Another pottery barefooter here..

[starry23]

Are others having problems too?

My mare is/was "recovering" from ligament damage and has been barefoot since her injury and was doing really, really well (looked sound) until a couple of weeks ago (back to being 3-4/10ths lame again). The mud has just been getting worse and worse (we're in Glasgow - lots of rain) and she just seemed depressed and sore. Then we had a few days of nice weather and the field started to dry up and she cheered up a good bit. Sunday morning and we are back to square one again. Depressed, pottery on her feet, wouldn't pick feet up, off her food (very unlike her) and just not herself. A new horse went in the field on Saturday night and I think she was just being chased around a bit and is now tired and sore but I am worried there are other underlying issues now.

She is out 24/7 (unfortunately YM keeps insisting they get a bale of hay in the field which was fine when the mud was bad and the grass wasn't there but the grass is now growing and they are still getting hay, my reasoning seems to be falling on deaf ears). She gets a handful of Lucie Fibre cubes (which she has always been fine on) to get some forage plus balancer in her if she'll eat it but I can't do any work with her.

I'm worried because if she ends up with laminitis too then that will be the end of the road for her. I cannot afford to stable her 24/7 now after her original injury wiped my bank account totally out and this is really the last chance, she hates being stuck in and I always said that if she couldn't cope out in a field then that was the end. I suppose I'm worried that I'm going to have to make a horrible decision sooner than I had hoped/expected

 

[Fransurrey]

The situation you have is totally manageable without impacting the other horse. Muzzle yours for the daylight hours and make the hole slightly bigger, if she cannot eat the hay with the standard hole. It does sound like grass is your issue. Alternative is that if there is a stable, bring her in during the day and give her a net of soaked hay. For ridden work, I'd get some hoof boots.

 

[starry23]

The situation you have is totally manageable without impacting the other horse. Muzzle yours for the daylight hours and make the hole slightly bigger, if she cannot eat the hay with the standard hole. It does sound like grass is your issue. Alternative is that if there is a stable, bring her in during the day and give her a net of soaked hay. For ridden work, I'd get some hoof boots.

I was actually wondering if muzzling her would be worth a shot. She is very down though, I'm going to feel quite guilty putting it on her when she is quite depressed already. It is certainly worth a shot though and if it helps her feel better in herself it'll be worth it, I've not got anything to lose by it. I don't have a stable I can use unfortunately. She can't be ridden again because of her injury. Thanks

 

[Fransurrey]

This is how I manage my EMS pony if I want him completely off grass but in a bare paddock. As soon as hay goes down, he tucks right in, so I'd give it a go.