Ive finally done it!

[showaddy1]

Its been a strange week with the horses, first finding out that the farrier I had used for 15 yrs was no longer registered, and despite no answer from original farrier despite messages left, I have today had another farrier to do my girls.
Well what can I say!, what a difference a fresh pair of eyes makes... the shoes are all now off... he took before and after photos he felt the feet had been done to an appalling standard.
I am left feeling nervous (my girls are now barefoot, luckily they have always had high fibre, low sugar diet) and sad that someone I thought was there to help me care for my horses was infact taking the mick out of me.
He has recommended kevin bacon black top dressing... any good? and limestone flour for calcium....
And do I just jump on and take them for a stroll (I certainly dont tank it, more of a meander along) or should I lead them out for a bit so they can get used to it all?
Any barefoot advice greatly received,

 

[FinnishLapphund]

Glad that you've found a better farrier now, but I don't know the answers to your questions myself. However I found this thread in the Veterinary and Hoof Care Board Best feed supplement for (very) cracked and brittle hooves? (some replies mentions Kevin Bacon products) , and this thread from the Horse Care and Feeding board Kevin Bacon Hoof Dressing and Stockholm tar .

Didn't find much about Limestone flour in my quick search, but on a thread in Veterinary and Hoof Care My girl has laminitis again - update (scroll down to reply 24, it mentions limestone flour) .


Don't know if it helps but from Bruised Sole - advice, help and maybe some barefoot taliban input please (reply 20 is quoted below)

I had a mare with hideously thin soles, they were so soft when her shoes came off you could 'squish' them with your fingers! I had to find the happy medium initially between box rest and turning out/exercising. When shoes come off it take a while for the circulation to return to the feet, movement helps this and my vet explained that when stood in the box my mare would effectively get 'pins and needles' in her feet, this would make her look hideously lame when she came out the box initially. I got told to walk her as much as we could on concrete. Initially she hobbled out the box, but the more we did the better she got, even 5 minutes walking on the rough concrete in our car park would see an improvement. I let her go slowly and pick her own way, and we gradually built it up and up, after a few days she was walking out of her box better and doing 15 min walking. She was uncomfortable at first but we persevered slowly and 2 weeks saw a big improvement and she was being turned out again with the others. Her soles now are like rocks.

I've seen this now in 2 that had shoes pulled, standing still did them no favours - although it was fascinating to see the changes in their feet as the feet started to come alive again! It's really made me think about what shoes actually do to feet and how the affect the horses circulation etc.

FWIW too, I hack out, work on an abrasive school surface and put my horses in a walker with a concrete floor and I have never, ever found that their feet wear down, if anything they now grow quicker than they ever have.

My point is that there is a hell of a lot going on in your girls feet right now that you can't see and some of that will be making her look even worse than she is. If you can move her a little do it, it really really does help whether it's 10 min turned out in a school or a wander round a concrete car park. The best thing to toughen soles is to remove shoes, feed correctly and walk, walk, walk....

going barefoot.

 

[showaddy1]

Thankyou... Both were a little careful walking this morn.. Fields were frozen solid.
I'm so excited today about the prospect of them going bf.
Thankyou for your reply x

 

[LucyPriory]

He has recommended kevin bacon black top dressing... any good? and limestone flour for calcium....
And do I just jump on and take them for a stroll (I certainly dont tank it, more of a meander along) or should I lead them out for a bit so they can get used to it all?
Any barefoot advice greatly received,

Hello and welcome to the world of barefoot. I hope you make the transition with the greatest of ease. But do be aware there can be ups and downs because a bare hoof is a very good barometer of what is going on with the rest of the horse. So if they do get a problem say with the hind gut it may well show in their feet (footiness and/or event lines usually).

I would think twice before adding limestone flour to the diet and would only consider it if I knew my forage/feed was short of calcium. Overly high calcium can cause a host of problems.

I also tend to steer clear of hoof dressings of any sort, with the exception of very safe and gentle products for the treatment of thrush.

A good hoof is grown from an appropriate diet/exercise/management regime and the money spent on dressings would IME be better invested in a good quality mineral supplement such as Pro Hoof.

Photos would be great.

Good luck with your journey.

 

[LucyPriory]

Also be aware that depending how previously shod it can take c. 2 weeks maybe longer for circulation to be restored to hooves and at some point a horse may suffer from 'pins and needles'. Obviously we don't know that it feels the same as our pins and needles, but they can be a bit ouchy for a few days with a bit of a pulse. If this happens they are better out than in. It doesn't happen to all and is IME more common with horses that have been shod with very tight heels.

Not to be confused with the ouchy from sub clinical lami.

 

[showaddy1]

Ill post pics tomorrow... My previous farrier had been shoeing them so long in the toe that when the farrier removed shoes yesterday the nail holes are none existant on the one mare and barely on the second... I shall upload pics soon as.. simply because id like opinions.