6 months into our barefoot journey

[HufflyPuffly]

Well we're just short but on the 19th it will have been a whole 6 months!

Still sound but still a little footsore on the stones. We've not done too much in the last two weeks as she's had a nasty kick to her hock , thankfully she remained sound but let her off her ridden duties. Hacked out last night for the first time minus boots and apart from our terrible lane (she just picks her way slowly) was happy on the Tarmac to walk and trot .

Right the important bit feet pictures! Trimmer is still giving her an alternative style trim to keep some support to her toes, looks weird but she's sound so we're sticking with weird . He did say he thinks from now on she can start having a more 'normal' trim .

Near fore:

Inside edge and starting to look slightly less bonkers .

Offside fore:

Lots that can still be improved on but for our slow and steady approach, and with her Cushings and not currently being restricted on grass, I'm over the moon how well she's doing .

Frogs still have loads more beefing up to do before they are really doing the job they're there for. Plus we need more concavity and ideally that white line closing up but still I repeat 'sound and happy' and that will do for me!

 

[stencilface]

Great update, some great changes, you must be thrilled


Please will you have a word with my boy and tell him to be sound?

 

[mightymammoth]

great new angle she's growing, you must be pleased.

 

[HufflyPuffly]

Great update, some great changes, you must be thrilled


Please will you have a word with my boy and tell him to be sound?

Yeah super happy with her, especially as literally all I did was remove her shoes!
Oh no, I can try but horses don't tend to listen I've found .

great new angle she's growing, you must be pleased.

I'm so pleased for her, she had a awful year last year, so now I feel we're on track for her to be able to have her semi-retirement in comfort .

 

[FfionWinnie]

Fab. Looks like she's going to grow another (3rd) new angle now she's getting rid of the terrible 1st angle as well!

 

[HashRouge]

Fab. Looks like she's going to grow another (3rd) new angle now she's getting rid of the terrible 1st angle as well!

Yes I saw that! Fascinating feet OP, I love seeing your updates. Nothing wrong with slow and steady if your horse is sound and happy

You may not get much improvement on the white line - my cushings mare looks better at certain times of year but her white line is never especially pretty.

 

[HufflyPuffly]

Fab. Looks like she's going to grow another (3rd) new angle now she's getting rid of the terrible 1st angle as well!

Yes I'd noticed a distinct new 'step', I'm finding it utterly fascinating watching her feet evolve!

Yes I saw that! Fascinating feet OP, I love seeing your updates. Nothing wrong with slow and steady if your horse is sound and happy

You may not get much improvement on the white line - my cushings mare looks better at certain times of year but her white line is never especially pretty.

We're sticking with happy Doodle happy us . No I realise that and I'm suspicious she may always feel her feet a little more too due to the cushings but overall she still seems happier on her feet now.

 

[Boulty]

Can definitely see the progress and clearly working for her if she's sound Keep up the good work!

 

[Goldenstar]

Wonderful photos showing how the angle gradually corrects itself as the foot grows down .
Just wait till eighteen months they will look they belong to a different horse .

 

[ycbm]

Well done you! Sound and happy does it for me, especially in a Cushings horse.

 

[HufflyPuffly]

Can definitely see the progress and clearly working for her if she's sound Keep up the good work!

The outside hoof wall is doing great, just need the underneath to start doing a bit more I think now, but very happy with progress .

Wonderful photos showing how the angle gradually corrects itself as the foot grows down .
Just wait till eighteen months they will look they belong to a different horse .

As this is my first 'rehab' I'll admit I'm surprised the angle is still changing I kinda thought she would just grow it in once , so I'm finding this fascinating! The girls at the yard do think I'm bonkers as they keep finding me on the floor staring at her feet .

Well done you! Sound and happy does it for me, especially in a Cushings horse.

I'm such a fraud I've done very little really , but yes sound and happy and able to still be on the grass for a Cushings pony is just perfect for us .

 

[FfionWinnie]

It will probably change again I should think, probably multiple times. It really shows how much "remedial shoeing" is up against it when it comes to changing angles at least! How could you predict what those feet needed and realistically, why bother when she can do it so well herself.

 

[HufflyPuffly]

It will probably change again I should think, probably multiple times. It really shows how much "remedial shoeing" is up against it! How could you predict what those feet needed and realistically, why bother when she can do it so well herself.

Absolutely she's doing a great job all on her own, and if she wants weird looking feet then so be it .

 

[FfionWinnie]

They can't be any weirder than what you started with.

 

[HufflyPuffly]

I don't know the inside edge of her near fore was/is pretty funky !

 

[ycbm]

I'm such a fraud I've done very little really , but yes sound and happy and able to still be on the grass for a Cushings pony is just perfect for us .

I disagree! You've been open minded and brave and done something people around you said couldn't be done. What better owner could a horse want?

 

[catembi]

They are looking really good! Keep posting pictures - will be very satisfying when the 'slipper' bit has grown out. My ex-racer has been b/f for a year, & it's so interesting.

 

[FfionWinnie]

I don't know the inside edge of her near fore was/is pretty funky !

Have patience woman she's not finished yet! . Plus, is it any funkier than some of the torture devices nailed to horses feet in the name of veterinary approved farriery, I doubt it!

 

[HufflyPuffly]

I disagree! You've been open minded and brave and done something people around you said couldn't be done. What better owner could a horse want?

Ok well yes to that bit , just so surprised at just how much she has done on her own!

They are looking really good! Keep posting pictures - will be very satisfying when the 'slipper' bit has grown out. My ex-racer has been b/f for a year, & it's so interesting.

Yes I can't wait for the slipper to have grown out! I'm so glad I've taken all the pictures to document her progress as it's great to look back on.

Have patience woman she's not finished yet! . Plus, is it any funkier than some of the torture devices nailed to horses feet in the name of veterinary approved farriery, I doubt it!

I'm hoping she might have nice normal feet in another 6-9 months, and lol at the description of remedial shoes .

 

[DD]

well done, keep going. they are looking much better already

 

[HufflyPuffly]

well done, keep going. they are looking much better already

Thank you, I think they're really starting to look stronger and healthier now but intrigued at what else Doodle wants to do with them .

 

[TheSaddleLady]

I don't know what you stated off with but this is really interesting!
What made you 'take the plunge'?
I am toying with the idea to go bf with my boy next year but really have no idea where to start.

 

[Damnation]

I don't know what you stated off with but this is really interesting!
What made you 'take the plunge'?
I am toying with the idea to go bf with my boy next year but really have no idea where to start.

I was going to say, you don't happen to have any old shod pics of her do you Alex? I'd just be curious to see! My girl has been barefoot about 10 - 11 months (All her shoes fell off so I left them off, bit of a cop out really!), and I am slowly trying to educate myself on what I should be achieving. I think a before and now would be fascinating!

 

[HufflyPuffly]

I don't know what you stated off with but this is really interesting!
What made you 'take the plunge'?
I am toying with the idea to go bf with my boy next year but really have no idea where to start.

So I had tried taking her shoes off a few years ago and she was crippled, lasted a few weeks and I gave in and put them back on. Roll on a couple of years and a vet change who suggested testing for Cushings due to slight hoof sensitivity, barefoot friendly diet then started with the positive diagnosis as well as medication. Then last year she had a field injury which resulted in a lot of box rest and the use of heartbar wedges for six months. Wedges caused an abscess in Jan of this year and I said enough and had both shoes pulled against the wishes of the vet and farrier.

My view was that the injury she had the wedges on for was now healed and the wedges were causing the on/off lameness due to changing her hoof balance. She had terrible feet, long toes, contracted heels, medio-lateral imbalance and one foot bigger than the other (not sure we'll change the last two mind), and I figured she'd spent the past 20+ years compenstating with shoes and when we changed the balance it tipped her over the edge of what she could manage.

She went from lame in shoes to sound on the smooth almost instantly (well after the abscess had bogged off).

For me the starting point was diet and tackling her metabolic issues, if they have internal issues no amount of correct feed and work will make any difference. On medication and a good diet she is coping without shoes, which after the last time I tried is a massive deal . Plus lots of reading up on the subject, I am now a hoof nerd .

I was going to say, you don't happen to have any old shod pics of her do you Alex? I'd just be curious to see! My girl has been barefoot about 10 - 11 months (All her shoes fell off so I left them off, bit of a cop out really!), and I am slowly trying to educate myself on what I should be achieving. I think a before and now would be fascinating!

Slapped wrist but because she was in the midst of abscess-gate I don't have any true before pics . These are the best I can do.

Near fore and her injured leg:
Before

Currently:

Sole during abscess-gate, we didn't dig those holes they were what was lurking under the shoe and what came away during polticing , but it is after her toes were trimmed back.

Now

Before:

Now

Off side:
Before

Currently:

Before

Now

Before

Now

The sole shots are slightly misleading as her frogs look better in person , but they still need to widen more! However the depth of her digital cushion and width of her heels I think is substantially better, and obviously the hoof angle is so much better!

 

[JillA]

What if anything are you doing about her collapsed heels? This is our problem (apart from thin soles) and my trimmer suggest walking on the road in his boots and pads. But it is taking our lives in our hands with the traffic on this road so really hardly practical - any other ideas how to beef up those heels and frogs?

 

[HufflyPuffly]

What if anything are you doing about her collapsed heels? This is our problem (apart from thin soles) and my trimmer suggest walking on the road in his boots and pads. But it is taking our lives in our hands with the traffic on this road so really hardly practical - any other ideas how to beef up those heels and frogs?

Working on a variety of surfaces at first in boots and now bare to stimulate the feet. Is there anyway you can get to other hard smooth ground, as really this is the best to stimulate.

However we haven't done a lot of this work as partly I'm time restricted and partly she's semi-retired so we've mainly relied on turnout to help stimulate her feet, we pray for dry weather . So Doodle's slow progress in this aspect is because she's not doing enough on a different surfaces, but slow and steady is ok for her as I'm happy to give her as much time as she wants, if she was the only horse I rode or she was younger I'd probably try and do more with her more frequently.

 

[ycbm]

Beefing up the back of the foot without miles on roads is more difficult, but it can be hugely helped by bedding the stable four inches deep in pea gravel (round grit of less than 10mm diameter) and by penning in a pea gravel or scalpings/road planings pen, and by leading them round on a small surface for ten minutes a day or twice a day even if the circle is tiny. Hope that helps people.



Alex don't fret too much about the frog width. I have one I'm two years in with who has frogs no better than yours but he's absolutely rock crunching. I used to worry about them a lot and then realised there just wasn't any point!

 

[Goldenstar]

Yes the frog thing is interesting .
Tatts does BF with no effort on my part .
He tough and sound but he does not have impressive frogs in front ,he does behind .
I have never worked out why .

 

[HufflyPuffly]

Beefing up the back of the foot without miles on roads is more difficult, but it can be hugely helped by bedding the stable four inches deep in pea gravel (round grit of less than 10mm diameter) and by penning in a pea gravel or scalpings/road planings pen, and by leading them round on a small surface for ten minutes a day or twice a day even if the circle is tiny. Hope that helps people.


Alex don't fret too much about the frog width. I have one I'm two years in with who has frogs no better than yours but he's absolutely rock crunching. I used to worry about them a lot and then realised there just wasn't any point!

Interesting thank you for that, as I have been quite concerned with the lack of beefing up! Her frogs are improving as the central sulcus has opened up and is much shallower now. Will try not to worry quite so much now .

Yes the frog thing is interesting .
Tatts does BF with no effort on my part .
He tough and sound but he does not have impressive frogs in front ,he does behind .
I have never worked out why .

Ah I'm glad I'm not the only one with dissapointing frogs then , I keep trying to remind myself that if shes sound and happy then that's all I can ask!

 

[Damnation]

Wow when you see those pictures side by side you can really see the angle difference now! No wonder she was going lame - you definately did the right thing despite vet and farrier

It goes to show that our horses do alot of compensating when we are trying to make them a shape they shouldn't be.

Bet you can't wait for that list bit of "bad angle" to grow out on her toes!