No foot no horse - bad back saga

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Orangehorse

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Just saw a friend who had a horse that lost performance, was starting to refuse, misbehave, etc. Had all the usual checks done, back, teeth, saddle. Was sent for remedial work and treatment for its back, to a well known local remedial person - seemed to improve.

Went back home and the owner looked at it in the field, not moving well - or scarcely moving at all! Wondered if she should send for knacker man.

Had the farrier to the other horses and asked him to trim the horse with a bad back - who found abcesses in both back feet! No wonder the horse couldn't move well. One in particular had obviously been there for some time. The horse didn't have shoes on the back feet, so the owners had obviously got used to seeing his way of moving and accepted it as normal.

So just remember - no foot no horse.
 
Very true saying but also very odd that noone had looked at and checked the feet sooner? My philosophy is to start with the straightforward checks then work to the not so detectable.
 
Strange isn't it, that several different experts looked at the horse and none picked up that it could be feet.

The owner isn't really a horse expert, she has had ponies, but this is a TB that her teenage daughter rides (when it is fit) and the daughter has the care of it, so I can see how it sort of slipped through. Strange that all the others didn't spot it, but my experience with "experts" is that although they are very good at what they do, they tend to concentrate on their expertise only, and don't always see the whole picture. I have come across this before.
 
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