Looking for softer ground and grit in white line

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StoptheCavalry

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Having posted this on another thread I thought I would make my own to get some more responses. My horse is barefoot and has been for at least 2 years all well, very normal feet, sound in all paces on all surfaces, so far so good. About three weeks ago I cut the conditioning cubes from his feed in a premptive strike as I thought he looked great but anticipated the addition of grass may tip him over the edge to being a chubster, again so far so good he's looking good but a little leaner. They have just been turned onto the summer field where they will live out - this has been taped off to make a smaller paddock initially so they don't gorge themselves on what little grass there is. SO... here's the issue, out riding last night and he is trying to find softer ground, not at all unsound if he has to walk on the gravelly tracks but he would rather not if he can help it. This isn't really like him he's normally a bit of a mountain goat and will plough along through the rockiest of paths. So before we go to all out footsoreness(?) what can I do to help? Or am I worrying for no reason?

Next issue - grit in the white line. It's not very deep and I have dug it out with a knife (hope that was the right thing) it doesn't seem to be causing him any issues but where there have been a couple of clusters of grit it has left a small hole, should I fill this with hoof putty or just leave it to grow out on its own? Am I also right in thinking this is an issue that is now growing out?

He is being fed fast fibre, micronised linseed, mag ox and pro balance supplement.
 
I expect the two issues are related - you will only get grit in the white line if it is stretched, and a stretched white line is probably due to the grass coming through, and the grass coming through is probably why he is now a little sore and avoiding gravel!

Are you able to bring off grass during the day, as base diet looks good. Or muzzle?
 
I couldn't really leave him in during the day as he will be living out through summer with the rest of the yard (as he did last year but different yard) and he gets quite bad separation anxiety so couldn't leave him in alone really. I could muzzle him although think he would be extremely unimpressed so will have to try and reason with him again :) Should I be packing the indentations left by the grit? This wasn't an issue last year as we mainly did road work so didn't have the opportunity to go on softer ground although in all honesty I think I have started to pay a bit more attention to his feet since moving yards.

I must stress though he is not at all foot sore if he has no option but to walk on the gravel he strides out well but it seems he would rather walk on the softer ground so he must be doing well at hiding the issue.

Also to add he skipped his last trim. Our trimmer could no longer come to our area and I decided I would get the farrier to trim him instead. The farrier came and said he didn't really need doing which I agreed with, however he wasn't particularly happy with the way his feet had been balanced but didn't feel he had enough growth to correct this this time so said he would allow his feet to grow and he would trim next time. Could this lack of trim be attributing to the grit issue?
 
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