Can your barefoot TB tolerate grass?

[paddy555]

So were a lot of other foreigners

love this.

nightmare situation for you Muff trying to manage this sort of problem. Hope you can find a good solution for him.

 

[muff747]

I dont know why you mentioned he's barefoot in the title as it makes no difference TBH. He'd go pottery even if shod if he's lami prone! My shetland it like this, she's very sensitive nowadays. She's out all winter 24/7 on grass with my other two on 5 acres and is as sound as ever at the moment. But come spring and the grass starts growing I have to be extremely careful with her. I am lucky enough to had a large hardcored yard so she stays in there through the grass-growing season with as much hay as she wants (and stables she wonders in and out of etc.). So she's still out and I can put other horses in with her so she get company, she's perfectly happy like this. If you cant have access to an area like this, I'd try fencing off a really small area of the field (ideally a part thats been muddy so there's barely any grass on it, its just dirt) then give lots of hay for her to eat instead. Better for her to be in a small area outside than standing about in a stable.

Thanks MM. He is in a small bare-ish paddock now with hay to munch and I've already seen the shape of his feet changing - usually the prelude to footiness. He has never had full blown laminitis, only varying degrees of footiness. There's always the green shoots sprouting through and he shouldn't have those really, even though it's a tiny amount.
I am one of the hopefuls buying lottery tickets the yard will be the first thing on my list