Barefoot help!

dianchi

dianchi

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Hello!

Am barefoot with my TB now, 10 weeks in now however.....

She isn't lame or true foot sore, but her "normal" trot stride length appears shorter in front, fractionally vet can't see it but I've had her 12 years and I can tell.


Is this normal in the early stages?

Secondly......
She has v flat feet in front and stones obv do make her go ouch. Is it worth trying a hoof hardener on her soles to try help???

Thanks in advance!
 
dianchi said:
Hello!

Am barefoot with my TB now, 10 weeks in now however.....

She isn't lame or true foot sore, but her "normal" trot stride length appears shorter in front, fractionally vet can't see it but I've had her 12 years and I can tell.


Is this normal in the early stages?

Secondly......
She has v flat feet in front and stones obv do make her go ouch. Is it worth trying a hoof hardener on her soles to try help???

Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...

I'm in the same boat, have you thought about boots? This is what I'm trying to do but unfortunately his front heels are so under run I can't get any that fit :rolleyes:
 
Yes, it's with those sort of feet.You will really need to work her in boots and pads for a while until your horse has the chance to grow a stronger foot. Better to spend the money on boots and pads than on hoof hardeners. She'll grow her own stronger sole, you just need to give her time and a good diet and exercise.
 
Diet is all ok and has been for a long time (Sugar and starch issues in the past)

Ok which boots? And can you compete in them?

Thx!
 
dianchi said:
Diet is all ok and has been for a long time (Sugar and starch issues in the past)
Click to expand...

Dianchi you've done all the right things and I can see why you would think this is true, but your horse's feet are telling you a different story. If they are very flat then it is likely that she still has some issue with her diet. The most common one we find is mineral imbalance, with "normal" supplements far too low in copper and too high in iron and manganese, among other things. People are reporting great changes from feeding Progressive Earth's Pro Hoof, sold on eBay.

A lot of us would also recommend additional magnesium oxide and I personally would never leave a horse's diet without yeast, especially if it has issues with carbohydrate digestion. It is already in Pro Hoof.

You should, if you can get the minerals right, see a marked increase in concavity very quickly.

Good luck.
 
Use boots by all means but first be sure that the horse is actually feeling pain - it takes them a while to get used to the new sensation - mine has been barefoot for 4 years now and STILL goes "ouch" occasionally - even though her feet are hard and she has tough thick soles that the farrier always compliments her on ( he has to use a hammer on the kife to trim her bars! ) I am convinced that it is mostly in her head, 99% of the time she crunches rocks so I really don't worry if she goes ouch from time to time.

Using boots will slow down the transition process. Ideally work on rounded gravel to help the process, stones on tarmac are not good for them, sand & grass are too soft - they need stimulation to toughen up the soles.
 
Thanks for that I've seen the pro feet mentioned regularly, out of interested the "scoop" that they mention to feed how much is this? Or how long does the 1.8kg last? Also does it come boxed? I've got millions of empty tubs!
 
dianchi said:
Thanks for that I've seen the pro feet mentioned regularly, out of interested the "scoop" that they mention to feed how much is this? Or how long does the 1.8kg last? Also does it come boxed? I've got millions of empty tubs!
Click to expand...

I haven't got a clue, I don't use it because I use a cheaper one that won't work for you (I add masses of copper) :) Contact them on eBay and ask how long it will last a horse the size of yours.
 
Pro hoof comes in a zip lock bag and the scoop is 75ml. You feed one scoop a day for a 500kg horse.

Highly recommended, excellent service too.
 
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