The form of this hoof tells me that she wouldn't normally have such problems had she been without shoes. Her frog has enough development and her hoof shape ( this is a hind hoof) indicates the hoof can function properly it just wasn't getting enough stimulation on various surfaces to exfoliate and callus the sole and frog. All this excess material is a feeding ground for fungus and bacteria. Other than shoe removal, a balanced trim, possibly some adjustment to diet, and plenty of movement on various terrain, you may want to use an anti fungal/bacterial treatment. There are many remedies people swear by, I tend to stick to things that are not at all harmful to the tissue of the horse. Basically if you wouldn't put it on your own finger nails, don't stick it on your horse! Clients of mine have had success using diluted Oil of Oregano to keep the nasties away, and also various tea tree oil based sprays. For thrush problems that are keep in the frog and collateral groove that you want to get aggressive with, try a 50/50 mixture of triple action antibiotic ointment and athletes foot cream. Stick it in a syringe and get the tip into any of the crevices you can, and make sure the hoof is good and clean before application!

Huge healthy frog, hard callused sole, and a nice tight white line connection. The balance is lovely as well, if you divided this hoof into 3rds, top to bottom, you see that the frog takes up 2/3's of the bottom of the hoof. That is exactly what you want to see! This hoof belongs to a Draft/Appendix gelding.

"Lovely sound hooves formed by lots of movement and a pea gravel paddock, they basically trim themselves"

It's really hard to say what ISN'T wrong with this hoof. They are severely overgrown, full of bacteria and fungus, and about as unbalanced as they could get. Luckily the coffin bone in her hinds wasn't dropped or rotated so it didn't take too many trims to get them balanced, and of course a change of diet and allot more movement on her healthier feet did wonders. I have only ever seen one other frog so rotten as this and it was also on a small pony who had been without trimming for a few years! It seems that hoof neglect is far more common in the little guys unfortunately.

Unfortunately the front hooves did have rotation and have taken longer to re balance. She did however heal in leaps and bounds after her owner bought her a pair of boots and started taking her for walks. I'm happy to say she sounder than ever and her feet actually look normal! Look for updated photos soon!

This hoof is as lovely as the 2nd hoof pictured on this page, only it's about 1/6th the size! Mini's can and should have great hooves too!