Recommended shoeing/barefoot for horse with kissing spines

Wagtail

Wagtail

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My horse had KS in ten places and is currently in rehab after having 5 of his spinous processes removed. Due to difficulties with farrier (horse had to be trickle fed to be shod as would explode and kick out etc) he is only shod in front, but since his op he has become much easier with no kicking out and just a couple of instances where he snatched his leg away. I was wondering if anyone has any ideas about how I should manage his feet from now on? I think he would now tolerate hinds and was thinking about natural balance shoes. He also has hock spavin but is not lame.
 
Natural balance shoes only emulate a natural foot so why pay to have a fake hoof nailed onto a real one?

TBH, if he was retired with KS, anyone would take his shoes off anyway and turn away with pasture trims in between. Why keep him in shoes?
 
What a stressful time for you, hope your boy is improving now.

Both ours are barefoot, so you could consider me a biased party (!) - but given that he will be very sensitive to any balance niggles I would take him out of shoes so you can always be totally sure that the balance and support he grows is exactly right for him. I know there are some utterly outstanding farriers out there who will do their very best, but unless you know one with x-ray/MRI specs then they will only be able to make a best guess for your horse. Best guess just wasn't good enough for one of our mares in particular and she was ready for retirement as we just couldn't keep her sound in shoes even though she 'looked' balanced.

If he is the sort to be sore if he looses a shoe then it might be worth your while picking his diet apart to help him be as comfortable as possible when they come off. For any teething problems then boots are just fab too so he is always comfortable, but also has the ability to wear his feet boot free when on comfy surfaces.

Best of luck!
 
Things change slowly but advances in the understanding of foot function are at last being made. But at the moment neither the shoeing of horses nor keeping them unshod has any scientific foundation - both are still very much a tradition based approach.

When dealing with rehabs in the past, we noticed that the farriers always shod for foot balance without really taking into account the physical limitations on the recovering horse. So, for over 20 years, our policy has been to attempt to rehab the horse with no shoes and put shoes back on if necessary. We have not reshod any horses so far.

Hope this helps.
 
Thanks everyone. Rossdales advised me to leave him as he is, but I am tempted to take them off TBH. He is due to start slowly coming back into work in a couple of months.
 
hmmmm my only concern would be taking him barefoot in front initially is that if he is struggling on those front feet to start with he may well start taking weight back onto his hinds to take the weight off the fronts and that would put additional pressure on his spine.

If he has good feet and can cope without shoes, go for it but i would definitely (if you already haven't) speak with your farrier/trimmer and asses how he would cope at the start before making that decision.

Don't get me wrong, i am very much pro barefoot but as a bigger picture, with a horse that has gone through what yours has it would be wise to speak to the professionals. I would also speak to your physio about it too :)
 
Hoof boots are an intelligent invention - a good investment.

About £80. You can use when working and take off when resting. That pretty much solves all your problems and saves you £120 per shoeing in NB shoes (going rate here) and will last you a good two years.

Cavallos, Easycare Inc are good places to start hoofboot shopping.

IF you do go down this route and want help measuring for fit - and FIT is essential to get right, I'll do my best to help :)
 
Another vote for shoe removal and booting if necessary.

Two extra points. Many horses tense up due to the slippery quality of iron shoes on tarmac. This causes them to raise their heads and tighten their spinal ligaments and muscles.....classic KS posture. So if you are planning to rehab with some gentle roadwork DON'T do it in shoes.
Second,a slow and gentle rehab programme is also perfect for conditioning the feet, so I (Yeah,yeah,I know,I am just another barefoot taliban) see your current situation as a wonderful opportunity for you and your horse.:)
Good luck and keep us posted.
 
PooJay said:
hmmmm my only concern would be taking him barefoot in front initially is that if he is struggling on those front feet to start with he may well start taking weight back onto his hinds to take the weight off the fronts and that would put additional pressure on his spine.

If he has good feet and can cope without shoes, go for it but i would definitely (if you already haven't) speak with your farrier/trimmer and asses how he would cope at the start before making that decision.

Don't get me wrong, i am very much pro barefoot but as a bigger picture, with a horse that has gone through what yours has it would be wise to speak to the professionals. I would also speak to your physio about it too :)
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I am with this. I think you know that I am a committed barefooter, but I would be very cautious in this case.

If your horse will not be footie at all if his shoes are taken off then I would do it. But if he feels the stones then the last thing he needs right now with healing going on in his back is to start bracing his back because his feet are sore or he is afraid that they might hurt him.

He cannot be safely turned out in boots without risking rubbing, which can be very severe, so I would not take the shoes off if he needs boots to be comfortable.
 
I would want them off, mainly because having just had surgery on his spine it makes no sense to me to have him unlevel front to back :eek:

Id plan it in advance so if he has to go on gravelly bits and u think he's going to be unsound either find a route with no gravel, or invest in boots or old roll of carpet etc.

Obviously make sure his diet is spot on :) Best of luck whatever you decide
 
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