Bruised soles...

[Christmas Crumpet]

It goes from bad to worse!! Horse went hunting on Sat for first time this season and pulled both her front shoes off. She got an overreach (see post below) and was obviously quite footy without shoes. farrier came out today and put shoes back on and she's so sore.

I think she's clearly bruised both front soles - other than keep her in and give her bute, what can I do? I am gutted. It has taken 9 months to get her sound enough to go hunting and we only managed an hour.

I tried to trot her up in the yard earlier but she was so unhappy. She trod on a pebble and almost fell over. It doesn't surprise me as we had charged over some quite stony ground before I realised she'd lost a shoe.

How long do bruised soles take to mend? How long is a piece of string I guess!!! I have used iodine to toughen up soles before. Would that help? Is it worth turning her out and getting her moving or do I keep her in on a deep bed?

Any advice good or bad would be welcomed massively. I actually want to cry - its been such a long road and I feel as though we have taken 2 steps forward and twenty back.

 

[TigerTail]

She wont have bruises now as such but would think they will develop fairly swiftly.

Basically she already had sore inflamed feet and then the farrier has added to that trauma by banging nails and shoes back on to those painful feet so its no wonder she's now gimping about poor thing.

So damage limitation now! Anti inflammatories, arnica and you could offer her willow branches to help herself to if she feels she needs it.

Why hasnt she been sound? Someone commented on here recently that if a horse isnt sound without shoes, at least on a flat surface, it aint sound with them! Made a lot of sense to me.

 

[Christmas Crumpet]

Gave her a bute last night, wrapped up overreach and turned her out this morning. She seemed more unlevel today than anything else. Quite happily charged down the road to go into her field. Def. sounder than last night but that's obviously due to the bute.

Farrier reckons it will take a few days and she should start feeling better. So we will see - he's prescribed arnica & bute for a few days and turnout when we can (keeping overreach covered) and go from there.

Although looking at the torrential rain we are due tomorrow, she can stay in!!

 

[TwoStroke]

Thick, tough soles are the product of diet and stimulation. Painting iodine on them imo will only make them brittle. The diet you can achieve with the horse still in shoes, but the stimulation you can't. So whilst the horse is shod, you will be unable to toughen the soles sufficiently to avoid bruising when you lose shoes, imho.

As TT says, it's now just a case of damage limitation.

 

[Kat]

Why was she in the heart bar shoes?

 

[Oberon]

It goes from bad to worse!! Horse went hunting on Sat for first time this season and pulled both her front shoes off. She got an overreach (see post below) and was obviously quite footy without shoes. farrier came out today and put shoes back on and she's so sore.

I think she's clearly bruised both front soles - other than keep her in and give her bute, what can I do? I am gutted. It has taken 9 months to get her sound enough to go hunting and we only managed an hour.

I tried to trot her up in the yard earlier but she was so unhappy. She trod on a pebble and almost fell over. It doesn't surprise me as we had charged over some quite stony ground before I realised she'd lost a shoe.

How long do bruised soles take to mend? How long is a piece of string I guess!!! I have used iodine to toughen up soles before. Would that help? Is it worth turning her out and getting her moving or do I keep her in on a deep bed?

Any advice good or bad would be welcomed massively. I actually want to cry - its been such a long road and I feel as though we have taken 2 steps forward and twenty back.

As long as the bruising doesn't turn into sub-solar abscesses - then she should be fine after a week.

Soles bruise when they are too thin to protect the internal structures.
A shod sole will usually be thinner than an unshod one as walking on the ground is what stimulates the hoof to lay more tissue to the sole - that's not a pop at shoes, but an explanation as to why .
Some hoof care practitioners are also pretty keen on paring the sole too much, which also thins it.

It's fair that your horse has bruised her soles after losing both front shoes suddenly. You couldn't have avoided it from happening.

Another reason for thin soles can be diet. If there is a lot of starch and sugar in the diet or if the mineral balance is hinky - this can cause thin soles with some horses.

You can paint what you like on the soles to make them hard. Hardness isn't the same as thickness enough to protect the internal structures though .

Thin sole

Thick sole

 

[Christmas Crumpet]

She was in heartbars because the vet thought they might help her slight reverse rotation of her front pedal bones.

Please don't turn this into a "if she was barefoot then none of this would have happened" debate because that, at the moment, isn't helpful!!

Farrier has now switched her to some Centre Fit (like NB) shoes to see how they do seeing as she obviously can't hunt in heartbars.

I think this is likely to be her last season hunting so will have her shoes taken off and be retired come March.

However, at the moment, all I am concerned about is how best to help her bruised soles so any thoughts would be good.

 

[Cazza525]

She will be better in a few days, don't panic. I would give bute if really really sore but just turn out /bring in as normal.

Give her a fortnight and you'll be riding again

 

[Cazza525]

Keep her shod! Not so much heartbars but side clips. You may get away with hinds removed when retired, but my guess is, her feet will bruise easily.

I am all for no shoes when you can ( its so much cheaper) but by the sounds of it, i think you'll struggle.

 

[amandap]

Thick, tough soles are the product of diet and stimulation. Painting iodine on them imo will only make them brittle. The diet you can achieve with the horse still in shoes, but the stimulation you can't. So whilst the horse is shod, you will be unable to toughen the soles sufficiently to avoid bruising when you lose shoes, imho.

As TT says, it's now just a case of damage limitation.

Ditto.
You can't achieve full sole protection in shoes either, big stones are always going to have the potential to bruise thin or soft soles. Shoes have a degree of a numbing effect so usually in shoes they don't feel it.

As OberBaubles explains getting a thick, calloused sole to protect internal structures (including the coffin bone btw) is vital.

 

[putasocinit]

Oberbaubles was explaining how the sole/foot works, not turning it into a debate, even shod horses still need a barefoot diet.

I would keep the over reach open to get air and dry out covering it will keep it moist esp in this weather, give it a good clean and tetcin spray after turnout (i have posted on this already).

She will be okay though just watch out for solar abscess forming.

 

[Oberon]

Please don't turn this into a "if she was barefoot then none of this would have happened" debate because that, at the moment, isn't helpful!!

I think you are reading an intention in my post that isn't there . I have no emotional investment in whether your horse is shod or not - I just wanted to try and explain what is going on with your horse .

However, at the moment, all I am concerned about is how best to help her bruised soles so any thoughts would be good.

I would add thoughts - but I'm a bit scared now....so I won't .

 

[Roasted Chestnuts]

My horse has some bruising on his soles and he was sound out hacking today

May be a combination of factors but OB has certainly got the info and knowledge to help without making it into a BF debate

Have a look at my horses soles, these pics were taken a few hours ago and hes recently barefoot after a lifetime in shoes (hes nearly 22) and you can see the bruising but hes sound as, bit footy on really stoney going but only having the shoes off 5 months I expect that.

http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=582117

Im not shoving BF down your throat just showing you bruising on a sound horse, your horse must either be really sensitive to this or perhaps there is something else going on. Just my take tho

 

[Christmas Crumpet]

I think you are reading an intention in my post that isn't there . I have no emotional investment in whether your horse is shod or not - I just wanted to try and explain what is going on with your horse .



I would add thoughts - but I'm a bit scared now....so I won't .

Oberbaubles - I wasn't actually aiming that comment at you at all!! It was at Kristmas Kat asking why horse was in heart bars... and me knowing the forum the way I do, was then expecting to be told that barefoot is the only way!!

I am very grateful for all your input and that's why I use this forum because you learn so much.

I think its pretty fair to say the reason horse has bruised soles is because she lost both her front shoes hunting on Sat in an area which is notoriously flinty with big, big stones. Its been very wet and so when the horse are charging along in the mud, their feet just sink into the mud onto the flints. Apparently she isn't the only one who is sore after Saturday so I'm not too worried about why she has bruised soles. Its fairly obvious.

 

[Kat]

Oberbaubles - I wasn't actually aiming that comment at you at all!! It was at Kristmas Kat asking why horse was in heart bars... and me knowing the forum the way I do, was then expecting to be told that barefoot is the only way!!

I am very grateful for all your input and that's why I use this forum because you learn so much.

I think its pretty fair to say the reason horse has bruised soles is because she lost both her front shoes hunting on Sat in an area which is notoriously flinty with big, big stones. Its been very wet and so when the horse are charging along in the mud, their feet just sink into the mud onto the flints. Apparently she isn't the only one who is sore after Saturday so I'm not too worried about why she has bruised soles. Its fairly obvious.

I was asking because it seemed that all of the relevant information hadn't been given and the reason for the heartbars may have been relevant/related to the problem.

 

[JVB]

Sorry to hijack but while those that 'know' are on the forum...

My 4 yr old ex racer has been barefoot since August and while been bit footy on stony ground, was on the whole coping far better that I had hoped.

Last weekend he started looking sore and by Monday night was hopping lame on left fore, heat round coronet and when inside sole pressed was palpable and painful for him so suspected abscess.

Spoke to vets throughout week, poulticed, wrapped had on 1 bute a day etc. He was pretty comfortable on the bute but stopped that on Thurs and by Sat night was really lame again. Had trimmer on Sunday and when we explored bit further we found what looked like possible small puncture wound.

Had vet on Monday, nerve blocks made slight improvement up to fetlock, xrays not showing anything so no signs of abscess, bone all ok, bit of digging showed few small bruises all over sole, pulse raised.

So now suspected bad bruising, he's back on 1 bute a day, dry poultice, and looking more comfortable. But it's coming up to 2 weeks now since started, I know bruising can take a few weeks to sort but should he start to look more comfortable soon?

Checking in with vet again on Friday to give update

 

[Christmas Crumpet]

OK!! I really didn't want this post to turn into a debate at all - hence my comment. I just wanted some advice for what to do now with her bruised soles.

I realise reading back I did comment that its taken 9 months to get her sound enough to go hunting... check ligament, spavin, reverse rotation of pedal bone and I think that's it!!

Sorry for jumping to conclusions about your question.

 

[Kat]

That's fine, it is easy to get very defensive when you horse is poorly

Sounds like the poor thing has had a lot going on recently.

Mine has had bruised soles - flat feet, thin soles etc and the vets advice was that it is basically time for the bruising to heal just like any other bruising. I was told to keep her comfortable with a deep bed, I wasn't given bute for her, partly to prevent her from making it worse because the discomfort is dulled. I bought some hoof boots to protect her soles when I started walking her out and riding, given that you want to get through the hunting season before you consider any drastic changes it might be worth talking to the farrier about pads...... or that injectible gel stuff.

It would be worth getting her onto a barefoot diet and a really good hoof suppliment now, it will help her feet now and will make things easier when you pull her shoes at the end of the season (I think you said that was your plan on one of your threads).

Then at the end of the season she can have a proper break and you can look at getting her comfortable bare.

The other thing you could consider is boots. If you wanted to hunt in them you'd probably need some of the high tech ones which you may not wish to pay for as an experiement but the cheaper more simple ones are great for hacking and so on and could be useful after the season - I've been really impressed by mine and they give my flat footed thin soled horse a lot of comfort at a very reasonable price.