Mysterious Foot Injuries

Finally, the two-time Heel Horse of the Year is healed. A vet weighs in.

- Chelsea Toy

When Rey Shines on Top came up sore last year, it couldn’t have come at a worse time—just two days before the two-time Heel Horse of the Year was to step on a trailer to Las Vegas for the 2016 Wrangler NFR.

Elite rodeo hands in Arizona (where the Minors prepare for the NFR) prefer Gary Kauffman, DVM, so Minor immediately sent the horse to Dr. Kauffman to try to figure out why he felt “off.” A subtle injury like Rey’s can be so difficult to diagnose that it’s a good time to pick the brain of one of today’s top vets on protocol.

A horse in this kind of example has no swelling, not much heat and doesn’t flinch to the touch anywhere. Nothing obvious, in other words. Your vet doesn’t have much to work with, so consider throwing a saddle in the trailer so the horse can be evaluated while being ridden, and ask the vet to evaluate him on both hard and soft surfaces. Your vet should also be able to determine which limb or limbs are involved, keeping in mind the problem could be bilateral in front or back.