Newly barefoot photos

[tda]

Looking good, look at that new growth angle!
Is she being ridden?

 

[ycbm]

I think you just saved your horse!
.

 

[Skips11]

Looking good, look at that new growth angle!
Is she being ridden?

She has actually recently been retired aged 7 due to neck arthritis (and probably more undiscovered problems). We did miles and miles of walk hacking in boots before I fully retired her and brought her home 2 weeks ago.
Makes you wonder if the neck problems may not have reared their head quite so soon (or at all) if I’d looked after her feet better!
Sadly the damage is done there and so she’ll never be asked to be a ridden horse again, but she’ll be with me for life. And she’s very pretty to look at out of the window!

 

[Widgeon]

Looking good, look at that new growth angle!

I'm both amazed and horrified by it SUCH a difference!

 

[ycbm]

if I’d looked after her feet better!

There is no shame in having listened to the professionals who were supposed to know what to do. This isn't any of your fault.
.

 

[Skips11]

*gory photo warning!*

For a little more context, this was a nasty overreach injury, resulting in proud flesh and the vet having to cut a chunk of hoof away, and recommending the use of bar shoes. April last year, around 2-3 months between photos.

The proud flesh grew down into the hole that had been cut, which was the plan, but it left a vertical crack as she had sliced through the coronet band. This never changed over the course of a year…. Until we removed the shoes! It is slowly but surely growing out, and the slightly wonky coronet band is levelling out.
It’s amazing what they do if we leave them alone!

 

[Highmileagecob]

Fingers crossed that as the hooves come right, her neck issues start to improve as she starts to move differently. Her feet are changing so quickly, keep on doing whatever you are doing!

 

[Skips11]

Wow. Well done! Sole shots please When you see what they should be like, compared to what some hoof professionals are willing to live with, it does make you wonder about the health of farriery.

I could only get one, lots of stamping because of flies, but the other one looks much the same as this.

 

[Highmileagecob]

Looking good! The heels are starting to spread, and the heel buttress is developing nicely. If you can start to lower the heels very gradually (allow six to twelve months to get them in the right place) the frog will start to fill out, and the contacted tendons will slowly stretch back into correct action. You will be able to see this is happening as the stride will lengthen, and a definite heel first landing will be obvious.

 

[Skips11]

I can’t believe it! The ability to heal themselves is amazing

 

[ycbm]

Brilliant. We'll done both of you!

The frustration that so many vets and farriers still don't understand this eats me up.

 

[Hallo2012]

I can’t believe it! The ability to heal themselves is amazing

View attachment 120753

wow! that new growth!!!!!

 

[Highmileagecob]

Well done you for not slapping shoes back on, and allowing time! Really wish vets and farriers in training would study cases like this.

 

[Red-1]

That photo is gold!

 

[dougpeg]

I wouldn't rush out to trim them if she is sore. If you do, go conservative only until you have boots for her. Facebook have a second hand boot page. In my experience fusion boots are good for transitioning. You want a boot you can pad and is a bit forgiving. It can be long road but worth it imo.

 

[dougpeg]

Sorry, ignore me - thought this was a new thread. Great updates

 

[Bellalily]

Thanks all, going to measure her for boots after the farrier has been.
Is there anything you would ask my farrier to do other than not to touch the soles or frog?

I’d be getting a trimmer out to her as they will give you tons more advice on work, type of exercise, boots, diet etc. She also looks as though she’s had periods of change, presumably either stress or pasture change as you said she’s been on the same diet for a long time and I can’t see much wrong with it. So glad you are giving her mag ox and salt. How much does she have?
I know the trimmers charge more, but they give much more too.
The transition will take as long as it takes, but you’ll have tons of support here. There are also barefoot groups on fb and The Humble Hoof and Hoof Geek.

 

[Bellalily]

Noted, thank you. I had no idea how much I didn’t know!
Boots & pads will be measured for this weekend.

Trust me, you’re about to learn so much about their feet, it’s great

 

[ycbm]

Deleted, reference to boots was months ago and not relevant any more.,
.

 

[Bellalily]

wow! that new growth!!!!!

I can’t believe it! The ability to heal themselves is amazing

View attachment 120753

Holy #%^#, that’s a hell of a lot of stress/diet changes for one horse to cope with. There should never be event lines, usually a sign of laminitis. And how did they get so long? Can the poor horse walk? The ideal terrain for barefoot is to keep them trimmed naturally, so I’d guess that with the length and the event lines, he/she has been on completely the wrong pasture for a whole year

 

[ycbm]

There should never be event lines, usually a sign of laminitis

Sound horses often show minor event lines from changes in grass growth or other environmental effects.

I'm not sure which photos you are referring to, but if it's the latest ones the only problem parts of those hooves are about to grow off the bottom, the rest is great for a grass kept British horse. Skips has done a great job saving a lame horse.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

Holy #%^#, that’s a hell of a lot of stress/diet changes for one horse to cope with. There should never be event lines, usually a sign of laminitis. And how did they get so long? Can the poor horse walk? The ideal terrain for barefoot is to keep them trimmed naturally, so I’d guess that with the length and the event lines, he/she has been on completely the wrong pasture for a whole year

Not all lines are laminitis those that are are normally wider at the edge those are not, horses will present with event lines as ycbm has said often when you remove shoes or worming can also do it.

Those feet look a lot better than they did and the horses is actually retired so the horse only really gets to walk in the field, you obviously haven't read the whole thread, the owner has done a great job at improving those hooves.

 

[Landcruiser]

It's so satisfying when an angle change like this finally drops off the bottom. Well done OP, you have made a great change for this horse.

 

[Hallo2012]

Holy #%^#, that’s a hell of a lot of stress/diet changes for one horse to cope with. There should never be event lines, usually a sign of laminitis. And how did they get so long? Can the poor horse walk? The ideal terrain for barefoot is to keep them trimmed naturally, so I’d guess that with the length and the event lines, he/she has been on completely the wrong pasture for a whole year

go and read the full story.......

 

[Tarragon]

I have just looked back at the series of photos over time and think it is a fantastic record! They are going to be very neat hooves when they have grown out completely.

 

[Tarragon]

Holy #%^#, that’s a hell of a lot of stress/diet changes for one horse to cope with. There should never be event lines, usually a sign of laminitis. And how did they get so long? Can the poor horse walk? The ideal terrain for barefoot is to keep them trimmed naturally, so I’d guess that with the length and the event lines, he/she has been on completely the wrong pasture for a whole year

A classic case of jumping in before reading the whole thread!

 

[Skips11]

Holy #%^#, that’s a hell of a lot of stress/diet changes for one horse to cope with. There should never be event lines, usually a sign of laminitis. And how did they get so long? Can the poor horse walk? The ideal terrain for barefoot is to keep them trimmed naturally, so I’d guess that with the length and the event lines, he/she has been on completely the wrong pasture for a whole year

You’re right, this horse has been through a lot. The event lines are not due to laminitis, the 2 significant ones are from when she was on IV antibiotics in hospital for cellulitis in a hind, which resulted in lines on all 4 feet. Another was when I changed balancer (for the better). There have been zero diet changes apart from the balancer, and she lives out on a mixed grass meadow.
After a long rehab, during which I put in many hours (and miles!), my horse can indeed walk, and soundly. She is retired yet is now sound on all surfaces.

The toes were long, but we could not immediately bring them back to look nice as then the horse would then not have been able to walk. I have an excellent trimmer who runs a well known track livery who has worked on balancing the feet, slowly!
With regards to self trimming, I think leaving this horse to self trim would have been an awful idea, and I’m very glad I didn’t.

 

[Bellalily]

Not all lines are laminitis those that are are normally wider at the edge those are not, horses will present with event lines as ycbm has said often when you remove shoes or worming can also do it.

Those feet look a lot better than they did and the horses is actually retired so the horse only really gets to walk in the field, you obviously haven't read the whole thread, the owner has done a great job at improving those hooves.

There are a lot of lines on those feet that could not be attributed to removing shoes or worming. Seeing them so close together at the heel is a classic laminitis symptom. Mine is also retired, but he still goes on ground which stimulates growth and there’s no reason why the owner can’t take him/her for non ridden exercise, rather than have those feet spend their life on soft pasture which isn’t much good for them. There should not be any event lines at all and I’d be very worried at all those and the general condition of the feet.

 

[TPO]

There are a lot of lines on those feet that could not be attributed to removing shoes or worming. Seeing them so close together at the heel is a classic laminitis symptom. Mine is also retired, but he still goes on ground which stimulates growth and there’s no reason why the owner can’t take him/her for non ridden exercise, rather than have those feet spend their life on soft pasture which isn’t much good for them. There should not be any event lines at all and I’d be very worried at all those and the general condition of the feet.

Are you not reading this thread? The owner replied and explained why all your assumptions are wrong.

 

[ycbm]

There are a lot of lines on those feet that could not be attributed to removing shoes or worming. Seeing them so close together at the heel is a classic laminitis symptom. Mine is also retired, but he still goes on ground which stimulates growth and there’s no reason why the owner can’t take him/her for non ridden exercise, rather than have those feet spend their life on soft pasture which isn’t much good for them. There should not be any event lines at all and I’d be very worried at all those and the general condition of the feet.

Give it a break! The owner has done a marvelous job in getting those feet to the fabulous state they are in now compared to where she was.

Are you in the UK? We don't tend to talk about horses being on pasture here, so maybe you aren't that familiar with UK weather patterns and grazing.

I don't know what your qualifications are, I have none myself, but the signs of laminitis in growth rings are that they aren't level but further apart at the heel, which grows faster than the toe in a laminitic horse. The growth rings in the photo are level.

That foot is typical of many that will be seen on horses in this country after the weather we've had this summer.
.