Tommy is a 13ish Belgian draft horse. He was a carriage horse on Mackinaw Island, and I bought him in July 2010 to be my trail horse and partner. When I purchased him he'd blown an abscess out of the top of the left front hoof. The abscess site closed and appeared to be healed up, so I had a few weeks of riding. His farrier appointment was in September, and when his shoes were pulled the farrier discovered that his new shoes (right before I bought him) had been put right overtop of the abscess. There is an actual HOLE in in his hoof. A hole. It's two thumbs wide and a pinky finger deep. This is Tommy's story of healing.