Flat, rubbish feet...

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sybil

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Hi :) my boy has truly awful feet- super flat, heels under run, walls flaring etc etc. He is currently shod all round because he is just too sensitive in his feet to go barefoot right now- we tried for about 3/4 months starting November when he had his wind op but he just got more and more sore as time went on so ended up resorting back to shoes just to get him down the track to his field. He has to be shod every 4-5 weeks as his toes just shoot forwards and he starts to look a bit "flipper" footed after about 3 weeks so 4-5 is his max. My main concern with him is that my farrier (and vet) have suggested that his pedal bone has dropped or rotated (probably both knowing my luck!) based on the look of his soles and the fact that he is still sore on stony ground even with shoes. He has never had laminitis (although admittedly very podgy last summer- now rectified and controlled) but what would your suggestions be? I would love to have him barefoot as I realise he would probably be alot better for it, but right now I would just like a horse whose feet aren't so awful to look at. I'm also fairly sure that his poor feet are also having an effect on his movement (he's a CB- sig- so doesn't have the most extravagant movement anyway!)

SO to summarise (because I've probably rambled and you've got lost!) what would you suggest feeding/ foot care wise for my boy with flat feet, under run heels, flared walls and probable dropped/ rotated pedal bones? Ideal world would be barefoot, but for now I would settle for functioning shod feet (which I don't really think they are right now).

I will try and post you some pics in the morning when my phone isn't so dead and I can find the ones I want! Answers on a postcard haha!!
 
Yup, what does he eat? And that includes how many hours on what kind of grass :)

He's not standing comfortably in either of the side on pics in your siggy - hind feet tucked under and front legs a little under him too, so there would seem to be something going on.
 
As others had said,first things first - diet.

Cut out all sugars possible from any hard feed, if he's a good doer then you can afford to soak hay and restrict grazing. High fibre low sugar/starch diet is key. I would put him on a supplement such as pro hoof by progressive earth. After a few months on a good diet I would then consider taking back shoes off and see how he goes. If he goes well then consider taking the fronts off but be prepared to buy hoof boots, he may need them onbeven for turnout at first, but it would mean you can lead to and from field etc., without permanent shoes.
 
Diet is the second most important part when starting down the barefoot road, the first is owner dedication.
For your horse to successfully become sound on all surfaces without shoes, you have to make the decision to be dedicated from the start, this means getting the following things right: diet, conditions, knowledge , assistance, and above all patience, be happy to have a horse that is changing for the better no matter how long it takes, get a team around you that support that notion.
Am I right in thinking that your farrier and vet seem to be happy to remark on the angle and level of the pedal bone without referring to x-rays?
I may well have my suspicions when getting a referral with similar feet but would think twice about voicing my opinion without plates.
Either way it matters not, the main thing is to work out in your mind if you are the sort of person that can go through with it, make a decision then to stick to it.
There are loads and loads of people who are deciding to take more interest in their horses foot care and in doing so become aware that barefoot is an option, and although I was shoeing for 35 years I now believe that barefoot is the best way to go
 
I think there are far more important things than making the feet look better. More important to my mind is establishing exactly where the pedal bone is and the depth of sole etc under it.
You can make a reasonable guess but you are not going to make any progress until you now exactly what the problem is with the feet. Without knowing the problem you don't know what you have to correct.

I would get a set of X rays as a starting point.

Having done that you will then have to commit to dealing with the situation in one of 2 ways. (lets presume there is rotation for example)
Firstly by shoeing. I don't know how farriers deal with this but presumably if your farrier thinks the pedal bone has dropped/rotated he is already dealing with it accordingly. Is this making progress?

The second way is to remove the shoes. However to do this you need to be comitted or it simply won't work. That means X rays, sorting the diet and management and a decent farrier or trimmer. Also most likely boots and pads to stop the horse being sore and to allow him to move. I don't suppose that changing your feeding and footcare regime will provide the solution without getting the shoes off and correcting the feet over time.

If the horse is relatively young and you intend to keep him and ride him then I would look at where you want to be in a couple of years time ie. still in the situation you are in or somewhere else. If it is somewhere else then you will have to do something drastic.
Barefoot didn't cause this mess for your horse but it may get it out of it if you are sufficiently committed. Getting "more and more sore" isn't a reason not to do it. A good barefoot trimmer/farrier can take steps to deal with this and minimise the discomfort for the horse.
 
I think you need to clarify where the pedal bone is given the flat soles I presume they mean poss flat/reverse rotated as opposed to lami when it goes the other way.

Frank had flat soles and a flat pedal bone - now rectified 12 months down the line.

I would suggest x-rays first.
diet (we did a grazing analysis)
boots (we did a fair bit in boots for several months at the start)
good support (farrier/trimmer- I have the latter as my farrier suggested he wasn't experienced enough with rehabbing barefoot)
 
I agree with all the above, most horsey vets now have mobile x rays so it is easy to get them done of hoof and its so informative.

Most horses with flat feet don't need to have flat feet , contrary to what I had thought, my pony now has concavity which I would have thought impossible, but diet and proper trimming have made a world of difference.
Boots would also be good, if the x rays show lami damage and rotation, as being barefoot some if the time would tell you the early warning signs and avoid future issues: the shoes will mask that until things are worse. At least until horse is stable and comfortable.
 
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