Pottery after being shod

sleepykitten

sleepykitten

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Just had shoes put back on my mare after bringing her back into work after a long injury.

Farrier had only trimmed her 3 weeks before, and said she may be a bit sore for the first few days.

She just trotted this morning through the field and definitely looked sore/pottery/even slightly lame....

Is this normal? Should I be worried or do you think farrier is right and I should just leave her a few days and see how she goes?

Just paranoid |I guess after such a long time off lame!
 
I don't want to be the voice of doom - but my mare went very pottery after shoing in November and she still isn't right although it has shown up a problem when xrayed that she may have always had :-(

Is there any heat in the foot ? Lina's went like hot coals even the backs which aren't shod
 
My horse has only been like this once, when I had to use a different farrier as was stupid enough not to pre-book mine before christmas and is was due to bad shoeing. (not saying your farrier is bad but this is my only experience with my current horse being like that)
If your horse was fine barefoot would it not be better to keep him/her barefoot? Mine is now barefoot after wearing shoes for years and I can do all the same things with her and she is a lot more comfortable and picks her feet up a lot better!
Obviously unless you are doing competing in which you would need shoes i.e. eventing then I would stick with bare foot.
A lot of people opt for barefoot these days as it is healthier for the legs in the long run! :)
 
Get the farrier back, my mare used to go like this and she ended up being diagnosed with navicular. But it could just be bruising, but she is obviously uncomfortable, my farrier would be back as soon as he could
 
If your farrier warned you she may be a bit sore for a couple days I wouldn't be panicking just yet or assuming its navicular! If she was pottery before shoes and her hoof quality was not great both which you have said then this is the cause for the soreness now. She would have been pottery barefoot because of not enough growth probably which is why your farrier warned you she would be do now as he would not have had much to work with and the shoes will need to settle in. Like he said it may take a couple days. Since he explainer she would be sore I am surprised that he didn't explain why?

Also interested to see how many people are telling you to have him back out. He did warn you and I doubt there is much he can do you have to give the feet a chance to settle.

Or ask him to come back and hoof cast all four feet for the first shoeing. This will cost you a reshoe
 
And the cost of the hoof cast.

Otherwise do speak to him and I expect he will tell you the same.

It does not mean that there is something wrong with your mare or that he did anything wrong.

A horse that has been footy without shoes indicates that the feet are worn and then that adding shoes will help in the long run but may be a little sore for a couple days. Not really much that can be done unless you take the shoes off and stop riding to let the feet grow.

You yourself said the horse was pottery before hand
 
If the farrier did not explain why she would be pottery, then ring him and ask for an explanation, I am sure he will be ok with you doing this, I am surprised he didn't explan at the time.
 
Um, so your horse is more sound with the shoes on...? If she was pottery with poor feet before shoes, and less pottery after shoes, they don't magic away anything that was there before. I would think it is likely that whatever made her like that before is still there having an effect which is now dampened as the shoe restricts normal hoof function, circulation and changes how her proprioception (not having a go at shoes, but it is what happens). As others say, ask your farrier.
 
Alphamare said:
A horse that has been footy without shoes indicates that the feet are worn and then that adding shoes will help in the long run but may be a little sore for a couple days.
Click to expand...

It could indicate this, but then it could just as easily be low grade lami. Op, get someone out to have a look, either farrier or vet. I'd be trying to get more info from your farrier as to why he thought she would be sore - at least then you'll have more of an idea whats going on.

Hope your horse is sound for you soon.
Trina x
 
is the injury that caused the layoff foot related?

In defense of your farrier (don't faint - I do defend good farriers ;)), if the horse was pottery before being shod, with chipping flaking hooves, no doubt he had to take the foot quite short to find good enough wall to nail the shoes to. That would mean he's taken the foot closer to live tissue than he'd like to and therefore could be what's made him pottery in shoes.

Call him by all means, but he did warn you that this might happen, which leads me to think as I've explained above - he knew he was taking more sole/wall away than he'd normally like to. If this is the case, then just rest the horse until its sound before commencing walk work, so do more could risk bruising/abscess issues.

All the best.
 
Hi,

Thanks for all the responses, Alpha Mare, He told me that her feet were very short as she had only been recently trimmed right back, so he didn't have much to work with. I think you're advice is sound, thank you.

She was much more "feely" when she was barefoot than she is now. I think I'm just being paranoid as she is walking out pretty well now, just when she had a bit of a trot in the field this morning she didn't look quite right.

She was off with a suspensory ligament injury for 2 years.:(
 
sleepykitten said:
Hi,

Thanks for all the responses, Alpha Mare, He told me that her feet were very short as she had only been recently trimmed right back, so he didn't have much to work with. I think you're advice is sound, thank you.

She was much more "feely" when she was barefoot than she is now. I think I'm just being paranoid as she is walking out pretty well now, just when she had a bit of a trot in the field this morning she didn't look quite right.

She was off with a suspensory ligament injury for 2 years.:(
Click to expand...
Why do these farriers trim right back, in my opinion, they should be trimmed to allow them to use their natural equipment [feet!]. It is also incumbent on owners to present them frequently enough, to my mind, they are often left till they look bad, flared and so on. Not saying OP is guilty of this but it is common, also leaving shoes on for three months, so toes grow long and angle of hoof to pastern is distorted.
 
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