horse reluctant to let me pick hind feet

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Konnie

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Hi.
I've had my tb mare for just over a year now, and I've always struggled with the back feet...I touch her back leg and she will raise it slightly but then when I try to lift it any higher she will resist and push against me. I push her toe back as the farrier suggested it would be more difficult for her to injure me. Some days she is worse than others and she will push it out towards me "maybe just to warn me" she only wears shoes on the front now as the farrier had a lot of near misses. 😳 i wonder if it's a behavioural thing as she is quite stubborn, or she is in any pain? I was thinking of trying a painkiller first to see if it affects her behaviour whilst i pick them. Any ideas??
 
Konnie said:
Hi.
I've had my tb mare for just over a year now, and I've always struggled with the back feet...I touch her back leg and she will raise it slightly but then when I try to lift it any higher she will resist and push against me. I push her toe back as the farrier suggested it would be more difficult for her to injure me. Some days she is worse than others and she will push it out towards me "maybe just to warn me" she only wears shoes on the front now as the farrier had a lot of near misses. 😳 i wonder if it's a behavioural thing as she is quite stubborn, or she is in any pain? I was thinking of trying a painkiller first to see if it affects her behaviour whilst i pick them. Any ideas??
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I would do a bute trial. Mine is a bit like this and has just had lameness confirmed in back feet as well as front feet
 
Yes, if she objects to you and farrier, its time for a vet check. When handling rear legs, I run my open hand down the cannon bone, there should be no "grasping" or "gripping" as this can cause panic, if they kick out it will release your hand from his leg.
When I worked in racing we had one who we were told not to pick out rear hooves as he would "kill you", I forgot one day and did them, and he was fine with me after that, BUT he had something wrong with his back, he had to be shod very close to the ground, and would only pick his feet up so far, I mean a few inches.
 
Thank you for your feedback I've found it very helpfull. Got the chiropractor coming out on the 9th so hopefully it's just something minor. She's so safe to handle it's just when I ask her to pick her feet up. She has been ok when a few people were stood around and I got someone else to pick them she picked them fine! And then I did them and she was fine which is why I had suspicions she was taking the mick out of people, as it's not just me she does it with. It might sound daft but she seems ticklish on the bottoms of her feet and the farrier said she had soft soles. Her fetlocks are swollen most mornings so I've started bandaging her legs at night. I've only had ponies before so never experienced the swelling before. Is it common for Thoroughbreds to be this way ? ��
 
No its not common in TB.s , more often in horses which have had a lot of hard work possibly.
If the soles are sensitive, best to start on a mineral enhanced diet straight away.
There are a few makes targetted at feet, I would start off with Pro Hoof from progressive Earth [ebay] and after a month ask them for a summer mineral, assuming out at grass by then.
Micronised linseed is good for feet, skin and joints 100-200gms per day Charnwood Milling delivers. £30.00 for 20kg, feed maybe 50gms in summer.
Check everything you are feeding, remove sugars/molasses, as found in nuts/bagged feeds, this may mean soaking haylage, but doubly important you replace lost minerals.
Some salt, they don t always lick..
Plenty of fibre.
Has the vet commented, you have had her for a while, so I assume he has done her teeth and jabs. Also I think he needs to approve any chiro treatment [by law], so he may need to see her.
 
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Im feeding her top spec cool balancer nuts, some chaff and some added yea-sac I've just started her on this. She is on good quality dry haylage but she still a bit loose and I don't wanna feed her hay incase it causes colic. She has a mobility lick in her stables which she definitely enjoys and yeah she doesn't touch the usual salt licks. She had electro salts in the warmer weather. It's just hard to know what works and what doesn't. Is she just missing her nutrients because of the haylage? She needs a nose net in the summer for head shaking too. She had crusty nostrils at one point thinking maybe pollen allergy? And she is very sensitive to flys going near her nose. I've spent a fortune trying to make her comfortable. I've ordered the pro hoof so I'll try that. Thankyou for your help
 
She has had her jabs all up to date. Her teeth are being done on Thursday she is sharp down one side of her mouth but dentist couldn't finish without Sedalin . She is very sensitive in every way really. Stones hurt her feet with her wearing shoes just on front. I have to wash all traces of mud off her legs or she gets mud fever and rainscald on her hindquarters on one side which isn't showing at the moment as I've been cleaning and keeping her dry so it's kinda dormant. You can't see it but I know it there. She sounds like a mess but she looks immaculately stunning until you inspect really closely.
 
Really you need to discuss all this with vet, he should tell you about legs for a start. Also the poop should be normal, it is one of the health checks,
Does this lick have molasses, if so remove it, most of these things do, and are bad for horses.
No reason clean hay would cause colic, not sure where that idea came from. She should probably have ad lib forage,
Feed her salt particularly if she does not lick it, she still needs it, it may help head shaking.
What is your worming program, this is vital.
The linseed and minerals will help feet and mud fever. Change to non molassed sugar beet NO molasses!
Did the vet prescribe Sedalin, is the dentist a qualified EDT?
You must get feet sorted, buy boots if she is sore.
All horse need minerals, some more than others, sore feet tells me she needs more.
 
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She is on ab lib. She is on hard standing all day with unlimited access to it and at night I can't fill her net too much or she throws it all over the stable. She is due her wormer now. I give her equimax in tablet form. I've been looking at the boots for her back feet. Yes I got Sedalin from dentist and dentist is qualified! So I'll start giving her salt... Any salt? How many grams a day? I'll remove the lick as it probably does have molasses as it smells like syrup.
 
Konnie said:
She is on ab lib. She is on hard standing all day with unlimited access to it and at night I can't fill her net too much or she throws it all over the stable. She is due her wormer now. I give her equimax in tablet form. I've been looking at the boots for her back feet. Yes I got Sedalin from dentist and dentist is qualified! So I'll start giving her salt... Any salt? How many grams a day? I'll remove the lick as it probably does have molasses as it smells like syrup.
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Eqimax, (ivermectin/praziquantel] there is a saliva test for tapeworm, majority of horses do not have tapeworm, [praz]
The egg count [EPG] will tell you if you need to treat for roundworm [ivermectin]. The idea is to use wormers sparingly, the right one and at the right time. Westgate labs are very helpful
The encysted redworm treatment was due in Nov/Dec, did you use the right one for that? I would not advise worming till you are sure you are doing the right thing.
I would think about 25gms of salt.
I prefer a salt with nothing added, but certainly not road salt which often has additives.
I got some from Screwfix, it was on offer! Ebay I would think, or your local butcher.
 
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She isn't kept with other horses or where other horses have been if that makes a difference. Just sheep. I find the worming thing a bit confusing to be honest
 
Much better to use egg counts [roundworm count] than a routine worming, but in autumn you have to worm for ENCYSTED redworm, encysted means that it is within the tissue of the intestine and won't shift with every wormer ingredient, and will not show up on worm counts.

Roundworms are fairly common, get an egg count about 3/4 times per year. EPG is eggs per gram
Tapeworm is not found in most horses, use a saliva test at least once a year.

Encysted redworm:
http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forum...ont-understand

Good stuff about worms and horse health
http://www.liv.ac.uk/diagnosteq/
Read more at http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/foru...quimax-now-diarrhea/page2#tjjcX4qhFqCKAxum.99

Sheep are good grazers with horses, no problem with worms are to be expected due to them.

Keep a spreadsheet so you know what you did when and which ingredients you used, as you may need to alternate them, Westgatelabs advise but you need to know what has been used in the past.
 
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