Opinions on my horses feet please

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evj

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Quinn is a 10 year old Friesian, he is currently fed only grass and has been barefoot for at least 2 years more then likely a lot longer. He managed brilliantly though isn't loving our very gravely stony tracks at the minute. I know very little about feet so would like opinions on if there any good and how I could improve them.

The fronts
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Backs
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Not photos of every hoof from all views but a start. He does get flare on the inside of his front hooves. No known injuries but does have a sticking stifle on his back right.
 
Hacks out 3 x a week on grass/roads and stony tracks then schooled on sand arena couple times a week. Had his fronts trimmed about 3 Weeks ago.
 
No don't say interesting! Say totally boring and yet perfect hooves ;-) I really have no idea, they seem to wear faster at his toes though.
 
It does concern me that the toes are wearing away like that yet the heels look to have much less wear. I can see a bit of thrush in his frogs which may be making him walk on his toes as his heels or frog may be a bit sore. But that is easily treated.

The heels seem long so once the thrush has gone, you may want to look carefully at the medio-lateral balance of those front hooves as they look mismatched. Also, I noticed that his coronet and periopole have a wavy line at the quarters which says to me that the hoof balance is wrong and he needs his quarters trimming. But not before the thrush is treated.

His sole seems a little flat and thin and in my experience only grass can compromise sole sensitivity and concavity so you may want to rethink his grass only diet and maybe supplement with hay and a mineral lick to balance his diet. That is all that is needed.
 
I was on my phone before and couldn't see the pics properly.

Hooves look quite healthy (especially for this year) :)

What concerns me is the wearing at the toe. It is an indication of landing toe-first rather than heel-first and isn't normal. As Tallyho suggests - the most common reason in an otherwise healthy hoof is thrush to the frog and heel.

His white line is stretched - but I defy anyone with grass kept horses not to have a stretched white line this year ;)

If he is struggling because of the dodgy sugar levels in the grass and he is landing toe-first on this inflammed part of his hoof - it may explain why he is struggling somewhat.

My suggestions are to look at treating the thrush (introduce some minerals into his diet and use topicals). Leave him for a trimming cycle. Increase his exercise in the school (make him work harder if you can't ride more).
 
My boy is only 15.00 he gets fed every day now he is barefoot, to pump mins and vits in to him, and to try try to increase the proportion of low sugar, hi fibre feed.
He gets 500gms Fast Fibre
50gms micronised linseed meal
40 gms minerals
A few oats or Degie non molassed [lo alfa] Chaff for palatability
I like Equimins Advance or Laminator or Feedmark Benefit Advance, [others feed pro hoof],
and Feedmark Steady up for magnesium [other sources are cheaper as Magnesium oxide]
When the weather is bad he is stabled to dry out his feet and give him more hay, less grass, grass is the main problem with the barefoot horse imho.
I watch, and listen to, his footfall, always looking for the heel first landing.
 
Last edited:
Oberon said:
I was on my phone before and couldn't see the pics properly.

Hooves look quite healthy (especially for this year) :)

What concerns me is the wearing at the toe. It is an indication of landing toe-first rather than heel-first and isn't normal. As Tallyho suggests - the most common reason in an otherwise healthy hoof is thrush to the frog and heel.

His white line is stretched - but I defy anyone with grass kept horses not to have a stretched white line this year ;)

If he is struggling because of the dodgy sugar levels in the grass and he is landing toe-first on this inflammed part of his hoof - it may explain why he is struggling somewhat.



My suggestions are to look at treating the thrush (introduce some minerals into his diet and use topicals). Leave him for a trimming cycle. Increase his exercise in the school (make him work harder if you can't ride more).
Click to expand...

Could the wearing of the toe also be, that he is wanting a shorter toe? Or am I way off here?
 
The toe is wearing its way all the way to the white line. Yet, no wear side to side or at the heels. He doesn't want a shorter toe, he's avoiding pressure for one reason or another at the back of his foot.

The mineral licks I use are the Himalayan salt ones and also Rockies 5 star and Laminshield. I saw in countrywide the other day a horse specific salt block with added magnesium and calcium in 2 10kg blocks. Good value! I will get those when I need some more.

All ours except the youngster are grass kept and supplemented with licks. Grass is good but it doesn't have everything.
 
I've ordered pro balance + as a supplement and I'm off today to pick up a salt lick and some thrush treatment stuff. He has a bag of apple chaff which I think is molasses free and I'm wanting to get some micronised linseed as well.
He will be getting haylage during the winter so I'm wondering of soaking it will be an option to reduce the sugars?
I'm fairly sure that the thrush diagnosis is right as I noticed one was a bit smelly yesterday and purple sprayed it, are there any other causes of the foot landing tie first that could be causing it?

Thanks again for the advice :-)
 
Don't stuff him full of hard feed he is doing really well on grass and just needs a supplement and thrush treatment, grass is the best stuff to feed. Remember also sand schools act like sand paper on feet.
 
The best thrush treatment I found was off of Pete Rameys site. Www.hoofrehab.com

Can you get hold of a blunt plastic syringe? Without the needle but a this nozzle. That way you can "inject" this preparation right in where the seat of the thrush is.

Basically, it's 50% antibacterial cream (radiol will do) and 50% anti fungal (clotrimazole or Canestan) mix together to form a paste and suck up into the syringe. Inject it right into the thrushey area.

Clean first obviously. Another one is cleantrax I have heard but never tried that.

Other reasons could be sole sensitivity, but you are about to address that with diet. A bit like when we are walking on the ground and feel a bit footy, we walk on the balls of our feet or tip toe. Thrush is really painful so this seems to be the main reason for your pony tip toeing that I can see from a photo.

Apple chaff is not molasses free I'm afraid. The only molasses free chaff I have found on the market is dengie molasses free. I have been trying to find others... Winergy is one I am looking at but they don't provide ingredients!! How silly!!!

Soaking haylage is one way to reduce sugars, but save yourself the hassle, get it tested to see how much sugar is in it. Under 5% is ok generally speaking. Only costs £10 from Dodson & horrell.
 
I would not rush to change the haylage in the winter diet mine do fine on it.
I would get on top of the thrush pronto and see how it goes I think that I have learn as I get the grips with BF is even a tiny amount of pain in the frog will throw the whole thing of track .
 
TheCurlyPony said:
Could the wearing of the toe also be, that he is wanting a shorter toe? Or am I way off here?
Click to expand...

It's always worth thinking about that.

But IMO it would be wearing all around and have signs of chipping - rather than that specific place alone and added to the apparent signs of weakness and thrush at the back of the hoof - it indicates loading the toe too much to me.

There could also be a body issue causing this - but it would be severe and obvious for it to cause such a wear pattern :).
 
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