Q: I was recently introduced to an old Mustang that had foundered in both front feet about 2 years ago. From what I gather, the horse was never shod, just put in a stall on sand. 

 The horse has been trimmed since then and does OK barefooted as a pasture pet. However, the owner has seen the horse limp a couple of times in the past after being trimmed by a previous farrier. The feet are flat and the wear rate is exceeding the growth rate.

The white line at the toe is extended and the rings have the characteristic widening and downward sloping at the heels. The dorsal wall is slightly dished. Also, it had 1 1/2-inch long chestnuts. Anyway, I would like to hear others thoughts on trimming/shoeing this horse.

—Jim Brown

A: I’d need photos, but I expect that the toes are growing faster than the heels. I have a few that do that. If this is the case, then simply trim more off of the toes and round the breakover portion of the toe area more than usual.

 Then to be on the safe side remove all of the dead sole that you can and coat the bottom of the sole with gum turpentine —keeping it off the frog. Then measure the toe and heels and take note of the angle of the toe. Keep all of this information and 1 month later check the measurements, and the soundness of the horse. Have the owner call…