Hoof progress - chestnut mare.

[Meowy Catkin]

I promised that I would take some up to date photos of my chestnut mare who is on field rest while her hooves are sorted out.

She is making slow but steady progress as unfortunately she had yet another stonking abscess on her worst hoof (NF) which again burst at the coronet (you can see the hole left by this).

I think that she is looking the soundest that she has been in a long time and my new farrier is happy too although he says that her heel needs to come back further still.

Sorry for the awful photos on grass (and mud) I hope that you can see reasonably well what's going on. I will take some better ones when I take her into the yard next.

Autumn.

Today.

With her gang.

 

[Crazydancer]

Wow that is one traumatised hoof!!! Poor girl.... her toes do look a bit long but it can't be easy trimming that hoof with all the abcess damage.

 

[Meowy Catkin]

Yes, there is still improvement to come, she has come on a long way though.

Here's what my new farrier was faced with when he first met her (for those who didn't see my older posts about her).

 

[Oberon]

OMG - I feel sick

Poor girl.

 

[Oberon]

Although the hooves are improved - I'd still have a good long look at her diet - she's still getting those ridges.

 

[Meowy Catkin]

Her diet is a constant challange as I've had alot of trouble getting her to eat any feed/supplement that she doesn't like.

 

[trina1982]

I remember seeing those feet before, but i still inhaled sharply when i scrolled the screen down. Poor love.

Any idea why she keeps abcessing?

Trina x

 

[Meowy Catkin]

Because of the state that her hoof was in before, everything is streched and not tight and dense so grot gets up the white line very easily. The horn that is above the abscess hole is much better than the horn below. Once the whole capsule has grown out it *should* be an end to it.

She hadn't had an abscess ever in the years before I moved house, which is why I used the sacked farrier (highly thought of in my area).

 

[Oberon]

Her diet is a constant challange as I've had alot of trouble getting her to eat any feed/supplement that she doesn't like.

How rude of her

I've managed to get The Tank to eat his balanced minerals by adding turmeric and fenugreek to his feeds. Before that I used Tesco's curry powder and he loved that.

Now the grass is like candy due to the frosts, and just like every spring, he is turning his nose up again.

I'm experimenting with Stevia leaf at the moment to see if it will tempt him.

There is a horse I've heard of online, who has been plagued by abscesses all his young life and he's just starting on balanced minerals, but it seems to be making a huge difference to him.

 

[Goldenstar]

Yes, there is still improvement to come, she has come on a long way though.

Here's what my new farrier was faced with when he first met her (for those who didn't see my older posts about her).

OMG that's awful poor horse

 

[Meowy Catkin]

She is eating Pure easy (at the moment).


I just want to say that I was not happy at all with how the sacked Farrier was shoeing her but he made excuses that sounded logical no my non-expert ears. Three Vets saw her feet as I really wasn't happy. I was advised to talk to him and give him another chance. The third Vet said she wasn't happy and the Farrier said something that was obviously an idiotic excuse and I sacked him.

 

[amandap]

I second diet changes if possible. I'm afraid sugars are the main thing to try to reduce but unless you can get her off grass or at least restrict it and feed soaked hay (or hay tested at less than 10% total sugar and carbs) this will be difficult. Mineral deficiency especially sodium (salt), magnesium, copper and zinc are a possibility as well.

The problem your farrier has is that the hoof is constantly stressed and growing forward and flat, so he is fighting against this all the time. Until any dietary issues are more under control he can only reduce the effects to a greater or lesser extent. You cannot shoe or trim a hoof to health I'm afraid only help it. x

My tb had a hoof collapse early last year and she responded well to being yarded (huge yard) and being fed soaked hay for six months. More recently she has been having limited grazing until this cold snap and her hay is no longer soaked. She was yarded with her herd mates btw. not alone. I feed washed un molassed beet with salt, magnesium and minerals known to be deficient in my immediate area.

ps. I feed vitamin E and C when she is off grass as well as ground whole linseed.