Help! Shoes taken off and horse refusing to move next day

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BeckyD

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Ronnie had his shoes taken off yesterday as he's on box rest for a while and to reduce the strain (when being shod) on his SI joint to allow it to heal. Today he won't move. Am waiting for vet to call me but I'm guessing he's just foot sore, is it likely that a few days of bute will help him and he'll get used to being barefoot, or should I get shoes back on asap? Am panicking! Poor Ronnie!!
 
My 12 year old warmblood had his shoes taken off by the farrier as he was on box rest with walking in hand for 6 weeks. The next day he was so sore he was flat out in the stable moaning in pain. Thus followed lots of bute, frantic calls to the farrier to request shoes back on and a sleepless night. The flinty yard was to blame and walking him out made it very painfull for him. The farrier rang to say he couldn't come out for a week and he had a waiting list, so I used a friends farrier and stuck with him for months afterwards. I would never remove shoes on a warmblood again - think they are too soft!
 
Depends on the horse and the feet whether he'll be able to cope without shoes - two of mine are fine, the third, my Tb mare literally can't walk if she loses a shoe.
Many people will tell you that their feet will start growing marvellously strong horn even if they are crippled for a while, but I have issues with this - firstly, it's cruel to let them suffer, and secondly, in my experience, my Tb's feet just flare and deteriorate without shoes.
If I were the OP I'd be inclined to get the farrier back out, to reshoe at least the fronts (SI = sacro-iliac, I'm guessing?). If that isn't possible/feasible, you could try getting some of the 'Mac' boots or similar to help him walk. Putting them on may be more strain than just getting him reshod once, though.
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Just had my mares shoes off as she's out of work for the winter (she has arthritis so isn't staying sound enough to ride regularly at the moment). Anyhow the first night they came off she had to be dragged out of her stable but she's doing really well now. Apart from being a bit stiff this morning, although I think that was more to do with charging round the filed with my 5yr old yesterday. I'm going to keep an eye on her hooves for flaring and splitting like baublezebub says but she's always had pretty good feet for a TB-type. I may ask my farrier about using something to harden them up if it becomes a more permanent situation.

I'd see how your horse goes. If the lameness continues for more than a few days I'd check with your farrier - you could always just have fronts put back on. That's what I may do with my mare if/when she comes back into work.

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I wouldn't rush to have the shoes put back on if I were you. I know it's distressing to see him in such discomfort but much of it will be caused by the fact that he's now standing on parts of this feet which have not previously been weight-bearing to the same degree. I'm presuming he's allowed a little walk in hand each day? If you can get him moving, it will stimulate bloodflow and he will start to improve. By all means give him a little bute if the vet gives the okay.
 
Ouch! Apparently Ronnie was lying down today at mucking out time and refusing to move, and he's been lying down since too. And this isn't a horse who feels pain that much. I spoke to vet and have given him 2 bute sachets and I'll see how he goes - maybe he'll have to have shoes back on next week, in front at least.
 
Thanks for the advice. Ronnie is a TB and has fairly good (but flat) feet. My farrier yesterday thought he'd be fine without shoes and that it would do his feet a lot of good but Ronnie's obviously feeling otherwise!

Spoke to vet and have given Ronnie 2 bute and we'll see how he goes. He was well enough to dash across stable to see if I had food! May have to put shoes back on - in front at least. Yes SI = sacroiliac (sorry - should have explained!).

I don't think Ronnie would take kindly to Mac boots, he's offended enough by brushing boots!
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My warmblood was on 3 months box rest with a SI injury, he had his shoes off and was so sore he would barely move. The vet recommended bute for a week, he was then fine. I promise you he will be a lot better in a week but it is really stressful seeing them so uncomfortable.
 
Your plan sounds good!
You didn't say what sort of bed he's on, but you could also try to pull the shavings or whatever right up to the door to cushion his delicate tootsies.
As you say he has flat feet, you may find you have bother with bruised soles, and abscesses if he is turned out at all. Flat feet aren't the best unshod, in my experience.
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I think it is easy to proclaim that all horses should be 'natural' and 'barefoot' if you are the sort of person who happens to have a native type, or don't mind your horse being in pain for the absence of shoes
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but every horse is an individual. Some can thrive without shoes, some need them on.
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Mine is on box rest too - 2 months in now. She is still shod. I had her shoes off for foaling earlier this year, and she gradually became more and more foot sore. I had her shoes put back on and she was back to powerwalking around within days.

I'm with Shils on this one - although they might harden up, it is very harsh on them to leave them in pain until then. Mine went three months and in hindsight I would have done it sooner.
 
I'm inclined to agree with those who said some horses simply can't cope without shoes. If my TB loses a shoe or when he has them removed for x-rays/scans (a regular occurence!) he literally cannot move. He is a complete cripple. Like yours he has very flat feet. Even with shoes he has silicone gel pads. I'd probably put fronts back on your boy. Maybe taking all shoes off at once is a step too far but good luck.
 
He's on shavings on rubber matting. He obviously has delicate little feet
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Farrier on standby to come and put fronts back on (though he's baffled as to why Ronnie's in so much pain as he thought his feet would be perfect without shoes - hence them being taken off in the first place!).

Thanks for the guidance, I've stopped panicking now and will just see how he goes and put shoes back on if problems continue beyond a couple of days. He doesn't deserve to be in pain, bless him.
 
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I would never remove shoes on a warmblood again - think they are too soft!

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My friend has 25 unshod warmbloods that are fine without shoes. Remember the saying "Never say never"
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I dont wish to alarm you but I knew somebody who decided it was trendy for her horse to go barefoot so she had all its shoes taken off, within hours the pony started to come down with Laminitis due to the shock and we had to get it out of the paddock and call the vet!

I hope your pony is ok!
 
Rage had stupendously weak feet, and would be utterly crippled if he lost a shoe (which he used to do all too frequently!). We took the hinds off last april, ecause his medial heel in the left hind was beginning to shear due to his KS issues. He then had the fronts removed for the GA, and we were going to have them put back on immediately. However, he managed to rip off half of his foot in the recovery box, so there was nothing to nail onto
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He was pretty sore for the first few days, until we bought him some Boa boots with some thick pads inside. He wore them for several hours a day to give his feet a chance to rest, and wore them to be walked out in hand. The pads increase the circulation to the foot and really speed up healing. That was in June, he was really sore (without the boots) for about a week.
Now he is sound on all surfaces without any boots
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and, even better than that, his feet are in fantastic condition and I never would have believed that it was possible.

Stick with it! X
 
As you know, my horse with SI finds shoeing behind painful, so I also keep his backs off in winter. He has stupid TB feet with collapsed heels. He is a bit footy for the first couple of days and I dont walk him on gravel but do walk him slowly on hard surfaces and then he is fine. He enjoys the break and I think his back feet look better for it.

However, he is still in work, including roadwork, so ge does have fronts on. But when I first got him I had all 4 shoes removed for 3 months to try and rehab his feet (left in a field, with shoes on for 4 months) and again he was footy for about 2 weeks, even on a surface. I used to let him walk at his own pace to the field, and once in there he was fine and he was fine in his box.

Each horse is an individual and some I think just cannot cope without shoes (depends on where you are as well) and some can with a bit of conditioning.

You might also want to start feeding a supplement although it will take about 9 months for the new horn. I didnt feed anything for their feet previously but have just started feeding BOSS and their coats are amazing. I obviously wont see the effect on the new horn for another six months, but lots of barefoot people swear by BOSS for hardening the horn.
 
I hasten to add this wasn't a trendy decision! Far from it - for me shoes are normal and no shoes is a bit odd!

Laminitis was actually my first concern - mostly due to the corticosteroid injection that he had, but also the shock. Thankfully he doens't look laminitic and no raised distal pulse. Feet were slightly warm to the touch (but not hot) and he tends to have very warm feet always (a cause of worry to me every day!).

Fingers crossed he'll be ok. He's much better today apparently.
 
Rage seems to have adapted really well to going without shoes then? I know it is possible as my friend's ex-racer never had shoes on and his feet are fine. Obviously she's careful where she rides him but on the whole he's great.

I'm not sure how I'd feel about having Ronnie in work and with no shoes - would be very odd! I know it can work but I'm just a bit nervous of it. At the moment, he's pretty hopeless in his box without them on so he may be one of the few horses who can't cope with it.
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Thanks for the advice - thankfully I have been feeding him a supplement for the whole time I've had him, so he has lovely strong hard feet. They survived the summer beautifully and from having lost a shoe every 2 weeks last summer, he only lost one shoe this summer (when he stood on his right front foot with his left and managed to pull it off from the side - only Ronnie!).
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I've not heard of BOSS?

I've been warned by farrier that the feet will crack up to the nail holes but not to worry too much unless that makes him sore.

I'll keep a very close eye on him over the weekend and just see how we get on. Farrier is on standby to put fronts back on (I'm keen to leave the hinds off still).

Poor Ronnie
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taking shoes off isnt any more likely to cause lamintis than having them hammered on-just the feet are more sensitive and it shows up quicker without shoes
i would say to give him a awhile-if he is still refusing to move after a few weeks, then maybe put fronts on..?
my TBx 5yo had her shoes pulled 3 months ago-she has very flat feet.shes been fine and has marched over any soft ground, which i was suprised about.she has hoof boots to hack in as she would get foot sore on the dirt tracks
my older TBx has been bare for ages-her feet are really solid clean feet now.she was footy for about 2 weeks when she had the fronts pulled, marched on the same as ever when the backs had come off.she competed medium, hacked for 1-2hours each day on the roads and was fine.
some horses cant cope once the shoes go on and you try them without again.plus no everyone wants to wait for 6-9months for a 'new' foot to grow down and they can ride again, as some horses really can take ages to adjust.
also try to keep the feet clean-any cracks or nail holes can get infected.
 
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Rage seems to have adapted really well to going without shoes then? I know it is possible as my friend's ex-racer never had shoes on and his feet are fine. Obviously she's careful where she rides him but on the whole he's great.

I'm not sure how I'd feel about having Ronnie in work and with no shoes - would be very odd! I know it can work but I'm just a bit nervous of it. At the moment, he's pretty hopeless in his box without them on so he may be one of the few horses who can't cope with it.
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Yup, he is doing great. This is the point where I admit that I have 3 TBs and 1 3/4 TB going shoeless
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(obviously baby Pancake is shoeless too
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). I really NEVER thought Rage would be without shoes, but as someone said above, 'never say never'
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I know it feels strange to be without them, but it will get better! My lot will only be reshod if they need studding to go XC in the summer, on hard ground. Theoretically their grip barefoot should be better, but whether I can keep enough 'foot' on them whilst doing the amount of work they will be doing I am not sure. For roadwork if the feet are wearing too quickly they will wear boots in front, but this tends to only be Rage and Boo, not the other two.

For me, I have seen my horses really free up in their movement since ditching the shoes, and I feel much happier knowing that their feet are working as they were intended, and that the concussion through the joints is lessened.
Aside from that, it is cheaper, and no hassle with lost shoes or risen clenches!
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So yes, it can work, and you can have 'barefoot' horses without also having a fetish for parelli, treeless saddles etc
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I have a TB who is in full work with no shoes, and a WB who is on box rest with front shoes as he can't tolerate being barefoot.... It really is just down to the individual horse. I tried to take my warmbloods shoes off last year when he was turned away for a while. He was incredibly footsore for weeks, but the farrier said to persevere. He ended up getting an abscess that burst through his coronet. He was so miserable that as soon as it was feasible, he had his front shoes put back on and the immediate relief to him was incredible. I felt dreadfully guilty for ages about it and have come to the conclusion that some horses just don't do barefoot
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Give your horse some time to readjust by all means, but go with your instinct, you know him best.

Hope he feels better soon
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poor boy!

I'll try and keep this as short as i can....my horses feet were so bad that his shoes were taken off 6weeks ago. he was lame on all surfaces bar grass so he's been turned away for the winter as this is the only way to keep him as comfortable and sane as possible (he cribs/box walks/gets lame from box walking). i know this is not an option for you however but a few things i'd recommend trying;

-naf hoof and sole (not the new "pro-feet" range) will harden the feet and kill off nasty infections (thrush) that will take refuge in his feet whilst on box rest.
-a deep full bed (this will encourage thrush though)
-although he may have ok feet i'd recommend formula 4 feet as not only does it help the feet it can be fed to horses with good feet also as a general supplement and it contains no cals (friend recently varified this with them after a discussion on another forum)
-seaweed is good too but has toxic iodine levels which makes me too much of a wuss to use it
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