Footiness

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Beatrice5

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Okay due to school hols etc pony has had reduced workload. Paddock looks bare but obv something is growing.

Weight doesn't look too bad ribs can be felt but not visible BUT he has a persistent crest :( Had to put them onto haylage last winter ( 3 all kept together so have to feed extra for my mare and therefore pony gets more than I would like ) as have nowhere to store hay other than tarp then it sweats and goes mouldy :(

Rode pony last week and he felt okay but was footy on the stone track ( barefoot) rode with boots today walked out okay but slower when I rode walk picked up when I hopped off and lead. Feet feel warm no pulse but warmer than ususal.

So now on hay and have started to soak it. How would you manage him to avoid him getting any footier or crestier?

As Lami has many causes one of which being concussion is leading him out on roads a help or hindernace? I think I will turn him out at night and have girls in for Hay that way I can reduce his intake more whilst keeping some weight on my skinny one.

Need to reduce crest only way I know is reduced calories and increased excersize any other suggestions? And atm just run out of vits more ordered but what do you give fatties to suppliment hay ? Was having pink powder and speedi beet once a day.

Advice / guidance appreciated.
 
PinkPowder made 2 of ours very footie. As soon as we stopped the PP the problem stopped. I'd ring the farrier and the vet. I'd bring the pony with the problem in onto a shavings bed for support and give well-soaked hay with oat straw chaff.
 
Sounds like lami to me, get him off the grass!

I would suggest, keep him in on soaked hay for a couple of weeks, then turn out at night with soaked hay (sugars are less in the grass at night). Exercise is good to control blood sugar levels and metabolism, but I would use shoes/boots now, as the concussion will not help him get better (speaking from experience!). If he is cresty despite being not overweight, I would also suggest getting him tested by the vet for EMS, as this is a sign.
 
Crest is only slight but never the less present. He hasn't got true lami ( I have had a pony with lami as a kid) he is just starting to get slightly footy so time to act now before too late so to speak.

Just wanted management advice from those who manage similar Natives as to how to take control now without risking making him worse ie concussion from road work ? Is walking in hand okay and benificial at this early stage ?

It may have been the rich haylage upsetting his gut balance and causing the crest and not the grass. So now on poor soaked hay that alone may have a huge impact but how long before I should expect an improvement ?
 
I would personally get him on some magnesium as a bare minimum - supplement wise. I have heard funny things about PP too so may be best to take him off that. Brewers yeast is a useful prebiotic.

I would say well soaked hay is better for him than haylage.

There's footiness and then theres footiness but I would say from what you describe, he is really feeling his feet (low grade lami and ideally I would get him in for at least a week to detox his body... I wouldn't exercise him at all during this time - until he is sound over all surfaces. Then turn out with a muzzle only and exercise as normal.
 
Galloped in for tea certainly doesnt need vet thank you. Dont want shoes either informed decision . Not lami just footie not helped by trim but necessary .
 
Laminitis is laminitis, it just varies in severity. If his feet were warmer than usual, then they're inflamed. I'm managing mine at the moment by muzzling for 12 hours turnout and stabling the rest with haylage topped up with a bucket of oat straw chaff. I was exercising by riding but just done my back in so it'll be walkies from tomorrow! Do you have pads for the boots if needed? Might be worth ordering some just in case.
 
Have you had him tested for insulin resistance? I had mine done who was clear which at least have me a sense of knowing where I stand with him regarding the risks. I soak weighed out hay and keep in overnight so I know at least some of his intake is not grass. I work him 4/5 days a week once is hacking; once on our woodchip gallops and twice schooling.
 
If Diet and exersize don't work then I will get bloods taken to test for EMS.

I suspect haylage was too rich ( was rye and red clover) and ran out of mag ox etc a month ago and been dithering about what vits / mins to buy. Now ordered mag ox and pro hoof we should have our bases covered ( I think)

Apologies for duplicate postings lastnight - trying to get to grips with technology and these super whizzy mobile phones ;)
 
If check with pro earth as to whether you need mag ox and pro hoof as pro hoof contains mag ox albeit in a smaller amount than giving alone. They have a barefoot specialist who will talk through with you what you are currently feeding and what your issues are then advise accordingly. One of mine has similar issues and I'm trying to build up the roadwork really slowly as he's not done much over winter due yo his hacking companion being on rehab and he won't at present hack alone. Farrier says his hooves are reflecting that he's been in softer ground for a while. He does have a touch of thrush however which is adding yo the problem in our case.
 
Yes we also battle with thrush not helped by clay fields even though they come into the corral at night which is hard dry standing.

Lunged lightly today for 5 mins and he was zinging so I think they new late cut and them soaked hay and increased work is getting things moving in the right direction. His crest is now much softer so fingers crossed we acted just in time.

Thank you to those who took the time to reply it is appreciated.
 
Just a thought, one of my boys is a bit 'footy' on our stony lane. Farrier has said that his soles are thinner than normal as the weather has been so wet that all that tough excess sole which normally provides an extra bit of protection against the stones will have sloughed off quicker than normal because of the damp.

Have also had the vet who thinks cushings may be coming into play which can make them a bit footy and also more prone to lami (he had a bout of lami about 6 years ago). If the first test for cushings has come back negative, it would probably be worth doing the test again in the autumn as a check to see if there are any changes.

I now use hoof boots and am planning our first ride in them at the weekend. (Baby steps to me being more confident and him needing some exercise!)
 
I will boot pony tomorrow for his walk on the road. But I doubt cushings as he is only 6 and I have had him since 2 yr old and he has never had a problem so far but now he is maturing I shall have to be very careful this year more so than usual.
 
In terms of feeding, my good doer/lami risk gets D&H Equibites in summer. He is at grass in a muzzle. They're little biscuits that contain all the vits/mins needed without the calories. He loves them, so far they are the lowest calorie feed I have found.
if you do need to give a bucket feed A&P fast fibre is much better than speedibeet at keeping weight off. A & P also do 'L-mix' for horses which are lami-prone. Both things are safe to give recovering lamis. Mine's had fast fibre and hay all winter and has lost 40 kg by weight-tape, he's looking fab and skinny coming into spring. I also give him rosehips for lami prevention, good for his feet and joints and lots of vit c to get rid of toxins. He's also now getting mollichaff calmer as he needed a bit of umf when ridden - which has the magnesium included.
Have you tried stripping rugs off? That helps keep weight off mine too.
 
Thank you noblesteed really helpful feed advice.

Yes he only has a lightweight in the worst of the weather mid winter as we only have a field shelter that the 3 of them share and he doesn't grow much coat . But he is naked now and has been for a good few weeks .
 
I have been walking mine in hand on concrete, starting at 1 lap round the farm (about 400m a lap), and we now do about 4-6 laps every other night and this has helped with his footiness. Farrier suggested this after he got concussive lami last year as we just never did enough on hard enough ground because everything so damp. Also second A&P fast fibre, and he was on Equine America magnitude for magnesium and a zinc and biotin powder (fish meal I think, smells vile). He is out 24/7, un-muzzled, but has free access to the field - for him this works better as he doesn't gorge, and is set up so he has to actually move to get to where he wants to be.

One thing to consider, there is a school of thought that heat in hooves and pulses is not always the best indicators after exercise. The vet that I spoke to said she finds that up to about an hour after exercise pulses and heat can be raised depending on what the horse has done prior. If the horse is generally fit and has raised pulses still after 15 mins and heat, just from walking in from the field then a vet needs to be consulted (or treated for lami independently of vets), but if you have come in from a long walk, or have done fast work then there can still be raised pulses and heat for a while.
 
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