Barefoot... advice/opinions please

Phoebe

Phoebe

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Hello, please be gentle :)

What do you think of this foot?

She was last trimmed about 3 weeks ago.... (her feet grow very fast)

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I'm far from an expert on the subject, but I'll have a go ;)

The quality of the hoof wall looks good, and it looks like there are good basic structures in place. However it looks like there's some thrush that need tackling, and (I maybe wrong) some white line separation? The toes look a bit on the long side, too.

So what's her story? :)
 
Nocturnal said:
I'm far from an expert on the subject, but I'll have a go ;)

The quality of the hoof wall looks good, and it looks like there are good basic structures in place. However it looks like there's some thrush that need tackling, and (I maybe wrong) some white line separation? The toes look a bit on the long side, too.

So what's her story? :)
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this!
Would be interested to know what she is being fed and the amount of work (over what surfaces?) she is doing.
 
Also, if the barefoots could cc my cc, i would say long toe, maybe under run heels and some contraction there too? I think the whole hoof in those pics needs to be taken more upright.
 
PonyIAmNotFood said:
Also, if the barefoots could cc my cc, i would say long toe, maybe under run heels and some contraction there too? I think the whole hoof in those pics needs to be taken more upright.
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I would say the hoof wall is a little long, and some contraction. Smidge of thrush and a stretched white line - which is why I asked about diet. The shape of the hoof isn't awful (though is a little hard to tell without a side on shot and seeing the horse move). I wouldn't want anything taken down, I would prefer the horse to be comfortable on an abrasive surface and then worked to allow them to wear what they need - they will get it right every time, unfortunatly you can't say the same of a human!!
 
Hello...

I dont think there is any thrush but I could be wrong...

She's on Fast fibre and haylage with a handful of leisure mix. Lives out 24 x 7 on restricted grazing. Never been shod. Hacks over everything and anything for hours. Rock hard feet. Coming up 5.

I think I am happy with my farrier trim as she is happy... but wondering if she would benefit from being trimmed more often or considering a barefoot trimmer as I am interested in the subject as a whole?
 
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worth me adding that she's not been worked much lately due to family commitments and weather... so that could be why theyre not as good as they could be?
 
If she's sound and rock crunching you can't be going too far wrong :). And if she hasn't been worked as much lately, that would explain the excess hoof wall. With regards to the white line, perhaps dropping the mix and adding a good supplement, such as this may help tighten things up.

Re the thrush, it could be the lighting, but she has a fairly deep central sulcus, which look like they may be harbouring some nasties. A scrub out with salt water wouldn't hurt, either way.
 
I can't see any thrush or WL separation.

The wall is too long for a BF horse but that's something you can easily resolve. They look like hooves that are begging for more work to me:)

What is the event line halfway down? Was she wormed/vaccinated a few months ago?
 
We get an awful lot of "your horse has thrush" comments every time someone posts a picture.

I think that it's worth novice barefooters knowing that flaps and bits that look as if they are falling off and a noticeable central sulcus are actually perfectly normal for a barefoot horse unless it's doing a lot of work on rough surfaces to wear them off. if they don't smell, they haven't got thrush. Even black gunk in crevices is not thrush unless it stinks, it's just dirt.

These feet look nice to me and if the horse is sound and always has been then I think it would be pointless and possibly very unwise for the owner to change a thing.
 
I think thats when she came home to me...? Is that possible as it was a different change in management... I let her go for 4 months to a friend (where she was backed etc but they werent right for each other) and she came home...

I actually bred her myself - she is ID x WB.
 
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cptrayes said:
We get an awful lot of "your horse has thrush" comments every time someone posts a picture.

I think that it's worth novice barefooters knowing that flaps and bits that look as if they are falling off and a noticeable central sulcus are actually perfectly normal for a barefoot horse unless it's doing a lot of work on rough surfaces to wear them off. if they don't smell, they haven't got thrush. Even black gunk in crevices is not thrush unless it stinks, it's just dirt.
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Yes, well, until someone invents smell-o-vision...
 
Just to be awkward. :rolleyes: Smell isn't always there with thrush and especially if it's deep in the central sulcus. I tend to see any sooty black as thrush. It is often only very superficial though. Mud and dirt doesn't have that very black appearance imo.
 
amandap said:
Just to be awkward. :rolleyes: Smell isn't always there with thrush and especially if it's deep in the central sulcus. I tend to see any sooty black as thrush. It is often only very superficial though. Mud and dirt doesn't have that very black appearance imo.
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I was advised by my farrier that a good treatment of Thrush on horses feet is Canesten.

I've never used it as I've had no need but would be interested to hear a barefoot experts opinion on the matter! I suppose it would make sense! :p
 
PooJay said:
I was advised by my farrier that a good treatment of Thrush on horses feet is Canesten.

I've never used it as I've had no need but would be interested to hear a barefoot experts opinion on the matter! I suppose it would make sense! :p
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I've heard the same, though again have never used it! I am wary of using any thing much on their feet that might mess up the balance of the bugs that should be there. Boths of ours have had a bit of thrush to attend to and I just scrubbed them with salt water daily - I assumed that this would be better for their feet. Incidentally neither of them had smelly feet just some little raggy bits of frog, both have tidied themselves up now!
 
ThePony said:
I've heard the same, though again have never used it! I am wary of using any thing much on their feet that might mess up the balance of the bugs that should be there. Boths of ours have had a bit of thrush to attend to and I just scrubbed them with salt water daily - I assumed that this would be better for their feet. Incidentally neither of them had smelly feet just some little raggy bits of frog, both have tidied themselves up now!
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Well, my farrier said to use it if i ever had a problem so it can't cause any probs. He's pretty clued up and advised NOT to use stockholme tar too!
 
PooJay said:
I was advised by my farrier that a good treatment of Thrush on horses feet is Canesten.

I've never used it as I've had no need but would be interested to hear a barefoot experts opinion on the matter! I suppose it would make sense! :p
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Canestan has been used for a while in the treatment of thrush. Pete's Goo is 50/50 Neosporin (antibiotic cream in the US) and clotrimazole (canestan).

Thrush is an umbrella term for any infection of the sole/frog but it can be any bacteria or fungus, so the treatment isn't always the same.

Pete's Goo is successful in that it treats both possible causes of infection.

But there are many other treatments out there than are equally successful. As long as they don't harm live tissue, I favour whatever works for the horse.

I use Red Horse products myself or Iodine.

But fixing the diet for a kick ass immune system and doing enough work to outgrow any thrush is often as successful as most lotions.
 
Oberon said:
Canestan has been used for a while in the treatment of thrush. Pete's Goo is 50/50 Neosporin (antibiotic cream in the US) and clotrimazole (canestan).

Thrush is an umbrella term for any infection of the sole/frog but it can be any bacteria or fungus, so the treatment isn't always the same.

Pete's Goo is successful in that it treats both possible causes of infection.

But there are many other treatments out there than are equally successful. As long as they don't harm live tissue, I favour whatever works for the horse.

I use Red Horse products myself or Iodine.

But fixing the diet for a kick ass immune system and doing enough work to outgrow any thrush is often as successful as most lotions.
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She's never really had thrush tbh but then she's worked well and her diet is sorted so i'm guessing that's why. i must admit i did expect her to get some sort of manky foot with the wet weather we've had but it seems we've been lucky! :)
 
I'm looking into the whole barefoot thing for my possibly affected by navicular cob at the moment and had a lovely long informative chat with Lucy Priory on Saturday and she happened to mention that thrush doesn't always smell and can actually be quite painful for the horse. She suggested the use of Red Horse Field Paste which contains clay and is natural enough not to harm "good" bacteria etc in the foot.

Not much help with your hoof pictures I know but thought it might be helpful with the thrush question! Personally if what you're doing works for you and your horse I'm not sure I'd change anything except keep an eye on sugars in the diet. :)
 
thanks - I didnt think I could see any. I am fascinated by her movement and how sure footed she is. I could watch her walk all day. I think you are right though - they are crying out for some work. Best get the velcro jods out lol
 
I bow to the greater knowledge of people who see and don't smell more thrush than me :)

I just didn't want a whole heap of novice barefooters seeing a little flap or raggy edge on their horse's frogs thinking it was something to panic over when that's completely normal unless you trim frogs as heavily as farriers do.
 
OP - Does the frog give to pressure or is there any squish particularly in the area of the central sulcus which is by the way somewhat deeper than I like them to be.

Angle of first picture is a little off but I'd hazard that foot is running forwards a tad and not maintaining the HA - esp with all those event lines.

You are getting 10's and 2's and these on their own can be uncomfy for the more sensitive ones. Many horses will chip these off themselves (self trimming) others just keep extending until they become something of a hazard.

If you were one of mine I'd say this is a hoof which is some way from being 'fully cooked'.
 
LucyPriory, I know about HA (healing angle) but what are 10's and 2's please? :)
I guess something at 10 o'clock and 2 o'clock areas of the wall?
 
My experience of thrush began when my horse was de-shod and someone told me he had thrush. I was in denial for many months while he was rehabbing and when he began to make more progress, I noticed I could hear a nice clip clop of bare hooves when there was no smell when I picked his feet up. If there was even a slight smell, he was tender again and his foot falls were less confident.
I realised that where I could see a black sooty deposit, that was the thrush and now more recently, I have realised I must not scrub or scrape too hard with the pick to get muck out or that must have been damaging the surface and the black soot would appear again and he would be tip-toeing again.
I have used Pete's goo and find just one or two applications and it's gone. Just adding my experience.
 
Thanks. It's very interesting. She really has no tender areas at all and in 5 years (I bred her) hasn't had a moment of lameness or footyness. They may not be perfect and are better when in work to be fair, but we are pretty happy
 
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