Ohio, 13 year old TWH Gelding.ridden in a snaffle with english cutback saddle in an indoor areana by an amatuer

Question: Well I have a tenessee walking horse he is 13 years old has been with a trainer most of his life.
He is also a padded up walking horse and has calluses on both front feet from being sored.
He is with a trainer now that tells me he can remove the calluses and get him thru a DQP for me to be able to show him . I guess my question is can calluses be removed so he can be shown or am i just waisting my money to this trainer because if the calluses cant be removed I cant show right ??

Even though I didnt put them there .
I think if the calluses can't be removed he doesn't need to be in a training barn am I right or wrong?

 This is a very sticky situation.  Is there hairloss along with callusses? Cause that can be a definate impediment as well as these callusses being in the same place on both of the horses legs if you are interested in showing this horse. He will not pass inspection without serious  and perhaps unethical adulteration of the appearance of the horses legs with tinted hairspray and other"doctoring".

  But let us just say that the horses has a callus. There are 2 ways to get a callus off a TWH leg.  The "quik" way or the long way.  Under good conscience I can only recommend that you do it the LONG way.  There is a product named Derm-equine that is an emoliant product that will remedy this callus as well as other topicals or Wonderdust.  I would not use full leg wraps or anything caustic under them to get this horse to exfolliat his skin in an accellerated fashion. Give your horse some TLC and down time. Once the horse has recovered you should not reintroduce any "work grease or action device on the horses leg again. Because if you do all your patient hard work to get this horse into compliance with the "scar rule" will be for not. 

   Take your training slower with the horse and learn horsemanship skills to get the horse to engage his hind end and free up his shoulder and reach like they want the Performance horse to.  A good going sound Big Lick horse is feasible(I assume this is the way in which you want to progress with this fine animal) it takes CONSIDERABLY longer doing it the old fashioned way.  So to finally answer your question,Yes you should show your horse if the problem can be remedied in a fashion that suits the best interest of the horse.  It might
take a year to regrow the hair and fix the callus but it will be worth it. 

I hope this helps you. 

My Best, Robin Reichart

I have never trained padded horses but have visited trainers' barns who do train them.  To remove calluses, they use salicylic acid covered with plastic wrap.  This is a VERY PAINFUL process for the horse.  As the horse is worked in chains and various "lubricants," the calluses come back.  Since the calluses build back up, burning off the calluses with salicyclic acid becomes an endless process.  

Is showing your horse worth putting him through excrutiating pain on a weekly basis?   I would hope that you say that your horse has already gone through a lot for you and it is time for you to truly take care of that horse.  Take him home.  

Laura