a bit of a challenge to barefoot specialists.. help

[cptrayes]

Thanks everyone for giving me your tuppeneth.

Can I also ask whether any of you have had long term success (ie continued riding your competitively) for more than 2 years after going barefoot. I'm trying to myth bust here as Ive been told horses invariably go wrong again after a couple of years of being barefoot.

My first barefooter is still barefoot after six years. My current horses have been barefoot two years and four years. This horse has been doing this for two years, plus all the work to keep him fit to do it. I think he would be unsound by now if he was going to be:

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_IaGqwoQlnmA/TOvlktjYQHI/AAAAAAAAAqg/NHHYx77wYNo/s1600/Coming+Down+WR.jpg


I will also answer for Nic Barker, Rockly Farm, that two of her horses have routinely been clocking up hundreds of miles on rough Exmoor tracks out hunting for six seasons and several others for five, four, three and two years.


ps please stop using my forename in your posts replying to mine.

 

[brucea]

Can I also ask whether any of you have had long term success (ie continued riding your competitively) for more than 2 years after going barefoot. I'm trying to myth bust here as Ive been told horses invariably go wrong again after a couple of years of being barefoot.

Mine certainly are and are much much better after 4 years barefoot than they ever were shod....but the picture is never simple and I'm not sure that I will ever understand it.

What does happen is that because their feet are on the ground with much better circulation, problems such as low grade laminitis tend to appear much sooner and the symptoms much clearer. 2 years is about the time that most folks might just start to breath easy and think the problem is solved - but the problem of a metabolically sensitive horse is never really solved - that's when things can go wrong.

One of my 4 had a dreadful year after about 18-20 months of really great rock stomping barefoot. When we x-rayed there were significant bony changes in the foot and the pedal bone had thrown out "outriggers" - he was lame and there were obvious changes happening in his feet. This was the one who had massive decontraction of the back of his foot. after the shoes came off.

The picture below is at the 6 month point - the shoe and the hoof it came off -I think bony changes take a lot longer and it was about the 18 months that they started. I've watched them progress first in his right, then in the left, both feet abscessed, both feet got better and sound again. I x-ray every year in the Christmas holidays - just to see the progress.

Lucy said barefoot is simple - really it is simple, but each horse has their own story and there are always surprises.

Taking the shoes off my laminitics was the best thing I ever did for them.

 

[AndySpooner]

Barefoot is very simple. Its the peeps that make it complicated.

If soles are soft then diet is a common cause. A healthy hoof can take any amount of slush and stay good.

Horses are like people. Some can put up with more junk food than others.

De sugar the diet, take it back to plain hay as much as possible. Feed just enough bucket feed to supply vits and mins (Kwik Beet with a good supplement would do). Avoid 'bagged and packaged' feeds as they often contain cheap fillers, additives and sugar (disguised with fancy names).

With the bacteria in the cecum in good balance the horse will be getting plenty of VFA to keep on the condition and provide energy. For very hard working horses you can either add more calories with something like micronised linseed.

All horses can grow a good foot, some take longer than others. There is no mystery and you don't need special facilities.

Diet and appropriate exercise. If you can work your horse five times a week this goal should be attainable. Hills or no.

You might find it helpful to have hands on advice from someone with considerable experience. I haven't clocked which part of the country you are from, but if you want to pm me I might know someone that could help if you are interested.

Considering where you are now, I would certainly take this advice and get on with it.

 

[crunchie1]

Equicasts back on ?

 

[mrussell]

Equicasts back on ?

Farrier is out today for a look at the wee fella. The pink marks on his walls are subsiding nicely but ideally I would like him to move into Cyteks to thicken his soles and take the load off of his hoof walls as a half way house. I'm reluctant to go back to hoof casts until I know more about what he needs. I cant help but think the casts are not meant to be a long term solution and may do more damage than good.

Since starting this thread Ive had some quite wonderful advice from some lovely people...many of whom have the same constraints on both time and facililites. One lady in particular has been really helpful and I thank her for yesterdays email... she will know who she is !

I will let you know how he goes....

Merry Christmas everyone and a sound new year to you all xx

 

[crunchie1]

Farrier is out today for a look at the wee fella. The pink marks on his walls are subsiding nicely but ideally I would like him to move into Cyteks to thicken his soles and take the load off of his hoof walls as a half way house. I'm reluctant to go back to hoof casts until I know more about what he needs. I cant help but think the casts are not meant to be a long term solution and may do more damage than good.

Since starting this thread Ive had some quite wonderful advice from some lovely people...many of whom have the same constraints on both time and facililites. One lady in particular has been really helpful and I thank her for yesterdays email... she will know who she is !

I will let you know how he goes....

Merry Christmas everyone and a sound new year to you all xx

I have had fantastic success with equicasts on several very different horses, one whose heels very worse than non existant who now has lovely heels ALL thanks to equicasts (and my excellent farrier, of course !)

I am a firm believer that horses feet tell us what they need - if they are sound without shoes, if they are lame without shoes but sound with, if equicasts help them out ..

I would urge you to think very carefully about Cytek shoeing (waits for the rumbling to commence .. !!) and do plenty of research, speak to farriers about it (Cytek and non-cytek farriers), look on the internet etc etc.

Good luck with what ever you decide to do

 

[mrussell]

I would urge you to think very carefully about Cytek shoeing (waits for the rumbling to commence .. !!) and do plenty of research, speak to farriers about it (Cytek and non-cytek farriers), look on the internet etc etc.

Good luck with what ever you decide to do

Thankyou, all Good Luck vibes gratefully received !

I have 2 horses in Cyteks... one who is 18 who was diagnosed with Navicular syndrome and arthritic spurs 7 years ago and one who ruptured a tendon out eventing and then developed hock spavins whilst on box rest. Both have been "saved" by Cyteks after the might of Newmarket failed to find a way of shoeing them to ease their problems. My old boy should have been PTS at 11 if the "conventional" approach had been taken. Bob was tried in Cyteks when he developed spavins and hasnt looked back.

We did try to revert to traditional shoes but he told us loud and clear that he was happy in the Cyteks.

I am blessed with a superb farrier... as with all things its the trimming and the fitting that counts.