Q. I came across a 2-year old Thoroughbred that was moved to Missouri from Florida this summer. The first farrier the lady had out recommended she call someone else. I was the one she called. The horse stands almost 17 hands tall with decent conformation and generally good feet. The only problem is that the frog has completely closed the collateral groove and appears to be growing into the sole of the foot.

The horse is a little flatfooted and is basically kept in a dry lot, stall and round pen. I gave him a good trim — trimmed to new sole and shaved off as much frog as I dared.

I’m worried about the flexibility of the hoof and the possibility of hindering the flow of blood out of the hoof. The Thoroughbred didn’t appear be sore, though. Has anyone else run across this type of problem and what did you do?

—Doyle White

A. I’ve run into this type of situation on many occasions. It seems to stem from improper trimming of the foot. The main thing is to trim the foot to the live frog —making sure that you find the true apex of the frog. After doing so, you’ll notice a difference in the foot the next time you trim it.

—Tony Hamilton

A. Is it possible that this horse has an overgrown hoof? Has his hoof been allowed to develop a “false” or double-sole? A horse that large may have been encouraged to grow a…