Founder Dissection
The photos that you are about to view are not for the faint of heart. The subject horse was euthanized because of an extreme founder case, and the owner donated the feet to be studied at a clinic by farriers so that they could better understand the structures of feet in general and the effects of laminitis on horses' feet.The photo below shows external clues to the extreme hoof wall separation in the toe area (stretched laminae) and stretched sole. Notice how far the tip of the frog is from the dorsal (front) edge of the hoof wall. You can't see the depth of the foot, but it is also very flat suggesting that the hoof wall has become detached and the bone column is weight bearing on the sole and solar corium instead of on the hoof wall.
In the picture below the hoof capsule has been removed. Notice that the growth rings are very close together in the toe of the foot and farther apart at the heel. You can't see the growth rings in the lower toe area because they have been rasped away by a farrier. If it wasn't rasped away, you'd see the characteristic curling up of the toe that is common in neglected founder cases. The front part of the foot is not growing as fast as the rear quarters (noted by the growth rings).
Here, Michael Savoldi, who is giving this clinic, holds the hoof capsule in his hand.
The hoof capsule below is both the sole and the hoof wall. Notice the stretched laminae all around the inside of the hoof area, which is what holds the hoof capsule to the bone.
This photo shows the foot without a hoof capsule. You are looking at the solar corium.
The photo below shows the foot without the hoof capsule and the matching laminae to the hoof capsule photos above.
