horse with d.j.d and poss navicular to shoe or try no shoes??

jackessex

jackessex

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Hi all,ive been reading the post by Bramridge04 regarding shoes vs barefoot and i was wondering what people thought about my horses problem,he has been diagnosed with d.j.d so has boney changes within his feet (and hocks)but the vet has said he cant rule out navicular although they cant pinpoint exactly what is wrong,he has had over a yr of various tests and treatment and with the use of pads and small wedges he came mostly sound,my farrier suggested after having pads on all winter that his soles where getting to thick and to try him without,which we did and he seemed to be coping fine(no wedges either)now he has started to trip and stumble again and is wearing his shoe down to the left of the toe,so im thinking he prob has pain at the heal of the foot again and so is putting toe down first to get away from the pain.So i was wondering am i best to go back to wedge shoe with pads or go the other way and go barefoot do any of you have experience with this type of thing??oh and the foot that he has the most trouble with is smaller than the other one and has contracted heal.thanks in advance.:)
 
my horse has djd in his hocks and navicular. taking his shoes off was the best decision i ever made!
 
china,you say you took your horses shoes off,did you change farriers?surely the horse got foot sore??as ive tried this in the past and mine couldnt cope,but i would love to have him barefoot please tell me more:)
 
to Thepony,i had at look at site but honestly i couldnt find anything on there that actually explained what they do,short of have them on pea gravel tracks,and as i have to ride on normal rds and turn out on grass i cant see how this would be any good to me?but im open to more info if you can shed some light on it???also if my horse is in pain when he uses his heal how will he cope with nothing???sorry for all the questions but im trying to get it straight in my head :)
 
jackessex said:
to Thepony,i had at look at site but honestly i couldnt find anything on there that actually explained what they do,short of have them on pea gravel tracks,and as i have to ride on normal rds and turn out on grass i cant see how this would be any good to me?but im open to more info if you can shed some light on it???also if my horse is in pain when he uses his heal how will he cope with nothing???sorry for all the questions but im trying to get it straight in my head :)
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Look on this forum (connected to Rockley) and you can ask any questions and about what will help.
http://uknhcp.myfastforum.org/forum2.php
 
jackessex said:
china,you say you took your horses shoes off,did you change farriers?surely the horse got foot sore??as ive tried this in the past and mine couldnt cope,but i would love to have him barefoot please tell me more:)
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No same farrier, as he had his hocks injected. his way of going changed and he kept pulling the shoes off and destroying his feet! so the decision was made for them to come off. He was foot sore on concrete for about a week then his feet adjusted and he has been fine since, he is still sore on big stones but is fine on gravel,sand,concrete, tarmac and rough tracks. His feet are harder than ever and my farrier is amazed! he still isnt 100% sound but that is down to his hocks. I will pop some before and after pics up later when i get home as im at work at the mo so cannot access them. (they block everything!) oh and i bought some cavello boots if i ever wanted to go to the woods etc.
 
thats great to know china,i was also thinking of getting some boots maybe old mac?just incase he gets footy,he is due to be shod again this wk and i read somewhere that this is the right time to take the shoes off??i would like to keep my farrier as ive used him for 20yrs!!!and hes been great making me wedges and fitting pads etc,i think my next step will be to have a conversation with him,also im reading turnout and feed are a big factor he is out 24/7 at the mo with only hi-fi as a token feed should i be feeding a suppliment or something?our grazing isnt great at the mo as no rain for AGES!!!although he is quite fat so obviously getting something!!!:) again any input much appreciated.
 
Why don't you just google barefoot + djd + navicular and you can also do a search on here?

If you read bambridge's thread then you know my stance on navicular/rotation etc...
 
OP - if you want to learn more, Nic Barker (of Rockley Farm) has written a book with Sarah Braithwaite called "Feet First: Barefoot Performance and Hoof Rehabilitation". It's a surprisingly easy read and is packed with information on diet (the authors believe this to be 65% of achieving good hooves), conditioning (35%) and finally the trim (the final 10%!).
 
Agree with Jiffy - it's important to read from the people achieving the "unthinkable". May I also recommend books by Pete Ramey www.hoofrehab.com and also "The Owners Guide" by Jaime Jackson and also look at EPAUK, UKNHCP websites. I think you'll very much enjoy your journey.. I hope as much as I have :)
 
ok heres where im at with this, ive read the info that you all posted (was great thanks)now im worried that if i dont do it right i will make him worse :( so can anyone recomend a proper barefoot trimmer in my area that can help me with his probs,i have scans etc that i can show,now i cant explain properly what was also found but one of the things was the angle of the lowest bone in the foot was totally wrong which they said was like him walking with his toe raised (this was why he had wedges on)aswell as the poss navicular and the scans also show boney changes around the navicular bone,i think ive got that all right!!!this is why im woried that the barefoot thing will make him worse??sorry i know more questions :(
 
Also have a look at Trelawne Equine (they import the Easyboot range into the UK).

I use Old Mac's G2's on my 19 year old cob with djd in his hocks. I started just with front boots, and then was advised to put 12mm comfort pads in them - made a huge difference, he was all springy again! I've just bought back boots too, also with 12mm comfort pads, just had the one short ride in them so far but he felt great, and we even cantered a short distance along a byway.
 
hi, ive had virtually the same problem. took shoes off, kept same farrier as I personally believe they have more training etc,very lame initially and foot sore untill nail holes grew out. I turned him out for 6 months, now has greatlooking feet and is sound but I am now concidering glue on shoes..... and will see how he goes x
 
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