Critique the progress of these feet...

[El22]

So these feet belong to my 9 year old Welsh Section D, he was off work over the summer so in June he had the front shoes taken off, he was already barefoot behind and had been for about 6 months. He had an injury in the field and upon watching him trot up the vet suggested we should put shoes back on him, because he doesn't breakover at the centre of the foot and therefore wears the feet unevenly and develops flares on the inside of the front feet and outside of the hind feet. They suggested remedial shoeing to make him land straight. I was however dubious about what benifit this would have since I felt that by forcing him to land straight something higher up the limb that I would guess the feet are compensating for would have issues - after all once the horse is grown the only part of the horse's limb that can change is the foot really. After speaking with 3 different farriers that took a look we decided to leave things as they were and see how he coped with being barefoot permenantly. I am glad I did, he is still landing a bit off centre but the feet aren't growing as flared.

Anyway pictures....

October 2012 (these are 5 weeks after trimming)
Right fore

Right hind

Left hind

Left fore

Side view

Left fore sole

Left hind sole

right fore sole

And Feb 2013 just 3/4 months later. These are 3 weeks after trimming
Left hind

Right hind

Right fore

Left fore

Left fore side

Left hind side

right fore side

right hind side

Right fore sole

right hind sole

left fore sole

left hind sole

I am very pleased with the progress. What do you think?

 

[Oberon]

Fascinating pictures!

Nothing really to say other than well done for listening to your horse.

I think the hooves look smashing.

 

[El22]

Fascinating pictures!

Nothing really to say other than well done for listening to your horse.

I think the hooves look smashing.

Thank you I did think very carefully about it before deciding to leave the shoes off and I was lucky enough to find 3 very supportive farriers who have given me lots of tips to help. I did look at Rockley farm and how they let the feet suit the horse rather than trying to produce a prescribed shape.

I have to say he has never moved better... and he is comfy on all surfaces he hasn't needed boots or anything special.

I think he makes a pretty interesting case study since he does wear his feet strangely but then does any horse possess a perfect pair of feet???

 

[Oberon]

I agree.

Handsome is as handsome does.

 

[Scarlett]

Thank you I did think very carefully about it before deciding to leave the shoes off and I was lucky enough to find 3 very supportive farriers who have given me lots of tips to help. I did look at Rockley farm and how they let the feet suit the horse rather than trying to produce a prescribed shape.

I have to say he has never moved better... and he is comfy on all surfaces he hasn't needed boots or anything special.

I think he makes a pretty interesting case study since he does wear his feet strangely but then does any horse possess a perfect pair of feet???

What a brilliant attitude - well done!

Really interesting pics - thanks for sharing them.

Re the feet matching. One of mine has been out of shoes just over a year now, his odd front feet are actually looking more similar as the weeks pass. I doubt they will ever match but they have grown their own way and now look more alike in size and shape than ever.

 

[El22]

What a brilliant attitude - well done!

Really interesting pics - thanks for sharing them.

Re the feet matching. One of mine has been out of shoes just over a year now, his odd front feet are actually looking more similar as the weeks pass. I doubt they will ever match but they have grown their own way and now look more alike in size and shape than ever.

That is pretty interesting my other horse she has one foot more upright than the other it would be interesting to see what would happen with her. She is on loan at the moment though and she is kept shod. When I have her back I might try taking her shoes off too, she is more sensitive than him though so I am guessing will need boots to make it work.

 

[cptrayes]

Very well done indeed in listening to your horse. Of course you shouldn't force straight feet onto limbs that aren't perfect, and you stuck to your guns, which is difficult in the face of an expert with different views.

Your sole shots are becoming symmetrical in front, which shows you that you have it right.

Just one comment. It is extremely difficult to see the truth from a photo, but the fronts don't look as if they have much concavity. If you have got him on a good diet, (and from the disappearance of the growth rings I think you do) then you might need to consider a mineral imbalance (the most likely one seems to be too little copper). Nothing serious, just something to think about.



ps on the same subject - the horse knowing what foot he needs, I have a rehab in progress right now. He has been for the best part of 4 years lame in shoes in spite of being shod "balanced" to xrays. He clearly did not agree with the balance that experts thought he should have. He is on just 3 and a half months now (Feb 1st), and has been reliably sound since the beginning of December. His feet, back and front, have done the wierdest things and I have watched them with bated breath, but the longer he was left to his own devices, and the more work we did on the roads to trim them to his own design, the sounder he got.

 

[brucea]

Well done, and they don;t look bad, but there is serum leakage into the wall, a cascade of event lines and some stretch of the white line - so I'd be pretty careful with the diet here and think about grass access time.

How is his weight?

 

[brucea]

Doh - more pics eventually came up - when I'd refreshed the page - I'm going back to Chrome.....

Much better in the 3 month pics - but I'd still be pretty careful with this chap's diet

 

[El22]

Doh - more pics eventually came up - when I'd refreshed the page - I'm going back to Chrome.....

Much better in the 3 month pics - but I'd still be pretty careful with this chap's diet

He is a good doer and while was out of work piled on the pounds, I have got around 80Kg off round his middle according to the weigh tape but still need to get some more off. I would body condition score him closer to 4 than 3 at the moment and he still has about an inch more over his ribs than he actually needs.

In the summer he lives on 12 hr soaked hay and restricted grazing, we have also used a muzzle on him. Winter he is fully clipped and minimally rugged (you can't work him without clipping him since he grows a polar bear style coat) and a full clip is easier to do on him since it is just a case of whipping the whole lot off rather than trying to fiddle around doing lines.

The only time he looks slender is if he is hacking out and doing lots of work everyday at the moment can't manage that but he is getting worked 5 times a week. Plus since he had the injury it wouldn't be good to push him too hard too fast. He slipped in the field (we think) and pulled the muscles in his chest so he was waddling in front rather than walking. He also had a bad back from his saddle so we have been gradually sorting that out as well. Poor chappie had a bad year.

I think the feet are move concave than they look in the photographs.

 

[amandaco2]

Wow.like different hooves!

 

[brucea]

He is a good doer and while was out of work piled on the pounds, I have got around 80Kg off round his middle according to the weigh tape but still need to get some more off. I would body condition score him closer to 4 than 3 at the moment and he still has about an inch more over his ribs than he actually needs.

In the summer he lives on 12 hr soaked hay and restricted grazing, we have also used a muzzle on him. Winter he is fully clipped and minimally rugged (you can't work him without clipping him since he grows a polar bear style coat) and a full clip is easier to do on him since it is just a case of whipping the whole lot off rather than trying to fiddle around doing lines.

The only time he looks slender is if he is hacking out and doing lots of work everyday at the moment can't manage that but he is getting worked 5 times a week. Plus since he had the injury it wouldn't be good to push him too hard too fast. He slipped in the field (we think) and pulled the muscles in his chest so he was waddling in front rather than walking. He also had a bad back from his saddle so we have been gradually sorting that out as well. Poor chappie had a bad year.

I think the feet are move concave than they look in the photographs.

I think you've done great things here. I have 2 good doers in my herd of 4 and no one should underestimate how hard it is to get weight off them.

Often worth getting these ponies that "get fat on fresh air" tested so you can see insulin and glucose levels. We used Metformin on one of ours and it got the weight loss kickstarted.

 

[El22]

I think you've done great things here. I have 2 good doers in my herd of 4 and no one should underestimate how hard it is to get weight off them.

Often worth getting these ponies that "get fat on fresh air" tested so you can see insulin and glucose levels. We used Metformin on one of ours and it got the weight loss kickstarted.

Thanks it has always been an uphill battle with his weight, he never develops the cresty neck that would really worry me but he likes to store it on the top of his butt and behind his shoulder.

Here is the chunky monkey yesterday:

And what I see as his more ideal weight, I keep this picture so I know it is possible!

 

[Oberon]

With his head in a molassed lick

 

[charliejet]

Big improvement in the feet, well done, but eek! at the lick! They are full of sugar.