Any Tips on how to help sore feet on frosty ground?

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LR2904

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So just the start of the frosty ground and my wee Welshie has already got such sore feet she is struggling :(

Unsure what to do? any tips on how to help her?

Someone has suggested packing feet with cotton wool and wrapping in vet wrap for turnout, anyone tried this?
 
Is this the same pony you are feeding molassed chaff to?

http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/foru...r-Vinegar-amp-Garlic-Dry-Out-Horses-Skin-Coat

I would cut out all the feed as it probably has low grade laminitis heading towards a full blown attack from having a totally unsuitable diet, for now I would not turn out while the ground is hard, putting padding on will mask the symptoms but not cure the issue.

Forgot to mention the garlic that can cause many digestive issues.
 
LR2904 said:
Issue with keeping in is she is a wind sucker and becomes stressed
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Windsucking/ cribbing, being stressed are often a sign of ulcers yet you are feeding a very poor diet for the possibility that she may have ulcers and laminitis, you need to take both extremely seriously, you have not responded to my suggestion that her diet is totally wrong and will be potentially damaging her feet and stomach, I don't want to sound harsh but please stop feeding this pony so much sugar that is not required and garlic that will upset her guts, it really is not good for her nor is turning her out on hard ground when she is sore.
 
She has always been fed on that chaff and never had any issues, the quantity she gets is about a handful mixed through her high fibre cubes! I do not feel this is a high sugar diet as only fed this once a day! She is regularly vet checked and they have advised nothing wrong with diet etc
 
LR2904 said:
She has always been fed on that chaff and never had any issues, the quantity she gets is about a handful mixed through her high fibre cubes! I do not feel this is a high sugar diet as only fed this once a day! She is regularly vet checked and they have advised nothing wrong with diet etc
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Your vet is not likely to be a nutritionist and just because she has been sound until now does not mean it is not the handful of feed that is tipping her over combined with the garlic interfering with her digestion, in experiments laminitis has been induced with just a few polos, many people have had issues with an apple or two being added to a diet or a handful of alfalfa causing footiness, in small ponies that may have metabolic issues even the tiniest amount of something unsuitable can give them laminitis, foot balance is equally important to keep on top of.

Recognising the first signs of laminitis can mean the difference between managing it appropriately so it never becomes a full blown attack and having to deal with months of box rest if it does, your pony is in obvious pain on hard ground it is just less painful on a smooth or soft surface so does not show up so obviously.
 
You need to take this much more seriously. Horses dont get sore feet from hard ground unless there is an underlying issue. That issue in your pony is almost certainly laminitis.

A month ago mine was completely fine and now hes in the middle of an actute laminitis attack which was picked up and treated immediately, still deteriorated and may well end in him being PTS as he not responding as he should be.

In case I wasnt clear enough horses die from laminitis. Normal horses like your horse. Please dont risk that happening to yours
 
High Fibre Cubes are around 15% starch plus sugar of around 4.5% - along with the mollassed apple chaff, probably too much sugar and starch.

If you are sure it is frosted ground, I would invest in hoof boots, plus get the horse off apple chaff and high fibre cubes - why are you feeding your horse? Is it to get good quality minerals down, or just because everyone else gets fed?
 
Why are you on here asking for advice and then clearly ignoring it? People are taking the time to give you sound advice, something which you dont want to listen to!
 
ponypatters said:
Perhaps try some hoof boots (Cavallo good for first timers) when hard/frosty and diet change will help, but does take some considerable time for that to filter down :) good luck !
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It doesn't take much time for a change of diet to affect the feet if the problem is laminitis. Most horses will be noticeable better within two days ime, if they are on the very early stages of laminitis. Unless they are PPID and/or IR.

OP has the pony been tested for metabolic issues?

Please listen to the diet advice. A Welsh pony should not need any bucket food, and if it does then what you are feeding is a foot disaster zone.

PS so sorry to hear that FC :( Especially as its quite probably a legacy from that bad livery yard that let him get so fat :( :( :(
 
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Treat as a lami. Swap out the chaff for Happy Hoof, no need for the cubes and you can add balancer / Vit & Mins if needed.

I would thenask the farrier to look at your horse's feet incase of Lami.
 
a horse that suddenly becomes sore from walking on the same surface is not normal and hard frosty ground should definitely not make the pony footy, which would indicate something is wrong it really could be low grade laminitis as others have already mentioned, I wouldn't ignore it laminitis is a horrible condition and having a full blown attack can be prevented if caught early, one way to be sure is get her off the grass for a few days and see if it improves and then you will know if it's the grass causing it.
 
Damnation said:
Treat as a lami. Swap out the chaff for Happy Hoof, no need for the cubes and you can add balancer / Vit & Mins if needed.

I would thenask the farrier to look at your horse's feet incase of Lami.
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Happy hoof is not ideal, it may be better than what the pony is currently on but still has added molasses, there are several unmolassed options that would be more suitable.
 
I agree sounds like laminitis low grade so treat for that . May also be worth a vet coming out to X-ray feet only and check to see if there is any rotation as well.
 
LR2904 said:
She has always been fed on that chaff and never had any issues, the quantity she gets is about a handful mixed through her high fibre cubes! I do not feel this is a high sugar diet as only fed this once a day! She is regularly vet checked and they have advised nothing wrong with diet etc
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Never had any issues other than upset guts and low grade laminitis?

Those are quite big issues for a small pony.

I've got 5 ponies living out and working hard on frosty ground with no shoes on, and none of them are in the least bit footy. There is something wrong with your pony, diet is number 1 cause.
 
FrankieCob said:
You need to take this much more seriously. Horses dont get sore feet from hard ground unless there is an underlying issue.
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This^^

There are boots with pads available that will help make the pony comfortable, various online shops (e.g. the Saddlery Shop) will advise on the best ones. You need to find and treat the cause though. Laminitis is the most likely, it could also be something like bad thrush or very thin soles (which are both also commonly caused by incorrect diet).
 
Is supplemental hay or haylage being fed in the field? If not then I would as frost can cause sugar spikes in the grass and so it is advised to provide alternative forage alongside to limit intake (or turn out a little later in the day) to reduce laminitis risk. I'd also look at feeding unmollassed feed if not already (speedibeet and the like is a good high fibre, low sugar option, just check there's no molasses added). Is the ground very rutted as well as being frosty as if so this may not be helping and in which case is there a less rutted field the horse could be tried in to see if this improves comfort? (May be tempted to have a lameness workup done if it's uneven ground that's the issue tbh as could be an indicator of something brewing). I will admit my Welsh beast does not enjoy ground with deep ruts frozen into it but he does have sidebone and several other issues besides and he's fine on bog standard frozen ground as long as it's free of big ruts
 
windsucking will not kill your horse, lami might ! it's not normal for a welsh pony to be footy on hard ground, or any horse for that matter. All he needs is hay and some vitamins. Please don't disgard these warning signs, you may not get another chance !
 
Either you stable on soft ground, bute or put shoes/boots on . If the horse is sore it needs treatment of some form.
 
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