Advice on sore feet please!

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FionaM12

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Mollie had her feet trimmed two days ago. Today I'm at work (until tomorrow pm) and the girl who looks after Mollie says her soles look "swollen and spongy".

It won't be the first time she's been footsore a few days after a trim. I've asked the farrier to take the minimum off but it sounds like it's happened again.

Any advice please? Anything I can do to ease it other than rest?

I might not be able to respond to replies as am at work. ;)
 
I went through this with my barefoot highland. The farrier was being a bit heavy handed with the trimming and leaving my boy footsore for up to a week after a trim, which isn't good enough IMO.

It got to the point where we had to have what my OH calls a "deep and meaningful" conversation to re-align our understanding of the pony's needs and I've not had an issue since. I made a point of being there when he was trimmed and made bloomin' sure only an absolute minimum was done. Try to make sure you're there next time to watch what's going on.
 
I've been having a similar problem, except with mine his soles are thin and sensitive. I have had him on a low sugar/starch diet for years, that is the first change to make if you haven't already. And I have been reading up (thanks to a few posters on here) on the Rockley Farm blog, regarding self trimming - I am only going to have mine trimmed if his start to crack, and instruct my farrier (eek, he is a "I know best" chap) not under any circumstances to trim away any sole or frog.
But yours sounds as though he may have an infection - hopefully someone else who knows more will tell you more than I can. I do know there are several products for thrush or similar infections.
 
Go down the self-trimming route if your horse has good feet, its a win,win situation, better for your horse and better for your pocket!
My cob sees a farrier or trimmer, (whoever is around), about once a year, they take a look, marvel at how good his feet are, and the job's done.
You do need to dedicate a bit of time to keeping the hooves in good shape though, I do this by doing about 15 miles of roadwork a week and tidying up any chips as I go along.
Hope your horse recovers soon and it is just down to an over-enthusiastic trim. :)
 
FionaM12 said:
Thank you Hollybear. :) I don't know if I'd have the confidence to self-trim though. :redface3:
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my two girls trim their selves.....farrier just looks at them every 5 weeks when he shoes the tb and just leaves them. had shoes off nearly 16months ago and they haven't had one trim.
 
FionaM12 said:
I was there and did ask him to do the absolute minimum as he left her footsore once before. Sigh.
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So twice footsore after farrier trim. I'd have to be looking for another hoof care person, farrier or trimmer. Preferably one who comes recommended - whereabouts are you?
 
FionaM12 said:
Thank you Hollybear. :) I don't know if I'd have the confidence to self-trim though. :redface3:
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I dont actually do any trimming FionaM12, the roadwork keeps his feet short and the right shape for his conformation, all I do is smooth off any chips, its dead easy! :)
 
FionaM12 said:
Thank you Hollybear. :) I don't know if I'd have the confidence to self-trim though. :redface3:
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Self trim refers to the horse, not you ;) The premise is that given the right surfaces they will wear their own foot down to the optimum size and shape for their conformation - you might just need to knock off any corners of chips to avoid them breaking. I have a Surform rasp from a DIY shop :)
 
JillA said:
Self trim refers to the horse, not you ;) The premise is that given the right surfaces they will wear their own foot down to the optimum size and shape for their conformation - you might just need to knock off any corners of chips to avoid them breaking. I have a Surform rasp from a DIY shop :)
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hollybear said:
I dont actually do any trimming FionaM12, the roadwork keeps his feet short and the right shape for his conformation, all I do is smooth off any chips, its dead easy! :)
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:redface3: Ah, I see!

We don't do much road work, due to me having lost my nerve riding her on roads and not really having a buddy to hack out with. :( There are a few on the yard who've offered to come with me, but our working hours aren't very compatible.

I hadn't had Moll for nearly three months, and her feet only looked very slightly long. He didn't appear to take much off, but obviously it was still too much. Also he trims the frog back, I'll have to ask him not to do that. I'm worried he'll think I'm telling him his job.
 
FionaM12 said:
Thanks, I'll get one of those. She rarely chips her hooves, they seem quite tough, but I think her soles are quite sensitive.
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I was thinking if you decided to reduce the trim interval or stop for a while.

If her soles are sensitive you need to be sure they (and frogs)aren't being trimmed. Regular trimming of soles and frogs causes a lot of unnecessary soreness in barefoot horses. Both sole and frog need to be allowed to grow thick and form a protective callous. It's the horses main protection on tough surfaces. It's a bit like if we went around barefoot, our soles would get thick and hard, have a pedicure that removes the callous and we couldn't walk happily barefoot on stones or hard ground for a while.
 
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