Rant: Picked up my dressage test today...

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Arizahn

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...and Hippo came up footy on both her fronts on hard surfaces!:(

I've been using the dirt track to and from her field up the yard, and riding on the verges, dirt track and in the indoor school. Was really hoping she would be ok to try on tarmac by now. It's two weeks since she was trimmed:confused:

I have the choice of putting fronts back on, or turning her away for as long as it takes (at least a month) to let her recuperate. Am switching farrier either way. Am very cross:mad:Cross with farrier, and cross with myself for trusting farrier to trim appropriately...

Gah. Am leaning towards turning her away and borrowing a school horse for the dressage thing. Seems fairer on Hippo, who was doing brilliantly without shoes up until this trim. Farrier said he had to trim her front frogs due to potential thrush, but it looks like he took a sizeable bit of hoof away too...think he was trying to shape her fronts, which turn in slightly. Why is it every farrier I meet tries to fix this by trimming the hooves? She's eleven - her bones are not going to change shape now!

Suggestions as to what I should do? I am getting very paranoid regarding hoof care! If anyone knows a good, sympathetic, reliable barefoot trimmer and/or equine podiatrist in Northern Ireland, please let me know!

On top of all this, I accidentally trod on a field mouse whilst turning Hippo out. I was checking the water trough in her field and heard a crunch from under my boot...poor little thing:(Am hoping it didn't suffer - it appeared to die quickly. OH kindly buried it in the muck heap. Hippo saw everything. She is probably scarred for life...

Can I please cry now?
 
Oh you poor thing :( Sorry to hear about Hippo, personally I wouldn't want to put shoes on a horse with sore feet :mad: so if you have the option of another horse that's what I would do. Not the same, but still good practice riding other horses I suppose.

RIP mousie :(
 
Thanks, Rhino my YM is perplexed that it happened. Farrier is used to trimming barefoot - riding centre ponies are all barefoot and done by him - never been an issue before! But it's done now.

YM suggested putting fronts on, but said to ask farrier first, as he might not want to shoe Hippo whilst she's sore...from his trimming. No, not going to scream...

I don't think YM gets how used I am to having to pay livery for a horse that I can't ride!
 
Arizahn said:
I don't think YM gets how used I am to having to pay livery for a horse that I can't ride!
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At least you have hope, my retired ginger horse is still in disgustingly good health :rolleyes: :D so I can see the livery bills continuing years and years yet (obviously wouldn't have it any other way ;) ). I wouldn't be a happy bunny in your shoes though! (pardon the pun :o)
 
rhino said:
At least you have hope, my retired ginger horse is still in disgustingly good health :rolleyes: :D so I can see the livery bills continuing years and years yet (obviously wouldn't have it any other way ;) ). I wouldn't be a happy bunny in your shoes though! (pardon the pun :o)
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Lol, no I'm more of a cranky Bigwig type at the moment!
 
OP - sorry don't know your history, but if farrier has made horse sore from trim then would it be possible to boot for your hacking etc until hoof has grown back.

Some over trimmed horses recover within one trim cycle, others take much longer depending on what has been taken away. For example one horse I worked on had so much sole removed it took 4 trim cycles for it to grow back. It did grow back though and horse came sound over all surfaces.
 
I am a little bit traumatised by the field mouse bit! I am always hearing crunches and it is usually just stalky bits of grass etc and think 'nah any small creatures would move' eek :-0

Hope her feet feel better soon :-)
 
Is it definetely from the trim? Sorry seems to have missed the post re trim. I ask because my rock crunching mare has gone footy from stones this week. Farrier and I think it's due to the wet weather as nothing else has changed. I'm off to get some keratex today.
 
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Sadly yes, it is definitely the trim as she was sound right up until the afternoon that she was trimmed - had been hacked out that morning on hard surfaces no bother.

Had her trimmed, led her back to her field for a bit...hmm, seems uncomfortable, pointed it out to farrier, who said she's just tender and will be right as rain tomorrow or the next day. Two weeks later and she is 100% in the field and other soft ground types, but cannot manage hard surfaces.

Am looking into hoof boots, if she copes with them on that would be ideal, but then again this is the mare that hates having anything strapped to her legs. No idea how she will react to hoof boots!

Please cross your fingers for us! And sorry for traumatising you with the poor mouse!
 
Oh no what a pain (quite literally in her case!). I shall let you know how well I get on with the keratex as you never know it may help her a little too. I have to say my mare won't wear boots, but I'm lucky we are mostly on sand hacking.
 
Oh no! Poor Hippo! Do hope it doesn't take long for her to feel better. Must admit I was really worried about this happening to Dom until Nic told me that if I do enough road work with him he shouldn't need trimming, so we do at least 10+ miles a week. Maybe once she's feeling better this could be an option for you if you don't have any good barefoot trimmers in your area?

I'm afraid I too would give her a pass on the dressage. You won't get the best possible marks anyway if she's moving a bit short from having sore toes. There will always be more dressage though. Fingers crossed she's rock crunching again soon. X
 
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