Re: radiographic evidence of barefoot trim fixing a "sinker"

Just going based on the subject line here.

Yes, even a sinker can sometimes be rehabilitated so that the bones are 
restored to a normal position within the hoof capsule.  However, the 
horse will never be "fixed" as if it never foundered, because the 
laminae will never be as strong as before the horse developed laminitis.

After laminits:
<http://www.gutenberg.org/files/11204/11204-h/images/image101.jpg>
vs healthy laminae:
<http://www.gutenberg.org/files/11204/11204-h/images/image032.jpg>

Even after the horse has been rehabilitated and the hoof and bones have 
returned to "normal" some horses will have laminae that are so badly 
damaged that the connective bond between the hoof wall and the bone is 
not strong enough to resist the pull from the DDFT and the horse will 
founder again (rotate or sink) if the horse is asked to do anything 
other than be a pasture pet.  However, with the sup****t of a properly 
fitting heart bar shoe (reset every 3-4 weeks) to provide additional 
sup****t to the coffin bone and resist the pull of the DDFT, many such 
horses can remain sound, and useful.  This is just one instance where 
shoes help, and barefoot can't do the job.

jc