Glushu Horse Diaries: The story of Koop the 19 Hands Cart Horse
We were originally contacted through facebook by Koop’s owner who was desperate for a pair of glue on shoes for a Clydesdale with very bad feet.
“His bad feet are due to deformities in his coronet band causing grooves, which had weakened the horn. He is only 8 years. His feet are app 9.5 inches. I understand that you probably don't make his size but he would be on them for the rest of his life. I have tried many other similar companies for boots etc without any luck. Is it possible to advise on anything homemade if you can’t Please Please help. There is nothing out there in the market for these big horses. Thank you.”
“He is a magnificent boy. His shire was champion and both his mother and himself came first as foal at foot and then as a 2 yr old. It is such a shame because after that he has been passed from pillar to post. His feet have been neglected as you can see. He was going to be pts 2 years ago when we rescued him. He does seem to be a walking disaster, but we love him.”
“He is not shod and cannot be shod as his hooves are and will always be too brittle. The farrier is out to night to trim. I will take pics and find an old shoe he had on early this year in an attempt to give him some respite.”
“Attached are photos of Koop’s front feet after the farrier Alex Whittington from Priory Forge trimmed them on Saturday. The Vet has said that the horn growth coming down is very good. You can see that the bottom 1 inch is the bad hoof growing out. He has hoof deformities on both front feet to the inner side.”
“He is very shallow on his heels which means he is sore on his frogs. When he had the vet wrap which hardens he was in a lot of pain from the pressure.”
“I would box him up, but at 19hh he is a little too big to bring to you”
“We can’t thank you enough for even trying for us”
John Wright the Glushu Designer agreed to help by designing and 3D printing a special pair of shoes for Koop but further information was needed...
