Ex racer. Feet ideas please

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Ok here is the history.
I have a wonderful 3 yr old ex racer. Last raced end of sept. have had her about 3 weeks. Until I had her she had not been turned out in a field since a foal. She arrived with glued on racing plates. Trainer said no issues just too slow. Now we had shoes replaced with normal nailed shoes. When living in 24/7 seemed fine. Then she went out during day. When in field ( muddyish ) she seemed lame. Then sometimes not. So I thought turn her away to non muddy field as my plan was to let her mature and start work in spring. After one day out 24/7 very lame on hind. No evidence of cut, kick or abscess. No heat swelling or loose shoe. So I brought her back to yard and stable. She has also lost s front shoe now which has also made her lame. She is still uncomfortable behind. I think she may have feet probs as many ex racers have and soft soles wall of hoof etc. advice really in any area but mainly feeding and supliments and hoof treatments. Don't want to spend a fortune on trail and error if I don't have to!! Farrier is also up today so will get his thoughts to
 
If she had glue on plates I would suspect they have had issues with her feet previously, I would probably take the shoes off and leave her out once she is not actually lame, as long as she is able to stay out on the soft she should start to grow some stronger horn and become more comfortable.

I have a racehorse in on box rest, his feet were soft, no frogs to speak of but they have improved in just 4 weeks, I know he is in so slightly different but he will be out 24/7 for the rest of the winter,, he is fed on fast fibre, salt, magnitude and ad lib haylage, when he goes out I will add some linseed but his legs were filling when he had it while stood in.

For faster growth I find Farriers Formula good to use for a few months it helps get a good start.
 
Welcome to the joys of TB's and there dodgy feet! Number 1 question is why was she having glued on shoes...would suggest to me a previous issue. Personally I would have a good chat with the farrier who you are going to have to rely on alot if you want a sound horse...believe me I know! I am a big believer in loads of turn out for ex racers, but I am lucky in having my own fields so can do as I please. If you can get her onto a field that is less muddy this should help...my TB HATES walking in mud.
 
I have a TB too the clue here is in those glue on shoes I think they will have had that issue as well.
Talk to the farrier , I have mine on farriers formula thats made a huge difference his new wall it's much much thicker and mines BF but that's a different thing entirely .
 
Look at getting her diet to be low sugar and starch and high in fibre, also a good mineral supliment (pro hoof is said to be good but I find pink powder just as good) and look to give her some magnesium.

You need to treat her hooves from the inside via the diet.
 
Thanks guys. Yeh thought glue on might have something to do with past!! She is quite lame at mo. will get her more comfortable. Speak to farrier today. Sort feeding out and try and get her back out.
 
Speak to Oberon and cptrayes. It might be worth going down the barefoot route for the minute if her feet are so bad. She sounds like she needs a break from any kind of rubbish on her feet and maybe giving herself a chance to heal her own body might help. making her healthy from the inside is the best thing you can do so magnesium is amazing for feet so is seaweed and linseed. Go for a high fibre/low sugar diet so feeds like speedibeet or fast fibre or look at the thunderbrook range if you are happy to pay that sort of money. Plenty of turnout with hoof boots if necessary and when she is ready take her for walks on the roads to build up hooves. Finally a podiatrist or trimmer that knows how the barefoot hoof works. I know I might get slated for recommending the above but if shoes arent working then it maybe worth a try?
 
Please don't feed seaweed unless you know your feed is low in iron and iodine. Too much of either do barefoot feet no good at all and there is lots of both in seaweed.
 
Why did you put shoes on? For me, if a horse is being turned away for a few months, it will have its shoes taken off, unless for some kind of medical reasons it needed them one.
 
Oberon. I see you are the resident expert. Feeding at mo - she is in 24/7 since yesterday till lameness better ( what do you think?) farrier was up today so will speak via phone later to him.
At mo she has ad lib hay. Two feeds a day chaff sugar beet high fibre nuts.
My plan is after reading other posts is to put her on
Fast fibre - micro linseed- pro hoof.
She will be out 24/7 ASAP am considering shoes off as well.
 
I dont have a lot to add except I'm in the same boat as you with my ottb (4yo, last race April). He did have conventional shoes on though for a few months. Then with a new farrier went lame. Has been on box rest 6wks now. I've had xrays & alsorts showing his pedal bone is pretty much flat to his sole & his soles are paper thin as well as being imbalanced.

I am going down the route of: diet change, a good supplement, salt, soaked haylage & turnout on soft (but not deep) surfaces.
My lad is having imprint shoes on on Thurs & once some heel has been built up & his soles/frog are looking stronger and healthier, I'm going to discuss where to go. I don't know if barefoot is an option for is given how bad his feet are, but equally, I don't believe shoes in the case of my lad are going to help him.

Good luck & if you need moral support or just a person who knows what this is like, feel free to inbox.
There are some v fab & giving people on here who no doubt will be along shortly.
 
No expert but my ex racer had awful feet. Through trial and error I now feed unmolassed sugarbeet (kwikbeet is very low sugar) micronised linseed (charnwood milling) and yeasac and pro hoof from progressive earth. His feet are now
so much better and his backs are off and he's rock crunching.
If I give him any sugar, cereal or alfalfa he gets very footy.

For him I think it is all down to the diet he had as a racer causing problems with both stomach and hindgut ulcers. InterestIngly if I run out of yeasacc he goes footy.
 
Time, good hay, good grass, and a darn good farrier - over reach boots on the fronts, she may not be used to the to, and hooling around she could easily catch a shoe, and rip some of her not so good hoof away.
 
Gingerwitch said:
Time, good hay, good grass, and a darn good farrier - over reach boots on the fronts, she may not be used to the to, and hooling around she could easily catch a shoe, and rip some of her not so good hoof away.
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Depends on how people define "good grass" Gingerwitch.

Good grass for feet is rough, unfertilised, scrubby, wildflower meadow, not the lush green stuff that was grown for dairy cows that is all so many livery yards offer these days :o

Good hay for feet has been soaked for 24 hours to get the sugar out.

Your answer also assumes shoes, and she might well produce much better feet much quicker if she is taken barefoot instead - no risk of pullnig one off and taking foot with it either.
 
hdonna said:
My plan is after reading other posts is to put her on
Fast fibre - micro linseed- pro hoof.
She will be out 24/7 ASAP am considering shoes off as well.
Click to expand...

That sounds like a good plan.

I will send you a pm with some generic suggestions.

Being only 3 years old - I wonder how long she has been shod back to back for?

It may be worth allowing her a break from shoes over the winter and letting her hooves remodel.

Then you can reshoe (if you feel the need) come spring when her hooves have had time to 'fix' themselves and will be better able to cope with shoes....
 
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