WellyBaggins
Well-Known Member
Ok, I have been trying my TB barefoot and I admit is was a last resort and I had my doubts it would work but I couldn't live with myself if I hadn't tried everything! He was diagnosed with Impar Ligament strain in Feb, tried all the usual options with no success!
I have the support of my farrier but my vet and friends think it is a stupid idea so I am doing it on the quiet
as far as they know, he is off for a year to see if that works, I know that won't work because as soon as the shoes go back on he will be lame again, I had a moment of weakness after 3.5 months with his shoes off, turned away, he looked sound in the field and was likely to injure himself whilst pratting around so I had him shod and brought him back into work, he went lame after 10 days, vet came, he said I needed to give him more time but prognosis looking poor we had tried all the medical options with no success and he was anti barefoot 
so shoes off and back to original plan, leave for 12 months. After a discussion with my farrier, I decided to try and work him barefoot..........
His shoes have now been off for 6 of the last 7 months, I started working him a month ago, we have been taking it really slowly, he was comfortable on the road after a week and over the stones outside the yard after 2.5 months coming in and out of the field so I hoped he would be ok and he was, I am only doing 3/4 days a week but we are up to about 30 mins on the road, I started to take him in the school last week, to walk round and I have done a few trot steps on the road and in the arena and he is already sounder than he was when I tried to bring him back into work in August and although he is not going far, he has lasted longer than the 10 days we managed shod
I tried a little bit of schooling yesterday but I really need to stay out of the arena until I can work him "properly" as he is a handful and he was yesterday so gave that up as a bad job, I need to be able to canter him for about 5 mins each way to get the beans out or hang on for dear life............
I decided today to lunge him for a bit, I have avoided this as I don't want to see how lame he is, I popped him on the lunge to look at him when his feet started to look better and he was still lame and I felt really disappointed and his vet came to see him before I took his shoes off for the second time and he was really quite lame so I did not have high hopes for today but if I am to go in the school it would be nice to have lunging as an option, I obviously would not go mad as he is in soft condition and the constant turning is not ideal for him! Guess what........................
He is sound
proper sound! He has not been sound on a circle since Aug 12!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am trying not to get too excited as he is a long way off being back in work but still it is a hugely positive step and I am thrilled! I plan to keep going slowly for the time being as the weather is so unpredictable and I don't want to undo what progress we have made but yippee, there is hope that I may get to compete this horse again, he may not event but that doesn't seem as impossible as it did but hopefully he will dressage and that is more than I could have possibly hoped for in August when the vet last saw him and we were discussing euthanasia!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I have the support of my farrier but my vet and friends think it is a stupid idea so I am doing it on the quiet
as far as they know, he is off for a year to see if that works, I know that won't work because as soon as the shoes go back on he will be lame again, I had a moment of weakness after 3.5 months with his shoes off, turned away, he looked sound in the field and was likely to injure himself whilst pratting around so I had him shod and brought him back into work, he went lame after 10 days, vet came, he said I needed to give him more time but prognosis looking poor we had tried all the medical options with no success and he was anti barefoot so shoes off and back to original plan, leave for 12 months. After a discussion with my farrier, I decided to try and work him barefoot..........His shoes have now been off for 6 of the last 7 months, I started working him a month ago, we have been taking it really slowly, he was comfortable on the road after a week and over the stones outside the yard after 2.5 months coming in and out of the field so I hoped he would be ok and he was, I am only doing 3/4 days a week but we are up to about 30 mins on the road, I started to take him in the school last week, to walk round and I have done a few trot steps on the road and in the arena and he is already sounder than he was when I tried to bring him back into work in August and although he is not going far, he has lasted longer than the 10 days we managed shod
I tried a little bit of schooling yesterday but I really need to stay out of the arena until I can work him "properly" as he is a handful and he was yesterday so gave that up as a bad job, I need to be able to canter him for about 5 mins each way to get the beans out or hang on for dear life............
I decided today to lunge him for a bit, I have avoided this as I don't want to see how lame he is, I popped him on the lunge to look at him when his feet started to look better and he was still lame and I felt really disappointed and his vet came to see him before I took his shoes off for the second time and he was really quite lame so I did not have high hopes for today but if I am to go in the school it would be nice to have lunging as an option, I obviously would not go mad as he is in soft condition and the constant turning is not ideal for him! Guess what........................
He is sound
proper sound! He has not been sound on a circle since Aug 12!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am trying not to get too excited as he is a long way off being back in work but still it is a hugely positive step and I am thrilled! I plan to keep going slowly for the time being as the weather is so unpredictable and I don't want to undo what progress we have made but yippee, there is hope that I may get to compete this horse again, he may not event but that doesn't seem as impossible as it did but hopefully he will dressage and that is more than I could have possibly hoped for in August when the vet last saw him and we were discussing euthanasia!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
