is still exactly the same with no improvement.  She is sound on the straight, but lame on a circle.  My farrier has fitted an eggbar shoe, but he has his doubts that the vet had identified the problem and things there could be something wrong higher up.  Unfortunately, we live on an island and there is no MRI scan available without travelling 8 hours by boat to the UK, an expensive exercise!  We think that the people who were leasing her have been less than honest about what has happened.  They said she landed on a hard bit of ground, but we were watching her that day and she jumped superbly and cantered in for a winning rosette without any lameness.  We think she may have fallen over in the trailer on the way home.  It is now five months since it happened and we are at our wits end!

Answer
HELLO JENNY...THANKS FOR YOUR QUESTION...

Sometimes I think with age I'm "too blunt" but I can only be honest!

You definitely need some accurate help. There is no "slight fracture" when it comes to the pedal/coffin/P-3 bone or digit. PERIOD!
It's like being "a little bit pregnant"!! All fractures are serious when it comes to the coffin bone. It is the last bone/digit in the bony column and aids in support.

The vet was wrong with letting you believe that rest would fix the problem. Your farrier is "probably' doing the best he can...but an
egg-bar is worthless with this condition!! An egg-bar shoe is for palmar/posterior support and to aid with the two flexor tendons and such.

The hoof must be in a straight-bar shoe or a cast. You've lost
valuable time and nature has a way of healing (without proper help)
that can be detrimental to recovery.

If you go with a straight bar shoe, the hoof after all this time, should be radiographed again and see what is going on now. Tall, large clips should be drawn on the shoe that will be parallel to the fracture. I also like to rock the toe of the shoe to create "break-over" as the horse moves...less strain on the bone itself.
A "3M cast" can also be used, so that nailing can be avoided. A
bar shoe can be fitted to the hoof and then wrapped and fitted,
instead of being nailed...according to the horse's pain. I always
hot fit all my shoes.

The horse will need to be re-set every 30 days and re-radiographed
to stay with the progress. Stall rest for 30-40 days is a must.
The according to what the vet and farrier sees...maybe hand walking
everyday for 30 minutes and slowly building up to more time as the horse gets better.
I've seen some recover in 90 days...some as much as 6 months. In my
opinion...the horse should stay in shoes for at least a year, even after everything is looking good. Preventive measures. Especially if the pony will be ridden later or has to pull a cart.

Amino acid supplements SHOULD be fed immediately to help with healing "internally". There are many hoof supplements on the market.

I only wish you could have had some quality help in the beginning.
I truly understand why you're at "wits-end"...
I wish you the best and write again if I can help in any other way.

Thank you!
Joepaul Meyers,C.J.F.