Pics to accompany my barefoot on livery thread

[kez1001]

We are nearly a year barefoot and as you will be able to see in pics it's like a backwards step. Is this all grass related? Thoughts please?

Off fore - pics are in order top left shoes off, top right 12 weeks, bottom left seven months and bottom right 11months and 2 weeks

Near fore

Off hind

Near hind

Constructive help please. I know it's not looking pretty. I'm feeling quite rubbish about it all at the moment but willing to try to fix it.

 

[Meowy Catkin]

They all look very long - are they due a trim?

 

[kez1001]

They all look very long - are they due a trim?

The latest ones I took today. He's on a five week trim cycle and due a week on Saturday.

 

[Meowy Catkin]

How much roadwork are you doing? If he copes with smooth tarmac (no boots) then if he was mine I'd be walking him out daily (in-hand or ridden depending on how he copes) down the roads.

 

[googol]

I'm a very novice barefooter. Also agree they are wayyyy too long!im surprised they haven't broke off- that's what happened to my boys feet at the start then a wee bit of roadwork and the trimming tidied them up
I do think there are a few positive things(I think)... The back feet look less bullnosed, and on a few feet the frogs looks fatter and better. There's some changes with the hard "extra" bits of hoof on the inside (the Ridgey things I've no idea what they are called) not sure what that means tho
As I warned, am very novice but at the very least hopefully my comment will spark some discussion/bump ur post up a bit.. I've found it hard to find real life advice / comments as good as what's available on hho!

 

[maccachic]

My TB needed 4 weekly trims any longer his feet went backwards. Did you change trimmer after the 12 week pics? things seemed better then your heels started underrunning?
Also quite a few event lines so guessing feeding / management has changed a few times between photos.

 

[GermanyJo]

How much roadwork are you doing? If he copes with smooth tarmac (no boots) then if he was mine I'd be walking him out daily (in-hand or ridden depending on how he copes) down the roads.

I would be doing this ... I try to hack my boy every second day, if I don't manage that , I try to make sure he gets at least 20 mins on the road in hand after schooling .. due to this he rarely needs trimming .. I tidy up occasionally with a rasp , but we seem to be able to 'self trim' most of the time

 

[kez1001]

How much roadwork are you doing? If he copes with smooth tarmac (no boots) then if he was mine I'd be walking him out daily (in-hand or ridden depending on how he copes) down the roads.

We hack three times a week. However I put hoof boots on front as we have a stoney driveway to walk down for half a mile then we are onto a housing estate and it's not smooth tarmac it's the kind with stones through it to improve grips for cars - if that makes any sense. I'm unsure how else to describe it. He doesn't cope that well over this stuff without boots. I agree it would help too. I was trying to fit in a short hack for 30 mins once a week without the boots to help trim the feet back but have let that slip as he seemed to be struggling. Thanks for advice though.

 

[kez1001]

I'm a very novice barefooter. Also agree they are wayyyy too long!im surprised they haven't broke off- that's what happened to my boys feet at the start then a wee bit of roadwork and the trimming tidied them up
I do think there are a few positive things(I think)... The back feet look less bullnosed, and on a few feet the frogs looks fatter and better. There's some changes with the hard "extra" bits of hoof on the inside (the Ridgey things I've no idea what they are called) not sure what that means tho
As I warned, am very novice but at the very least hopefully my comment will spark some discussion/bump ur post up a bit.. I've found it hard to find real life advice / comments as good as what's available on hho!

Thanks for your input. I agree some of the frogs have improved. I think thrush is stopping them getting any better though which is frustrating as probably diet related. I think your talking about the bars inside the foot? But I am a novice too so no idea what the significance is of them. I think it's related to how hard a surface he works on.

 

[kez1001]

My TB needed 4 weekly trims any longer his feet went backwards. Did you change trimmer after the 12 week pics? things seemed better then your heels started underrunning?
Also quite a few event lines so guessing feeding / management has changed a few times between photos.

Thanks for reply. Didn't change trimmer but we moved yards after the 12 weeks pic and went from DIY to full livery, then moved again as he became footy and hated that yard as wasn't allowed turnout. So I have had very little say in his diet and turnout regime. It is quite challenging. I was only at the first yard 4 weeks, I was really awful the second yard I've been at since march but it's the one I'm having no/little say in his management.

 

[kez1001]

I would be doing this ... I try to hack my boy every second day, if I don't manage that , I try to make sure he gets at least 20 mins on the road in hand after schooling .. due to this he rarely needs trimming .. I tidy up occasionally with a rasp , but we seem to be able to 'self trim' most of the time

It is good advice thank you. Perhaps I can try to make sure I am not in the arena two days in a row though we rarely are. I am ashamed to admit that another reason I've not persevered with the boot less hacks is because I am pressured to ride out with other as no one else horse hacks alone. So I am asked to hack with others quite a bit.

 

[Ronalda]

General consensus is correct.

Feeties need more work on hard abrasive surfaces in order to wear them down. All have too much toe length (even the bullnosed hinds), too much wall and underrun heels.

They must be either worn down or trimmed to encourage new horn to grow down in balance.

 

[_HP_]

If he were mine I think I'd be sorting out the thrush first as this will stop him from using his hoof correctly. I'd want those toes shorter too...either using a bevel or letting them break off naturally.
I've never used boots but are there different pads you can use inside them to stimulate the foot better?
Is he on a good foot friendly mineral supplement and low sugar/ cereal diet? Restricting his grass intake can also help....

 

[Meowy Catkin]

See if he can cope a bit better on the rough tarmac without a rider on. How bad is he on it? Just careful or hobbling as if his hooves may fall off? If it's the former, then I would accept that and start walking him out bootless.

If you're just walking him out in hand, maybe that would reduce the pressure to go hacking with someone else as you'd just be going 10 mins up the road and then back (for example)? If you can get that done daily, his hooves really will benefit.

 

[MissTyc]

It's very difficult on full livery
- I have some barefoot horses and have now split my almost 50 acre field lengthways, rather than longways (it's long and narrow, now I have two very narrow sections). Very, very expensive on the fencing, but the horses are walking sooooo much more, that ever Mr Retired TB who has in my experience never had good feet suddenly looks like a pro-barefoot pony. I truly believe that diet and exercise (especially walking) play the biggest role in the long-term success of barefoot feet. Three of ours hunt and event barefoot, the others hack daily. The only horses that need shoes seem to be the ones whose owners leave don't ride much but give them cereals or molassed feeds.

 

[MissTyc]

-- one thought for you would be to do your stone track in hand and then get on when the road gets smoother?

 

[kez1001]

General consensus is correct.

Feeties need more work on hard abrasive surfaces in order to wear them down. All have too much toe length (even the bullnosed hinds), too much wall and underrun heels.

They must be either worn down or trimmed to encourage new horn to grow down in balance.

Thanks I'm going to have a think about how to do this.

 

[kez1001]

If he were mine I think I'd be sorting out the thrush first as this will stop him from using his hoof correctly. I'd want those toes shorter too...either using a bevel or letting them break off naturally.
I've never used boots but are there different pads you can use inside them to stimulate the foot better?
Is he on a good foot friendly mineral supplement and low sugar/ cereal diet? Restricting his grass intake can also help....

I am trying to sort the thrush. It just appears to return. I know that's dietary but on my other thread you will see I'm a little stuck as having issues at yard with feed and turnout.

 

[kez1001]

See if he can cope a bit better on the rough tarmac without a rider on. How bad is he on it? Just careful or hobbling as if his hooves may fall off? If it's the former, then I would accept that and start walking him out bootless.

If you're just walking him out in hand, maybe that would reduce the pressure to go hacking with someone else as you'd just be going 10 mins up the road and then back (for example)? If you can get that done daily, his hooves really will benefit.

He's more of the careful type according to trimmer. I will perhaps just start hoping off on last ten mins home to let him walk over the abrasive surface. It also means I can pick out any grit ASAP from white line. Rather than have it pushed up during the whole hack. I will also try short walks in hand without jockey after schooling sessions up and down the driveway.

 

[kez1001]

It's very difficult on full livery
- I have some barefoot horses and have now split my almost 50 acre field lengthways, rather than longways (it's long and narrow, now I have two very narrow sections). Very, very expensive on the fencing, but the horses are walking sooooo much more, that ever Mr Retired TB who has in my experience never had good feet suddenly looks like a pro-barefoot pony. I truly believe that diet and exercise (especially walking) play the biggest role in the long-term success of barefoot feet. Three of ours hunt and event barefoot, the others hack daily. The only horses that need shoes seem to be the ones whose owners leave don't ride much but give them cereals or molassed feeds.

Apart from the happy hoof and lack of barefoot balancer my horse isn't on cereals and he is in work six days a week. He is fit for lower level eventing as sound on surface and on grass, we are due to do hunter trial on Sunday. Livery set up is difficult for me as yo is not for barefoot at all. That's my greatest challenge I feel. Though I will take on board the conditioning work people are advising and see how we get on.

 

[Meowy Catkin]

For the thrush, have you tried iodine soaked poultices?

 

[kez1001]

That's probably one of the only things I haven't tried. I'm currently using dilute hydro peroxide and athletes foot spray. I actually think that they look a lot better this week. But it is swings and roundabouts. Will bear that in mind though. Thanks again

 

[PolarSkye]

That's probably one of the only things I haven't tried. I'm currently using dilute hydro peroxide and athletes foot spray. I actually think that they look a lot better this week. But it is swings and roundabouts. Will bear that in mind though. Thanks again

Have you tried Silvetrasol spray? It's wonderful stuff.

P