No Supplements.....No shoes

[Archie73]

Great news Archie 73, hows your boy taken to his new diet? My boy has his correct minerals now so I am hopeful this will really help his feet!
Lucy says his thin soles are his problem, but she is confident that in time his feet will come good,I think the wait will be worth it!

POR he loves it!!! I think his only complaint is he wants more but due to lack of exercise I dont want to up any feed until I up the work rate as he is already quite well covered!

I think the thin sole thing is going to be my issue too but again I think time is the master here. I can't wait for my analysis to come back though!

Stay in touch

Sasha x

 

[MerrySherryRider]

That's why Rockley can be easier than rehabbing at home as they have grass free areas and the grass itself being high altitude moorland grass is better than the cattle grassland alot of us have on livery yards.

Movement and stimulation are key to what they do.

I often wonder why more yards aren't catering for grass sensitive horses by creating tracks as an alternative to small starvation paddocks or stabling. To make corridors with different surfaces that stimulate and prompt the horses to keep moving would surely be very popular with owners and would further benefit YO's trying to protect winter paddocks from damage.

 

[Archie73]

'Shot down?'

Are people really that sensitive that any questioning of their methods (which they chose to talk about on a public forum) that they perceive it as being 'shot down?'

It's actually becoming impossible to have any sort of reasoned debate in here any more

Although I'm guessing by all the 'shouting' and 'go and look at yourself' comments in your OP you have a chip on your shoulder about the whole thing anyway.

I am happy to have any debate Rhino and have always found the comments i read of yours to be very constructive and informative (aprt fromt he one above)

I dont belive I told anyone to go and look AT themselves, I meant go and look for yourself !!! so apologies if I typod there, I cant be bothered to go back and look myself! Iphones are not always so great!

I have had personal messages back in 20120 on this forum of people telling me not to be gulible and not to take advice from the internet etc etc so I was shot down in my eyes by people who just like an online row( i prefer mine face to face)

It took me 2 years to make this decision but I have (HAD) a friend whose horse is going to be put down due to Navicular and her MRI scans were better then mine, she had a look on here at my advice and told me "Horse and Hound members dont rate BF, my vet did not advise it so what am I meant to do????" thats why I want people to investigate for themselves, because I love horses and would do anything to save a horse that can have a good quality of life to the point it has always had before any navicular was diagnosed.

Sorry if that is wrong but it is my belief and my reasons for my actions of which I am responsible for.......didnt mean to go on but i have also lost a friend over this subject.

 

[rhino]

I am happy to have any debate Rhino and have always found the comments i read of yours to be very constructive and informative (aprt fromt he one above)

Sorry if that is wrong but it is my belief and my reasons for my actions of which I am responsible for.......didnt mean to go on but i have also lost a friend over this subject.

Fair enough. With all the barefoot threads there just seems to be so much 'he said' 'she said' on both sides, often when neither 'side' has said anything of the sort Apologies if I seemed abrupt.

I'm starting to think I must be oblivious to all the angst

Sorry that you lost a friend over such trivial a matter as doing what you feel is best for your boy, I must say it was a complete non-issue for anyone else when I took ginger horse's shoes off. I must have been lucky

 

[Oberon]

I often wonder why more yards aren't catering for grass sensitive horses by creating tracks as an alternative to small starvation paddocks or stabling. To make corridors with different surfaces that stimulate and prompt the horses to keep moving would surely be very popular with owners and would further benefit YO's trying to protect winter paddocks from damage.

I agree.

Not owning our own land means we have to fit into a routine that isn't necessarily our preference for our horses.

It would be wonderful to have a yard that focused less on stabling and more on appropriate turnout - all year turnout.

I'd love fences that didn't have barbed wire in them, a field shelter, access to a track system, an effective worming programme, various surfaces and access to dry standing.

But there are no yards around here that offer that, nor are there likely to be.

Why would a YO pay out for extra fencing for a track system or different surfaces? Why would they allow people to feed hay in the field in winter and make a mess of their fields?

It's not in their interests to change if we are happy enough to carry on the same we always have.

 

[amandap]

I often wonder why more yards aren't catering for grass sensitive horses by creating tracks as an alternative to small starvation paddocks or stabling. To make corridors with different surfaces that stimulate and prompt the horses to keep moving would surely be very popular with owners and would further benefit YO's trying to protect winter paddocks from damage.

This, this and this! Or even yards. Most yards have a rough area hidden away somewhere surely that could be utilized.

 

[Tiffany]

Not sure how much Rockley charge for re-hab although obviously enough to make it pay for tracks etc. I think the problem is that some people want to pay as little as possible so there's no incentive for YOs to spend money when they won't get a return on their investment.

I agree, tracks and grazing areas would be brilliant

 

[Archie73]

Rockley is about £140 a week for everything and if vets refer insurance will pay

 

[Oberon]

There's a 'hippy livery' starting up in Sussex - if it proves popular - maybe other yards might do a version of it?

Bit far from me though
http://naturalhorsecentre.moonfruit.com/

 

[criso]

I thought it was £125 at the moment, it was £100 pcm when Frankie was there 2 years ago which was about the same as what I was paying for 5 day part livery in Herts.

 

[Archie73]

Oh sorry I thought it was more! Even better!
Just looked up that place in ashdown and it's only 30 miles from me😃interesting. Thanks very much Oberon )))

 

[Bikerchickone]

One of the things that made me decide to send my boy to Rockley was that according to Nic it isn't necessary to have a track system to bring the horses home to. Obviously for many of us this isn't possible, but I have to say that my yard manager has been fantastic about planning for Dom's return. He's going to be going out at night, grazed in small sections of two specific fields so that I can have an analysis done of the pasture for deciding upon supplement levels, and she's helping me to source appropriate haylage. Admittedly my horses are both on full livery so she's paid to look after them, but she couldn't be any more amazing about it than she is at the moment.

I think if you have a good relationship with your yard owner/manager it should be possible to agree compromises which would help make the transition for all concerned. I know I'm extremely lucky to be on a yard like this but I'm sure others would be willing to be flexible and help if they were asked.

OP I'm sorry to hear you've lost a friend over your decisions for your horse, and I know just how tough it is, I had lots of people who disagreed with me and it made life really hard for a while. All I can say is you're right to do your best for your horse and if they don't come around to understanding that perhaps you're better off without them? The only other advice I'd give would be to try to avoid discussing how your or their chosen method is better than the other choice. Good luck and I hope you can resolve things. x

 

[Bikerchickone]

Sorry just to add, Rockley is £150 a week at the moment and I'd check with your insurance company before believing they'll definitely pay out on it as some definitely won't at the moment.

 

[criso]

Even at £140 you wouldn't get 7 day livery including exercise round here for that!

 

[Archie73]

Lol not my horse her horse. I can't talk to a horse lover who would rather not try something that Is easy (for her) correct facilities Etc I wish I could stable at her yard!

 

[cptrayes]

I have (HAD) a friend whose horse is going to be put down due to Navicular and her MRI scans were better then mine, she had a look on here at my advice and told me "Horse and Hound members dont rate BF, my vet did not advise it so what am I meant to do????"

Archie73 will she give it away? I could possibly take it and try and rehab it, then rehome it like I did my other one.

 

[Archie73]

It's full hunter livery too!

 

[Archie73]

No. Insurance need to pay loss of use. You would have been contacted by me already! Words cannot explain.

 

[Archie73]

I mean won't pay loss of use

 

[Bikerchickone]

That's a shame. Maybe point her in the direction of the Rockley blog and leave her to it. I've found people are more willing to come around if you let them think it through in their own time. x

 

[Bikerchickone]

Oh sorry, cross posted. I'd missed the bit about your friend's horse. Would she not be willing to let someone like cptrayes try to rehab it and lose out on the money rather than the horse being pts?

 

[Archie73]

Yes I will send an email to her but I had mentioned it. Other then that I don't know. She is an old stable pal from years ago stabled away. She is far more knowledgable and a far better rider then me so she is happy with her choice? Not much more to say tbh.

 

[Bikerchickone]

That's a shame, but sounds like you've done all you can. Xx

 

[cptrayes]

No. Insurance need to pay loss of use. You would have been contacted by me already! Words cannot explain.

Loss of use dose not involve the horse dying. I can explain. She's going to have a horse which can very likely be cured killed so she can claim on her insurance for "humane" destruction. No wonder words fail you.




.....

 

[ester]

CP archie clarified, insurance won't pay loss of use so yes, in essence you are correct.

 

[criso]

Just a thought, how far is your friend into her insurance claim. Is there enough time on it to try barefoot? If it was done by someone experienced like Rockley or Cptrayes then a couple of months would be enough to see if it's helping.

If it doesn't then she is effectively in the same position she is now only a couple of months on and trying barefoot won't have done any harm.

Not saying it can't be done at home btw, just if there are time constraints a more intensive approach might be called for.

 

[cptrayes]

Criso thanks for the vote of support but I must point out that I have personally only done one vet diagnosed rehab. I have done two other horses who were lame in shoes, but neither of them had a diagnosis from a vet. The rest of my knowledge is from watching other people. Oh, and I also failed with trying to help a friend, whose horse had a bone spur on the navicular.

I agree with you though, a month might be enough to show foot changes that will give a good idea of whether the horse will come sound, and two will certainly get to that point. If there is time on the insurance and she can get the horse to me and pay for its food, then I will certainly see what can be done in that time. (subject to what the xrays and MRI say - I would not take on one with obvious bone spurs going into soft tissue).

 

[Paris1]

I thought op was joking, with the mcmuffins and oj for snacks.

 

[Archie73]

Loss of use dose not involve the horse dying. I can explain. She's going to have a horse which can very likely be cured killed so she can claim on her insurance for "humane" destruction. No wonder words fail you.




.....

Sorry only just saw further replies, was not ignoring anyone.

Let me clarify, the friend is a girl i grew up with at the yard when I was a kid 25 years ago plus....we met up through facebook at a reunion and stayed in touch, I went to the yard she was at over Hertfordshire way last year as she was stabled with the woman who taught me to ride, she has now moved to a really high spec competition yard. I heard about the situaltion when I called the lady who taught me to tell her about my BF intentions, she passed on the info. I called the lady and told her what I was up to. She is really not interested, she justs wants to keep on competing on whoever. I called her an insesitive selfish cow (she was always spoiled imo) she put the phone down. end of. I did send her Rockely link last week as advised but have had no response.
My old teacher is only getting 3rd hand info currently so no route there.

I only really mentioned it as I was getting a bit of attitude and was just using it as an example of why i think getting the BF can work for your horse and you message across.

I do apologise if it sounded like there was something to be done or like the woman mattered to me more then she does(N'T).

sorry and thanks!!

And yes orange juice is Archie's favorite tipple but he does not have it anymore. I also ment blueberry muffins from mcd's not mcmuffins (altough he may have liked them!)