Barefoot gurus please

[Roasted Chestnuts]

Right well Farrier is due this week (friday) to have a look at K's Feet He didnt have anything really to do last time as he was pretty much self trimming and Farrier didnt want to play about too much until he see what he is needing Will probs just get a rasp round the edges if Im honest as roadwork is pretty much all we are doing with it being so wet up here

So heres pics any comments are welcome

Fronts

Hinds

Hes getting pretty much nothing but handful of readigrass (will be changing that as soon as bag is done) his hoofmender supp and his joint supp and some water as hes on rough but good grazing and is keeping weight fine

Piccy of the chap himself

Cheers

 

[mightymammoth]

To my very untrained eyes they look nice little hooves. My horse stands in exactly the same position as yours and I was wondering If that indicated anything ie heel discomfort or if I'm reading too much into things ?

 

[FairyLights]

They look like nice hooves in need of a trim. There are flakes missing of hoof wall and uneven wear and some flaring. Could your farrier call and give the pony a decent rasp?

 

[Meowy Catkin]

The heels look quite long to me. however, I've been trying to sort out a mare with seriously under-run heels, so it could be the contrast that's standing out to me.

 

[Roasted Chestnuts]

The heels look quite long to me. however, I've been trying to sort out a mare with seriously under-run heels, so it could be the contrast that's standing out to me.

That isnt something I can sort though is it?? Question not statement

They look like nice hooves in need of a trim. There are flakes missing of hoof wall and uneven wear and some flaring. Could your farrier call and give the pony a decent rasp?

Farrier is due on Friday Could the very very wet ground be doing them anyharm??

To my very untrained eyes they look nice little hooves. My horse stands in exactly the same position as yours and I was wondering If that indicated anything ie heel discomfort or if I'm reading too much into things ?

Hmmmmm never really annalysed how he has stood in or out of shoes, might have to look back through my PB albums and have a look as he was shod allround for 6 years then bare behind for 4 years and then was shod all round for the first 6 months of this year and now hes bare

Would it be worth me popping up pics of shod and unshod??

 

[Meowy Catkin]

That isnt something I can sort though is it?? Question not statement

Eeep - I don't know! where are the knowledgeable hoof people when you need them?

 

[thatsmygirl]

I wish my lad had his frogs

 

[Oberon]

Nicely self trimming hooves in the process of becoming stronger at the back .

Frogs still a bit deep at the sulcus - watch out for any sensitivity in there. We need the frog to bulk up and touch the ground in order to grow a shorter heel. Time and movement.

White line a touch stretched and hinds look a little bull nosed - Readigrass is reported to be high in sugar....be cautious.

The hooves look raggedy but that is cosmetic. The crumbling wall is just natural shedding. I wouldn't expect the farrier to need to do much more than pretty them up if you are bothered.
I would just do some more hacking and save the cash

Can you see the natural 'mustang roll' in pic four at '6.40' and pic eight at '4.20' that he has done himself?

And the 'scoop' at the quarters in pic 11 in particular?

It may look like his hooves are randomly crumbling - but when you look closer you can appreciate how much work he is putting into getting them 'right'.

Be cautious about messing with that progress in the search of vanity

 

[cptrayes]

OK. If he always stands with his legs in under his body like that, it often indicates achey feet in some way.

I'm not surprised with your fellow, I think he has a real issue digesting carbohydrates, for two reasons:

1) his feet are bull nosed. They have a curve on the front. Horses I have seen like it have trouble digesting too much carbohydrate, particularly sugar in grass.

2) I think he has inner/outer hoof wall separation in all four feet. His outer hoof wall is broken away at the bottom but the inner wall is still there. This is, for me, always a sign of something wrong in the diet. How long has he not had shoes on?

If your boy is sound and happy on stones, don't panic. But I would be looking at his diet and trying to find out if he is lacking anything, and also cutting down on how much grass he has access to next spring.

disclaimer - photographs can be very misleading. I'm commenting on what I think I see, which may not be there in real life.

 

[Roasted Chestnuts]

Nicely self trimming hooves in the process of becoming stronger at the back .

Frogs still a bit deep at the sulcus - watch out for any sensitivity in there. We need the frog to bulk up and touch the ground in order to grow a shorter heel. Time and movement.

White line a touch stretched and hinds look a little bull nosed - Readigrass is reported to be high in sugar....be cautious.

The hooves look raggedy but that is cosmetic. The crumbling wall is just natural shedding. I wouldn't expect the farrier to need to do much more than pretty them up if you are bothered.
I would just do some more hacking and save the cash

Can you see the natural 'mustang roll' in pic four at '6.40' and pic eight at '4.20' that he has done himself?

And the 'scoop' at the quarters in pic 11 in particular?

It may look like his hooves are randomly crumbling - but when you look closer you can appreciate how much work he is putting into getting them 'right'.

Be cautious about messing with that progress in the search of vanity

Thank you Last time farrier was out he pretty much just rolled the walls and checked his feet over for me he was happy with them. The readigrass is literally as much as I can grab out the bag with one hand and thats it just about finished Then after that he moving onto either Dengie senior or spillers conditioning fibre depending on how he keeps the weight. He is a fussy old sod and I know he will eat either of these

OK. If he always stands with his legs in under his body like that, it often indicates achey feet in some way.

I'm not surprised with your fellow, I think he has a real issue digesting carbohydrates, for two reasons:

1) his feet are bull nosed. They have a curve on the front. Horses I have seen like it have trouble digesting too much carbohydrate, particularly sugar in grass.

2) I think he has inner/outer hoof wall separation in all four feet. His outer hoof wall is broken away at the bottom but the inner wall is still there. This is, for me, always a sign of something wrong in the diet. How long has he not had shoes on?

If your boy is sound and happy on stones, don't panic. But I would be looking at his diet and trying to find out if he is lacking anything, and also cutting down on how much grass he has access to next spring.

disclaimer - photographs can be very misleading. I'm commenting on what I think I see, which may not be there in real life.

Thank you

He is cereal intolerant so he had no raw cereal in his diet and I have to keep any starch content in feeds to below 12%, hes been like this for over 7/8 years now (i have had him for 11 this coming March ) right now he is getting about two mouthfuls in a bucket just to get his supps. The grass he has is very rough (reeds and meadow parsley type stuff) and not really of that good a value as it has been ungrazed for years and is long and lots of dead growth not very green even with all the rain if I am honest

He has always stood funny when just scruffing about the yard those pics arent the best as he was half sleeping and I woke him up to take the pics I will get better ones of him standing next time i have him in has even done that stance in shoes as far as I can remember, never had Lami or Navi or other foot issues has pretty much other than injury (twice) been sound, never had any abcesses or foot issues other than a bad farrier but not going to go into that as this was at the beginning of our partnership

He has been unshod since August and is pretty much sound on everything but the roughest stoniest ground, not had to use our hoof boots yet and we are trotting about a mile on the roads now

 

[mynutmeg]

To my very untrained eyes they look nice little hooves. My horse stands in exactly the same position as yours and I was wondering If that indicated anything ie heel discomfort or if I'm reading too much into things ?

every photo I have of my mare she stands like that - I had her on a confo critic thing recently and a couple of people said she looked like she had heel pain yet she never shows signs of lameness or anything. She's had one set of shoes and one set of fronts on in her life, is about 7 now and trots down roads happily and is happy on rough ground.

Anyone else have any contributions on that?

 

[LucyPriory]

If I had £5 for every horse I've handled that 'always' stood that like that which on further investigation did have some heel pain then Grace would have her gig and be broken to drive already.

 

[mynutmeg]

What sort of thing causes the heel pain? I've had her since a 3 year old, she's never had laminitis