Barefoot opinions?

Roasted Chestnuts

Roasted Chestnuts

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Barefoot 24yr old Welsh D x Appy, 14.2hh andcereal intolerant.

Diet of good quality hay, turnout on grass from 8am to 4pm winter and 24/7 in summer. He is hacked out on all terrains 3/4 times a week. Same yard and fields for a full year.

Feed in winter

Veteran vitality
Senior fibre
Turmeric
Glucosamine/msm
Cinnamon
Linseed
Beetpulp

Feed in summer

Senior balancer
Unmollassed alfalfa or Hayley's chaff
Turmeric
Glucosamine/msm
Cinnamon
Linseed
Beetpulp

Due the farrier on Friday. Barefoot for good few years now. He had a brief stint in shoes when he went on loan
 
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Hinds on next post
 
Has there been an injury in front? I'd be looking at the abnormal wear on the fronts and the fact that the frog on the off side is showing an imbalance too. That might be coming front foot or further up but there's definitely something going on.

I'd also want to be flossing the central sulcus splits as they shouldn't be that deep and could be harbouring thrush. Id also start feeding a supplement that's designed for bare feet - I've used farriers mix from herbal horse and equivita from equinaturals with great success.
 
He has deviations and the hooves grow that way ie he overloads the outer walls.

He was lamed by a farrier years ago who shod him far too long and me being ignorant at that time let him.

He is sound in all ways and no injuries leg injuries in the last 5/6 years
 
Looks as though he needs more regular rasping [DIY every two weeks] to keep the edges from chipping and more regular roadwork to improve both his muscls tone [hindquarters], and his feet.
The deviation may be required for his self balance http://rockleyfarm.blogspot.co.uk/p/hoofcare-essentials.html
He will benefit from 100 / 200 gms micronised linseed [summer / winter] and feed minerals [ pro earth or forageplus ], all year round. Add 25gms salt per day.
I would cut out alfalfa as so many are sensitive to it, and not sure what benefit he gets from it esp in summer.
I think I would concentrate on those feet, making sure to get rid of any disease, he should be landing heel first but will find this difficult if there is any infection.
Make sure you discuss these matters with the farrier, I would aim to do enough roadwork to self trim, but you have to build it up gradaully.
To improve things you will have to alter both his management and his diet.
 
Last edited:
ycbm said:
So you don't need to change anything :)

Was there something that was worrying you that made you start this thread?
Click to expand...

I like to get opinions now and again. He ricked himself the other week out a hack in what I think was a very sharp stone. Which prompted me to take pics.

The alfalfa is literally a handful to go with the balancer to have his supplements mixed into, he hasn't ever been sensitive to it.

We have no school so roadwork really is all he gets until we have access to fields in summer, he does land heel first. He is 24 so I don't think he is ever going to have the muscle tone of a 14yr old but I do try for his sake to keep him moving as it helps his arthritis.

I prefer to show pics of th feet before trimming as afterwards any little niggles look ok.
 
I think they look fine for him :) He's sound and keeping them how he wants them. He does have deep sulcuses (sulci?!) but if he lands heel first he must be comfy with them.
 
For a geriatric with issues, I don't think those feet look too bad at all. Ideally the frogs could be beefier, and yes a quality hoof-specific supplement may be an improvement on the balancer, but if he's sound and hacking out then there can't be too much wrong.
 
I've always thought his sulci would get shallower but they never have. He used to get equimins hoof supplement but I never noticed any improvement in the feet for the nearly 12 months he was on it so I stopped it.

I suppose the frogs on his fronts will never really be wide like on his hinds. They have changed over the years but not as much as the hinds have.
 
I think the feet are in good health. Although the sulcis is prominent, it is clean, open and releasing. The heels need to be brought back under his descending weight and bars managed. When this happens, the bulbs won't be so rounded and bulgy looking and frog may fill out once the heels are where they should be. When the quarters are cleared, better medial/lateral balance will be found. He's breaking over on the RF medially because of a higher inside dictating vs. the lateral side. Frog always points to the high side. One look at the hinds, and I knew that this horse has been standing under himself. The heels are really pulled forward and heel bulbs in use to replace them, as well as the frog. This is the greater frog development in the hinds and a horse that is avoiding discomfort. Then I saw the body shot and sure enough, standing under. The hinds are hooves that are what they need to be for him. Can you think of any reason why he stands under? Arthritis? His back looks tense as well. Otherwise, his toe is great and even if the frog doesn't shape up, i'm not worried, its a healthy frog. Its a good trim, but the way he uses his feet speaks volumes. Stay on top of the trim, cause staying in balance despite his wonky ways, is your best defense...that and a good anti-inflammatory. If there is discomfort, that's where its coming from. Glucosamine is also a risk at his age because it promotes IR and he is of an age that makes him a higher risk for Cushings. Hope this helps....
 
I would try hoof pro for a month, see if they improve at all, and though age is a factor, I would do some hill work to ask him to use hindquarters, is he always on the forehand, or will he improve with a bit of schooling [not that I ever did this as I prefer hacking]
 
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missyclare said:
I think the feet are in good health. Although the sulcis is prominent, it is clean, open and releasing. The heels need to be brought back under his descending weight and bars managed. When this happens, the bulbs won't be so rounded and bulgy looking and frog may fill out once the heels are where they should be. When the quarters are cleared, better medial/lateral balance will be found. He's breaking over on the RF medially because of a higher inside dictating vs. the lateral side. Frog always points to the high side. One look at the hinds, and I knew that this horse has been standing under himself. The heels are really pulled forward and heel bulbs in use to replace them, as well as the frog. This is the greater frog development in the hinds and a horse that is avoiding discomfort. Then I saw the body shot and sure enough, standing under. The hinds are hooves that are what they need to be for him. Can you think of any reason why he stands under? Arthritis? His back looks tense as well. Otherwise, his toe is great and even if the frog doesn't shape up, i'm not worried, its a healthy frog. Its a good trim, but the way he uses his feet speaks volumes. Stay on top of the trim, cause staying in balance despite his wonky ways, is your best defense...that and a good anti-inflammatory. If there is discomfort, that's where its coming from. Glucosamine is also a risk at his age because it promotes IR and he is of an age that makes him a higher risk for Cushings. Hope this helps....
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He has arthritis and will stand under himself especially on a hill which was where that pic was taken :)

I do not believe in feeding bute or danilon daily. He displays no pain under saddle or galloping about the field with his girls, the turmeric I feed for its joint properties he would not pass a fkexion test but what 24yr old with arthritis would lol ;)

Thanks for the input about his frogs and bars I will speak to the farrier about this on Friday and see what he can gradually change. I have him tested for cushions but so far not outside the normal range so fingers crossed that stays that way :)

He does get schooled over summer as we have access to s flat tiding field :) so he does use himself better in that respect but at his age and the fact that he is still sound and willing to work and lead put the hacks I don't want to push too much and hurt or sour him.

We have had a good 14 yrs together and the rossies on my wall remind me of our fun comps and times, I want to make sure he is happy and healthy now and barefoot seems to very much agree with him :D
 
You might want to know that the leading US barefoot researcher Bob Bowker says that bars should not be trimmed because they are where the sole originates from. He believes that trimming bars slows growth of the sole and makes it thinner. Also, many of the barefoot experts agree that bars which extend down the sides of the frogs should never be trimmed off because they are support for a weak foot. Many tbs always have them, most other horses will lose them for themselves once the foot grows stronger.
 
Frank has largeish bars, we think to make up for when his frogs aren't 100%, they have got a bit smaller again over the last year. He goes footy if you take them off (we tried, just to see!)
 
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