Help!! Advice needed on a horse with bar shoes!!

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lubuzz

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I have a tb x-racer who i rescued a couple of years ago in a pretty appalling state. He had been left in a field and they had removed his shoes, amongst other things... His body condtion was very bad and in particular his feet were in a very bad way and the hoof wall had collapsed.
2 years on he is in bar shoes with equi-pack (as he has very flat feet which are also incredibly weak and crumbly) and is sound. The farrier reccently said that a) he is unsure if his feet will hold up this winter and if he will manage to keep the shoes on and b) he probably wont stand up to any long term full ridden work (ie. jumping xc etc) and becuase his feet are so bad will pre-dispose him to other conditions like tendon injuries, ligament issues etc...
The problem i have now is... i cant afford to keep him in the shoes hes in and cant afford to keep a horse that cannot be worked and just as a pet! I also know people arent very keen on horses in bar shoes!

When i found him in that state i couldnt leave him how he was- although in hindsight it wasnt a great move financially, and now i am struggleing. (Just to give you a rough idea his shoes last 4-5 weeks and are £150 for a pair of fronts).- Although his last set lasted 3 weeks!!

The worst thing is because i rescued him and gave him some tlc he is only responsive to me. He is aggressive towards other people in general (although fine with me) and i would find it difficult to sell him/find a sharer/put him on loan in case he didnt adapt....

I am completely stuck as to what my next move should be...
any ideas or help would be appreciated!!!
 
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Bad feet are often an indicator of a diet prob. I would look to his diet first and get that sorted. Generally loose any sugar (no low sugar molasses on chaff etc!) and ensure he is supplemented with anything he needs. These guys are great for info on diet http://www.horsebitbank.com/eggbutt-snaffles-2-128.dhtml
Just because you aren't intending to take him barefoot (though if he was mine it would actually be something I would seriously be considering over the winter) doesn't mean that the diet info won't apply. I think you will find it a massive help. The forum is really great as they are a mine of info for bad feet come right!
 
Thanks for your advice. His diet has everything he needs, i have looked into it extensively and consulted nutrionalists as well. All agreed he was being fed everything possible to help his feet and overall condition.
His farrier and vet have strongley advised against going barefoot.
 
miss_bird said:
Sorry cant be of any help, but wanted to know how the hell your shoes are so expensive, mine is also in heart bar shoes and only cost £69 a set of fronts and £30 for a refit.
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Tell me about it! He has straight bar's which are then filed when he is shod so they dont cause pressure on his frog, which takes about 30 mins on each foot. Then i have Equipack aswell in both fronts.
They are expensive and i dont think my farrier is very cheap.... but he knows him well and keeps him sounds at the moment. Also, after speaking with other farriers in the area none would commit to taking him on.

Just out of interest, why does your horse need heart bar shoes?
 
miss_bird said:
Sorry cant be of any help, but wanted to know how the hell your shoes are so expensive, mine is also in heart bar shoes and only cost £69 a set of fronts and £30 for a refit.
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It's because she has to use equipak with them. I know, as I have to use the same. It's painfully expensive £150 every 5 weeks to shoe my horse :(
 
My horse is in egg bar shoes on the fronts and her shoeing bill is £87. Thats a lot for a set of shes and the equipack you have to pay for.

Could you look for a sharer? May take time to find the right person but at least the costs would reduce. Not much else you can do really. I know what you mean about having one and it being a pet but unfortunately thats the risk you take when you own a horse. My mare was on box rest/confinement for 14 mnths last year, cost me a fortune but I had it to do.

At least if you can get someone to share you will be able to keep tabs on your horse and it would be a shame after you have put so much time and effort in to let it all go.
 
How about taking his shoes off and putting him in boots and pads? Taking him out of shoes doesn't mean he has to go barefoot, and you won't be weakening the hoof wall with nailholes every few weeks.
 
lubuzz said:
Tell me about it! He has straight bar's which are then filed when he is shod so they dont cause pressure on his frog, which takes about 30 mins on each foot. Then i have Equipack aswell in both fronts.
They are expensive and i dont think my farrier is very cheap.... but he knows him well and keeps him sounds at the moment. Also, after speaking with other farriers in the area none would commit to taking him on.

Just out of interest, why does your horse need heart bar shoes?
Click to expand...

My mare got really bad laminitis this year for the first time and her pedal bone started to rotate so has to have the heart bars to support the frog as her wall has also seperated
 
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