dreams579
Well-Known Member
So, not normally one to be starting new threads, and still fairly new to the forum (though I have been lurking for a while), but MrsD123 requested a thread on my boy, his lameness issues and his journey to Rockley for barefoot rehab. Now I dont want this turning into a for/against barefoot thread like another one has, but this is my boy's story for those of you interested.
I bought Nic from a dealer in May 2010 as a just turned 5 year old, 16.3ish tbXwb who was very green in the school but had some presence about him. he'd spent the winter hunting with a 17yo boy and was just starting to learn what dressage was about (I bought him with the aim of seeing how far up the levels we could go). At this point he was also a bit of a toast rack and topline was non-existant! Passed a 5 stage vetting and so he arrived at my yard. Settle in very quickly, but wasn't quite as straight forward as the dealer claimed him to be! No real problems though and he quickly started to come on very nicely in the school and proved himself to be brave and mostly very straightforward out hacking (minus the odd rearing spin buck!).
In july 2010, in the school, we had just got him past the stage where he fought me over everything - we'd found each others buttons, and he gave me the most amazing trot i have ever sat on! But then the week next, he was back to his agruing self. instructor and i both thought he was slightly off in his right hind. and after a bit of backwards and forwards he was diagnosed with high suspensory desmitis. He had shockwave therapy and was turned away for the winter as it was only mild and i'm rather antibox rest (and he is a handful!).
Started bringing him back into work in Feb 2011, and although he felt fine behind, we didnt feel quite right in front - was ok in walk, but relunctant to go forward in trot,especially up or down hills. Tried to push him through it a bit as he is a bit of lazy so and so, and he had gone right back to his babish ways. But after a month and a couple of osteo treatments, it was time to go back to hte vets. He was there for a week in May, and eventually they realised he was lame in all four legs! both hind suspensories (although ligaments had healed on ultrasound, they thought there was residual nerve damage), his right fore blocked 80% to the heels, 10% to the rest of the foot and his left fore blocked to the heel regions. Xrays of front feet didnt reveal anything and we concluded the front was secondary to the hindlameness, most probably caused by poor foot balance and thin soles (major under run heels). He had both suspensories denerved and went through 1 month of box rest and then pen rest. he also had remedial farrier work, including front pads designed to improve his heels.
Beginning of September and all was looking good, so got the vet back out to reassess if i could start bringing him back into work. But between booking the call out and the vet coming, he clearly retweaked whatever damage he'd done in front and when the vet was out, he was noticeably (1-2/5) lame on a circle on hard ground. Vet advised i started walk work on a surface on bute for a couple of weeks to see if that would help, but unfortunately he only seemed to go downhill further. Vet come back out at end of sept and he was probably 3/5 lame on a circle. we discussed options (mri: but both vet and i were doubtful it would give any further treatment options due to chronic nature of injury) and pts was strongly being banded about as a plan.
Now i've always had horses shod, but was aware from reading these boards about the successes people have had barefooting navicular horses. my remedial farrier obviously scoffed at the idea (well, he was selling me £200 worth of shoes every 6 weeks), but i gave Nic at Rockley a ring and found her incredibly helpful, and she was just one of those people that talk sense in the way so many dont anymore. so quick battle with the insurance company (shearwater, who in the end were surprisingly positive about the plan) and he went down to rockley this week.
nic's first impressions were that he has medial/lateral imbalance, incredibly flat souls and frog (mostly from the pads) and also somewhat dinner plate like front feet! his landings aren't too bad - pretty much flat or occasionally heel first in front. left hind is heel first and right hind is flat/heel first but he is sliding it a bit. so she seems very positive at the moment, and he has now gone out on the gravel tracks, made friends with all the other rehabs and she says he is more comfortable than she thought he would be at this stage. so fingers crossed he stays that way and gets busy growing a new hoof capsule!
any thoughts/opinions/experiences welcome!
sorry for the essay but i'm sure you all understand how complicated these horses like to make our lives
I bought Nic from a dealer in May 2010 as a just turned 5 year old, 16.3ish tbXwb who was very green in the school but had some presence about him. he'd spent the winter hunting with a 17yo boy and was just starting to learn what dressage was about (I bought him with the aim of seeing how far up the levels we could go). At this point he was also a bit of a toast rack and topline was non-existant! Passed a 5 stage vetting and so he arrived at my yard. Settle in very quickly, but wasn't quite as straight forward as the dealer claimed him to be! No real problems though and he quickly started to come on very nicely in the school and proved himself to be brave and mostly very straightforward out hacking (minus the odd rearing spin buck!).
In july 2010, in the school, we had just got him past the stage where he fought me over everything - we'd found each others buttons, and he gave me the most amazing trot i have ever sat on! But then the week next, he was back to his agruing self. instructor and i both thought he was slightly off in his right hind. and after a bit of backwards and forwards he was diagnosed with high suspensory desmitis. He had shockwave therapy and was turned away for the winter as it was only mild and i'm rather antibox rest (and he is a handful!).
Started bringing him back into work in Feb 2011, and although he felt fine behind, we didnt feel quite right in front - was ok in walk, but relunctant to go forward in trot,especially up or down hills. Tried to push him through it a bit as he is a bit of lazy so and so, and he had gone right back to his babish ways. But after a month and a couple of osteo treatments, it was time to go back to hte vets. He was there for a week in May, and eventually they realised he was lame in all four legs! both hind suspensories (although ligaments had healed on ultrasound, they thought there was residual nerve damage), his right fore blocked 80% to the heels, 10% to the rest of the foot and his left fore blocked to the heel regions. Xrays of front feet didnt reveal anything and we concluded the front was secondary to the hindlameness, most probably caused by poor foot balance and thin soles (major under run heels). He had both suspensories denerved and went through 1 month of box rest and then pen rest. he also had remedial farrier work, including front pads designed to improve his heels.
Beginning of September and all was looking good, so got the vet back out to reassess if i could start bringing him back into work. But between booking the call out and the vet coming, he clearly retweaked whatever damage he'd done in front and when the vet was out, he was noticeably (1-2/5) lame on a circle on hard ground. Vet advised i started walk work on a surface on bute for a couple of weeks to see if that would help, but unfortunately he only seemed to go downhill further. Vet come back out at end of sept and he was probably 3/5 lame on a circle. we discussed options (mri: but both vet and i were doubtful it would give any further treatment options due to chronic nature of injury) and pts was strongly being banded about as a plan.
Now i've always had horses shod, but was aware from reading these boards about the successes people have had barefooting navicular horses. my remedial farrier obviously scoffed at the idea (well, he was selling me £200 worth of shoes every 6 weeks), but i gave Nic at Rockley a ring and found her incredibly helpful, and she was just one of those people that talk sense in the way so many dont anymore. so quick battle with the insurance company (shearwater, who in the end were surprisingly positive about the plan) and he went down to rockley this week.
nic's first impressions were that he has medial/lateral imbalance, incredibly flat souls and frog (mostly from the pads) and also somewhat dinner plate like front feet! his landings aren't too bad - pretty much flat or occasionally heel first in front. left hind is heel first and right hind is flat/heel first but he is sliding it a bit. so she seems very positive at the moment, and he has now gone out on the gravel tracks, made friends with all the other rehabs and she says he is more comfortable than she thought he would be at this stage. so fingers crossed he stays that way and gets busy growing a new hoof capsule!
any thoughts/opinions/experiences welcome!
sorry for the essay but i'm sure you all understand how complicated these horses like to make our lives
i didnt bother arguing it out further 
