Living out and feet

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splash30

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I need your input and ideas, I have a youngster that will be living out (has all his life) that I bought a few months ago. This is my first winter with one out (all my others are stable kept) what the best way to help avoid abcesses, if any? There is no dry stand just field on sand/clay, I'm thinking regular feet picking (as matter of course) and possible iodine washes? Is there anything else I could do? Any ideas welcome.
 
There is no reason to assume he will suffer from abscesses, I have one horse who has never had one he lived out all last winter with little attention given to his feet, certainly no washing and only the odd picking out, he came in for trimming and that was it, most of mine have never had an abscess, I think if they have decent feet, tight white lines and are regularly trimmed, or self trimming through work, they should be fine.
 
Thank you yes will be regulary trimmed, im just a worry wort ;) he looks like he had one last winter and it's growing down but was owned by some interesting individuals and is much better condition now than when he came body and feetwise.
 
I've got two barefoot horses who have lived out for the past 3 years with just one abscess. I use red horse field spray a few times a week and have the one with the less good feet on a decent balancer.
 
I've not had an abscess on any of mine since I started this regime - No added sugar of any kind in the diet. Minerals to balance anything lacking or overloaded in his grazing/forage, especially iron and manganese overload.
 
I've had more problems with abcess on stabled horses. My farrier thinks the change from wet to dry is unnatural.permanetly a bit damp in winter & dry out in summer (theoretically) is much healthier
 
Only ever had two get abscesses and it was when I was at a clinic all day with them in a very wet winter. It was suggested the sudden drying of standing in the trailer / being on a sand indoor then saturated at night again was the cause. So I really wouldn't worry as I've had 5 winters with about 8 bf horses living out with only that one year in a specific situation being a problem.
 
I wouldn't pick the feet out, just let clean mud pack in and leave them. My ponies that live out don't have their feet picked out from one month to the next and their frogs are some of the best.
 
I agree with others, some horses are just prone to them. I have one mare, PB TB, who has had so many I have lost count and in all four feet and then my other four on the same fields have never had one between them. All have feet picked out daily and trimmed every eight weeks.
 
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