Pony footsore on stones

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LovesBayPonies

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Hi there, hope everyone had a lovely Christmas! :)
My pony always gets very footsore going over stones, he is shod he was barefoot and used to hobble terribly over stones. He is much better shod but still picks his way very carefully through stones and does sometimes lose his footing. He does not have laminitis and is sound. He only does it through stones and is usually footy for a couple of seconds afterwards and then is fine. Is there anything I can do to help? We go out hacking and its quite a stony road and there isn't another route, I always feel bad making him walk through them. :(
Thanks :)
 
What's he eating?

Shoes obviously do not protect the soles of the feet, only reduce sensation through reduced blood flow. If he's still sore over stones in shoes then I would remove them and boot for riding until you can resolve the issue.
 
He has hay, and one small meal a day of a bit of chaff, which we put a hoof supplement in, which is brilliant (farrier always comments how good his feet are.) He doesn't really have flat feet, hmmm I thought of hoof boots, but his feet have improved so much since being shod I would be reluctant to have his shoes taken off. Will look into something to paint on them, that sounds good. I will also ask farrier next time and see what he thinks.
Thanks :)
 
I am very wary of topical hoof dressings - it is a thick, calloused sole which is required in order to protect the hoof, not a thin 'hardened' one, imo. Painting the soles will not make them thick, tough or healthy; it will not offer any more protection to the internal structures of the hoof.

How much grass is he getting? Diet is usually to blame for sole sensitivity; either too much sugar and starch or imbalanced minerals (or both).
 
How are his frogs? Is there a split at the back? Any raggy bits? Thrush doesn't always smell and look black, and it can cause sensitivity over stones when the hoof, superficially, looks fine. Few farriers will mention it either, and if they do clock it, they often pare the frog which actually makes the horse even more sensitive.
 
I would tend to agree about hoof dressings in general TTD and laugh in the face of Kevin bacon etc, but I have found painting iodine on soles has a similar effect to putting surgical spirit on your own skin, it makes it thick, tough and calloused rather than thin and hard, I haven't actually tried keratex myself though.
 
Keratex contains formaldehyde :eek: ( used for preserving dead bodies!).

Brightbay makes a good point - have a thorough check for thrush, too.
 
Brightbay said:
How are his frogs? Is there a split at the back? Any raggy bits? Thrush doesn't always smell and look black, and it can cause sensitivity over stones when the hoof, superficially, looks fine. Few farriers will mention it either, and if they do clock it, they often pare the frog which actually makes the horse even more sensitive.
Click to expand...

Hmmm that's interesting, I did notice the other week a small piece peeling off, perhaps its thrush then. I would always associate it with being black and smelly so wouldn't have thought of it. :eek: Thanks
 
TwoTurtleDoves said:
I am very wary of topical hoof dressings - it is a thick, calloused sole which is required in order to protect the hoof, not a thin 'hardened' one, imo. Painting the soles will not make them thick, tough or healthy; it will not offer any more protection to the internal structures of the hoof.

How much grass is he getting? Diet is usually to blame for sole sensitivity; either too much sugar and starch or imbalanced minerals (or both).
Click to expand...

This!!
 
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