Keeping going through winter and feet

[chancing]

Does anyone hunt a horse with sensitive or thin soles? My boy is lame after a full morning out Tuesday bit better today but no way ok for tomorrow. Trying keratex as reccomended by field master and also been told to try pads? Any thoughts?

Also people who work full time how do you manage to keep yours hunting for through winter? Thanks

 

[spacefaer]

We used to - it was difficult - we avoided meets with a history of roadwork, tried never to trot and certainly not canter on roads. It's not good that he's still so sore after Tuesday - even with thin soles, he should be comfortable by Friday.....

Keratex is good stuff in terms of hardening the sole, but won't help the concussion that he's presumably suffering from. Are you sure it's just thin soles that is causing the discomfort and not a concussive/joint issue?

Really interesting article here
http://www.thehorse.com/articles/12569/hoof-pads-for-healing

I would be wary about putting pads under shoes during hunting, once the ground gets soft as there is a greater risk of losing shoes with them - and then you'll have a bigger problem.

We had one with thin soles and very crumbly hoof quality - we just about managed him in the summer, and once it got muddy, he was fine (with the provisos above) but if he lost a shoe, it was a disaster as he would be barely weight bearing on it - nightmare to hack home!

 

[spacefaer]

Re working full time - it depends on the hours you work, the facilities you have and how hard you hunt - I used to arrange with my boss that I didn't have to start work til 10, and then worked late until 6 so I could ride in daylight before work.

Several friends of mine share a girl who hacks out their horses a few times during the week, so that they keep on top of their fitness

 

[AAR]

RE thin soles I hunted a show pony for a season and he had very thin soles. I just had to be extra careful on stones and bad ground. (he was also 12.2 so tiny sensitive feet!) A few times I got off and ran with him over stoney track, tried to stick to grass/verges as much as I could.

I try to get mine as fit as possible before the season starts so I can just keep him ticking over. I hunt once a week. At the moment I get to the yard at 6pm in the evenings and can go for an hours hack in the light, I still wear a big Hi-Viz jacket because there are shady patches on the road.

OH joins me on his hunter.

When the evenings get dark I hack one of horses in the morning. (means getting up at 5!) the other one gets lunged or schooled in the sandschool in the evening. Sometimes I lunge both in the morning. If I don't have much time I ride and lead for a 10minute trot round the 'block.'

I do all bathing/clipping/trimming in the evening.

 

[JDH01]

Hi, I ride and lead alternate horses alternate days for a hour unless it is too snowy or icy, walk and trot only on the roads in high viz with lights 06.45 weekdays all winter. It has worked for 14 seasons and I try to do 2 days in every 10 but depending on holidays get 2 days in some weeks. Hard work but fit horses.
Jo

 

[Goldenstar]

For the thin soles get the horse onto a good low iron hoof supplement ( I use the forage plus one )
Pads are a complete pain for hunting as the shoes come off more easily and you are in a lot of wet boggy holes out hunting.
Keratex does help.

 

[Orangehorse]

Browse the numerous barefoot threads in this DG about sensitive feet! Can be related to diet and mineral imbalance.

Try Gut Restore by Thunderbrook Feeds for a couple of months and see if that makes any difference.

Mine was shod with plastic pads, which were brilliant and last ages and ages, although expensive, they also were designed to provide some frog pressure. I wasn't going hunting in them though, so you would have to ask your farrier about his experiences of hunters with pads. I am sure he doesn't want to be called out regularly on a Monday morning to replace a lost shoe.

 

[Christmas Crumpet]

I had a TB with thin soles and the vet said to use keratex and keep horse out of the wet…!! This was a fair few years back and I wasn't quite so up to date with good feeding regime as we are these days. Horse was on a LOT of sugar - mollichaff original, conditioning mix and sugar beet. I faffed about with keratex and keeping him out of the wet on a shavings bed - not sure how much good it did but he was always footy on stones etc. Vet didn't ask about diet at all.

Now I feed low starch/low sugar feeds - at the moment we are on Hifi Molasses free, Purabeet and hi fibre cubes with micronised linseed and Pro Hoof supplement and my horse has fantastic feet with nice thick soles - and the horse is shod.

I would look at diet first and see if that works. Keratex does harden feet but it also dries out the sole so it then chips off and leaves fresh weak sole underneath. You don't want a brittle sole because that is more prone to injury. A healthy flexible sole is better because it doesn't automatically break or bruise if horse has stood on a stone.

I work full time too and have a 3 year old daughter so have even more of a time restriction in the morning (have to be in by the house by 7.30 a.m). Alarm goes off at 5.45 a.m, muck out and tacked up by 6.15 a.m. Ride out every day in hi viz and head torch on roads for an hour. 2 days off after a full day's hunting and horse out in field from 8 a.m to 6.30 p.m every day. Works for us!!

 

[chancing]

Thank you all for the replies. I finally got hold of my new farrier last night. Been using keratex which has made a great difference to him. Turns out horse been trimmed consistently too short hence the footy ness although he does have thin soles. Farrier has put pads on last night and could see the difference straight away. He has reccomended making some changes to feet and ensuring plenty of oil in feed. He doesn't want to keep pads on him full time only this time.

Keeping going through winter fingers tightly crossed for new job which wil give me flexibility so will have no issues. But thank you all for your ideas about riding out with head torches also. Happy hunting!