New horse Lame in school but sound on hard surface - advice please

Sarahkinks said:
Unfortunately we don’t have any other surfaces we can ride on. We rode him in arena when we tried him out but it was much more rubber based than the sandy one we have here which is quite deep. He definitely hasn’t been schooled much in his life so is a bit unbalanced in the school and doesn’t enjoy it particularly.

The thrush looks pretty gross but not sure it’s enough to cause lameness. He does flinch when we touch or wash the area though so seems to be bothering him to some degree.
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He has some really nasty looking thrush in the one foot he's lame on, that is so sore he flinches if you press it with your fingers. Can you imagine how it feels in a deep arena to grind sand into it with his own weight, plus yours? He's sound on firmer ground that doesn't press up into his hoof/thrush? Bute doesn't stop the lameness?

If it looks like a duck, quacks likes duck and waddles likes duck it's likely to be a duck.

I would clear the thrush and re-evaluate when it's gone.



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I am shocked the vet didn't find the thrush as it is obvious in the photo and looks bad enough to make him lame when the surface presses into it much the same as when you press with your fingers, I would not expect him to come sound until it has cleared up, if he is not right then you need the vet back to reassess. It might need more than an iodine solution to clear it up though.
 
Thrush could absolutely cause lameness on a soft surface. As per above, if he is senstitive to you touching it then it will be very sore when ridden.
 
Lame in deep footing on a circle says soft tissue to me. I mean they'll always be lamer at the trot and on a circle. But lamer in soft footing usually more soft tissue.

Thrush CAN be painful, could also be what it is- on a road his frog may not be touching the ground whereas in the sand, it definitely is?
 
That thrush looks pretty deep, and could certainly be surface dependent, especially if you are getting sand working its way up there.
 
Thanks everyone. The thrush does look bad and so hoping this is the cause. First priority is to get that cleared up for him and then we’ll re-assess and see where we are. Will get vet back if still lame.

Vet knew about thrush as farrier had mentioned it but neither thought it was bad enough for lameness. It looks worse now than it was when they saw him despite our the iodine treatment so it would seem something stronger will be needed to clear it up.

Have been reading up on thrush treatments and there are so many different opinions and options. Given the look of his thrush what would you suggest?
 
I swear by Cleantrax for thrush. It is a faff and expensive, but very effective. I have also used it for seedy toe. It has cleared in one or two treatments what many other products had failed to clear even with spanking clean beds and judicious application of products. In fact, with the seedy toe it left a huge hole that was a heck of a lot deeper than I had thought as even with broddling with a bradawl, the gunk had hidden the full depth of the problem.

It needs a boot for soaking and one bottle is only active for an hour or so, each foot needs 45 minutes of soaking, the bottle needs to be refrigerated until use, the shoes have to be removed before use. Once opened it is done, so one bottle equals one application.

The thrush would need trimming back first, probably when the shoes were removed.

Each bottle £20.

https://www.equinepodiatrysupplies.co.uk/product/cleantrax/

Soaking boot £35

https://www.onlineequine.co.uk/clean-trax-hoof-soaking-boot/p177
 
Sarahkinks said:
No he doesn’t nod at all trotting on a hack.

Vet said bute and rest for a few days, it’s been 4 days of Bute and still lame in the school.

Farrier has looked and says he has thrush in the foot he’s lame on, he isn’t sure it’s bad enough to cause lameness though. I’m
really hoping it’s the thrush as that’s fixable. We soaked foot in iodine solution and I’ve taken a pic, struggling to attach it but will keep trying...
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As others have said thrush can be way more serious than people think, a client of mine had a year of on off lameness that neither vets nor farriers could get to the bottom of, then finally xrays shows thrush up inside the hoof. I have seen videos on FB of what thrush looks like, it really does run riot in a hoof. Another reason I went barefoot, farriers belittle the impact of thrush, white line disease and low grade lammi.
 
Red-1 said:
I swear by Cleantrax for thrush. It is a faff and expensive, but very effective. I have also used it for seedy toe. It has cleared in one or two treatments what many other products had failed to clear even with spanking clean beds and judicious application of products.
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Cleantrax is the real deal. You can soak a second foot with the same solution while you fumigate the first after soaking :). Mare happily munched on her haynet for 2 hours during the treatment while I sat on a stool in her stable. It’s brilliant for thrush and/or seedy toe.

5947D8F1-C8B2-4889-A991-A01EBBC462CC.jpeg

I wish I’d known of cleantrax before when another mare got a serious toe infection a few years ago. My crap farrier at the time was oblivious, she ended up needing a major resection as it had travelled up nearly as high as the coronet band. It did eventually all grow out.

3B27CAFD-0B6E-481A-BDB1-61AAB6D72F34.jpeg
 
Also take all advice from the internet with a shovel of salt and make sure you do your own independent research. Some of the replies on here, while well meant, are not the correct way to go about things.

The thrush is very obvious and if your vet and/or farrier didn't want to get set about trimming the flaps on the frog to help the situation I'd be looking to replace both.

Cleantrax is great and I'd recommend. Another option, though not as potent, is Red Horse Sole Cleanse and Field Paste. Make sure your beds (if stabled) are very clean and no wet left in/dry bed. If out and fields are wet then allow time each day to stand in on a clean, dry surface with clean hooves. I'd recommend picking out feet and removing all mud and debris then scrubbing out with Sole Cleanse (or diluted Milton), allow to dry thoroughly and then apply Field Paste especially into every nook and cranny, really pack it in.

As per my previous post lameness that only appears on a soft surface might be a symptom of a soft tissue issue. I would never recommend riding an acutely lame horse and horses do not act lame to get out of work or put it on. Their brains simply aren't wired that way.

I'd treat the thrush immediately and get a hoof care professional out. If there is no improvement in the thrush and lameness within a week I'd get a recommended vet back out for a lameness work up that will more than likely include scans
 
The thing with the thrush not being trimmed out (or at least investigated properly) is that you have no idea what’s lurking underneath- obviously infection, but maggots also.
 
Tiddlypom said:
Cleantrax is the real deal. You can soak a second foot with the same solution while you fumigate the first after soaking :). Mare happily munched on her haynet for 2 hours during the treatment while I sat on a stool in her stable. It’s brilliant for thrush and/or seedy toe.

View attachment 36379

I wish I’d known of cleantrax before when another mare got a serious toe infection a few years ago. My crap farrier at the time was oblivious, she ended up needing a major resection as it had travelled up nearly as high as the coronet band. It did eventually all grow out.

View attachment 36380
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Yes, we too have had what we lovingly refer to as CleanTrax parties! Usually mid winter. Sitting on a blooming stool for hours, supervising the ridiculous boots!
 
Red-1 said:
Yes, we too have had what we lovingly refer to as CleanTrax parties! Usually mid winter. Sitting on a blooming stool for hours, supervising the ridiculous boots!
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I will warn that it contains some sort of bleach, in terms of bleaching fabric. I made a mark on my fabulous Kyra K "sleeping bag" jacket when applying it some years ago in the depths of winter. Why do we always end up having to do it when it's brass monkeys freezing?!
 
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