Some urgentish hoof advice needed please!

ImmyS

ImmyS

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So my young, in season ex racer mare, feeling the spring grass (awful combination) had a major bomb around the field this afternoon and has pulled her front right shoe, taking a chunk out the right side where the nail holes would be.

Now, she has been barefoot behind since october last year and has been sound since on all surfaces, I was debating going completely barefoot at that time but decided to just take backs off first to see how she goes and since she's been going so well I've been playing with the idea of taking fronts off aswell for a little while now. I feel like this is kind of a sign to just go for it as the other livery has just gone barefoot and have my exams coming up in the next couple of weeks so I wouldn't have much riding time anyhow so it seems like a perfect time to rehab her.

However, I'm not sure what to do in the short term, she's currently just turned back out with one shoe on and although she looks like she's feeling it shes pottering around quite happily grazing and isn't lame. My feeling is see how she goes over the next day or two in the field providing she's remains sound and if she stays sound then take the plunge and take her other shoe off, get some hoof boots and get an equine podiatrist on board as my farrier is pretty anti barefoot. Does this seem ok? What would you do? I'm having such a debate with myself as i think she will have a difficult transition period but I also have worries about long term soundness shod due to underun heels, long toes etc..

Any advice opinions greatly recieved!
 
Your scenario sounds just like mine 9 months ago! ISH who was rubbish at keeping her shoes on, very little growth, farrier always having to nail through the same bit of hoof wall until it would crumble away and he was left nailing into nothing and packing it with bodyfiller! She pulled a shoe last October and that was it, I decided they would come off. I didn't think she would cope, and planned on reshoeing when she had something to nail onto, but after a few episodes of footiness, she is now happily barefoot and going really well, with good strong hooves improving all the time.

You won't know unless you try, so go for it, especially if she's already bare behind. Only note of caution, we may get some hard ground if we ever get a summer. You might have to manage that with boots and pads. I don't see any reason not to give it a go though. Sounds like your horse is telling you something like mine was :)
 
Thank you for your replies, it's something I really want to do with her. But how were yours when the shoes first came off? When I went up this evening she was struggling on the hard uneven ground so we've padded her foot and bandaged it. Were yours as foot sore. I'm thinking ordering some hoof boots tomorrow, what boots would you recommend? I can't turn out for long periods in boots can I?
 
if horse has pulled a shoe it might have stood on it in the process of casting it which is making him footsore. When was he last shod?
 
weebarney said:
if horse has pulled a shoe it might have stood on it in the process of casting it which is making him footsore. When was he last shod?
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Possibly, was there went it happened, I think it was pulled quite cleanly. She was shod 4 weeks ago
 
My boy was very sore at first, I did turn him out in cavallos with pads, he would not have coped without them, they really helped him for quite some time and stood up really well to his silly TB antics and I am still using them for hacking now!:)
 
pines of rome said:
My boy was very sore at first, I did turn him out in cavallos with pads, he would not have coped without them, they really helped him for quite some time and stood up really well to his silly TB antics and I am still using them for hacking now!:)
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Thank you, think I will be ordering some tomorrow!
 
Boots are very useful from the start. With the horse I transitioned recently I already had Old Macs as my other horse is barefoot, though she hasn't needed boots for years. I got some Sole Mates therapeutic pads from the podiatrist to put inside them.

She was ridden in boots and pads initially, but as it was autumn and the ground was soft I didn't need them for turnout. However when we got that freezing weather that turned the ground hard, I did use the Old Macs for turnout. They are OK for hard ground but I don't recommend them for mud. I would go with pines of rome's recommendation if Cavallos worked for them for turnout.
 
I use Cavallo Simples for my TB mare, but they are dreadful in muddy conditions - very slippy - but brilliant on tarmac.
I've got one of those strange horses which is 100% better on the rock hard ground, be that frozen, or hard in summer - mine only shows a slight problem when it's muddy!
 
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