Feeling so down.....lame horse

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FestiveBoomBoom

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Have had my horse for just over 18 months. He has been intermittently lame for most of that time and probably in full work for about 4 months. Had it investigated before but due to the fact that it was such a low grade lameness my vet told me just box rest and bute for a week and he always came right. However at the start of August he went lame again so I had the vet out for a full lameness workup and had xrays done. Bones in his feet looked fine and my vet recommended heart bar shoes with the silicone pads. Had that done, vet back out and still lame. Vet said he wanted to go MRI and now my insurance are refusing to pay for it and I can't afford to pay for it.

I am at my wits end, I don't know what to do for the best. He is only 7 and the most fantastic horse. I feel that barefoot rehab may help him but I am unable to fund this, I have looked at Rockley farm but I cannot afford £100 per week for 3+ months. What are my options? pts? blood bank? I am not in a position to turn him away for a year and see what happens. I want to do the best by him but I have spent SO much money on him since I've had him, aside from the lameness problems he has had several other niggly little injuries that have all required vet treatment and I'm just being drained of money. When he's sound and in work he is absolutely amazing.....he just can't stay sound.

Sorry for the long post - any ideas would be appreciated
 
If you assume soft tissue damage in the back of the foot which is what an MRI scan will show you then rehabbing his feet back to health will sort this problem out.

You can barefoot rehab him yourself with a little bit of time and knowledge and dedication. It will cost a LOT less than £100pw.

You will need someone that can give him a correct trim and advise you on pads and handwalking and all the other rehab work that goes with it.

There is a lot of knowledge on this forum, but you will need a good trimmer.

I can recommend KC La Pierres trimmers that call themselves DAEP's - a list of them can be found here:

http://www.appliedequinepodiatry.org/iaep/locate.html#UK

Good luck and don't give up just yet!!
 
Did you ask your vet what he thought heart bars and pads were going to do for the horse?

I would recommend that you get a second opinion from a specialist lameness farrier. Where abouts in the country are you?
 
Laura1812 said:
If you assume soft tissue damage in the back of the foot which is what an MRI scan will show you then rehabbing his feet back to health will sort this problem out.
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Yes we are assuming soft tissue damage although without the MRI (which the insurance are refusing to pay for) then we will never have a definite answer. I mentioned barefoot to my vet and he scoffed at the idea saying why on earth would you take shoes off a horse that is crippled without them. However I am open to ideas, although wouldn't know where to start with barefoot rehab.
 
sally2008 said:
Did you ask your vet what he thought heart bars and pads were going to do for the horse?

I would recommend that you get a second opinion from a specialist lameness farrier. Where abouts in the country are you?
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He is flat footed, brusies his soles easily and the frog on his right front was in pretty bad shape. So the idea to use heart bars and pads (or so I thought) was to protect the sole and frog. I trusted what my vet and farrier were telling me, perhaps a mistake but they are the 'professionals' afterall. I am in NE Scotland
 
I'm in NE Scotland too. I've no experience of the type of lameness you are dealing with, but I did go against my vet's recommendations earlier this year and rehabbed my mare's post-operative laminitis barefoot. She is now back in full work, including the occasional gallop. She is 18.
For barefoot stuff, Pete Ramey is a great place to start - lots of free stuff on the web. There are also the book 'Feet First' by Barker and Braithwaite and Jaime Jackson's various books. Search on this forum, and also have a look at the UKNHCP forum. Feel free to PM too if you'd like some local support.
 
I honestly know what you are going through. My horse has been on/off lame for the last 18 months and it wasn’t until recently that he was finally diagnosed with navicular. It started off with intermittent lame which gradually has gotten worse and worse.
I had a year long battle getting my insurance company to pay for the xrays, treatment etc and they point blank refused to pay for an MRI and I couldn’t afford one either . Like yours, my vet and farrier are very ‘traditional’ in their ways and looked at me like I was an idiot when I said someone had suggested taking his shoes off (he has eggbars on).
I stumbled upon the ‘barefoot’ option on the internet and to be honest, thought to myself, what have I got to lose… My horse is out of work, in pain and unhappy and I will try anything I can to improve his quality of life, even if that means going against what experts around me might be saying.
There is a lot of knowledge and support out there if you do decide to go barefoot, and I really hope he comes right for you x
 
You don't have to rehab barefoot at Rockley Farm. They do great work there but you can do the same at home WITH THE RIGHT SUPPORT.

I recommend getting a good barefoot trimmer to assess and advise before taking the shoes off. That way you can get measured for boots and make everything ready beforehand.

Going barefoot is very simple and easy with the right knowledge and support.
 
FattyBoomBoom said:
Yes we are assuming soft tissue damage although without the MRI (which the insurance are refusing to pay for) then we will never have a definite answer. I mentioned barefoot to my vet and he scoffed at the idea saying why on earth would you take shoes off a horse that is crippled without them. However I am open to ideas, although wouldn't know where to start with barefoot rehab.
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exact same situation with my horse, 3yrs of intermittent lameness and vets refusing to do anything more than bute and box rest. changed vet and he x-rayed, showed no boney changes so was pretty sure it was a tear to his DDFT in his foot or even over the years he's stretched it beyond recognition.
vet said to give him the chance and let him go out in a small paddock for the summer, vet has seen him recently and said that he's impressed with how well he's doing but to give him the mental stimulation i should ride him a couple of times a week for a few minutes (takes me longer to tack up than it does to ride!) and see how he does.

he said to build it up gradually but if he should go lame longer than a week on masses of bute then maybe it would be time to call it a day.

why can't you turn away for the winter?
 
I know exactly how you feel, my mare is on off lame, read my post "feel like throwing in the towel " about the bone cyst my mare has and our recent nightmare.

I am having all the same thoughts as you and struggles with the insurance company.

Can I ask why you think going barefoot will help your horse?
Barefoot is very "in" just now, with lots of strong supporters (especially on HHO), but IMO if most horses could go barefoot we wouldn't have been nailing steel onto horses feet for hundreds of years for no reason.

I'm not saying barefoot doesn't work for some horses, it clearly does. But to be successful I believe it does require certain ground conditions, soil type, weather patterns, nutrition of the horse and highly skilled trimming to achieve. I believe a lot of horses that improove by going barefoot have simply been badly trimmed/shod in the past.

Living in Scotland myself I am not convinced that your horse is a candidate for barefoot. Flat footed, thin soled horses can find the transition very painful, and I couldn't face seeing my pony hobbling about when I tried it.
 
angel7 said:
Can I ask why you think going barefoot will help your horse?
Barefoot is very "in" just now, with lots of strong supporters (especially on HHO), but IMO if most horses could go barefoot we wouldn't have been nailing steel onto horses feet for hundreds of years for no reason.

I'm not saying barefoot doesn't work for some horses, it clearly does. But to be successful I believe it does require certain ground conditions, soil type, weather patterns, nutrition of the horse and highly skilled trimming to achieve. I believe a lot of horses that improove by going barefoot have simply been badly trimmed/shod in the past.

Living in Scotland myself I am not convinced that your horse is a candidate for barefoot. Flat footed, thin soled horses can find the transition very painful, and I couldn't face seeing my pony hobbling about when I tried it.
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Thank you everyone for your replies. It feels like this is a nightmare that's never going to end.
Angel 7 I think you and others have hit the nail on the head. I am not sure, due to my location and various other constraints that I have the ability to succesfully rehab him myself. My vet and farrier would be against it and whilst I would not be afraid to go against their advice, I am not sure who I would turn to for help. Also the yard we are on would also make things difficult. To access any of the paddocks you have to negotiate very hilly and stoney paths, the ground and grazing is also pretty crap so I wouldn't be able to properly rough him off and turn him away for the winter. He would need to come in every night and would still need hard feed as he drops weight very easily.

Also when you ask why I think going barefoot would help my horse, in honesty I'm not entirely sure why or even if it would benefit him. Say he has done irreprable (sp) damage to his DDFT, I don't think taking his shoes off would cure that. I think if he was lame due to rubbish shoeing then it would be beneficial but it isn't that. I fear it is something more sinister.

I am so angry with my insurance company, but that's another story....

I just want to do the best for him but I genuinely don't know what that is at the moment.
 
I would second getting another opinion on his shoeing. Farriers can vary a great deal in skill- I'm amazed at the state of some feet done by farriers of "good reputation" - just look at the recent post of navicular pictures on HH - no wonder the horse is lame, but the poster believed their farrier was doing a good job.

Has your vet even identified the location of the pain accurately? If he hasn't get referred on to vet school if possible.

Also consider your horse holistically. What do you do with him?Do you think your work with him makes him lame? Can you reduce his work to a level he can stay sound at? Is he sound when on box rest? If the answer is yes then change his management to keep him sound. Consider a change of yard with different soil type, field size and type of grazing. I had a pony with white line disease for years, tried everything, kept on small field of poor rough ground, finally moved yards to one with silage type good grazing, feet sorted in months. Similarly my mare is crippled on large fields of firm clay soil in sunny weather, but sound on wet boggy ground, so I am looking for a similar field for the long term.

Keeping your horse in his box forever isn't appealing, but most competition horses live like this, and with careful management you can still enjoy your horse too.
 
Which Insurance company are you with? My mare had a tear in her ddft and hers was found (eventually) by MRI. Im with NFU and they paid 50%, another horse on my yard had an MRI and his owner is with E & L and they paid the full amount. It does sound like soft tissue damage and if so, like my mare your horse may need some remedial shoeing. Izzy had egg bars on and before them wedge shoes to take the pressure off the ddft. Shes come sound now after a lot of hard work. This involved box rest, hand walking 3 x daily, ridden work but stabled for 3 months til summer turnout started, then turnout 24/7. I know its hard but if there is any way you can get an MRI done you will have your answer Im sure. Its amazing to watch/see and it will put an end to your frustration.
 
Izzwizz said:
Which Insurance company are you with? My mare had a tear in her ddft and hers was found (eventually) by MRI. Im with NFU and they paid 50%, another horse on my yard had an MRI and his owner is with E & L and they paid the full amount. It does sound like soft tissue damage and if so, like my mare your horse may need some remedial shoeing. Izzy had egg bars on and before them wedge shoes to take the pressure off the ddft. Shes come sound now after a lot of hard work. This involved box rest, hand walking 3 x daily, ridden work but stabled for 3 months til summer turnout started, then turnout 24/7. I know its hard but if there is any way you can get an MRI done you will have your answer Im sure. Its amazing to watch/see and it will put an end to your frustration.
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I am with Petplan. Basically due to personal circumstances I had to put him on a short loan from end of April-June (this was during one of his sound periods)! I made the mistake of cancelling my policy and the loaner took her own one out. I then reinsured him when he came back to me and now they are saying he had a pre existing condition. I have been quoted £1200 for the MRI. Sadly I cannot afford it
 
my horse went barefoot this year because of him always being lame even with shoes on, they weren't helping him at all and i thought he was just going to live out the summer then be pts so i decided i may as well forget the shoeing. he is coping reallly well without, yes he does get a bit footy on the gravel (depends on the size of stone as well) but other than that he's doing really well.

i tried to take him barefoot a couple of years ago but he was literally hopping lame in the field so i had to put shoes back on him, that was the first time he had been without shoes in over 12yrs and i guess it was too much for him. i was scared to put him barefoot again but i also knew the shoes weren't 'right' and it really was a make or break choice.
turns out it has helped him drastically and i'm glad i tried it again. he also had a tear to his DDFT although i didn't have an mri to confirm it, the vet just advised to rest him, the mri results would have told me the same thing, rest!
 
FattyBoomBoom said:
I am with Petplan. Basically due to personal circumstances I had to put him on a short loan from end of April-June (this was during one of his sound periods)! I made the mistake of cancelling my policy and the loaner took her own one out. I then reinsured him when he came back to me and now they are saying he had a pre existing condition. I have been quoted £1200 for the MRI. Sadly I cannot afford it
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Feel really sorry for you. Does sound like rest is the answer for your horse if theres is nowhere else to go with the vet. My MRI cost £512, this being the 50% which I had to pay. Can your vet give you a bit of a recovery plan based on the assumption that it is soft tissue damage? The common thought on here seems to be the ddft and it does all sound very familiar to my situation. Izzy also had inflammation in her navicular bursa but no navicular bone damage. This also showed up on the MRI. She had a steroid injection into this in Jan when she had a re-scan (MRI) and was fine for 2 months. It wore off so she had a second injection in April and thankfully has stayed sound since. I also think that being turned out has helped her a lot. This wasnt possible until May when summer turnout began and she could be out of the muddy fields. I couldnt risk her going lame through running around in slippery conditions, thats how she did it in the first place. We did lots of roadwork to strengthen her legs and under the guidance of my Instructor, started back in the school around July time.

I wish you well and hope your horse comes right x
 
OP talk to Nick Hill of Clover Rose Equine. He used to be a farrier but gave it up to go 100% barefoot. He covers Scotland and has over 200 barefoot clients. If anyone knows how to do it there, it will be Nick.
 
If i were you i would get a second opinion, and also ask for an ultrasound scan, i had it done on my boy and it showed ligament damage so its worth a try (and no where near as expensive as MRI!) I know what youre going through but dont give up!
 
Everyone said my boy could not go barefoot.....all scoffed at the idea.......he's at Rockley Farm thanks to my husband, and low and behold a sound horse........and a horse i can turn out in a big field and not go hopping lame within 24 hours!!!!!!!!!! i did have an MRI NFU paid for half, he had lateral collateral ligament strain in his near for, but he also had back problems due to compensating for bad foot.....did all vet and farrier said, shoes from USA, box rest for 9 months, IRAP, Tildren ,,,,,careful walking rehab and the outcome a lame horse... barefoot was the best thing i have ever done for him.

You don't need to send to Rockley but you do need an expert to guide you on your journey, good luck, i was a die hard shoeing person and now i can't wait to get the shoes of my daughter's Welsh cob, have to wait till all the hunter trials finish tho...(kids.LOL)x
 
Living in Scotland myself I am not convinced that your horse is a candidate for barefoot. Flat footed, thin soled horses can find the transition very painful, and I couldn't face seeing my pony hobbling about when I tried it.
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Well - why are they flat footed and thin soled in the first place and why do you think peripheral loading will assist this?

FBB - I can highly recommend my friend Anni Stonebridge who is a UKNHCP trimer in the North East - she is a very knowledgeable hoof specialist and a good all round horsewoman - if you want her details then PM me or look her up at http://www.barefootworks.co.uk - I can't endorse Anni highly enough.

I have 4 barefoot horses (solo has met them) - one is your typical TB with feet which were as you described, two are cobs, and one is a chronic laminitic who leads a fully productive life with the right management.

I'm in the Kingswells area so you are more than welcome to PM me and arrange for a time to come and meet them, look at feet and find out how I manage them. I can also show you the hoof boots that I used with the TB when his feet were transitioning and how they work, and I can let you see what they get fed to support them barefoot.

Just PM me if you want

P.S - you won;t be able to "fix" the feet you have to create the conditions to grow them out with better feet!
 
HI,
My horse has been lame for six months, Had MRI , showed no damage , the vets said his shoeing was good, had his coffin joint injected, it didnt work. The vet could feel that hid DDFT was ok before the MRI,
They put the pain down to his navicular.... And put on wedge shoes.
But in the end at the end of my tether, I rang up my old farrier before I relocated,
He came back and shod him after me moving for 18 months, put a wide web shoe on, set back to give support to his heel... refused to put on wedges as they cause more problems..his been sound since only 1 week so far.
BUT he did say the heels had been shorn off and none of his 4 feet balanced.
So after me spending £3000 on vet bills , plus transport and livery costs at the vet a good farrier CAN help you.
So don't give up yet . If I had phoned my old farrier 6 months ago I wouldnt have had to go through this or have a HUGE bill. If your sure its in the foot , keep looking and ask every decent farrier for their advise.
G
 
know how you feel same here, but Ive gone from barefoot, never had shoes, to shod as the vet said he has flat feet and his sole were taking a hammering as we do a lot of hacking, so now he is fitted with wide webbed shoes TODAY so I cant tell you whether it it will work us yet, Xrays showed slight inflammation of the coffin bone (pedal bone and diagnosed Pedal Oistitis (not sure of the spelling) I am a stroing advocate of barefoot but IMHO it will only work if you the ground conditions are right never mind all the nutrional support. I decided that if I want a horse to ride then thats not natural so why try to keep his feet natural if it just is not working. Personally I would go with a different farrier. Has the horse been nerve blocked, hoof testers, xrayed, you could try bute for a few days and see if the lameness gets better on soft ground then try trotting up on hard ground that might give you an indication of where the lameness is. Good luck
 
Hi Daisy..please update me on how your horse gets on....I got really excited , and when I rode my horse in the school, everyone said how good he looked and he did a little bronk (which is his thing ) I got excited and cantered it felt so good I kept going and schooled for 45mins...next day lame again. ...Ive trotted him up and he looks so much and as good as sound on a straight line now...so will start again at the weekend...but go carefully....
I thought it was a miracle, but it was only 10 days and I will go slowly now.
Vet advised first time (with those nasty wedges) to ride half an hour with 5 mins of trotting over that time and gradually built up to 20 mins in a month..so I'll do that now...but its just going to take time to grow his foot and heal bruising I guess.
I think in the long term if he goes sound I will have to move yards anyhow as hacking by me is on hard gravelly paths a lot of the time.
G
 
GMR said:
Hi Daisy..please update me on how your horse gets on....I got really excited , and when I rode my horse in the school, everyone said how good he looked and he did a little bronk (which is his thing ) I got excited and cantered it felt so good I kept going and schooled for 45mins...next day lame again. ...Ive trotted him up and he looks so much and as good as sound on a straight line now...so will start again at the weekend...but go carefully....
I thought it was a miracle, but it was only 10 days and I will go slowly now.
Vet advised first time (with those nasty wedges) to ride half an hour with 5 mins of trotting over that time and gradually built up to 20 mins in a month..so I'll do that now...but its just going to take time to grow his foot and heal bruising I guess.
I think in the long term if he goes sound I will have to move yards anyhow as hacking by me is on hard gravelly paths a lot of the time.
G
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Well I took him out for his first ride/hack today after being shod and yes a huge difference, he was much more confident and not at all ouchy, we walked mostly at a faster pace than we have ever done before, down hill too! and a little trot, I cant be sure if there is still minor lamenes there because I see things others dont because I have become paranoid so every little stumble or uneven nod I exaggerate in my mind. The vet did reccommend pads but I decided to see how he goes without and farrier agreed. I shall let you know how we get on, sometimes the answer is so obvious but I was so determined to keep him barefoot but common sense ruled my heart in the end, kicking myself why I was so stubborn about it and did not shoe him in the summer. Just loved his virgin feet though, he does look smart too. Good Luck
 
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