Advice - Barefoot rehab at livery yard

Busybusybusy

Busybusybusy

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www.racehorsetoridinghorse.blogspot.co.uk
Can anyone advise me as to how to go about carrying out barefoot rehab at the livery yard that I keep my horse at?

Paddy is currently lame with problems in the navicular area. He has been nerve blocked and came sound when the navicular bursa area was blocked. On x-rays the navicular bones look ok, as do the coffin bones. He is only lame on the right fore. He has had a steroid injection into the area and his lameness has reduced. He is due for a further steroid injection this coming Friday.

Diet wise he is on unmollassed hifi, unmollassed sugar beet, micronised linseed, pro hoof and glucosamine and ad lib hay.

He is currently shod but I have now carried out a lot of research regarding going barefoot and am now convinced that this is the route I am going to take. I would have liked to explore the possibility of him going to Rockley however my vet was vehemently against barefoot when I broached the subject, saying "absolutely no way", so I can't imagine ever getting a referral agreed, therefore am exploring the possibilities of rehabbing him myself.

I have a trimmer/farrier coming to assess his feet at the end of the month and will probably get his shoes removed then. I will also get his feet measured for boots at the same time.

At the yard he is currently turned out in an individual paddock that does not have much grass, but has hay in the field - not that he eats much hay when he's out during the day and stabled at night.

I have access to a long concrete road, areas of small road scalpings, grass & dirt tracks and an arena with a sand/rubber surface plus the paddock which is fairly well draining.

I am happy to take it slowly and lead him out in hand if this is what it will take initially.

I would be grateful for any advice, tips, what to look out for, how best to go about this etc.

Thank you :)
 
Hi there, I've not really got much advice as I'm only just starting out with barefoot myself but I wanted to reply.

Sounds as though you are pretty well prepared and that you have reasonable facilities for a livery yard set up.
 
You can change your vet and find one that will refer you to Rockley. A friend of mine did this when her vet refused.

Your diet is good, just check that pro hoof has yeast in, and if not I would also feed yeast.

Your facilities sound good. Start by walking him in hand on all the surfaces he can cope with. When he is sound in walk and has a heel first or flat landing, do the same ridden. Do as many miles as he can cope with and don't leave more than one day in between bouts of exercise, no matter what. It is the regular work that fixes things. You'll get cold and you'll get wet but he'll get better. Keep that up, and watch in awe as his feet change :D

Check my blog below from October 14th last year for the day to day work and changes of a horse with a very similar diagnosis who had been lame for 4 years and is now sound, touch wood.


Good luck, let us know how it goes.
 
Busybusybusy said:
Can anyone advise me as to how to go about carrying out barefoot rehab at the livery yard that I keep my horse at?

He is currently shod but I have now carried out a lot of research regarding going barefoot and am now convinced that this is the route I am going to take. I would have liked to explore the possibility of him going to Rockley however my vet was vehemently against barefoot when I broached the subject, saying "absolutely no way", so I can't imagine ever getting a referral agreed, therefore am exploring the possibilities of rehabbing him mysel
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BEWARE!

I don't want to get into the pros and cons of barefoot trimming but I do have to give a word of warning about insurance....

If your vet has said "absolutely no way" and you go ahead you may have problems with your insurance company if/when it comes to a claim.Even if you change your vet, you (or the new vet) may be asked if you have ever been advised not to go barefoot and you or the vet may be committing an offence of fraud if you or he/she lie about it. I was warned about this when I asked for advice about letting my companion mare go unshod when she was diagnosed with CBD.
 
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Luckily this particular vet in question is leaving the practice at the end of the month, I am then going to present with all the articles that I have found & printed off for the main vet at the practice to read!

CPTrayes - I have already read your blog which inspired me to think that I could probably rehab him myself - will draft in some help with his rehab as I work Monday to Thursday and on those days it is pitch black when I do him in the morning and evening. Am I right from what you said that even if he gets 'footy' just to keep going? I understand that when the blood starts flowing better and the feeling starts to come back they can appear to take a step backwards? Also how long would you think is appropriate to walk him round for initially, and what should I build it up to before I do the same ridden? I am also feeding him steady up from feed mark, should I still add in yeast & if so, how much? The pro hoof has yeassac in it, is this another name for yeast or something entirely different?

Sorry for all the questions! :confused:
 
He will dictate to you what can/ can't do, just listen to him.

If gravel hurts and he is hesitant, leave it a bit.

There is no point making him do things that are really uncomfortable as he will get bruising and it will put you back a stage.

Peejs shoes all fell off (in one day) at the start of July and we are now upto 1.5hr or so a week of walk and trotting roadwork with no boots.

I did not go down the special food route as he is a sensitive soul and hard to keep in good nick! I bought some boots and did lead him about in them a bit but felt very self conscious riding in them so don't.

Just be sensible and respect your horse and going barefoot is easy!! Just takes time :)

v x
 
I did have a barefoot trimmer out but she absolutely crippled him (I think this was just a bad egg not a reflection of trimmers!).

Previous to going naked he was shod every 4 weeks religiously (he is an ex-racer).

Since going naked the change in angle of his hoof is incredible!! As is the height of the heel is has been able to grow.

He hasn't seen a foot person since Mid July (farrier checks him every time he is up) as with the road work he seems to keep his feet neat and tidy.

v x
 
He sounds like the sort of horse who will absolutely flourish without shoes! My sister's horse went to Rockley after a navicular diagnosis and even though we were hopeful, we could never have imagined what a good move it would be!! I'm sure Nic would be happy to give you advice, so I'd certainly get in touch with her even if you don't plan on sending your boy to Rockley. She's very generous with her time and really knows her stuff!
The best advice I can give is to take things slowly and let your horse dictate the pace. You will be able to tell what he is happy with and what he isn't, and don't push him to do more than he can or on surfaces that he struggles with. It will take time - my sister's boy had a week or so where he really really struggled and we worried like crazy, but they do get there, given time and patience. Good luck :)
 
Busybusybusy said:
Am I right from what you said that even if he gets 'footy' just to keep going?
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It reads that way but it's not what I meant. If he is footie, don't work him on surfaces that he is uncomfortable on, or use boots. But if he starts out stiff from the soft tissue damage inside his foot, work him in walk anyway, in hand if necessary. These injuries form adhesions, which must be kept apart to heal, and the work does that. If they get stuck, then they cause even more trouble.

I understand that when the blood starts flowing better and the feeling starts to come back they can appear to take a step backwards?
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This is common, don't panic if it happens.

Also how long would you think is appropriate to walk him round for initially, and what should I build it up to before I do the same ridden?
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20 minutes at first, build it up as quickly as he seems able to take it to an hour. More than an hour isn't necessary but if he's happy and you want to do it, then do. It took me a month, I think, to build from 20 minutes walk to an hour's walk.

I am also feeding him steady up from feed mark, should I still add in yeast & if so, how much? The pro hoof has yeassac in it, is this another name for yeast or something entirely different?

Sorry for all the questions! :confused:
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yea sacc is a live yeast and you don't need any more if you are feeding a supplement with it in.

If not, I would feed brewers yeast at 50g a day (it's a dead yeast so you need more), or yea sacc at 15g a day.
 
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Thankyou for all your advice :)

I checked again the ingredients of pro hoof & steady up and he is getting enough yeast so will not need to add any.

Is it a good idea to get boots straight or wait a while? as I understand that his hooves may change quite a bit. I also read that having boots with pads can stimulate their frogs etc in the early stages of going bare foot.
 
Be guided by your horse BBB- he may or may not need boots, and you may or may not want to put them on him to go for a hack or 'do a bit more' than he is able to bare.

I bought boots right away because I didn't want to be confined to barracks and don't have the facilities to walk my boy in hand enough- we have minimal concrete and LOTS of stony tracks- mile walk on stony track just to get to flat tarmac road- so it wasn't an option for me really not to have boots.

My lad was also quite new to me (had him 3 months when his shoes came off!) and I didn't know him well enough, and didn't have the confidence to give him a couple of months off ridden work and risk him 'going loopy' when I got back on.

I think it's a personal/individual horse thing really- if you're not going to be riding, and have enough 'comfortable' surfaces to hand to work him in hand enough to 'condition' his feet, you may well not need boots.

Oh, and YES, his feet will change shape rapidly and massively once his shoes are off- My lads boots still fit *just* after 8 weeks, but without pads they really don't fit like they did when I bought them!
 
Update on Paddy's progress;

Bad news & good news

Paddy had another steroid injection into the bursa 2 weeks ago and the vet came today to review him and he's still Lame - better than he was, but still nodding when trotted up. I think i was hoping that he would make some miraculous recovery!

Couldn't lunge him as we have snow & ice everywhere. We then discussed where to go from here and I managed to put the case for paddy trying barefoot coherently enough for the vet to agree that it was worth a try. Gave him Nic Barker's number & they made contact - the good news is that paddy is going to Rockley, hopefully at the end of February. I was dreading the conversation with the vet as I absolutely hate confrontation, given our last conversation about barefoot, but he totally surprised me & I am so relieved!!

The farrier is coming out to look at Paddy's feet & we will decide whether to reshoe until he goes to Rockley or whether just to take his shoes off.

After all this, I was on my way to get paddy some more linseed and as I was going along a road, a lady pulled out of a side road into my path and I crashed into her - both cars un-drivable. Luckily the fleet management people were very efficient & sorted out a tow truck & courtesy car very quickly, but still managed to have to spend 2 hours on the side of the road waiting for them to arrive & it was very, very cold!!

The lady who caused the crash said she hoped that she would get a similar car to hers as a courtesy car - hers was a Daimler!!!! Mmmmmm- highly unlikely!!

When the chap bought my courtesy car, he did wonder out loud about how I was going to get all my c**p into the back of such a small car - I did manage to be slightly embarrassed by the bags of carrots, bucket of sugar beet (to stop it freezing), chaps, spare coats, riding hats etc. etc.... :D
 
Wonderful, I'll look out for him on the Rockley blog. He'll be their second Paddy, they had a grey one last year.

Well done on the job you did with your vet!!!

Commiserations on the smash :(

ps I'd love to b there to see her face when they turn up with a Peugot 106 with logos of the car repair company all over it :D
 
Great news about Rockley - lousy news about your car :(.

If it makes you feel any better, I had the lecture from hubby tonight about the state of my car and the amount of crap in it - and my horses are at home so I dont even have the excuse that I'm taking things to the yard :o.

My boys shoes have been off now for just over 13 months. The change in him, not just his feet, is amazing :D. I bought cheap second hand Cavallos till his feet settled down. I started with size 4's, went down to size 3's, back up to size 4's and now I will either need size 5's or probably just no boots as he hasnt had them on now for months :D. If you buy them second hand off ebay, you will have no bother getting your money back on them when you come to sell them on if he changes shape. I dont think Rockley use boots though when they are rehabbing horses??
 
I am so pleased that he is able to go to Rockley. I was going to do the rehab myself, but I know that I would be worrying all the time about whether I was doing it correctly, so it's a huge relief. Luckily at the yard where I keep him there are lots of varied surfaces, so hopefully I should be able to continue with the work effectively enough when he comes home.

The cars a bit of a mess, but its a lease car as I work for the NHS so luckily I don't need to worry too much about it. The lease is also up for renewal so I might end up with a shiny brand new car instead :)

cptrayes said:
ps I'd love to b there to see her face when they turn up with a Peugot 106 with logos of the car repair company all over it :D
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I know - quite a dent to her ego!! She said she had her foot on the break, so how she managed to travel forwards straight into my path is obviously down to the pixies!!
I did feel sorry for her though, she must have been about 90, was very shaken up, had recently lost her husband and had only moved house 5 days ago!
Luckily no one was hurt (apart from a stiff neck & shoulders - ibuprofen & a long hot soak in the tub has helped this!) and cars can be mended.
 
Glad you got things sorted out for your Paddy - you are obviously pretty persuasive and managed the vet situation excellently :)

Bad news about the car, but glad you and the other lady are both OK - it is horrible driving weather and if it wasn't for hungry horses, staying at home would be a far safer option!

(The inside of my car is shocking, it's only a few years old and I've had it from new... Fiat Pandas were not designed to carry bales of hay).
 
Skippys Mum said:
I dont think Rockley use boots though when they are rehabbing horses??
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No boots at Rockley because of their track system. No horse ever has to walk on a surface that it's uncomfortable on for more than a few seconds. That's why it works so brilliantly. I wish I could build one, I'm so jealous of it. When I do a rehab I'm out walking it on the roads on the lead like a puppy if it's struggling with poor surfaces!
 
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