Flat foot thin sole

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Sarah04

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My pony is flat footed and thin soled . He's barefoot and we always excersise on soft ground but I'm planning on doing lots of pleasure rides this year. As he is footy on stony/hard ground as a result of this just wondering what is best to do shoes or hoof boots ? I have a barefoot trimmer and have hoof boots although they are not fastening round the back of his foot for some reason (they fit fine last year) vet and trimmer say he's got nice feet and he had them x rayed today to check pedal bone which was fine (had lami and rotation 18months ago) Thanks
 
which hoof boots are you using atm? IMO boots are best as you can put them on only when you need them but they do rely on a good fit to work well :) I suspect now he is further along from the rotation your chaps have changed shape a bit. We have some very good boot experts around now that can advise on what will work best. Hoofbootique, equinepodiatry supplies, cannock chase I have all spoken to at various times :)

What are you feeding?
 
He's on spillers lite balancer and happy hoof and has haemo-globe supplement as he has slightly raised liver enzymes and is slightly anaemic and he has another supplement for his joints . The vet suggested putting him on a biotin supplement, I use to use brewers yeast so may put him back on that. His boots are old Macs 2 from urban horse , the lady is very helpful and I have messaged her tonight just awaiting a reply. The boots fasteb n with Velcro at the back then fasten with a buckle but for some strange reason I cant fasten then its like his leg has got bigger, even the barefoot trimmer had a look with me and we couldn't understand it they are not cheap so I might have to take them to our local saddlers to get the straps made bigger!
 
Sarah04 said:
He's on spillers lite balancer and happy hoof and has haemo-globe supplement as he has slightly raised liver enzymes and is slightly anaemic and he has another supplement for his joints .
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Is that supplement for his anaemia high in iron? That could account for his flat feet and thin soles, as excess iron will suppress uptake of copper and disturb his insulin regulation. You could ask your vet to consider the possibility that his anaemia is caused (as it can be in horses) by too little copper and not too much iron.
 
ycbm said:
Is that supplement for his anaemia high in iron? That could account for his flat feet and thin soles, as excess iron will suppress uptake of copper and disturb his insulin regulation. You could ask your vet to consider the possibility that his anaemia is caused (as it can be in horses) by too little copper and not too much iron.
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I think you need a specialist mineral for your pony, I am not sure how you are going to determine exactly what he should be getting, but I think there will be someone at the AHT [Animal Health Trust] who can advise, ask your vet if he can liase.
Make sure you cut out sugars and try micronised linseed. I would be feeding a mineral formulated for him, and taking tests regularly.
 
I will have to check about iron in his suppliment it's our equine hospitals own make. The joint suppliment is turmeric, linseed oil, coconut oil and aloe Vera. Sounds like I could do with just one suppliment for all! He also has cushings so is on tablets,arthritis in hocks and metabolic syndrome . He has no sugar and is in a paddock with very short grass turned out 24/7 with my 2 other ponies. Vet wants his weight at 350kg. He's just under 400kg. He's a 14.1 new forest .
 
Sarah04 said:
I will have to check about iron in his suppliment it's our equine hospitals own make. The joint suppliment is turmeric, linseed oil, coconut oil and aloe Vera. Sounds like I could do with just one suppliment for all! He also has cushings so is on tablets,arthritis in hocks and metabolic syndrome . He has no sugar and is in a paddock with very short grass turned out 24/7 with my 2 other ponies. Vet wants his weight at 350kg. He's just under 400kg. He's a 14.1 new forest .
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Oh that's a tough mix to manage barefoot :( I think I might try some shoes in your situation, and I'm very barefoot orientated.
 
Hmmm tricky one. If you're on the same grazing and with same hay supplier year-round then I'd look into forage and grass analysis with the idea of creating a bespoke mineral balancer (to which you can add any of the extras that he needs) as with his combination of issues sounds like he needs every bit of help he can get. You could try an off the shelf one eg pro hoof, forage plus or equivita but you may find he needs something a bit more tailored.

I'm also not a big fan of happy hoof I'm afraid as there are a lot of products out there lower in starch and sugar and I think one of the versions used to have a form of molasses in it (plus not all horses get on with preservatives used in a lot of chops or alfalfa which I think this does contain). If it's not broke don't fix it and all that but something like small amounts of unmollased sugarbeet may be worth trying (there are also companies out there who do genuinely molasses free low sugar and starch chops but the numbers evade me at the moment!)

Presuming he is still tending towards anaemia on bloods and that's why iron supplementation is ongoing? If he's got EMS and Cushings then you're possibly going to have a job on ever getting him 100% (although if he's on treatment then obv that does help, it's just one more factor to manage).

Just musing here but does the pasture ever get rested? Could be your grass is a little stressed and so higher in sugar than it may otherwise be but I'm guessing there's a limit to what you can do about that. Out of interest if you're trying to get weight off have you considered trying some kind of track system and feeding soaked hay for at least part of the time (pref during the day in Spring / Summer. Some horses just can't cope with 24/7 access to grass when it's growing and so taking them off it during the day when sugars are highest can help. If previously been laminitic then it always pays to be cautious). With the arthritis I can understand you probably don't want to stable, which is why suggested looking into creating some kind of track.

As for the boots if it's a while since they were last used then his feet have probably changed shape since then. There's plenty available secondhand on facebook groups and the like so if I were you if it turns out they don't fit anymore I'd get them sold, re-measure his feet and get a secondhand pair to fit what his feet are now (that way you won't loose money if his feet change shape again).
 
Yep, I am sure that even the most expensive boots will be cheaper than shoes, so its not about cost, but about what is best, there are the "casts" which can be considered as well.
I think that you should weightape every week, as this is the only way to monitor weight change, if you can keep weight level week on week and falling fortnight on fortnight, then this well be fine, what I mean is that if he does not "lose" a kilo a week on the tape, don't panic and cut him back severely, without a horse weighbridge there is no way you can be absolutely error free when measuring.
Agree that short grass may be stressed and have a lot of sugar, I would make sure he has a belly full of soaked hay once a day. He does not really need a branded chaff, it almost certainly has a preservative, maybe Fast Fibre would be a good little feed, it is based on unmolassed sugar beet.
I would want to walk him on tarmac every day if possible, for 20 mins.
 
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ycbm said:
Oh that's a tough mix to manage barefoot :( I think I might try some shoes in your situation, and I'm very barefoot orientated.
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I would be thinking shoes as well .
The extra exercise will be good for a horse and it gets to a stage where if you are having to choose between shoes and work it just becomes silly .
I think it's likely that your horses health issues are effecting his feet and shoes might be the kindest way forwards .
 
I would get boots, they protect the sole by covering it up whereas shoes just lift it up higher. My mare had thin soles and flat feet and ended up lame due to this even in shoes. My worry would be that you would quickly end up needed pads under the shoes or bar shoes.

Boops with pads will protect the sole and can help the horse to develop some concavity. I use Cavallo Simples and in the early days had thick EPS pads in them to help her foot develop and strengthen. I have never used them for pleasure rides but I have done a pleasure ride using Renegades.
 
Hi I've been to my local horse shop this morning and I bought him some cavello hoof boots it's the only ones they sold and they fit him lovely I've put the thick pads in from my old macs. I'm going to see how he goes on a 5 mile walk in them tomorrow and if I think he'd be better in shoes we will get shoes with pads. I'm a little bit worried about cantering in the woods in boots as it's muddy,uneven ground with lots of tree roots poking out everywhere but guessing if they are on correctly they should stay on fine. Does anyone know how you upload a picture on here? Thanks for all your helpful replies and advice . I will definitely be getting in touch with the animal health trust on Monday regarding a suppliment that will suit him.
 
I have had my cavallos for about 3 years and have never had a problem riding in them even in the woods in deep mud or water.
 
I would break them in gently, a 5 mile walk is likely to cause rubbing to his pasterns. I've never got on with cavallos for that reason, but would think brand new boots and 5 miles could be a recipe for disaster.
 
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