Really sore feet

[WellyBaggins]

My TB had his shoes off 2 months ago, he has been diagnosed with impar ligament strain. He was sore for a few days when they came off but has been fine ever since however, he is now coming in during the day due to the flies, he has to walk about 100m on the road which is ok but he also has to walk over the hard standing outside our house, it is about 15m or so, he has been coming in for 5 days and is now really sore I can come in another way but there is probably a similar amount of stones. Not sure what to do, I want to turn him away for a year and then try barefoot next year but seeing him like this is making me seriously consider putting the shoes back on. I have had a really quick look at boots but have not got the first idea about them do they rub? He has really REALLY thin skin

HELP!!!!!!!!!

 

[carthorse15]

Hi, I had more or less the same problem - thought horse had laminitis as so sore - couldn't walk and that was after only 1 day without shoes. I bottled it completely and put fronts on and he was as right as rain within minutes -was like a miracle and definitely no sign of lami (according to farrier). He is coping fine without backs just now and think I will try again in the autumn when ground softer. I looked at boots too but hooves need to be cleaned and allsorts and wouldn't help me as he was sore in field.

I look forward to reading all the replies and advice.

 

[Clava]

My TB is very thin skinned, but Easyboot Gloves have never rubbed and are fantastic, but you do need the correct size.

 

[Wagtail]

My TB was extremely sore for three months when he first went barefoot. He is fine now and my farrier cannot believe how much his soles have thickened up. Have you got your horse on a barefoot diet? Do you give any supplements such as pro hoof and micronized linseed? It takes many months for new strong hooves to grow.

 

[pines of rome]

My T.B was also very sore for the first 3 months had to be turned out in boots!
If you are looking for boots that do not rub, I now have these

https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&r...KvMhKPEbTJcYrPGjItTJmIw&bvm=bv.48705608,d.ZWU

 

[WellyBaggins]

I am just having a wobble, he has been mostly fine for the first two months but is sore now, because he is coming in and walking over the stones, his walls are pretty strong but his soles are very thin. No, he is not on a barefoot diet ATM as he is turned away at grass or at least he was until the flies got really bad What did you do for the 3 months when he was sore? Do I leave him and wait for it to get better?

 

[cptrayes]

The turnout is probably preventing him growing the thicker soles he needs to cope with those stones. You need to boot, shoe, or stop walking him on that surface if it's too difficult to restrict his intake of fresh green stuff.

 

[WellyBaggins]

Ok thank you, that's the answer I needed, am looking at some boots, will get fronts back on until I can get him some boots, will look at doing barefoot properly next year as it is clearly not going to be straightforward with him. Horses!

 

[Angua2]

The turnout is probably preventing him growing the thicker soles he needs to cope with those stones. You need to boot, shoe, or stop walking him on that surface if it's too difficult to restrict his intake of fresh green stuff.

I am no expert, but ^^ this was my first thoughts too

Cavellos are good, we use the simples. Diet is key though

 

[WellyBaggins]

Thank you, shoes back on then whilst he is out at grass! I hoped his feet could have a break for a year but clearly that is not going to work whilst e has to come in and go out

 

[Equilibrium Ireland]

I have no options but stupid stones where I am. I did a lot of sweeping until I had a cleanish path. I then started walking around the path to help the feet to grow and deal with an odd stone. Going out the driveway is another matter all together but to my surprise the 2 in work are getting very good on these. I'm also having to walk my ex broodmare and do some in hand work in the arena. Diet hasn't been the only key for mine, work and stimulation have been a big factor.

Of course then I get in a client pony with scary looking metabolic feet, cresty neck, fat pads, and she's absolutely rock crunching! Obviously we have her on a more suitable diet and a slimming program before working, but it's a head scratcher. I well believe some people get lucky with bare horses that don't have special diets and laugh at the rest of us! Then again this one has never had a shoe either. But still, wish mine weren't so precious!

Terri

 

[scheherazade]

This is really useful, thanks. While the soles are thickening up, is there anything that can be done to stimulate sole growth?

 

[WellyBaggins]

Thanks Terri, that is helpful, I have rang my farrier to discuss, he was really sore this morning but is starting to look less sore now he has been in on a bed for a few hours, I have made some makeshift boots for him to wear to and from the field, I doubt my farrier will get back to me until Monday so I will see how he gets on with his special booties and then make a decision. I am going to struggle if I need to keep him off grass as he is not the best doer in the world, I knew it was not going to be as easy as just taking the shoes off but I didn't realise it would be this hard, I haven't even started trying to work him yet

He has just been trimmed and he had a fair amount of growth, the first trim there was very little so he must be getting some stimulation.

Thanks for some of the boot recommendations, I have tried measuring him for the easyboot glove, he comes in at a size 1.5 does that sound about right for a 16hh TB, ie that size is not meant for a 13hh pony

 

[Brightbay]

He has just been trimmed and he had a fair amount of growth, the first trim there was very little so he must be getting some stimulation.

Am I right in saying that he had been coping fine, then was trimmed and now finds it hard to deal with the stones?

There's your answer, then. Let him regrow what's been trimmed off, and he will cope again A nice pair of e.g. Fusion boots will help while he does so.

 

[WellyBaggins]

That may be a valid point brightbay but the trim coincides with the hot weather and coming in everyday so I cannot be sure it is that as he was not going over the stones x2 daily beforehand, he was going over them once a week tops. Worth watching though so thank you, looking at the fusion boots now

 

[cptrayes]

Poor doer with sore feet?

Have you tested him for Cushings? Might be worth it if not.

 

[amandap]

Thin soles in my understanding and limited experience are often down to diet and metabolic issues when constantly cutting/thinning isn't an issue.

Apart from testing for metabolic disorder, protection and environment modification suggestions I would feed soaked hay when in, it may help reduce sugars enough to help but that depends on sugar content of the hay. I also second a good balancer + salt in a small feed such as unmollassed beet/chaff or fast fibre.
The trim may have lowered the walls enough so he feels the stones more or it may well be he was sore before anyway if he wasn't going over stones before the trim. The main point is to keep him comfortable by any of the ways suggested. I've been known to lay a carpet path in the dim and distant past. lol Verge walking or sweeping are much easier options if possible. It sounds like boots will be needed at some point anyway.

ps. Putting him out as late as possible as well. I've mine at home so some go out at midnight atm. Obviously I am very lucky. lol

pps. My previously poorish doer TB is now a good doer on a low sugar diet etc.

 

[WellyBaggins]

Thanks for the advice, lots to think about.

 

[WellyBaggins]

He is not a poor poor doer, he is a good weight all year round, when he went to leahurst in Feb it was commented on, I just have to work at it and good grazing helps in that respect, I guess I am going to have to give his whole management a rethink if I want to try him barefoot. Thanks again for the advice

 

[WellyBaggins]

On phone so can't edit. He is hard to feed because he is sharp so I try to avoid concentrates other than his balancer, he normally has oil too. At the moment as he is off and out he has his formula for feet and nothing else.

 

[TigerTail]

Did the farrier trim frog +/ sole?

I personally wouldnt want to be banging shoes onto inflamed laminae for fear of concussive laminitis. Id be using temporary turnout boots - I find these fab and you can glue sole mates pads into them which help to stimulate the sole and develop the back of the hoof.

http://www.equinepodiatrysupplies.co.uk/Boots/Hoof-Wraps-Hoof-Bandage

 

[WellyBaggins]

No, farrier didn't touch frog or soles, just rasped off the excess wall, the annoying thing is they actually look pretty good. I am fairly sure he is just sore because he has been walking over the stones outside the yard, I have been too slow on the uptake. Those boots look ideal, I have made something similar with tubigrip and fibergee to walk him to and from the field with. I have left a message for my farrier and vet.

 

[Equilibrium Ireland]

Another little bit of info. My horses would be crippled if I fed a balancer with soya as the main ingredient. Not hard to believe considering alfalfa and soya are from the legume family. And we always talk about how alfalfa is a nono.

Here's the thing. I only had to tweak my diet a little as I was already off all soya and the alternatives are low starch/sugar. Also when I first started this regime it was last September or October. 4 out of 5 had shoes on and so I whipped them off all 4. That was stupid. I couldn't cope when a couple started getting footy so 2 went back into shoes. My 18 yo TB gelding did great as previously he had been a disaster when I tried to take the shoes off and trim. Then this spring I lost my way a bit again. Put shoes back on 2 because I really hadn't the time to exercise them. Also they had no grass at this time so it wasn't that. After 3 weeks I couldn't look at the way the feet were going so pulled off the shoes. Decided I really needed to get sorted in making a go of it instead of aresing around. I will say that Heidi had a completely different shape shoe and bigger size previous to the bare experiment. The older mare was the hardest. We had to do makeshift pads for 2 weeks. My results so far are going well. Mine seem better on hard ground. In winter if they were out on soft 24/7 they would be fine. But coming out of the soft to the hard and stones in the yard was hard to watch. They weren't working so very little stimulation to cope with stones and uneven hard. Flat concrete they were fine. Mine all graze at night and have haylage during the day. I'm not having issues with this regime so happy about that part. They come up to the dry lot and are in for a few hours.

So yeah it really can be overwhelming. Diet and grazing weren't an issue for me to sort. Keeping everyone in some kind of work plus client horses has been. That really is important in the rehab or so I think. Even if that work is walking in hand or out on tracks designed for stimulation. But just grazing 24/7 on soft covered fields not the best. My grass is there but it's not fertilised and wouldn't be rocket fuel. So even if now doesn't work it still can at some point. It does take some dedication!

I'm not a pro at these things but I've found H&H to be so helpful. So I just take it as it comes and make mental notes as I go on.

Terri

 

[WellyBaggins]

Thank you, very useful, our grazing is old pasture, we are not allowed to fertilise etc, he is on no hard feed ATM, he was fine on grass and hard/smooth but not stoney but to be fair I hadn't really started doing anything with him, I plan to leave it until next year as he has been rehabbed to death with KS and a tendon injury, he is now in in the day because he throws a wobbly if a fly lands on him, even though he is turned out in a fly rug/mask and socks for his photosensitivity! This has caused the problem, the pesky stones, I have bought some boots for him, hopefully this will help

 

[TwoStroke]

If its just walking over the stones coming in that's the issue, then it sounds like you don't really have to boot for turn out - just boot to bring him in/out.

Also ditto turning out as late as poss... Peak time for sugars in the grass is between 4pm - 6pm, but the later you can leave it the safer the grass will be.

 

[amandap]

Oh yes, do you add salt to his feed? If not I think it's worth doing, start with a small amount and increase to 1-2 tablespoons.
Also, micronized linseed has more anti inflammatory properties than plain oil so perhaps think about switching when oil is running out.

 

[WellyBaggins]

Great, thank you, have brought some of those turnout jobs as I know he is going to need boots when he starts work but I don't want to rush into buying those as they are not cheap I want to get it right. Will try turning him out later, he currently goes out at about 4.30 and will try the salt an the linseed in the winter, thanks all been really helpful