Few hoof questions

RubysGold

RubysGold

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Jimmys hooves have always been really good (farrier and vet both said that!)
But I hack him on solid stony tracks, and now with him working his feet don't seem to cope quite so well (I backed him, so hes gone from no work to an hour/2hour hacking on these tracks)

This is the worst they've been, how they are now, hes getting trimmed tomorrow (6 weeks is all its been, normally goes 8)
http://s508.photobucket.com/user/nixie1990/library/Jimmys Hooves?sort=3&page=1

He's doing fine, he just is more comfortable on grass tracks and will walk right at edge of paths to try walk on grass, and then he'll speed up with it being more comfortable

How do you decide whether to shoe or hoof boots (think its just his fronts that need one or the other, his backs always stay better) I cant decide whether he'd be best with just front hoof boots for hacking and then barefoot for everything else. Or just to shoe him in front?

Any thoughts/suggestions/help about hoof boots and sizing etc :S
 
If you get boots for him then you only need to use them when you are going to ride on the stony tracks and let his feet be natural the rest of he time. Once his feet are used to the increased work you may find he no longer needs them.

For sizing and suggestions for boots you'll need to measure his feet. There are diagrams on the sites selling boots showing you where to measure his feet.
 
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Over what time period did you I increase his work? It would be a shame to shoe him if all he needs is more time or a bit less grass.


Your photos are not easy to judge from, but both sole and external shot, his heels look exceptionally high. He appears to have noticeable hoof wall at the heel - this is very unusual. Combined with his very upright patterns, I would be querying the trim. It does not look right to me, sorry.
 
Hi
Thanks for replies
He was brought back into work (after being turned away over winter) in February, so Id say 3 or 4 months to get to the work load he's on.
I don't know much about trimming :/ Do you think I should have a different farrier take a look? My guy is meant to be very good :S

Dreaming: Ermmm I don't know what that is :S He is muzzled through the day, turned out from about 8am and brought in anytime between 4 and 7pm depending on what work he's doing. He gets a very small amount of fast fibre and chop because my mare has a feed.
 
It looked like his frogs had been trimmed, does your farrier "tidy them up"? If he does this could be enough to make him a bit footy over rough ground.
Look at the pictures and the "How to" articles on Pete Rameys site www.hoofrehab.com. There's one called "frog management". If you look at good hoof shapes and read as much as you can you will learn enough to be able to discuss trimming with your farrier. If he realises he may have caused any discomfort to your boy, he will modify his trims next time.
 
I agree heels look high. This alone can cause problems. Ditto hard to make any other judgements from photos, need to be taken at ground level and much closer. But footiness at this time if year is often down to grass sugars.
 
I'm a hoof boot convert. Only use them for long hacks over our local ranges as its very stoney in places. So easy to use and none of the negatives of shoeing. Wish I had bought them earlier!
 
Is it just the photos, or are the frogs a little thrushy?

A decent mineral balancer such as Pro Balance may also help the footiness.
 
I agree that a balancer (or better if he's prone to weight gain, a powder supplement mixed with a bit of chaff) may be beneficial. Biotin is one of the main vitamins responsible for healthy, strong hoof growth. He should be getting at least 15mg of biotin a day.
If he's muzzled and on next to no hard feed, then it's very likely he isn't receiving enough biotin to fulfil his needs. I'd feed a general purpose supplement to make sure he's getting all his vitamins and minerals, purely because he's getting reduced grass intake and a nutritionally unbalanced ration of hard feed. Be careful though, not all supplements/balancers have the recommended 15mg of biotin, in fact, quite a lot don't! Dodson and Horrell Daily Vitamins and Minerals have 15mg/kg of biotin, which means you'd have to feed a kg of the supplement just to get the recommended biotin intake!
 
Horses don't have to 'receive' biotin unless their gut function is sub-optimal. Biotin (and all the other b vitamins) are produced in the horse's hind gut as a by product of fibre fermentation.

It can be useful in horses with very compromised hooves, but its far more important to get the right levels of minerals in the diet, as these cannot be produced or stored by the horse (unlike vitamins) therefore a regular supply is necessary.

Pro hoof, pro balance and the forage plus balancers are all powder supplements designed to balance the mineral profile of typical grazing. Some, such as pro hoof and the forage plus hoof health balancer, also contain biotin and other vitamins and amino acids.
 
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