Mud and Foot Pads - help!

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Wiggy88

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Hi - has anyone got any ideas of what I could do to stop mud getting between my horses foot and his remedial pad?

He keeps getting abcesses and I am sure this is the reason - the mud / debrie hardens and causes bruising etc. I clean them daily and try to swill water through but it doesnt help.

Would be so grateful for ideas.

Thanks - also posted in tack room
 
What are the pads for?

I would suggest that improving the health of the feet, thereby eliminating the need for pads, is the way to go.
 
I am soon going to be this situation soon myself, as my girl will having remedial pads fitted under natural balance shoes. I think it could be a trial and error thing, but here are my forward planning thoughts:

Turn out boots, the light weight ones that come down really low over the heel. With or without? over-reach boots

Some vet-wrap round and round the back of the shoe/heel? Again, with or without over-reach boots.

Or all of the above :D

I will be interested to hear other peoples replies on this one?
 
Hi - thanks for your replies. He has navicular syndrome - the pads have proved to be really successful in keeping him sound but the obvious downside is the recurring abscesses. He is 20 - I don't do anything with him any more other than hacking I just want to keep him moving for as long as possible and as comfortably as possible.

We have tried silicone between the shoe and the foot but it hardens, moves and is really really uncomfortable. Whatever we use it needs to be flexible and breathable I guess!

I have also tried vet wrap and gaffer tape around the shoe but it comes off in five minutes. I think it almost needs something like putty that won't harden stuff in the gaps and stop the mud entering the cavities.

I also thought about asking my farrier about cutting the middle out but then not sure if he would have adequate frog support.
 
What is his diet like?

Navicular tends to be a symptom of unhealthy feet imo. Does he land heel first in the pads? The healthier you can make his feet, the better the long term prognosis. Appropriate nutrition is the foundation for healthy hooves, and indispensable when dealing with hoof lamenesses such as navicular.

In the mean time, you could try something like Red Horse's artimud to stuff up the gaps. Check out equine podiatry supplies online.
 
Hi - he is not on anything special just pony nuts, sugar free chaff - supplements are biotin (for about 2 years), cortaflex and danilon.

I'm definitely open to the thought his diet could help - will look into it
 
Hi there, I had a similar problem with mud getting between the pad and sole of the foot. In the end, the farrier added a small squeeze of Vettec Equipak just inside the gap at the back of the shoe and this stopped the mud getting in.

As a cheaper alternative, you can get the Bondtech equivalent (they have a website) - it's loads cheaper than Vettec and from my experience just as good! I've even heard of people using regular DIY silicone but haven't used it personally.
 
Hi Northern Hare - that sounds like a good idea. The stuff we tried hardened and was too painful for my boys sensitive feet but silicon that you would get from a DIY store sounds like it could be perfect for the job. I'll speak to my farrier - thanks :)
 
Wiggy88 said:
Hi Northern Hare - that sounds like a good idea. The stuff we tried hardened and was too painful for my boys sensitive feet but silicon that you would get from a DIY store sounds like it could be perfect for the job. I'll speak to my farrier - thanks :)
Click to expand...

I've never tried silicone myself but as you say, it would be worth asking your farrier.

I used the Bondtech "Equine hoof pad soft" with the pads. In the end, we just used the medium hoof pad without the plastic pad and that worked best. The farrier will apply it using the mesh and it stays in very well and is not too hard.
 
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