Shoes back on or not

[poiuytrewq]

Horse retired a year ago. Couldn’t handle no shoes at first, was very sore. Although happy enough bare behind I put fronts back on.

He went into a totally molasses and alfalfa free diet, that would literally be about 11-12 months ago.

Took shoes off again when the ground softened up, maybe October time.
He did amazingly well. We had the odd bit of soreness, I figured maybe a bit of bruising or something. He always came though it with a little bute.
I was worried about winter and his feet getting really soft but they looked brilliant, and he was happy on them.
Trimmed every 5 weeks. They didn’t break up, his frogs spread where he’d had quite a deep central sulcus (sp) when shod, I used to pack them with Hoof Stuff from Red Horse which helped but they look better now.
However, the past two times he had been due trimming his feet have looked terrible, one in particular is really flaring and they are both chipped, not badly but definitely chipping, maybe a shorter trim cycle?
I don’t see him every day and was told he was sore so he’s been on half a bute, was on more until he looked sounder, kept ticking over on half til his next farrier visit where he’d have fronts back on.
I feel like we have come so far and really don’t understand why he’s gone so down hill.
He’s currently really quite sound looking, he might catch the odd duff step in the hard gate way for example but is pretty good in the field and is happily cantering over for his feed etc.

So any ideas? Do I shoe, do I leave it another cycle and see how we go?
He’s a 12 yr old TB and retired. Ideally I don’t want to be paying for shoes for the next 10 years if I can help it, I also like the fact his frogs are so much wider and healthier looking.
I’n just not sure how to keep him completely sound and happy on really hard ground.

 

[Gloi]

I'm not on commission but I'm going to suggest hoof armour for yours like I just did for another (chaps89) on here. Not expensive once you get the kit and easy to use. Works very well for mine who otherwise wears his hooves down too quickly doing the road miles we do.

 

[splashgirl45]

Has he been seen by the vet, he could have the start of by laminitis and I would get the vet first to rule that out

 

[Pinkvboots]

I'm not on commission but I'm going to suggest hoof armour for yours like I just did for another (chaps89) on here. Not expensive once you get the kit and easy to use. Works very well for mine who otherwise wears his hooves down too quickly doing the road miles we do.

I said that on her other thread Louis was the same after a little tidy up rasp and hoof armour his been fine

 

[equinerebel]

My mare was in almost the exact same situation with her barefoot hooves. I have just put front shoes back on and she is so much more comfortable - however, she is not retired.

 

[Annagain]

He sounds just like Archie, I think the ground is so hard and dry it's almost like he's on concrete 24/7. I'm going to give the hoof armour a try.

 

[SEL]

Flaring could be grass related - white lines less tight - or it can be something going on higher up. My one with hock arthritis can throw a decent flare.

But I have two barefooters who are a bit less rock crunching than normal. One is a metabolic mess so for her I suspect grass but the other needs to shed her frogs and was less footy after I started spraying sheep foot rot spray into every gap in the old frog I could find. I'm not brave enough to get a knife and trim it back!

 

[poiuytrewq]

I had wondered about Hoof armour, I did use it once years ago on something else that kept loosing shoes. Good shout.

He was checked a while ago when he went through a period of being on and off a bit more than footy. Pulse found in one foot, turned out to be an abscess.
The farrier who trims him is pretty clued up laminitis wise, it’s pretty much the reason my friend uses him as her pony struggles.

The soreness definitely corresponds with the hard ground I think.
* I’ll cry if he gets laminitic

Someone on my first attempt at posting this asked about his diet
He has hay, Thunderbrooks chaff, copra, Speedi beet and one cup balancer.

 

[poiuytrewq]

Flaring could be grass related - white lines less tight - or it can be something going on higher up. My one with hock arthritis can throw a decent flare.

But I have two barefooters who are a bit less rock crunching than normal. One is a metabolic mess so for her I suspect grass but the other needs to shed her frogs and was less footy after I started spraying sheep foot rot spray into every gap in the old frog I could find. I'm not brave enough to get a knife and trim it back!

It’s one front that is flaring mainly. Near fore.
His near fore I *believe is the only one he’s not really been lame on (wether that’s related or not )
I suppose it might be grass related. He’s been on a track but with access to the middle bits for a while each day, I’m not actually sure how long.
He does have some rings but they are even all the way round and I believe laminitis rings aren’t?

 

[Bobthecob15]

Our farrier said this week now is not the time of year to be without shoes (we were debating taking backs off), ground too hard plus for us we didn't want to risk time off work due to soreness. Autumn/winter is much better if you want a barefoot trial.

Also could be a tough of laminitis but a good farrier should be able to help tell if that is the case. It has been a very hard year ground wise so far this summer, a lot have suffered that haven't had laminitis...friends of ours have put shoes on their normally barefoot pony as she was struggling x

 

[canteron]

I have never heard of hoof armour - but it sounds very interesting.
Where do you buy in in the uk?

 

[SEL]

It’s one front that is flaring mainly. Near fore.
His near fore I *believe is the only one he’s not really been lame on (wether that’s related or not )
I suppose it might be grass related. He’s been on a track but with access to the middle bits for a while each day, I’m not actually sure how long.
He does have some rings but they are even all the way round and I believe laminitis rings aren’t?

It's pretty common to overload the sound foreleg so that could cause the flare and sounds more likely than grass. Used to get it with my old boy. He had ringbone in his left fore and his right fore was much wider and flatter from compensating.

Why was he retired? Could the yard ground be causing some issues in his body?

 

[Gloi]

I have never heard of hoof armour - but it sounds very interesting.
Where do you buy in in the uk?

Shop All Categories | Hoofmanship Shop

Many Cutting edge Hoof Care Products, Treatments, Hoof Care Trimming Tools, Supplements,Remedies, Equipment, Products, Books and Publications, Hoof Boots for Horses, Gifts and Novilties for the young and Old.

www.hoofmanshipshop.com

 

[Gloi]

Shop All Categories | Hoofmanship Shop

Many Cutting edge Hoof Care Products, Treatments, Hoof Care Trimming Tools, Supplements,Remedies, Equipment, Products, Books and Publications, Hoof Boots for Horses, Gifts and Novilties for the young and Old.

www.hoofmanshipshop.com

This is the only UK stockist.

 

[Surbie]

Are his feet growing faster than normal? Our grass is unbelievable at the moment and Archie's feet are growing a lot more than I would expect for this time of year. I've had to shorten the trim cycle from 6 to 4 weeks.

Could the reason he is retired at only 12 be impacting the near fore? How far is he through shedding frog and sole?

I get that it's not an ideal time of year to take shoes off, but, in my not very experienced view, if your horse has been fine in the field till now I would rule out something else before putting shoes on the fronts, which might just mask what is going on.

 

[poiuytrewq]

It's pretty common to overload the sound foreleg so that could cause the flare and sounds more likely than grass. Used to get it with my old boy. He had ringbone in his left fore and his right fore was much wider and flatter from compensating.

Why was he retired? Could the yard ground be causing some issues in his body?

Yes of course, he was never lame lame but I always swore that the main issue was off side.
It was all a very weird situation. The lameness and tripping was usually very mild, often I could feel It ridden but everyone else said he looked ok.
He failed neuro tests one week but would pass the following and vise versa.
During lameness work ups he would be lame on various legs but and would react differently do nerve blocks constantly.
We went with a spinal impingement in his neck and I chose to retire him.

 

[poiuytrewq]

I’m going to give hoof armour a try. I’m so annoyed I didn’t keep the starter kit I bought ages ago
I’d been half thinking about trying it on my pony also so the starter kit will do an initial application on both in fact I may not even need to do hinds so might do two lots.
He has his trim booked for later today.
Hopefully it will arrive pretty quickly, I think it’s supposed to be applied at the time of trimming really.

 

[poiuytrewq]

This is the only UK stockist.

Thank you for this!

 

[Pinkvboots]

This is the only UK stockist.

Yes here it's really good stuff

 

[Pinkvboots]

I’m going to give hoof armour a try. I’m so annoyed I didn’t keep the starter kit I bought ages ago
I’d been half thinking about trying it on my pony also so the starter kit will do an initial application on both in fact I may not even need to do hinds so might do two lots.
He has his trim booked for later today.
Hopefully it will arrive pretty quickly, I think it’s supposed to be applied at the time of trimming really.

I just give the feet a little rasp then really wire brush them to get all the mud off then apply, you need talc to put on them afterwards to stop the stuff coming off.

 

[Gloi]

I’m going to give hoof armour a try. I’m so annoyed I didn’t keep the starter kit I bought ages ago
I’d been half thinking about trying it on my pony also so the starter kit will do an initial application on both in fact I may not even need to do hinds so might do two lots.
He has his trim booked for later today.
Hopefully it will arrive pretty quickly, I think it’s supposed to be applied at the time of trimming really.

I get about 16 pony sized hooves from 1 tube. Put it on thinly, a second coat a couple of days later if needed.

 

[Highmileagecob]

Take a good look at the hoof and see if the hoof wall is being rasped lower than the frog, leaving the frog proud. Is the heel being taken down to sole level? Bars trimmed? Frog sliced off?
Without seeing the feet it is difficult to comment, but it sounds as if a few tweaks are needed to balance the feet. Take a look at Pete Ramey's Hoof Rehab site, and maybe check out the Cavallo Barefoot Trim video, which gives a good idea of what to aim for.

 

[Alibear]

My retirees often end up with front shoes on for a cycle or two over summer, and then once the ground softens up again, they go back to barefoot. So if yours needs them now, it doesn't mean it's forever. Mine needed them more for the first few years and currently haven't needed them yet this year and went last year all through without them.

 

[Zoeypxo]

You could try getting some hoof boots then you could put them on as and when he needs it ?
My cavallo treks stay on in the field, and in really thick mud!

 

[poiuytrewq]

You could try getting some hoof boots then you could put them on as and when he needs it ?
My cavallo treks stay on in the field, and in really thick mud!

I did consider boots but as I'm not there every day I'm hesitant incase they rub. He gets close up checks and feeds 3 times a day and a late night handful of nuts to check hes alive but i don't like to ask for things to be done extra, he *can be a little handy with his back legs so if something like hoof armour works it just means no one has to handle his feet other than me!

 

[poiuytrewq]

Take a good look at the hoof and see if the hoof wall is being rasped lower than the frog, leaving the frog proud. Is the heel being taken down to sole level? Bars trimmed? Frog sliced off?
Without seeing the feet it is difficult to comment, but it sounds as if a few tweaks are needed to balance the feet. Take a look at Pete Ramey's Hoof Rehab site, and maybe check out the Cavallo Barefoot Trim video, which gives a good idea of what to aim for.

Thanks for that, I’ll have a look.