Tiddlypom
Carries on creakily
Have you got any older photos of his feet, perhaps from the time he was barefoot 6 months ago?
I think I only have one option left here: barefoot
- Thread starter CanteringCarrot
- Start date
Goldenstar
Well-Known Member
That’s going to take time .
a lot of time .
I could not look at those I would have to remove the shoes .
sometimes it’s best to burn no bridges tell the farriers you tried and emotional and turning the horse away , yes it’s stretching the truth but a farrier is not a magician and there’s a limit to what can be achieved with shoes .
are his heels sheared ?
I am amazed he is not showing signs of suspensory damage .
This is not your fault .
have a huge hug .
a lot of time .
I could not look at those I would have to remove the shoes .
sometimes it’s best to burn no bridges tell the farriers you tried and emotional and turning the horse away , yes it’s stretching the truth but a farrier is not a magician and there’s a limit to what can be achieved with shoes .
are his heels sheared ?
I am amazed he is not showing signs of suspensory damage .
This is not your fault .
have a huge hug .
IrishMilo
Well-Known Member
Sorry I got the two years and the three farriers number mixed up. I hope my post didn’t come across as condescending - that wasn’t my aim at all! I’d love to see regular updates and pics.
CanteringCarrot
Well-Known Member
Ah, no worries!
ester
Not slacking multitasking
Given the height I would anticipate that you may need to boot/pad judiciously even if he is relatively comfortable, just to give the back of hoof the stimulation it needs. -though that would obviously be a see how it goes situ.
CanteringCarrot
Well-Known Member
CanteringCarrot
Well-Known Member
I agree. I'll be monitoring for sure. I feel when/if he's barefoot, I have a bit more control. I also have a good rasp to smooth out sharp edges whatnot should any nail hole chipping or whatever occur. I'm not bold enough to trim myself though! I have the "book" education, but not experience.
CanteringCarrot
Well-Known Member
I'd say the heals are sheared, yes. It is going to take time. Pisses me off because this is literally the fault of people. If it were a random pasture accident rehab, I wouldn't be so bent about it! If that makes sense.
I plan on saying I'm pulling shoes and turning the horse away, so I follow you there.
I am also concerned over long term/secondary effects. He is built to have an upright hoof, but not this extreme or contracted. I try to give farriers a chance, nothing happens overnight, but it's clearly time to try something else. Now.
ester
Not slacking multitasking
I reckon there's a better hoof in there just struggling to come out, I keep getting distracted by the wonkiness of his lateral cartilages.
alibali
Well-Known Member
Glad it wasn't just me fixating on them!
Edited to say, good luck OP, I hope going bare helps, I think it will, but if not remember nothing is forever and if it doesn't work out you can always put shoes back on.
CanteringCarrot
Well-Known Member
I've no idea how he isn't sore, tbh. I even watched him closely today lunge shortly with other experienced eyes, by some weirdness, his movement isn't bad and he always stands square. Not rocked back or forward. Doesn't dig his bedding to relieve pressure/stand different. Poor guy though.
Tiddlypom
Carries on creakily
It’s encouraging that he was out of shoes so recently. How comfortable was he then?
CanteringCarrot
Well-Known Member
Literally some people don't even notice this when I show them his feet. Even the farrier apparently wasn't convened. Blows my mind quite frankly! They glare at me everyday!
CanteringCarrot
Well-Known Member
He was quite ok. Could walk in the school normal and forward. Could walk down the semi gravel driveway with just a tender step here and there. His trot felt decent, the canter...not so much. But it was a short time. He did wayyy better than I thought he would tbh. He lost a front show 2 weeks ago, walked from the field, over the gravel way, and to his stable before I noticed he was missing a shoe. Walked in normal and was fine on the field for 3 days before it was out back on. So. Idk what that says really. He's a sensitive fella and usually is one to express any displeasure. He's sort of a queen!
PapaverFollis
Well-Known Member
I desperately want to see these feet transform... they look like they are in too tight stilettos at the moment. Want to take them off and pop them in a foot bath.
CanteringCarrot
Well-Known Member
You and me both!
Even somewhat horsey OH who hasn't seen this horse in awhile said to take the shoes off and let the hooves grow out (as in, not only up!).
alibali
Well-Known Member
I think even after two weeks bare his heels look less contracted (realise bare photos were taken before is the shod ones but nevertheless) fingers crossed his hooves mend swiftly for you both. The more COMFORTABLE movement you can achieve the better, boot and pad for comfort if necessary but be prepared any boots you buy now will be unlikely to fit once those feet have rehabbed!
Re seeing/not seeing once you've got your eye trained it's so difficult to unsee the issues with many shod hooves! I found the Rockley blog really useful for looking at loads of hooves and getting my eye in for what was healthy and what wasn't. Warning you do get strangely obsessed with looking at hooves ?
Good luck, would love an update and more photos in due course. Just remember nothing has to be forever so if you try going bare and it doesn't work for you it's easy enough to put the shoes back on. Fingers crossed you won't need to and it'll be onwards and upwards for you from here on
ester
Not slacking multitasking
I suspect he isn't too bad bare as he is sooo tall, no fear of frog making contact before it's ready 
They do look better in the bare pics for sure, which is why I think there's a better hoof there given the chance.
And ditto alibali, nothing has to last forever shoes go on and off fairly quickly (unless you are a vet, or a yard owner etc etc re. recent thread )
They do look better in the bare pics for sure, which is why I think there's a better hoof there given the chance.
And ditto alibali, nothing has to last forever shoes go on and off fairly quickly (unless you are a vet, or a yard owner etc etc re. recent thread
)
Goldenstar
Well-Known Member
Do you live anywhere near the sea ?
ycbm
Einstein would be proud of my Insanity...
Yes. He was only bare for 2 weeks or so.
Kind of funky because he started to walk:
The bottom, cracked one, has the horse with a rocker heel and a pressure point directly on the crack. You don't want to see that this time around.
.
CanteringCarrot
Well-Known Member
No where near the sea. Just near swamps!
So the new farrier came this morning and said everything that I already knew/thought. He pulled all of the shoes and did a good trim. His hooves already looked so much better. Even his walking.
He did mention a sort of plastic (I guess?) shoe that we could use for 2 to 3 cycles on the front as we transition barefoot or we can just stay barefoot and it'll be slow but steady progress he thinks. He said the hoof quality is good (his hooves don't crumble, chip, and soles are usually decent), but the mechanics and balance are all wrong. Since he's local, he will stop by in a week to take a look at how things are going. Of course there won't be much progress in a week, but we can sort of see how it goes with the big crack. He's thinking a 5 week trim cycle.
Everything just needs to spread out, basically. But they looked so much better even after this first trim. Horse proceeded to trot around the paddock once, and looked decent. I guess he felt ok enough. The ground is not hard or rocky out there.
He said boots and pads at first aren't a bad idea, but thinks that eventually he won't need them. But as always, we will see how it goes!
CanteringCarrot
Well-Known Member
Forgot the pics and when I thought of it the horse was already in the paddock so I'll snap some tomorrow! I also have others to upload the last year or two, just for "following the journey" for whoever is interested.
Goldenstar
Well-Known Member
Good news I will be fascinated to watch the progress.
ester
Not slacking multitasking
Sounds positive.
Widgeon
Well-Known Member
Nothing useful to add but having read through this I'm so glad this morning went well, hopefully this will be the start of getting them sorted. The farrier supporting your move to barefoot all sounds positive too
IrishMilo
Well-Known Member
I’m glad today went well. Was he referring to glue on plastic shoes? I can only imagine how much better he’s going to feel in 6-8 months when the foot becomes functional again.
Pinkvboots
Well-Known Member
We were going to try the plastic glue on shoes but he sort of suddenly got much more comfortable so we didn't try them, I think they get pulled of easy in wet muddy ground so summer is better to try them.
Pinkvboots
Well-Known Member
I think I have some pictures of mine when shoes came of will try and post them
Pinkvboots
Well-Known Member
I will take some tomorrow to compare his been barefoot since last July
CanteringCarrot
Well-Known Member
I'm not 100% sure which plastic shoes he was referring to. There are a lot out there. Our appointment was sort of last minute planning this time, and he will bring some on Saturday just to show me. His van is in for repair, so he only brought the basics with him to pull the shoes and trim.
That would be interesting! Definitely share.
In respect to the quarter cracks, it's just hard to find much out there regarding going barefoot to fix them/the hoof. Or I am just no good at searching, also possible ?
That would be interesting! Definitely share.
In respect to the quarter cracks, it's just hard to find much out there regarding going barefoot to fix them/the hoof. Or I am just no good at searching, also possible ?