Foot sore barefoot tb help?

mynutmeg

mynutmeg

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My sister's tb is barefoot and is usually absolutly fine with no issues however with the rutted mud freezing solid he's pretty sore walking over it and (understandably) reluctant to go thorugh the field gateways. Keeping him in and moving field aren't options but any suggestions as to how we can help him cope with this ground? He's fine once past the previously muddy areas
 
Are you sure he is sore and not being cautious?

If you are sure he is sore, can you put boots on and take them off after he's crossed the ruts? Cavallos are good for that, cheaper than others and easier to put on for a short bit of use.
 
Mine are all very pottery over it but I'm just letting them get on with it, I find it hard to walk over too so I understand why they don't like it.
 
Mine potter over the rutted bit too but they are fine once they are in the actual field. Arnie used to potter over it when he had shoes on so I guess it doesnt make much difference whether or not they are shod in these circumstances :)
 
He's a little sore on the concrete but not too bad yet other than on the ruts, we're just concerned that he's bruising them (he does tend to bruise quite easily - seems to have fairly thin soles)

Diet wise he gets:
Spillars conditioning chaff
half ration of Spillars general balancer
1 scoop pink powder (makes up the vits and minerals and he needs the probiotics)
magnesium
biotin
half scoop soaked, unmollased sugar beet

I don't have any pics of his feet but I woul say 'ok' rather than good. He's never been shod and our farrier reckons (we agree) that we would struggle to keep shoes on him. He has a tendancy to develop cracks in the summer if he isn't trimmed every 4 weeks and has a tendancy to splay out to the sides if not kept on top off. And he seems to have pretty thin soles as he gets stone bruises quite easily - hmm, maybe not quite 'ok' then :rolleyes:
Our farrier does a good job with him and runs our yard so is on hand for regular trims. He doesn't touch the sole or frog.

Most of the time he is absolutly fine without shoes and hacks on the roads happily.

Our cobs are both going across the same ground happily, Jazz is very reluctant to tho.
 
Iiwy, I would ditch the spillers - the chaff is molassed iirc, and the 'balancer' is full of crap. I'd also lose the pink powder. Instead I'd feed a good quality mineral supplement like pro hoof, and an unmolassed chaff. Halleys do some good ones that aren't loaded down with chemicals and cheap oils. If you want to add something for condition, micronised linseed is fab, and also good for feet :).
 
The typical diet is as low sugar as you can get, the top spec bits are higher and may be the root of your issue.

Why are you feeding the chaff? If its for conditioning then swop it for micronised linseed. You are probably doubling up on a few bits with the TS and PP so may be worth shopping to pro hoof or something comprehensive and all in one.

How much magnesium are you feeding? You can feed up to 50g so it may be worth upping this too.
 
Can you spread something soft over the ruts? I'm thinking straw or if you have any hay that's a bit grotty or used bedding. That'll help to cushion the ruts but will leave a bit of a mess once it thaws!
 
mynutmeg said:
he does tend to bruise quite easily - seems to have fairly thin soles
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Diet.

mynutmeg said:
Spillars conditioning chaff
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Do you have a list of ingredients and nutritional specs for this? I can't find it online.

mynutmeg said:
half ration of Spillars general balancer
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Again, do you have an ingredient's list?

mynutmeg said:
1 scoop pink powder (makes up the vits and minerals and he needs the probiotics)
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Meh

mynutmeg said:
I don't have any pics of his feet but I would say 'ok' rather than good. He's never been shod and our farrier reckons (we agree) that we would struggle to keep shoes on him. He has a tendancy to develop cracks in the summer if he isn't trimmed every 4 weeks and has a tendancy to splay out to the sides if not kept on top off. And he seems to have pretty thin soles as he gets stone bruises quite easily - hmm, maybe not quite 'ok' then :rolleyes:
Our farrier does a good job with him and runs our yard so is on hand for regular trims. He doesn't touch the sole or frog.

Most of the time he is absolutly fine without shoes and hacks on the roads happily.

Our cobs are both going across the same ground happily, Jazz is very reluctant to tho.
Click to expand...

I would say the hooves are not at optimum health. Reviewing the diet would be a good start.

I'll send you a pm with some suggestions.
 
If the hooves arent healthy the first thing to look at is the diet- YOU may think its ok, the horse is telling you its not.

Pink Powder is a waste of money, you' be better with Pro Hoof which contains yea sacc as you say he needs the prebiotic. It also has much higher concentrations of minerals and isnt 70% wheatfeed, grains or flash dried grass ;)

Fast Fibre seems to suit most BF horses as a base to put their minerals in.

Has he got any thrush? This will make him more tender + the frozen ground - but as CB said maybe he's just being careful?
 
Tiger Tail, is flash dried grass a bad idea? I swapped onto it to avoid alfalfa and other forages that had additives.
 
Thin soles and cracking hooves are a sure sign the food you are giving him is not good for him just as the others are saying.

I understand that some people think tb's need high calories from high sugar/starch feeds but you can get calories from fats...

Try micronised linseed, sunflower oil from s'market or copra meal. Better digested, better metabolised i.e. no peaks and troughs of energy despite what the "slow release energy" label on the bag tells you.

...and fibre...

Speedibeet, alfalfa pellets, grass pellets etc

Your supplements aren't the best. Pink powder may as well be sweepings off my floor. Try pro-hoof or D&H Daily vits n mins much better content, less bulking agents.

For now, like CPT said, consider boots.
 
Starch is not sugar, but they are both carbohydrates, and you are looking to get below 10% combined in the first instance.

Ozpoz - flash dried grass is the same as spring grass, just dried - it's not what you want in a low sugar diet. There again if you horse is doing well and you're not feeding much I wouldn't worry too much
 
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