New horse, just gone barefoot on backs, now hoof and hock are hot

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Holbert

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So I've had my new horse now for three weeks (yay!) and she's my first horse for 20 years so I'm a bit behind the times with things.

The farrier removed her back shoes six days ago and I noticed today that her off rear hoof is hot and so is her leg up to and including the hock. I've ridden her every day since she had the shoes off, (except today) but only on grass or wood chip in the school, although the track I have to lead her up to her field is stony. My farrier said it looked to him like she was previously unshod on the backs as there were no nail tracks from previously being shod.

Could this be caused by her sole being sore or bruised do you think, being previously shod on the back when she was sold to me and now going barefoot? I'm a bit worried the heat is in her hock too.

I've cold hosed it and am off to see her again now to see how it is.
 
Is she lame? Are there any visible clues on the foot/leg?

It's tough to say really, there are a few things it could be, but if she's not lame then all you can do is keep an eye on it.
 
No, she isn't lame or favouring it at all (fingers crossed when I get there now, she isn't lame now!) and the hock doesn't look swollen to me.
 
Shoeing a horse causes a massive reduction in blood flow to the feet (esp as the frogs act as secondary 'hearts', pumping blood back up the leg) so having them taken off can cause a big over-reaction in the circulation, making legs (and esp the feet) feel warmer than normal. Shod feet and legs are always colder than unshod feet anyways, and will feel 'hot' by comparision if you're not used to it.

As long as she's not sore in anyway I wouldn't worry in the slightest.
 
It's quite common to have randomly hot hooves post shoe removal - especially in the first two weeks.

As long as the horse isn't lame then it's likely just circulation being restored.

But it may be worth contacting the vet if you are concerned.
 
I had this with the first one I removed shoes from, his legs got puffy and hot in random places and his feet felt twice as warm as usual. I panicked and called my vet who assured me it was the circulation returning to the feet and not to worry. He also pointed out that it showed the effect that shoes had on the circulatory system... I've now taken the shoes off of all of mine!
 
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