Bare behind - how long does it take?

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Abacus

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My horse has, for the last 2 to 3 months, refused to pick up one back foot. There's no lameness reason as far as we can tell, although it is very likely pain related (have vets coming out next week). He is quite happy and sound in the school. Because of the foot, we can't get back shoes on and have left him barefoot. He is still footy on the stones although he seems ok in the field and school. I have switched him onto low-sugar feed (unfortunately couldn't do it before his shoes came off, as we didn't know then that he wouldn't let us put them on again). Just wondered how long it will take for him to feel more comfortable, as it is limiting his hacking for my poor long-suffering loaner - it's very flinty all around us. Thanks.
 
I can't agree more. But there are two issues: whatever is causing him to stop picking his foot up, and the sore feet (the former happened before his back shoes came off). I just wanted to know how long footiness usually lasts - haven't tried this barefoot lark before.
 
Mine took four months to stop being footy behind. I think it was a case of getting his diet right. Yea sacc and micronised linseed seemed to be what finally sorted it
 
Does he have thrush in that frog or gravel in the white line, or a puncture wound ? The fact that he is reluctant to give you the foot and is footy indicates that it is pain related.
 
Not stupid at all. The main reason was that at first he was so footsore there was not much point in the vets doing anything with him - too sore to move on the hard, and he certainly wasn't picking up either hind comfortably, so we didn't think the vet would be able to diagnose the underlying problem while he was still footsore. He's now mostly comfortable except on the gravel, so the vet has a fighting chance of looking for lameness.
 
You have heard of painkillsers I take it Abacus?

I'm dumbfounded at your failure to call the vet - in anyone's books that's failing to provide your horses most basic needs.

I really do hope, for your horses sake, that there is nothing seriously wrong.

Disgraceful.
 
Horserider - I don't think it is actually foot-related. The footiness is because we can't get the shoe on, and he wasn't footy while he still had shoes. It's hard to see the foot in detail from below (I can only watch as he walks away) but it actually looks pretty healthy to me. Farrier thought it was pain higher up the leg, and the first time he slammed it down was when my former farrier was holding that leg up (very high) while shoeing.
 
I'd be very inclined to say it's not two issues actually. Be surprised if the two aren't related.

I'd have the vets out asap regardless of other issues. And you're still hacking? :/ :/
 
Amymay - he wasn't noticeably in pain except on the hard, and as I know my vet always trots up on a circle on the hard, I didn't think he would be able to diagnose anything sooner. If you saw him hooning across the field you wouldn't say he was in pain. He spends his days in the field where the ground has been soft and was perfectly happy except for about 4 steps per day into and out of his stable. I'm not going to get into a slanging match over this - he was not distressed and of course I would have called the vet if I thought he had been.
 
PandorasJar - no, if you read my earlier thread I said he is NOT hacking. We have taken him in the school to assess his soundness.
 
Abacus said:
Amymay - he wasn't noticeably in pain except on the hard, and as I know my vet always trots up on a circle on the hard, I didn't think he would be able to diagnose anything sooner. If you saw him hooning across the field you wouldn't say he was in pain. He spends his days in the field where the ground has been soft and was perfectly happy except for about 4 steps per day into and out of his stable. I'm not going to get into a slanging match over this - he was not distressed and of course I would have called the vet if I thought he had been.
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The main reason was that at first he was so footsore there was not much point in the vets doing anything with him - too sore to move on the hard, and he certainly wasn't picking up either hind comfortably
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So which is it? He's in pain or he's not in pain.

Either way I think you've showed very poor judgement.
 
As I said - not moving well on the hard, or (when standing on the concrete yard) happy picking them up. This is generally where the vet will look at him.

Poor judgement maybe, but this is hindsight talking. To give more context he wasn't distressed, he appeared (to me and to professionals) to be sound, and I thought at first it may be a behavioural issue that would pass (he was just back from being on loan and not very settled). Unfortunately it did not, and then the secondary issue (being unable to get a shoe on) became a problem in its own right.

For clarity it has not been 3 months of pain. He has been unwilling to pick one foot up for about 10 weeks, and has been 'bare behind(!)' and footy on the gravel for 6 weeks (since last shod, or rather not shod).

Thanks to those who answered my original question.
 
As you've discussed this with your farrier and he's seen your horse, unless it is a slow brewing abscess, which can be hard to diagnose, he will have ruled out basic hoof/frog problems, so hopefully the vet will help and do what ever tests are needed, particularly if it is further up the leg.
Hopefully,you'll get it sorted and the vet can put your mind at rest. (I always think the worst, so that anything the vet says is usually a relief !)
Regarding the footiness in a healthy horse, it does depend on how good the foot is and this years sodden wet fields haven't helped. BTW,a horse on my yard presented with laminitis in one hind this year. Less usual than in fronts but could that be a possibility ? (Not knowing anything about your horse or grazing, I'm just throwing that out there as a consideration.)
 
Horserider - thanks. The fields are wet, and I have thought that this is probably keeping the feet softer, although they aren't boggy and are generally well-draining. He doesn't stand around in wet mud, more just wet grass. He has never suffered from laminitis, his weight is about right and there isn't an awful lot of grass out there at the moment but I guess anything is a possibility (I'm not sure I have ever heard of it in just one hind!).

I would say I will update next week, but not sure I will now... sigh...
 
I didn't see how painkillers would help the vet to assess the other (picking-foot-up) problem, as if this is also pain-related then I would have been covering that up with the painkillers, no?

Sorry if confusing over the hacking. I actually meant, by limiting, stopping - not a good choice of words. I meant she is not going out at all apart from the occasional plod round the big field which is very soft at the moment.
 
Hi my boy had exactly the same problem a couple of years (and still does just not as bad) he was diagnosed with arthritis of the pastern joint...again was slightly off on the hard...but looked great on the soft
 
Abacus said:
I didn't see how painkillers would help the vet to assess the other (picking-foot-up) problem, as if this is also pain-related then I would have been covering that up with the painkillers, no?
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No.

If you can't get a look under the hoof you can't assess if there is any physical damage. Painkillers and the vet can actually look for any visible problems and check the leg out fully.
If nothing more I'd want painkillers on and a good farrier to check out that there is nothing more sinister and to do some maintenance if necessary.
You could still check for foot heat/pulse for laminitus.
 
I took back shoes off my tb, gave her 2 days off and she was fine walking down stoney tracks etc straight away. The farrier just left her foot as it was though, so that probably helped.
 
Mine was also sound straight away when I took his hind shoes off. No special diet (although he has relatively low sugars etc anyway).
 
Ok please get him seen like well yesterday I guess! I lost my previous horse in February for a myriad of reasons the final nail in the coffin literally was bilateral lameness of the hindlimbs. Due to all the other factors affecting his body my vets were seeing him on a regular basis. He began slamming his foot to the floor when being shod and when having his feet picked out vets assesed as like I said they were virtually on my yard fortnightly from him, we could find nothing he was stiff but had been on boxrest for 2months until suddenly about a month after the foot slamming beginning my darling boy couldn't walk and i mean suddenly I turned a galloping farting horse out and brought in one so crippled my mum had to walk behind him to get him in. To this day I will never know why i refused to let him suffer anymore especially after watching him nearly fall to the floor on flexion tests and the xing spines and the PSSM. For gods sake get a vet out. This is not normal bilateral lameness behind unless very pronounced is not easy to detect
 
My mare never had shoes behind, about 5 minutes to fully adjust when fronts came off, cross bred Irish type not footy by week 2 behind and took 3 weeks when front came off years later. Tb took couple weeks behind but never quite settled on sharp gravel tracks bare behind. Cannot believe you leaving a lame horse footsore as well and not looked fully into what wrong for 3 months!
 
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