Opinions on these hooves please - *pics*

ImmyS

ImmyS

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I posted a couple of threads yesterday asking what to do about my ex racer who lost one of her front shoes and I'm still undecided whether to go the whole way and take the other off or put her other shoe back on but I'm really not happy with her shod feet. Any way I thought it would be useful to post some pictures of her other hooves and get some feedback, I think her backs look ok but I'm not very knowledgable in the area so advice appreciated. She was a lot more sound today, a bit ouchy on really uneven bits but striding out quite nicely around the field.

Near fore:

image-7_zpsadc2aa4c.jpg


image-7_zpsd3bd6bee.jpg


Off fore:

image-7_zpseb4c4ce7.jpg


image-7_zps65ace932.jpg


image-7_zpsb9d3659d.jpg


Near hind:

image-7_zpsc862b72d.jpg


Off hind:

image-7_zps29c161de.jpg


Thank you
 
Well they're not awful :)

Quite good frogs, and not completely flat.

She does have a stretched white line in the three naked feet (so almost certainly in the shod hoof too) which would indicate her diet needs a couple of tweaks.

I would also probably treat for thrush, even if her feet aren't smelly, as her frogs have quite a few cracks and crevices in which the bugs could hide.

Lots of walking on smooth tarmac (either naked or in boots/pads) will help stimulate the hood grow more sole and increase concavity.
 
Casey76 said:
Well they're not awful :)

Quite good frogs, and not completely flat.

She does have a stretched white line in the three naked feet (so almost certainly in the shod hoof too) which would indicate her diet needs a couple of tweaks.

I would also probably treat for thrush, even if her feet aren't smelly, as her frogs have quite a few cracks and crevices in which the bugs could hide.

Lots of walking on smooth tarmac (either naked or in boots/pads) will help stimulate the hood grow more sole and increase concavity.
Click to expand...

Thank you.

Her diet isn't perfect, she's been on sugarbeet and chaff and oil over winter to keep weight on. She's now been swapped to speedibeet a handful of hi fibre cubes and oil. Planning on heading down the shops tomorrow to get a decent supplement, so hopefully diet changes will start making a difference.
 
When should take the other shoe off? As her soundness as improved since yesterday, I'm thinking wait a couple of more days before taking the other one off? I don't want to take the other off straight away when she's not 100% comfortable on the other.
 
If you are definately going to take her barefoot now, I'd take the other shoe off sooner rather than later to keep her balanced...

My cob did the same thing recently - pulled off a front shoe a couple of days before the farrier was due. Deliberated just asking to have the other one taken off since he was perfectly happy with just one shoe :)

Decided not to in the end though, as we've moved yards relatively recently, and he's about to be moved onto fairly lush, recently fertilised grazing, so thought it would be a bit much to ask from him all in one go.

My current plan is to tweak his supplements and make sure that all is well on the new grass, then when the grass stops growing as much, take the fronts off. Hopefully by then everyone will have gotten used to him in full work with...shock horror...bare hinds... :rolleyes:

If you gave it another cycle or two, that would give you time to tweak her diet, and for the first flush of spring grass to fade. When I out my boy on Pro Hoof for 6 weeks before taking backs off, there was a very noticeable change in the white line between shoeing cycles.

Good luck!
 
Lego said:
If you are definately going to take her barefoot now, I'd take the other shoe off sooner rather than later to keep her balanced...

My cob did the same thing recently - pulled off a front shoe a couple of days before the farrier was due. Deliberated just asking to have the other one taken off since he was perfectly happy with just one shoe :)

Decided not to in the end though, as we've moved yards relatively recently, and he's about to be moved onto fairly lush, recently fertilised grazing, so thought it would be a bit much to ask from him all in one go.

My current plan is to tweak his supplements and make sure that all is well on the new grass, then when the grass stops growing as much, take the fronts off. Hopefully by then everyone will have gotten used to him in full work with...shock horror...bare hinds... :rolleyes:

If you gave it another cycle or two, that would give you time to tweak her diet, and for the first flush of spring grass to fade. When I out my boy on Pro Hoof for 6 weeks before taking backs off, there was a very noticeable change in the white line between shoeing cycles.

Good luck!
Click to expand...

Thank you for your reply

Hoof boots are on order which will be here Wednesday so shoe will be coming of then... Eek!

I understand the comment about working with bare hinds. When I tell people I do about 10 hours rode work a week with my ex racer bare behind they almost keel over! :rolleyes::D.. She's literally only been on speedibeet for a while now as token feeds and our grazing is really poor so I don think there will be too much trouble there, just need a few tweaks with supplements etc..
 
For supplements, I really rate the Pro Hoof from ebay. Really made a noticeable difference to my lad's feet within weeks. Poor boy only has it with linseed in a bit of speedibeet - and a couple of nuts to make it a bit more interesting :)

I've used their Pro Balance as well - which is a lot cheaper :D but going back onto Pro Hoof for spring grass and new fields just in case...
 
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