Lessons in keeping horses sound from the University of Life

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kit279

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Ok, weird post maybe! I got chatting to a friend of mine who's a farrier who also gets ex-racehorses and retrains them for polo. I should mention that he's not that bothered about his horses feet - in fact they are the worst shod horses I've ever seen! Thing is, a lot of my friends really struggle to keep their polo ponies sound. It's very hard on their legs and the ponies often get tendon injuries and concussion navicular. Yet the farrier's horses are the worst shod, they never wear sports boots or anything and he really plays them hard. His theory is that this makes them 'hard and tough' so they stay sound and that everyone else is mollycoddling their ponies.. His TBs live out all year with no rugs, are lucky if they get shod more than once every 3 months, get galloped on pitches like concrete, they get flu and tetanus jabs once a year but that's it! And I'm not joking - they are the soundest horses I've ever seen and I should know, I've bought some from him!

So, any more lessons in keeping horses sound from the University of Life?!

Do share - I'd be really interested to know!!
 
I am paranoid about my horse's legs (and now her feet) and I have no end of trouble. Either I am one of the more unlucky people on the planet, or I am "mollycoddling" her! I know people who will trot their horses at full pelt for an hour on the road and they stay sound, while I very very rarely trot on the roads and they go lame at the drop of a hat. Is it just bad luck? ...
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I never box rest for minor lamenesses...the horse just gets stiff, doesn't heal well, and re-does the injury behaving like a fool when you turn them back out.
I'm cruel - I leave 'em out, and don't bute them. I do rest them for as long as it takes, though.
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The only boots i ever use are travel boots, I regularly ride on the road, i do all my schooling on the roads (canter is done on the grass verge), my ponies are not shod, and they do not get box rested unless they are absolutely hopping lame. Infact my arab sumersaulted out of a trailer jockey door onto a road destroying his knees, the bandages covering them, his back and took chunks out of the rest of him. arab had cuts the size of dinner plates that were so deep you could stick your finger in them up to the 2nd knuckle. Vet said 6 weeks box rest and pressure bandageing, at the 2 week mark arab got chucked out in the field because he was climbing the walls, none of the holes in him scarred and you would not know it happened.
My 2 26 yearold ponies live out year round both are fine show pony types but ive found that it stops them going stiff, one of those 26 year olds is still in full work and has never looked better. of the younger ponies (well relatively speaking as one is 17 and the other 18) the arab winters out well rugged up, and the connemara winters out witout rugs.

from my 18 yearold and one of my 26 yearolds ive never had a days lameness from them, the other 2 well the arab was lame for a while after the trailer accident and the little midget got cushings induced lami but other wise no lameness from them either.

I dont believe in coddling them too much, dont think they need boots and am pretty sure that in alot of cases boots seem to be the root of the problem as the horses tendons never realy get a chance to harden up completely. (this is just my theory though)

I should also point out that all of my ponies have perfectly clean legs, not a lump or bump on them but all of them have done fairly heavy work including XC and mounted games, show jumping etc without boots. Mainly use them for showing now due to my back problems.
 
I again don't boot unless I have to, I never boot up at home and only boot up normally for xc comps or SJ but wouldn't boot for unaff. I also work on a variety of surfaces, I don't mind working on a bit of bog or trotting on roands as think it hardens the muscles up. But I am careful about bringing mine backnin to work if they have hada holiday and do lots of walking, never rush staright back in.
 
Funny, my own farrier was harping on about horses being mollycoddled the other day - apparently mine spend too much time indoors for his liking. Don't mind him having an opinion BUT if I was to leave mine out all the time the warmbloods would be walking toastracks, the welshie would explode and the field would look like a bomb had hit it (we don't have unlimited grazing). So, whilst I appreciate that he does things his way, I do things mine and should not be harrassed for it.
 
hmm, well, the original poster's farrier is either quite unfeasibly lucky, or just doesn't notice when his ponies are a bit lame!
i am SO fussy about foot balance, as is my excellent farrier. the eventers i've had with less-than-ideal conformation and slightly dodgy feet did not stand up to it.
as to what i do now to minimise problems:
i always warm up for a long time and cool down slowly.
i take any slight heat or swelling in a leg very seriously. i've caught stuff that my vet's couldn't believe i'd noticed yet...
i only walk them out for an hour after a day off.
i don't boot at all for turnout, but i boot fronts for hacking and schooling, fronts for jumping, and all round for xc. mine never leave the ground without overreach boots, and are turned out in them too if the farrier's shod them long for support.
i won't run them xc on hard ground. that's about it!
 
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hmm, well, the original poster's farrier is either quite unfeasibly lucky, or just doesn't notice when his ponies are a bit lame!


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This is something I was wondering about - if a horse doesn't nod, hip drop or have any pain but has a bit of heat or swelling, would you count that as lame?
 
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