Ginge update at Rockley!

[DGIN]

I went to visit Ginge last weekend at Rockley Farm, first time i had been there so it was nice to see where he was. I had the best weekend ever!

(Ginger has been at rockley farm since 6th Dec as he has Navicular)

Ginger was pleased to see me at first before i started pulling him mane etc to make him look pretty again.

He is doing better than i expected. His feet look much better than before and he seems a lot more comfortable. We even got to go out on a hack through the fields which was beautiful compared to the busy roads at home!!

Anyway the good news is that he should be coming home in 4-6 weeks so fingers crossed!!

Well some pics anyway - these were his feet just as he arrived

And these pics are recent

 

[mrdarcy]

Looking great! You can really see the difference between the new growth and the old growth. Fab

 

[brucea]

Brilliant - yes that new hoof is quite a lot better than the old one!

Bet you're excited about getting him home in a month or so.

 

[Lainey123]

That's brilliant and he's looking good, have been keeping tabs on him on the Rockley blog
I bet you can't wait to get him home.xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

[Luciejjkk]

Looks and sounds like he is doing fab

He is such a lovely chap, he loved posing for the camera when I was down there

 

[Barehooves]

Wow excellent! Looks like he's growing himself a nice new hoof there! I hope carries on his recovery

 

[peanut]

Fantastic, I'm so glad he's doing well.

Rockley Farm sounds a great place and I'm keeping it up my sleeve for my repeatedly lame flat footed horse. I do wonder though how horses who have previously been shod cope on their sore feet initially as I'm sure mine would be crippled without shoes or poultices. DGIN, was Ginge shod before he went?

 

[brucea]

Martha,

Nic Barker has a range of surfaces ranging from the pea gravel "pit" which is just what it says - a half school size area of deep rounded 5-10mm pea gravel - the rest of the track system and turnout areas are graduated from soft and supportive to quite challenging shillings

The whole track system can be split into sections so horses can be where they need to be. The tracks run through a lovely wooded area which provides shelter, and the way that the herd works keeps them all moving as much as they are able.

So if a horse is really sore - there is an appropriate surface for that horse - and remember that there are aspects of diet and trim that Nic will also be addressing.

I better shut up now - or somebody will press the button to report me for advertising

 

[peanut]

Martha,

So if a horse is really sore - there is an appropriate surface for that horse -

Thank you for that

 

[Lainey123]

Fantastic, I'm so glad he's doing well.

Rockley Farm sounds a great place and I'm keeping it up my sleeve for my repeatedly lame flat footed horse. I do wonder though how horses who have previously been shod cope on their sore feet initially as I'm sure mine would be crippled without shoes or poultices. DGIN, was Ginge shod before he went?

My boy Bailey W went to Rockley last July and came home in November. When he first had his shoes off he was crippled! BUT he was only on concreet, not on the track system that Nic has and not on the soft grass. He was only ever worked on surfaces that he was comfortable on. As his hoof grew and the rest of his foot changed his sensitivity changed, and now he does everything a shod horse does. He's been out hunting 3 times, been to the beach, hacks out for 2 hours daily on roads tracks, whatever. He was almost pts as he was lame for 2 years. Rockley was the last resort and it was the best thing i ever did. Also, he had an MRI and it came back with very thin flat front soles as well as other probs. He still has flat feet but the concavity is slowly starting to build so hopefully this time next year they will look different again. Doesn't seem to stop him from doing much. Good luck, feel free to pm me if you want more info.xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

[Lainey123]

Martha,

Nic Barker has a range of surfaces ranging from the pea gravel "pit" which is just what it says - a half school size area of deep rounded 5-10mm pea gravel - the rest of the track system and turnout areas are graduated from soft and supportive to quite challenging shillings

The whole track system can be split into sections so horses can be where they need to be. The tracks run through a lovely wooded area which provides shelter, and the way that the herd works keeps them all moving as much as they are able.

So if a horse is really sore - there is an appropriate surface for that horse - and remember that there are aspects of diet and trim that Nic will also be addressing.

I better shut up now - or somebody will press the button to report me for advertising

Everything Bruce has said.x

 

[criso]

Glad to hear you'll be getting Ginger home soon but he's going to miss his new girlfriend

Martha my horse was there too and had what the vets and farriers described as 'typical tb feet'.
When the shoes first came off he was sore and was turned out in an area that had mixed surfaces so he had lots of comfy bits to stand on. So he went and stood on a really uncomfortable flinty bit, it wasn't near the food or other horses so god knows why but he had the choice.

 

[amandap]

Great pics. I'm really starting to get my eye in and can almost see the new hoof as if it were already there.
Best of luck for the future.

 

[DGIN]

Yes Ginger was crippled before he went to Rockley. He has been turned out since June in a field with a concrete area where the haylage was. He had shoes (heart bars) on whilst he was in the field untill about October when i had enough as i had got so far with him and was told i couldnt really go any further, so i had a nice sound horse in walk and trot in a straight line but not on a circle! Anyway shoes came off in October and he was crippled, he didnt want to walk to the haylage on the concrete but his belly made him!! I was told he would be sore for a few weeks whilst his feet got used to not having shoes on but they didnt, thats when i knew something else had to be done. Its amazing the set up at Rockley and how to horses can choose what they want to do or where they want to stand!

I have just found a nice new yard to bring ginger back to with great hacking so i am wanting these next few weeks to fly by!