Footsore

[FinkleyAlex]

My boy has had his shoes removed for the first time in 5 years. As he is on box rest in isolation, I felt this was necessary as it will take a few months to get him back into work and it would do his feet some good. He has very sgood feet but on his 15 minute daily he walk he seems to be very footsore and doesn't want to put his feet down much and is reluctant to walk. The farrier said this was a normal reaction.

Does anyone know how long he will carry on being footsore for?

 

[JaneSteventon]

Hello Mine were fine on soft going straight away, took about two months for them to cope with hard surfaces comfortably, but this is for work, would guess that for short in hand walks it would be much quicker.

 

[brightmount]

It would be worth getting some Old Mac boots for his daily walks. They would help a great deal. There is always a transitioning period when shoes come off. If you could get some pads to go in the boots that would make him even more comfortable. Equine Podiatrists sell some high density foam pads called Sole Mates that help in the early stages. They mould to the shape of the sole. But any similar high density foam would do, like floor mats for example. You may not need boots and pads for the hinds. They are expensive but hold their value well if you find you don't need them later on.

 

[Salcey]

I would also start coating the soles in keratex hoof hardener

 

[Natalie_H]

I agree with the keratex for the soles. I also agree with the idea about Old Macs. When my TB had to have his shoes off because of his appalling hooves (unlike yours), he was horrendously footsore. I bought Old Macs for him, put them on & he was sound straight away. You can turn out in them for a limited amount of time (check their website). I did this, then gradually decreased the time until he was sound in the field. Worked a treat.

 

[fairhill]

I took the shoes off mine to sort out a terrible shoeing job when I first got her. She was footsore for about 2 weeks (leading to and from the field), but she was fine on soft ground from the start. She didn't like gravel or uneven surfaces, but was ok on smooth hard ground (e.g. roads).

 

[sally2008]

The length of time it will take him to adjust will depend alot on how flat his sole is and whether his frog is prolapsed. As the frog gets used to taking more pressure it will function better and the bones and internal structures will be properly supported and the sole will become more concave. I definately second the recommendation for using Kerratex Hoof Hardener.

 

[filly190]

It does time time for the foot to harden and can take a good few months. From past experience of t.b's I have had success with back hoofs more so that front adapting.

If your horse is really not coping and it's making his boxrest more difficult I would be tempted to put front shoes on only, purely because he is not well already and it just add's another problem to what you have already.

I think its a case of time with watch and wait how he gets on. Your farrier will give best advise and of course you will know him better than anyone. If he has good hoofs to start with you should be able to overcome this. My experience has been with thin soled T.B's who would'nt walk out when they got sore and they have been ex racehorses with poor hoofs to start with.

Good luck, sounds like you are doing everything by the book