I think I only have one option left here: barefoot

[Orangehorse]

I would rub something into the those deep frogs. I used Sudocream, not sure if you can get that? What would your trimmer suggest?
Not something too powerful, just something to keep any thrush at bay.

 

[ester]

I'd be ordering some hoof stuff even from a different country

I always remember brucea saying about flossing frogs and how itchy some horses would be.

 

[CanteringCarrot]

I've been using Thrushbuster and also sudocream (easy to get here). I apply the sudocream onto a gauze square and really get it in there with a tongue depressor/popsicle stick and leave it in for about 24 hours.

It was hard with the shoes and pads on to get good access to everything.

 

[Roasted Chestnuts]

Those look miles better from where you started ??

What are you feeding? Most of the time feeding has more to do with the feet going to hell than shoeing. I fed my rock crunching gelding the wrong feed, then a farrier gave him the wrong trim then I worked him with a worker I hadn’t used before (yard worming policy) and undid all my 10yrs work in four weeks ??‍ Yes I was a plonker.

You may be surprised about the muscle. My friend took the shoes off her warm blood and he went up gullet sizes as he started to use himself better and muscled up properly.

Just my thoughts based on years of experience.

 

[CanteringCarrot]

He gets ad lib hay, one soaked net, the other dry net, and a small portion on the ground. Agrobs MyoProtein flakes post riding, for his "meal" Pavo Vital mineral, Vitamin E, Brewer's Yeast, Linseed, and a small amount of Eggersmann Green Power to mix it together. I could get exact with amounts, but gives a general idea. He's on a high protein, decent fat, low sugar and starch diet. He does really well with this. Some grass in the summer months, but we've had some dry summers and the grass hasn't gotten lush at all, which is good, in his case.

Most have commented that his hoof quality and whatnot is ok, it was just purely mechanical and shite work. Along with being in shoes and pads made it hard to treat thrush from the moisture that got in their from hosing him down nearly every day in the summer. I felt like the pad/pour in pad seemed to hold moisture and made it hard to clean in there. Never mind the contracted heels and everything being all jammed up making for a deep central sulcus.

I really feel as though his feeding had very little to do with his hooves going to hell and it was almost all shoeing.

He's been feeling super in his work even though his hooves are not where they should be. He has been feeling really good power wise. His canter has improved even more, and his passage work too, along with his extended trot. Could be coincidence, I don't know.

On Sunday he went on quite a rocky trail, on some tarmac, and across some gravel. He always takes the worst paths while his smart hacking companion takes the softer or grass routes, but he did really well.

I really was convinced I'd have to pause him or take the work down a few notches, but he's been doing well and the trimmer said to walk him on hard surfaces as much as possible.

 

[Pinkvboots]

Omg they look loads better his always gonna have a more upright hoof because of his pastern angle, but at least the heal has come right down and cracks should stop forming from the coronet band.

I use swan antibac for the frogs and white line and had no thrush or problems even in all the wet weather last year.

 

[IrishMilo]

They look miles better already. Lots of people swear by apple cider vinegar diluted. I use Sudocrem mixed with about ten drops of neat tea tree oil, or just a bog standard anti-bac spray for deep central sulci. If they're really deep, which his look to be, stuff them with soaked cotton pads with one of the above solutions

 

[ester]

If he didn't have decent hoof quality they wouldn't have got so tall

 

[Goldenstar]

Has there been anymore bleeding from the crack ?
I think they look loads better obviously it’s lying road ahead .
For the heels and frogs I would try Leovet frog medic it’s a brilliant product used alongside sudocrem

 

[ycbm]

Back again with more photos from the weekend.

These are from before trimming started/how the last farrier left them:

And now:

The crack is growing out at this time.

Sadly, the last farrier still owes me 200 Euro and I don't think I will ever see it.

Great improvement!

 

[CanteringCarrot]

Has there been anymore bleeding from the crack ?
I think they look loads better obviously it’s lying road ahead .
For the heels and frogs I would try Leovet frog medic it’s a brilliant product used alongside sudocrem

The crack hasn't bled in half a year or more...closer to a year I think. I was eyeing the Leovet stuff the other day, actually.

Trimmer said the crack is pretty stable...as stable as a crack can be I guess ?

 

[Scarlett]

Leovet do Frogmedic spray that is in an aerosol can with an applicator straw. It's highly pressurised and the straw allows you to be very precise. It's ideal for contracted or sheared heels as it gets right into the cracks. Might work well on those heels.

Feet already look better. I'm amazed!

 

[Regandal]

That’s some improvement! Well done your trimmer.

 

[CanteringCarrot]

So, we've got the quarter crack growing out, which looks promising. Usually it begins growing out, but then cracks again. Horse tends to grow more toe on the inside due to the way he moves. The thrush is getting better. I only have a few pics, and will take some more soon. He is a bit more sensitive since he had so much extra sole before and such tall walls. Now everything is a bit lower and sole is more appropriate. His amount of sensitivity is quite fair I think, given his situation. Its not bad, he just feels a stone every now and again.

Front soles:

Left front side:

 

[alibali]

Thanks for the update, really enjoying seeing them change, please keep posting

 

[sbloom]

We're so not used to them feeling a stone because shoes mask it, that we worry, but if it's the odd stone then it's generally no issue (unless other problems are evident of course) and you can let them pick their way through. So glad he's making progress.

 

[Goldenstar]

It’s looking so much better .
just take it each day at a time .
Feeling the odd stone is normal .
I am really looking forward to seeing these at six months .

 

[Kat]

Wow, what a fascinating journey! Poor boy, his feet looked so cramped and uncomfortable in those shoes, well done for seeing the issue and removing them.

Please stick around and continue posting there is some incredible knowledge about barefoot here, it was invaluable on my barefoot journey.

 

[CanteringCarrot]

Crack progress (the other one already grew out awhile back). This is the one that no one could get to go away. That a farrier literally told me "would always be there" or "because he's a Spanish horse. Right.

Started with a new Trimmer Oct 2020. The most recent photo is the lower right corner. Only about an 1.5" or so of crack left! It has grown down from the coronary band, hasn't cracked further, bled, or caused an issue. Horse has been in work this whole time, minus a slight pause for a dental issue. I don't think he'll ever be shod again!

 

[ycbm]

Excellent work! It's not the first crack that "will never heal" that has closed as soon as the shoes are taken off, and it won't be the last. Do you feel as angry with your hoof care "professional" as I did with mine?
.

 

[CanteringCarrot]

Excellent work! It's not the first crack that "will never heal" that has closed as soon as the shoes are taken off, and it won't be the last. Do you feel as angry with your hoof care "professional" as I did with mine?
.

Oh yes. I am angry with 3 hoof "professionals" really. ??‍

I'll have to remember to snap some more pics. He's going really good. He was trimmed yesterday and went down some rocky trails, a gravel road, and a paved road. Not even the least bit footy about any of it. So he does quite well and grows some good hoof. I never ended up buying or using boots.

 

[paddi22]

what an amazing difference, have loved seeing the improvement!

 

[CanteringCarrot]

I've also found if interesting how the hoof changes with the weather. The hoof is a bit different when it hasn't rained in what feels like forever and it's just so hard and dry vs when it was not stop raining months ago and the horse was spending some time in the mud.

Have some sole shots too. Top photos are recent. These are front hooves that see finally a bit less oval. When I first measured him for hoof boots, that I didn't end up getting, he had some odd measurements.

 

[CanteringCarrot]

The chunk missing out of the upper right photo is where the crack is growing out, so doesn't alarm me. These hooves have also been over a lot of different rough terrain lately. The bottom hooves had mostly been in soft muddy terrain at the time.

 

[Zuzan]

I've also found if interesting how the hoof changes with the weather. The hoof is a bit different when it hasn't rained in what feels like forever and it's just so hard and dry vs when it was not stop raining months ago and the horse was spending some time in the mud. ..............

Yes it's facinating watching hooves adapt to different conditions .. and it always surprises me how quickly they do.. one of the best arguments for barefoot is this adaptability.

 

[catembi]

Wow, they are looking so much better! Well done! I love before & after barefoot transformations!

 

[brighteyes]

Wow, I just start to finished this thread and the transformation is incredible! I use Sudocrem with added zinc oxide and copper sulphate with shredded cotton wool pads blended in and shoved into the sulci for thrush. I make up my own. Dilute bleach is all you need for the daily wash out.

 

[GreyMane]

Just wanted to say what a noble face. The phrase "aristocratic nostrils" suggested itself !