Barefoot critique required

Kati*89

Kati*89

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So, my loan horse has been barefoot for about a year now - he copes well with most surfaces, a bit pottery on stony, he got a lot better but since his last trim (and a bit of break from hacking due to weather) he has been particularly reluctant on vaguely stony/gritty roads...he is fine on the new tarmac we have on one part of hack.
We are lucky if we get out once a week, due to work/light etc but I don't want to be stuck not hacking when the light gets better!

I have uploaded each foot/sole to an album and would really appreciate any views on his feet, shape etc

His hinds have never been shod and he doesn't seem to struggle there. I think his front frogs don't look the healthiest, I thought they were meant to get bigger? but he is my first barefoot horse so really keen on some help and opinions!

Diet hasn't changed, no grass in field, they get haylage - he is out in day, in at night.

http://s1265.photobucket.com/user/kati89/library/Barefoot progress?sort=3&page=1

Ideas, help please :)
 
I would be more inclined to put it down to the break from work. His hooves have probably just softened up a bit andneed a bit of time to re-condition. I have the same issue going from winter into spring - my paddock is quite wet and dosn't dry up as quickly as the surrounding area. So, they take a few weeks to catch up so to speak.
 
NZJenny said:
I would be more inclined to put it down to the break from work. His hooves have probably just softened up a bit andneed a bit of time to re-condition. I have the same issue going from winter into spring - my paddock is quite wet and dosn't dry up as quickly as the surrounding area. So, they take a few weeks to catch up so to speak.
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His field is just mud, luckily on sand so it isn't foot sucking but I guess it's still stood in wet conditions all day everyday...fingers crossed for a dry spell then! :(
Would you still walk out on the roads?
 
I agree the frogs are not as good as they should be, I would be working on them to ensure there is no sign of thrush, if you wash them off every night even with just some salt water it will help them toughen up, walking on the roads will be good to get them working as they should.
Are you feeding him correctly to help condition his feet from the inside?
 
be positive said:
I agree the frogs are not as good as they should be, I would be working on them to ensure there is no sign of thrush, if you wash them off every night even with just some salt water it will help them toughen up, walking on the roads will be good to get them working as they should.
Are you feeding him correctly to help condition his feet from the inside?
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I'll give the salt water a go, I scrubbed them last night and used tea tree on the frogs as a start..
Feed, he's on saracen re-leve, topchop grass and linseed- plus they have haylage in field and at night..should I look at something more than that?
 
I had a look at the Saracen Re leve which is part of the performance range and recommends other feeds alongside, I would ring them up and ask for advice, or just buy some minerals to improve the frogs. How much linseed [thinking about 100gms, is it micronised.
The basic diet for barefoot is hi fibre lo sugars which he is getting, but a mineral such as Equimins original or progressive Earth Pro hoof or other mineral should improve his frogs. I would buy 30 days supply of pro hoof and see how it goes, you might need to introduce it over a week anyway. If not possible walk him out for 20 mins in hand.
You can probably give him plenty of hacking on tarmac, but need to build it up steadily, best to ride out every day if possible. If impossib
You could consider soaking the haylage at night to remove sugars, but again needs the minerals, and a bit of salt.
His hoof quality looks very good, just concentrate on building up exercise gradually, the tarmac is best. The frogs , heels and digital cushion should improve in about a month.
 
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Bonkers2 said:
I had a look at the Saracen Re leve which is part of the performance range and recommends other feeds alongside, I would ring them up and ask for advice, or just buy some minerals to improve the frogs. How much linseed [thinking about 100gms, is it micronised.
The basic diet for barefoot is hi fibre lo sugars which he is getting, but a mineral such as Equimins original or progressive Earth Pro hoof or other mineral should improve his frogs. I would buy 30 days supply of pro hoof and see how it goes, you might need to introduce it over a week anyway. If not possible walk him out for 20 mins in hand.
You can probably give him plenty of hacking on tarmac, but need to build it up steadily, best to ride out every day if possible. If impossib
You could consider soaking the haylage at night to remove sugars, but again needs the minerals, and a bit of salt.
His hoof quality looks very good, just concentrate on building up exercise gradually, the tarmac is best. The frogs , heels and digital cushion should improve in about a month.
Click to expand...

Thanks for all the info!
Yes it is micronised linseed, he gets about 3 cups a day so about 300g a day - his feed seems to suit us in terms of weight/energy/general health so I don't want to change too much, I will look in to the supplements you mention and see if that might just be the extra help he needs to improve from the inside..he has probably had less of the mix lately as he hasn't been doing the work too so making sure he gets the minerals is probably a good try- he has a salt lick, is this enough- he uses it most nights it seems, can always see the slobbery marks on the wall!
I so wish I could get out each day but at the moment not possible, I can at least make sure he's walked in hand on the yard just to at least try and keep the conditioning until we can get out properly

Lots to think about, thanks again for the input so far :)
 
Yes as long as he is licking the salt, it should be fine, some just wont use a lick, well not the ones that are good for them, yes 300gms linseed is plenty, more than most feed, but as you say you don't need to change much, just tweak it.
Take some photos side on at ground level so you can see the heel and the hoof side on. You can press the digital cushion, it should be nice and firm and well developed. I am assuming there is no infection in the central sulcus, which you can probably google.
http://www.barefoothorse.com/barefoot_MoreTopics.html
 
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Kati*89 said:
His field is just mud, luckily on sand so it isn't foot sucking but I guess it's still stood in wet conditions all day everyday...fingers crossed for a dry spell then! :(
Would you still walk out on the roads?
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Yes, definatley. With the ground being so soft he won't be loading his hooves so well and this will be playing it's part as well. Getting him out onto some hard, dry going will be the best thing.
 
The pro hoof is quite a lot more money than the Equimins - I don't mind paying for the right thing but would rather not fork out of the Equimins will be suitable?
 
I feed mine pro balance which seems fine for her but is slightly cheaper. She too has softer feet due to the time of the year and is feeling stones at the moment. Her frogs also look the same, to which my trimmer isn't worried about.
 
Regarding minerals, its quite hard to know, I think the Equimins would be OK, but one can never be 100% sure, there are so many factors. You need to work out cost per day rather than cost per pack, however, the MgO per day is an important ingredient, so work out which is best value for that.
 
When I fed max minerals, and even buying straight MgO, the cost per day on full dosage [15.00hh] was over £0.75p, and that was after spending ages working out the best deals and buying enough for about three months.
 
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