Barefoot - what to try next

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robthecob

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I am in genuine need for some ideas about what to try next with my barefoot mare.

I used to look forward to summer, out 24/7 a break from mucking out etc.. But this year I'm panicking, this early spring like weather has thrown me.

A brief history, mare has been barefoot for about 9 weeks, initially doing very well, then doing brilliantly over the frozen period we had (less grass, harder ground maybe?) but in the last two weeks I feel we have probably gone backwards. She was trimmed 2 weeks ago and the farrier was happy with the feet, then we had the mild weather and she has gone a bit pottery, fine on our Martin Collins indoor surface but off on our harder rubber outdoor school and walking in etc.

I feed what I would consider a good barefoot diet, 1 scoop fast fibre a handful of hifi light, magnesium and a feed balancer both from trinity suppliments which I have been doubling lately to help the tummy with the grass flushes. On top of that I added micronised linseed to the feed about a month ago, it came with no feed instructions but after reading on the net I feed about 2 handfuls in each feed. I feed meadow hay over night.

Im not really sure what to try next, do i restrict grazing? The grass isn't really long enough for the greenguard muzzle and I have always avoided stabling more than I need to due to diagnosed arthritus in the sacroilliac joint. I could soak her hay?

Should I try adding something else to the feed? Brewers yeast?

As you can see I'm just a bit lost and am hoping those that have transitioned might be able to suggest a path to take. :)
 
So she's been uncomfortable since her trim? Sounds like whatever the farrier did, she doesn't like. Did he trim her frogs or sole? It's not uncommon but extremely unhelpful for the horse.

I'd be inclined to give her a couple of weeks to let her feet grow back, maybe with boots, and reassess. Everything else you're doing sounds great.
 
Kallibear said:
So she's been uncomfortable since her trim? Sounds like whatever the farrier did, she doesn't like. Did he trim her frogs or sole? It's not uncommon but extremely unhelpful for the horse.

I'd be inclined to give her a couple of weeks to let her feet grow back, maybe with boots, and reassess. Everything else you're doing sounds great.
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This ^^.

Has she been wormed or vaccinated recently? This can knock some horses back too. Is there even a hint of thrush or does she have narrow central suculus'? That can be very sore even if it is hardly noticable so worth hitting it hard if there is even a suspicion of it. Pete Ramey's website describes really well his sucessful method.

How is she on flat but hard surfaces?

You could also soak your hay, grass is def coming through with us so need to cut down any other sugars! Could you strip graze if muzzling isn't an option yet?
If you rule out trim and grass then you could either get your forage analysed and a feed plan done or switch to a more complete vit and min supplement - Meta balance from Equimins and Pro Hoof are pretty much considered the best http://uknhcp.myfastforum.org/Meta_Balance_or_Pro_Hoof__about3988.html
Some horses can be sensitive to alfafa which is contained in the hifi you're feeding, ablit in small amounts. Changing to a molasses (inc moglo!) and alfafa free chaff could help. There are a few different brands to try. Mares and I like Halleys feeds timothy chaff - it is just chopped nice hay. I wouldn't feed alot of it (like scoops and scoops) as it is good hay and so has more sugar than the soaked hay I feed overnight - I am a bit uptight about any sugar lol!!
 
robthecob said:
c.. But this year I'm panicking, this early spring like weather has thrown me.

A brief history, mare has been barefoot for about 9 weeks, initially doing very well, then doing brilliantly over the frozen period we had (less grass, harder ground maybe?) but in the last two weeks I feel we have probably gone backwards. She was trimmed 2 weeks ago and the farrier was happy with the feet, then we had the mild weather and she has gone a bit pottery, fine on our Martin Collins indoor surface but off on our harder rubber outdoor school and walking in etc.

)
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bit of a coincidence that she was fine till 2 weeks ago and she was trimmed 2 weeks ago. It is not a case if the farrier is happy with her feet but whether she is happy with the farrier's trim. :)

what did the farrier trim? did you see him for example trimming the frog or trimming the sole?
 
Thanks both, my farrier didn't trim the sole but he did trim the sides of the frogs. She is noticeably sore on flat concrete too, but as I said forward and free on the soft indoor school.

I'm on a livery yard where I have little or no control over the grazing so strip grazing is out of the question :( the field is overgrazed and we know it's deficient in magnesium after seeing the change in both mine and my friends mare when we started supplementing it.

I asked my farrier about thrush but he said they were fine, I actually did some reading up on sulcas thrush after reading about it on here, i could treat to rule it out if it would do no harm, I'll have a look at the page you suggested.

I did contact equimins a month ago and they suggested the pro feet so I could try that. Do I knock the other magnesium on the head if I start the equimins? That could be a question to ask them.

Interesting what you say about the hifi, I feed a measley amount but more when then there is a risk of the breakfast feed freezing, I have had no problems but my friends mare who had her hifi quantities upped much more than I did came out in lumps. Could be unrelated but it was one of her theory's.
 
have you discussed this with the farrier? I would suggest this is the best place to start with trying to resolve it. It could be a number of things, but without knowing the horse/environment its hard to advise.
 
You could post some pics (ground side and solar views) to see if there's anything glaring.

It may have been soreness post trim. Something to be mindful of next time - the farrier did something she doesn't like. Learn from it and avoid doing it again.

The frosty grass is as high in sugar as spring grass - so that's something to think about.
http://www.safergrass.org/

Mineral balancing can often help 'tricky' horses if it comes to that. Otherwise Equimin's META Balance or Progressive Earth's Pro Hoof have had good results recently.

For the season - a pair of boots can be on stand by for when you want to hack etc.

As long as she is comfortable - exercise will help to replace the tissue she's lost.
 
robthecob said:
Thanks both, my farrier didn't trim the sole but he did trim the sides of the frogs. She is noticeably sore on flat concrete too, but as I said forward and free on the soft indoor school.



I asked my farrier about thrush but he said they were fine, I actually did some reading up on sulcas thrush after reading about it on here, i could treat to rule it out if it would do no harm, I'll have a look at the page you suggested.

I did contact equimins a month ago and they suggested the pro feet so I could try that. Do I knock the other magnesium on the head if I start the equimins? That could be a question to ask them.

.
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I would treat them as if they had thrush. It can do no harm. What farriers regard as thrush causing a problem and what barefooters think of a thrush/fungal infections causing a problem may be different,. :)

I feed equimins meta balance and I also feed additional mg in the form of calmag. I find the calmag to be vital. A 60g serving of meta bal has only 2.56 mg.

All people can do over the internet is guess with out seeing your horse.
I would still be looking to the trim. It may be a perfectly correct and good trim but it may not have suited your horse. Possibly he lowered the walls. Possibly that put the frog more into ground contact and the frog has a problem. Possibly the horse doesn't like the balance. Pictures may give a clue.
If it is the trim it will be a case of letting the feet grow, keeping on a soft surface (or booting) and preventing the horse from being sore. Then next time trimming is due find out exactly what is trimmed off and ask the farrier to be very careful and moderate in view of the potential problem.

I had one who was a gravel cruncher but one single swipe of the rasp across the bottom of the wall and I could tell the next day.

I take it we have ruled out wormers, vacinations, any other chemicals, change of hay, straw, yard, field and anything else?
 
It is almost a golden rule not to touch the frog. He may have cut off some "dead" frog but was it infected? I am inclined to think he took off more than what your horse needed... Or there is a thrush issue.

Also, I don't know if it applies to your horse but my horse did not tolerate fast fibre. As soon as I stopped it, no more footiness. Also happened with alfalfa.

Agree with others re boots until the horse grows some new foot. Infact get boots anyway as a bit of footyness shouldn't mean stop work. Carry on but with boots. That is the beauty of boots.
 
Whatever happens I would recommend yeast, either brewers or yea-sacc. Two of mine are footie in summer unless they get their yeast :)
 
Wow thanks everyone, I'll happily post up some pics. The only ones I have currently are from the first trim so I'll take some more tomorrow and would love some feedback.

No wormers or change in anything at all, our hay comes from different suppliers but I don't think it would be that. Interesting regarding the fast fibre, it wouldn't do any harm for me to try her off it, I fed it before the shoes came off so willing to give it a blast.

We do have boots, off a friends recommendation I shall pick up some comfort pads to help too. Will pick up a bin to soak hay too... I'm not worried about her losing a bit of weight, although no one would stop and point she is looking rather well for this time of year!

I'm thinking of trying a liver tonic too from trinity, as a boost really!
But I'll call roger and have a chat with him first. He might have something similar to the meta balance etc! I do like to speak with someone first, which was part of the reason I didn't buy the equimins last time I think.

Re the yeast does it make a difference which I get? Is one better for the job than the other?
 
robthecob said:
Re the yeast does it make a difference which I get? Is one better for the job than the other?
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They both work. Brewers yeast is cheaper but varies depending on what drink has been made with it and my horses won't eat some types. It's dead and you feed more (50g for a horse) Yeasacc is live and more active and you feed 15g for a horse.

It is quite literally the difference for one of mine being rock crunching and wincey on stones, and another between noticeably laminitic just a little tentative on stones.
 
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