Barefoot / unshod advice wanted please

[Boulty]

Hi all. I've got a 17yo cob x gelding with arthritis who had his shoes taken off around 3 months ago. Due to a variety of reasons his work schedule has been a tad erratic up until recently and so it's only really the past maybe 4 weeks that I've got him going again. I had been slowly building up his work in walk (vet's orders anyway after a flareup of his arthritis) and this weekend I took him a little further and introduced some trot work (maybe only a few minutes spread in bursts throughout an hours ride). He's been footy over stones right from the off although he is sound on all other surfaces. He also seems to pick up stones in his feet very easily (have had to dig a few out) which is something he rarely had problems with when shod (although the hacking where I am now is very stoney in parts). Over the weekend I've noticed his front feet have started to chip a fair bit on returning from a ride (had the odd chip before but seems worse now) so have now ordered him some hoof boots (easyboot trails) to try and prevent this and help with the footyness over stones. On friday he moved fields to one with very lush grass and started being turned out 24/7. I have no control over which field he is in and like him out as much as poss as otherwise he stiffens up so can't really alter his turnout arrangements. He is currently fed 1/8th scoop allen and page cool and collected and a handful of HiFi per day purely to get him to eat his joint supplement. He also has a small spoonful of honey mixed with warm water to syringe his bute down him that he presently won't eat in his feed (blooming grass!) which will continue for the next few weeks before trying to take him off it plus either 2 carrots or 4 horse treats per day to do his stretches as directed by the physio (plus an extra treat for picking his bad leg up). Don't like giving him so much food (would esp love not to be giving him either the hard feed or the honey) but he needs his medicine and to do his stretches. He is currently trimmed by the farrier every 8 weeks. I am wondering if there is anything more I ought to be doing to encourage healthier, stronger feet and provided we get on with the hoof boots should I be using these for every ride to start off to give his feet a break or should I still be schooling and doing shorter (eg 30 minute) rides without them? Please bare in mind I do not have an unlimited budget.

 

[HazardWR]

I think it sounds like you have a reasonably good arrangement there. You seem to do quite a bit more for your horse than some people going barefoot do

Like you said, work him in boots and build up his exercise in them, and then "wean" him off them pretty slowly. It may mean that you have to decrease his work whilst he goes without boots, but it's better than rushing him out of them and making him sore.

See if you can get the boots on him in the paddock, especially as we're going through wet/dry cycles recently and so loads of fields are swinging between very wet and soft, and very hard and dry. This will also make his hooves less likely to change shape as much, as wet hooves "splay" more whilst dry ones contract somewhat. The boots will just offer him a bit more support whilst the weather's being funny with us, and if you give him a pad in the bottom of these it should help stimulate his frog a little more. Obviously I don't particularly know what the weather's been like for you or the condition of his paddock, so if it's reasonably consistent then you may not need him booted in the paddock.

With regards to work, if you can work him on a conformable surface such as an arena it should be more comfortable for him, so will make lunging and riding much easier. He should still get access to different terrains, but maybe in 5-10 minute spurts of leading from the floor (depending on how "ouchy" he is over them), and then build up from there till you feel happy with how he's doing. Once you've got him going over hard surfaces nicely in hand, you can start building up with ridden work on hard surfaces. I haven't really given a time scale as it can differ massively for each horse, and with his other problems like arthritis, I think you really need to focus on a pace that's right for him rather than a standardised regime.

Also, might be worth into looking how your farrier is trimming him i.e. is he rasping enough around the toe to provide sufficient break-over for your horse? It can't be judged without seeing first hand and how he moves, but it might be worth having a look what can be done to make moving around a bit easier for him

Hope this helps! x

 

[MerrySherryRider]

My main tip would be to commit to regular, low intensity work; ie, exercise daily. Even 30 minute walk down the road is better than nothing in addition to his normal exercise. Schooling is good to work off the calories, while road work is good for his feet and to keep him moving.
This will help to toughen his feet as the soft wet ground is not helping at the moment.
The chipping is mainly cosmetic, ask your farrier for an old rasp to tidy them up if neccesary.
The stones in his white line are a pain but if you can increase his exercise and maybe take him off the grass for a few hours in the afternoon, as its quite lush at the moment, it would help. The sensitivity he feels on rough ground is likely due to the grass but if you can balance his exercise, diet and reduce his grazing at peak times of the day, it should help.

If hoof booots make him comfortable when he's footy, then its worth the investment so he is able to stride out and not shorten/tense, which wouldn't help his muscles.

 

[Moggy in Manolos]

If hoof booots make him comfortable when he's footy, then its worth the investment so he is able to stride out and not shorten/tense, which wouldn't help his muscles.

This /\ Hoof boots really are fab for when they really 'feel' the terrain. My late girl was shod but still struggled with stony and uneven ground but the cavallo hoof boots were excellent. I think they are great to have spare with a barefoot horse, think you can even attach them to your saddle should you suddenly need them out riding too

 

[Holly Hocks]

I've heard that Magnesium Oxide can help when added to the diet. Also hoof boots are a good investment. Mine is still using them on the fronts for going on the roads and is really happy in them.

 

[Moggy in Manolos]

I've heard that Magnesium Oxide can help when added to the diet.

Ah yes, I second this, again, I put my late mare on it and her feet improved amazingly, farrier was astounded

 

[mightymammoth]

I've heard that Magnesium Oxide can help when added to the diet. Also hoof boots are a good investment. Mine is still using them on the fronts for going on the roads and is really happy in them.

sorry if this is a dumb question but are hoof boots for fronts only? Mine has had the backs taken off two weeks ago and is pretty footy over stones

 

[Holly Hocks]

sorry if this is a dumb question but are hoof boots for fronts only? Mine has had the backs taken off two weeks ago and is pretty footy over stones

I think you can get them for hinds, but I've never bothered as mine was fine behind. I think they're harder to fit for hind feet as the shape of the hoof is different - might be worth putting a thread on asking about it as I've only used the Cavallos on the fronts for mine and never tried any other makes x

 

[Boulty]

Cheers for the advice guys. As of tomorrow will start doing daily in hand walking in addition to his regular exercise (there's quite a variety of hard surfaces just around the yard so think I'll start with walking him around there and build up to walks down the lane). Have also ordered him some pads to go with his boots so just a matter of waiting for all that to arrive so we can start using them.

Good point about the wonderful weather we've had of late; his field went from hard to flooded and back in the space of a week thinking about it although one he's in atm is fairly soft right now and should prob stay that way for a while with the amount of grass cover.

Will also have a word with the farrier (should be due out in 2/3 weeks) to see if there's anything he can do to help (dunno if he'd trust me with a rasp though or whether I'd trust me with one for that matter)

Might be able to get him off the grazing for a few hrs a day though I work shifts so whether it will be in the afternoon depends on which shift I'm on

Will also have a look into seeing if I can find any reasonably priced Magnesium Oxide anywhere

 

[mightymammoth]

I think you can get them for hinds, but I've never bothered as mine was fine behind. I think they're harder to fit for hind feet as the shape of the hoof is different - might be worth putting a thread on asking about it as I've only used the Cavallos on the fronts for mine and never tried any other makes x

yes i think i will thanks x

 

[tallyho!]

Hi all. I've got a 17yo cob x gelding with arthritis who had his shoes taken off around 3 months ago. Due to a variety of reasons his work schedule has been a tad erratic up until recently and so it's only really the past maybe 4 weeks that I've got him going again. I had been slowly building up his work in walk (vet's orders anyway after a flareup of his arthritis) and this weekend I took him a little further and introduced some trot work (maybe only a few minutes spread in bursts throughout an hours ride). He's been footy over stones right from the off although he is sound on all other surfaces. He also seems to pick up stones in his feet very easily (have had to dig a few out) which is something he rarely had problems with when shod (although the hacking where I am now is very stoney in parts). Over the weekend I've noticed his front feet have started to chip a fair bit on returning from a ride (had the odd chip before but seems worse now) so have now ordered him some hoof boots (easyboot trails) to try and prevent this and help with the footyness over stones.

Hiya! Just thought I would point out that chipping will probably continue for a while as long as the hoof wall is too long and of poor quality. When either new stronger horn reaches the ground or, the wall does not exceed the sole too much, then chipping will stop. Also, you may find rounding the edges with a rasp (commonly known as mustang roll) will help with that... And obviously boots

On friday he moved fields to one with very lush grass and started being turned out 24/7. I have no control over which field he is in and like him out as much as poss as otherwise he stiffens up so can't really alter his turnout arrangements. He is currently fed 1/8th scoop allen and page cool and collected and a handful of HiFi per day purely to get him to eat his joint supplement. He also has a small spoonful of honey mixed with warm water to syringe his bute down him that he presently won't eat in his feed (blooming grass!) which will continue for the next few weeks before trying to take him off it plus either 2 carrots or 4 horse treats per day to do his stretches as directed by the physio (plus an extra treat for picking his bad leg up).

Horses who do not wear shoes show the effects of sugar much more than shod counterparts due to increased circulation... So says the small amount of evidence mounted up over the years has shown. The above certainly adds up the sugar ration. Just adding magnesium may help, but you will not be removing a big problem. Muzzling may help towards reducing his sugar intake. However, it does seem that sugar is a predominant problem. At least it will be an easy place to start for an elimination process as long as you can find a substitute for honey to mask the bute

Don't like giving him so much food (would esp love not to be giving him either the hard feed or the honey) but he needs his medicine and to do his stretches. He is currently trimmed by the farrier every 8 weeks.

This is a long time even for a shod horse. Do his feet grow slowly? This could contribute towards the chipping problem. There are some helpful farriers and trimmers with lots of knowledge who can help if you post pictures of the hooves. If you can, take a shot of the sole and side on, on the floor and from behind, close to the floorI am wondering if there is anything more I ought to be doing to encourage healthier, stronger feet and provided we get on with the hoof boots should I be using these for every ride to start off to give his feet a break or should I still be schooling and doing shorter (eg 30 minute) rides without them? Please bare in mind I do not have an unlimited budget.

You do not need more money to get him sound, just a few tweaks here and there.