Question about removing front shoes

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saddlesore

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Hey guys- NOT a barefoot post lol!

Long story short- horse has bad feet despite my best attempts, xrays last winter found very thin soles in front.
Kept losing shoes and pullling off hoof wall with them so took his hind shoes off around 4 months ago to let the old nail holes grow out- used boots and he has made the transition ok, although not 100% by any means on very rough ground. However, feet look significantly better than they did when shod.
After taking yet another chunk of hoof wall off a front foot last week I decided to do the same with the fronts, and leave them without shoes till the weak hoof has grown out.
The question really is- how long can I expect him to be footy for? He is sound in the field on grass, but a little uneven on the roads with hoofboots on. :confused:
Oh- shoes came off last Thurs.
 
Been there done that , vets advice that three months would be considered normal and even longer nothing to worry about .
My vet was happy if a low dose of Danilon was used to keep,the horse comfy I didnot do that I ended up going the full on BF route.
 
I am not sure why this is not a barefoot post, but.................. the main reason for thin soles is nutrition, which is why there is a "barefoot diet"
hi fibre
lo sugars
supplemented vits and mins.
Grass contains sugars, as do cereals.
Micronsed linseed meal is often used as the energy source
 
Not a barefoot post as I'm not questioning the pros/cons bla bla - I've already made the decision to rest his feet. Just wondering how long he is likely to be uncomfortable for. Think I will phone vet tomorrow and ask for some danillon :)

He is also in at night on rations atm as he is obese which is clearly not helping his feet. Sadly the grass at my yard would feed diary cows and there isn;t a starvation paddock :(
 
saddlesore said:
Hey guys- NOT a barefoot post lol!

Long story short- horse has bad feet despite my best attempts, xrays last winter found very thin soles in front.
Kept losing shoes and pullling off hoof wall with them so took his hind shoes off around 4 months ago to let the old nail holes grow out- used boots and he has made the transition ok, although not 100% by any means on very rough ground. However, feet look significantly better than they did when shod.
After taking yet another chunk of hoof wall off a front foot last week I decided to do the same with the fronts, and leave them without shoes till the weak hoof has grown out.
The question really is- how long can I expect him to be footy for? He is sound in the field on grass, but a little uneven on the roads with hoofboots on. :confused:
Oh- shoes came off last Thurs.
Click to expand...

I remember you moving heaven and earth to help his hooves last winter :)

What is his diet now?

Do you have any pics of his hooves?

The first two weeks are often the hardest and then some horses either get better - or take a backwards step.

I'm glad you have boots ready. Keep him booted and take it steady on the hard ground until he's had chance to lay some tissue down on his soles.

The more he moves now - the quicker he'll lay down tissue. He needs to be comfy enough to do so.
 
Thanks guys- well remembered Oberon!

His diet atm is t/o during the day, about 8 hours, in at night with 8lbs of soaked haylage (hay not available) as fat! Handful of hifi lite to carry biotin, magnesium, and general hoof supplement. He will also get fast fibre in the winter- if he ever loses weight!

Popped over to vets today and got him some danillion to last him 10 days, and he has old mac boots to wear when doing any exercise.

Sadly a muzzle isn't an option as he is very headshy and I'm not willing to undo all the work I've done on the problem. Having him in during the day instead also isn't an option as he won't catch for anyone else :rolleyes: He's a nightmare tbh.

No pics of feet but can take some if interested? They're not pretty!
 
General supplement is equihoof by vetvits.

Haven't had the soles re xrayed as the lameness issue resolved itself and I can longer flex his soles with my finger thank goodness! So they must be thicker than they were, although I obviously have no idea by how much.

Sorry to be thick, but why restrict his grass further? He's already on a mega diet :o
 
8 hour grazing good pasture is not even a 'mild' diet.

However you are stuck with that,so you need to work with what you have got.
Is there an arena at your yard?

Exercise on a forgiving surface,even if it is the field might be the key to getting the weight off and improving the feet. If there is an arena,use it for lunging and freeschooling. To kick the metabolism into action you need to be doing aerobic exercise(puffing and breaking a sweat) Obviously working with the current fitness levels.If no arena,then boot up and take him for long,brisk walks. Uphill is especially good.

Can you find some hay,or even straw to feed instead of haylage?
Both can be steamed if spores are a problem.
 
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