How does barefoot "cure" navicular disease?

[Oberon]

I was thinking more about the online community.

If you find a local trimmer and make enquiries.......

I have been using UKNHCP trimmers for the last 5 years, so I feel confident about their trimmers.

 

[cptrayes]

TPO rescanning a foot requires MRI and costs £1000-1500 rescanning a tendon is done with ultrasound and costs under £100. Many insurance companies won't pay the full costs of one MRI never mind repeats

It's the cost preventing ordinary owners from providing more information. I'd love to see my rehabs xrays but I can't justify another £200 to satisfy my curiosity. I'd love to have had him MRI'd but pigs might fly

 

[Oberon]

http://www.progressivehorse.co.uk/html/shoko.html

My livery mate would love to get Schoko re-scanned or Xrayed but after all they've been through, they just can't justify the cost (he needs a new saddle now too!).

The horse is sound and that is that. "Don't call the vet out if not needed and don't go looking for trouble"

I agree - it is frustrating that the lack of empirical evidence means a lack of recognition from other equine professionals and so horses continue to suffer.

 

[spookypony]

PPS - is there a different way of transitioning horses when they are on wet (muddy) ground?

Soggy Scotland resident here!

My pony came to me with very flared feet, lots of separation, and a large crack from far-too-long toes. He lives in a field that tends to be very muddy. My trimmer recommended lots of roadwork (sensibly built up), and we're fortunate in that we have loads of good hacking trails, many of which are surfaced with crushed granite. The idea is to make sure that he spends a good amount of time exercising out of the mud. It seems to have worked!

Since then, a significant portion of the yard's population has gone barefoot. Some of the horses are youngsters that were never shod, and they've not had any problems that I know of. However, there are two TBs, whose feet were not good at all before transitioning. They both got front boots and loads of hacking on the hard tracks, and now have much better feet.

A far bigger problem than the mud, is the grass! It's former cattle pasture, and causes balloonitis if my pony so much as looks at it sideways.

 

[nicbarker]

Here's an update for you, TPO:

http://rockleyfarm.blogspot.com/2010/11/another-day-another-update-happy-friday_19.html

- and you can find answers to some of your questions here, which shows successes AND failures: http://rockleyfarm.blogspot.com/p/research-results.html

If you search the blog for a particular horse, you will find its photos and video clips which will tell you more.

 

[TPO]

TPO rescanning a foot requires MRI and costs £1000-1500 rescanning a tendon is done with ultrasound and costs under £100. Many insurance companies won't pay the full costs of one MRI never mind repeats

It's the cost preventing ordinary owners from providing more information. I'd love to see my rehabs xrays but I can't justify another £200 to satisfy my curiosity. I'd love to have had him MRI'd but pigs might fly

Sorry Cptrayes; you must feel like you're banging your head off a brick wall!

In my post to which the above is a reply I was meaning an ultrasound scan for a tendon where the horse has been rehabbed barefoot. It was my understanding that regular scannings of tendons were the norm and was wondering if there was any evidence pointing to faster (better?) recovery when the horse was barefoot. Hard to prove I know as every horse and injury is unique. Was just thinking it was the one instance where there was likely to be quite a few (slightly more affordable) scans.

 

[amandap]

spookypony, I love that term 'balloonitis'! Covers 'farty pants' (windy effects of grass) too.

Reading... I recommend Jaime Jackson 'The Natural Horse', 'Founder Prevention and cure the Natural Way'
Pete Ramey 'Making Natural Hoofcare work for you'.
I highly recommend Pete Ramey's DVD series 'Under the Horse'. Sadly it is pricey but worth every penny imo.

 

[criso]

TPO
The sort of tendon injuries that we are talking about here are located right inside the hoof capsule close to the navicular bone ( hence them getting lumped under the term navicular syndrome by some vets)
The hoof itself prevents ultrasound being used.


For frankie's particular injury ( inflammation of the ddft dsil and collateral ligaments) only an MRI will do.

 

[TPO]

TPO
The sort of tendon injuries that we are talking about here are located right inside the hoof capsule close to the navicular bone ( hence them getting lumped under the term navicular syndrome by some vets)
The hoof itself prevents ultrasound being used.


For frankie's particular injury ( inflammation of the ddft dsil and collateral ligaments) only an MRI will do.

Sorry I'm clearly talking in riddles! I'm meaning injuries that you can use ultra sound for, not navic related or within the hoof capsule. Like a tear in the DDFT or similar.

 

[criso]

The horses that I am aware of at Rockley that had ddft tears (as opposed to strain as in our case) had them in the part of the ddft inside the hoof.

Whether or not barefoot would help other sorts of injuries, I would think it's outside the scope of the project.

 

[cptrayes]

Sorry Cptrayes; you must feel like you're banging your head off a brick wall!

Happy to keep banging as long as there is one owner out there who might read and realise that they don't have to put their horse to sleep Got a thick head anyways.

 

[fayley]

Happy to keep banging as long as there is one owner out there who might read and realise that they don't have to put their horse to sleep Got a thick head anyways.

Keep on banging!! It was as a direct result of a similar discussion on the H&H forum that I found out about Rockley Farm after googling ddft injury. My mare is now in her 2nd week at Rockley and although very lame (she went straight from 10 months box rest) she is already a much happier and saner mare, and now has the potential to start recovering, something I had honestly starting to loose hope of happening.

So you and others like you have already started the ripples needed to cause a tidal wave, and I for one am very grateful. I am sure if my mare could add her comments she would also say a huge thank you, not only to Nic and the work she is doing but to those happy to stick their necks out to spread the word and risk the negative comments that are bound to come their way along with the good.

fx

 

[lillith]

I am aware that a lot of blogs/stories on H&H are simply owners looking to share their experiences, by case studies I was refering to a lot of the stories under 'Case Studies' tabs on barefoot websites. I am aware of rockley farm and am keeping an eye on the research, it is fantastic.

Personaly I like the concept, instinctively it 'feels' right and I would certainly try it if I had a horse of my own at the moment. However I find it difficult to recommend anything to someone else without more detailed back up, a lot of the websites seem to make a lot of claims with no references as to where the information came from - I am aware that they are websites not papers but it would be nice to know where they are getting their facts from.

 

[amandap]

I am aware that they are websites not papers but it would be nice to know where they are getting their facts from.

'Facts' is such a difficult word isn't it.

I suggest you google.
Jaime Jackson, K.C. La Pierre, Dr Robert Bowker, Prof Chris Pollitt, Kathryn Watts, Dr Elleanor Kellon for starters. All these people have done various types of research, some of it observational yes but not all of it.