Navicular pony still lame

N

nikkirip

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It's been 6 weeks since shoes came off and now my pony is no linger foot sore in stones. Vet came today for another round if shock wave therapy but pony not made any improvement. The frogs in the front feet look terrible and thin still and there doesn't appear to be any improvement to how they look.

When should I see a difference I. His feet?
Those of you who dud barefoot how long did it take for your horses to come sound?
What happens if he never makes an improvement
 
Have you just taken the shoes off and hoped for the best?! There's a lot more to it than that! You need to completely rebuild the back part of the foot and if her frogs are still rubbish, and her soles thin, then you're nowhere near.

Have you got some experienced barefoot help (a trimmer maybe) to help you?
 
It sounds as if you are making progress if he is no longer sore on stones.
What are you doing to help improve the frogs, they will take time to open up and gain the strength required to work properly, treat them as if they are thrushy, even if they seem clear it will make a difference, my laminitic pony has poor frogs and I use hydrogen peroxide once a week to make sure they stay clear of thrush. Regular scrubbing with salt water and walking on a sand arena have also helped.
Is his diet correct, it may need some tweaking, dont give up yet, it may take months until everything comes right, as long as he is happy in himself give it time.
 
nikkirip said:
It's been 6 weeks since shoes came off and now my pony is no linger foot sore in stones. Vet came today for another round if shock wave therapy but pony not made any improvement. The frogs in the front feet look terrible and thin still and there doesn't appear to be any improvement to how they look.

When should I see a difference I. His feet?
Those of you who dud barefoot how long did it take for your horses to come sound?
What happens if he never makes an improvement
Click to expand...



What does your foot care specialist say?
 
My Farrier is due out Ml.day but I will muss him thus time as I'm away on honeymoon. My vet is anti barefoot and wants shoes back on and I have today told him in No uncertain terms that's not happening.

Other than taking shoes off and scrutinizing feet u haven't done a lot more. Don't know where to start re hay analysis.

I will do the thrush stuff as.his feet seem crumbly when I'm picking out.

How else do I build the frog etc up?

Thanks
N
 
You need to get some boots, ideally 4, but at least for the front feet. I use Old Macs. Then you should get some sole mates pads, cut them to size and put inside the boots. They seem quite thick at first, but soon compress and take up the mould of the horse's sole. Regular hand walking or riding in these provides the correct stimulus in the early stages of a barefoot rehab. This is the best advice I have for you, assuming the farrier has balanced your horse's feet well.

Sole mates pads are available here:

http://www.aepsupplies.co.uk/index.cfm?sid=21583&pid=330565
 
brightmount said:
You need to get some boots, ideally 4, but at least for the front feet. I use Old Macs. Then you should get some sole mates pads, cut them to size and put inside the boots. They seem quite thick at first, but soon compress and take up the mould of the horse's sole. Regular hand walking or riding in these provides the correct stimulus in the early stages of a barefoot rehab. This is the best advice I have for you, assuming the farrier has balanced your horse's feet well.

Sole mates pads are available here:

http://www.aepsupplies.co.uk/index.cfm?sid=21583&pid=330565
Click to expand...

Just looked at boot link and just interested to know how they fit to the feet?
 
Brill. I have sons easy boots with some pads I made for him. I'll put those on till I can get sorted with the other boots.
 
Tiffany said:
Just looked at boot link and just interested to know how they fit to the feet?
Click to expand...

You can attach sole mates pads to the feet with gaffer tape, but it's a bit of a faff if you're going to be doing that every day, so that's why it's best to have some boots to put them inside. When you first put them in the boots, you might think, is there any room for the hoof? But a horse weighs half a ton and compresses the pad as soon as its hoof is down. After a few wears, the pads take up less room in the boot. But these pads aren't just foam rubber, they mould to the sole so that even pressure and stimulus is applied across the whole sole and frog. They are super comfy for horses that are new to barefoot, aiding rehabilitation at the same time as providing relief.
 
Taking the shoes off is just the tip of the iceberg :).

What you need to sort now is diet (if your pony if comfy over stones then it sounds like this is under control) and exercise. It is the stimulation that will build stronger feet - taking the shoes off only enables you to do this, it doesn't do it by itself.

You need to gradually build up the exercise, but if your pony is comfy without boots, then I would not boot. Try him in the boots you have, and if he's better then get some of your own. If there's no difference, though, then I don't see the point in booting.

6 weeks is not long, however. It takes 9 months to grow a new hoof capsule, so I'd give it that long before expecting any drastic improvements in soundness.
 
Diet, movement, trim, in that order.

What are you feeding?
Is your horse in/out/working/box rest?
Some farriers (and trimmers) have a tendency towards over trimming.
 
Hi all. He is in paddock rest for 10 hours a day currently. I haven't worked him as he is trotting up quite lame now. He was only very slightly lame at first and after going to vets for diagnosis and being lunged on a tiny circle till more noticeably lame is now worse than what I started out with despite rest.

Id be wary of doing any further exercise as we don't have any improvement yet.

Could I chance walking him in hand do you think?

Nikki
 
Hi , my horse has Navicular too :(, please don't have your pony put down until you at least speak to Nic at Rockley Farm, just google it. :)
 
6 weeks is nothing time wise. My mare doesn't, a far as I know, have navicular but had her shoes taken off back in may as she was retired. It took a good 3 months for adjustment from being shod to unshod and for her feet to improve in shape and her frogs to start doing their job. She was retired due to arthritis in her spine SI region.
Be patient and in your situation I would give it at least 6 months. You can always get some boots in the meantime.
 
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