Barefoot pictures - opinions please

MiniMilton

MiniMilton

Well-Known Member
Joined
31 March 2013
Messages
980
Location
Ireland
Visit site
Hi all,

I was all enthusiastic about going barefoot but now I'm losing faith. My 9 year old horse was out of work for the duration of my pregnancy. He had been on a BF friendly diet for nearly a year, barefoot on hinds about 9 months, barefoot on fronts about 6 months. I've now brought him back into work. We've already had 2 abscesses. I've been doing work on Tarmac to try to harden them up but he is feeling the loose stones. I'm not too concerned about his hinds but his fronts look poor to me (I'm a barefoot novice)
I clean his feet every day and apply solution4feet to try get the frogs looking healthier. Advice welcome

Apologies for the grotty photos, I had just finished riding

Near fore

image_zpsaac1d0d0.jpg

image_zpsde305b44.jpg

image_zps6faeda91.jpg

image_zps8020f0e1.jpg


Off fore
image_zpseb650cd3.jpg

image_zps3e24925e.jpg

image_zps2c4f677a.jpg

image_zpseb1238a6.jpg


Near hind
image_zps428fab25.jpg

image_zpsb9b43b47.jpg


Off hind
image_zps3803153b.jpg

image_zps1cb83405.jpg
 
I personally don't wash my girls feet very often it softens her frogs too much IMO. Those feet don't loom bad at al but see what others say :)
 
They look thrushy to me down the central sulcus. (It's a battle I face with my two too). It would explain the tenderness. Try treating the thrush and see what happens.
 
Are they as flat as they look in the photos? If so, and he's on grass, I would say that he is a horse who does not cope well with grass in his diet. That could improve if you can increase his work and get him sweating three or more times a week, with a minimum of 30 minutes raised heart rate a day. If that doesn't work, I'd test for metabolic disease.

Hope that helps.
 
cptrayes said:
Are they as flat as they look in the photos? If so, and he's on grass, I would say that he is a horse who does not cope well with grass in his diet. That could improve if you can increase his work and get him sweating three or more times a week, with a minimum of 30 minutes raised heart rate a day. If that doesn't work, I'd test for metabolic disease.

Hope that helps.
Click to expand...


CPt can you explain this further?
 
If I am reading this correctly he has been mooching around in a paddock for most of the last year and now you have brought him back into work quite recently?

If that is the case, then he will need time to adjust to what you are asking him to do, especially if he is used to walking on nothing but grass and now you are asking him to walk on tar seal. Give it a go yourself and you will see what I mean.

The abscesses will be happening because of the dramatic changes in conditions - I find this with my own, if they have been out for a long period of time, we may get an abscess. Or two.

Patience I think and give him time to adjust.
 
AntxGeorgiax said:
CPt can you explain this further?
Click to expand...

There is evidence that EMS, one of the problems that cause thin soles, can often be controlled with sufficient exercise. Current advice is, I think, a minimum of thirty minutes work doing enough to raise the heart rate every day.

Anecdotally, those of us with horses that really sweat on a regular basis do not have a problem feeding commercial molassed feed that would be poison to many horses that do less work.

The horse, from the photos, has very flat soles, and that would very often be a result of an intolerance to carbohydrates. Since his diet is low sugar, then the likelihood is that it is bad sugars that are causing him problems. But an increase in work could enable him to cope.


Hope that's enough?
 
Last edited:
cptrayes said:
There is evidence that EMS, one of the problems that cause thin soles, can controlled with sufficient exercise. Current advice is, I think, a minimum of thirty minutes work during enough to raise the heart rate every day.

Anecdotally, those of us with horses that really sweat on a regular basis do not have a problem feeding commercial molassed feed that would be poison to many horses that do less work.

The horse, from the photos, has very flat soles, and that would very often be a result of an intolerance to carbohydrates. Since his diet is low sugar, then the likelihood is that it is bad sugars that are causing him problems. But an increase in work could enable him to cope.


Hope that's enough?
Click to expand...

That is interesting regarding the sweating, my horse was doing really well barefoot for over 12 months in proper work regularly sweating going jumping etc, following injury and several months off he had to be rehabbed really carefully, his feet had deteriorated while on box rest but I expected the slow hacking daily to help condition them, after several months they were not coping well enough with the work required for rehab and I shod in front, feeling rather frustrated but the injury recovery had to come before his feet, possibly it was because he was not sweating he could not cope so well with grass, he was not getting any sugars otherwise. It gives me hope that once he is back doing faster work the shoes can come off again.
 
Bad sugars should have read grass sugars.

BP it's worth a try, I would think. Can you come back and let us know the result if you do?
 
The horse is still not right following the injury, vet coming next week to see where we go next so keeping fronts on until it feels right to take them off again but I will see if once he is in more active work it makes a difference, it may be you have solved just one of the many niggles going on, will report back if and when anything changes but it does make sense as to why he just never quite managed to get the feet he had previously despite no other changes to regime and what I thought would be a perfect way to condition the feet, loads of steady work on roads and tracks for several months, I expected his feet to be perfect but they barely changed and he just struggled a little at times.
 
Thank you for all the replies.

He's fed speedie beet, micronized linseed, Salt, Pro hoof and a handful of hifi. He is given a carrot after work.

He had laminitis as a 7yo and I suspect his dam has cushings (not sure if it's hereditary) He lives out and he is on restricted grazing (a track) ever since and fed hay/straw mix. His feet are flat but I'm not sure to what extent. I only have other flat soled horses to compare him with! I can't do too much fast work at the moment as we are not back in work long but I'll start to pick things up a bit as soon as possible. I guess the restricted grazing probably still has sugars in it, the grass is very short. Not sure how they even get it between their teeth.

Our exercise programme is a bit inconsistent. All depends on getting baby sitters. Riding 3-5 times a week 40-50mins and I've only recently begun cantering again. Horse walker 3-5 times per week (only a good paced walk for 40-60m)

When I was pregnant I was walking him in hand on the Tarmac and his feet didn't look too bad (I think) but I got lazy towards the end of my pregnancy and he got forgotten about for 2-3 months. He definitely got thrush during this time but I was hoping I had killed it since. No thrushey smell but still quite black looking.

What is the best way to treat thrush? I thought the solution4feet was supposed to help with that.

To be honest if I can't get him ok without hoof boots I'll probably revert back to shoes. For some reason I hate hoof boots.

I'd say you could count the number of barefoot trimmers in Ireland on one finger, so we just use a farrier. He was trimmed in the past month.

I have implemented lots of changes so I'm disappointed in the lack of progress
 
And on a slightly side note, can mango therapy hoof boots help? I use a mango therapy rug on him after work and today I found an old pair of magnetic hoof boots that I could put on too
 
Inconsistent work levels is something many barefoot horses would not cope well with. If that's normal for you and him, then shoes might be your best option. It's a shame as you have tried so hard, but they aren't all easy.
 
I am wondering whether 3-5 hours each week on a walker is detrimental to the feet with the constant turning involved, many horses will over compensate on one rein when ridden, less possible out hacking, if he is not landing heel first will using the walker be worse than having less exercise??
 
I would certainly not put a horse who is toe first landing in a horse walker myself. We know that the toe first causes ddft damage, and on a tight circle I would be really worried, as I would about the horse being made to take each step whether he is ready to or not.

I'm afraid I'd either be getting up earlier or paying someone else to walk him, though I do realize that's not an option for everyone.
 
I'd get him some hoof boots for the front feet so you can increase the work he is doing without him getting sore. That will help strengthen them so after a time he can do more work without them.
 
Agreed I do need to get up earlier and ride before 7am. Easier said than done though with 3year old and 2month old children hanging off me!
When I say he is sore, we can trot soundly along and then he feels the occasional loose stone.
I'm getting stone added to the track at the moment so it would be a real bummer if I have to put shoes back on him now.

So less horse walker, more early am riding and picking up the pace and get him sweating more.

Thrush recommendations?

And any thoughts on the magnotherapy? I heard it can help eliminate toxins, and help connective tissue
 
I personally like either red horse field paste or NT dry for thrush as have found these to work for me (everyone seems to have different favourites that they like though). Personally re diet I'd be tempted to cut out the Hi-Fi as I believe most versions of it are at least lightly mollased and even the molasses free version allegedly has some not so great additives and maybe add in some extra mag-ox (both really cheap and easy things to do) and see how you go. Surely if he's only just back in work after a long spell off it's early days yet anyhow
 
Unless a horse is suffering a serious level of metabolic illness it's just silly to suggest that one carrot is causing a problem.
On the frogs my trimmer gave me a great tip recently if you get those j clothes and cut them into thin strips and use them to sort of floss the left of the frog it works very well.
From for description of the issue I think it's just time the feet need longer .
As everyone has said gradually increasing regular work the key to all this and if your situation makes that difficult you might struggle .
There's always boots .
And there's always shoes if that suits your situation with small children better.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top