Someone send me positive vibes before I have a full breakdown

[J_sarahd]

Just rang the vets and my vet is off until Monday so hopefully I’ll get some answers then. Annoyingly, this is coming just before I fly to the other side of the world for 10 days - but then I guess that’s horses for you…

The positives I’ve found:
- far less aggressive. No longer lunging at people over the stable door. I’m no longer fearing for my life by just entering his stable. He still has his ears back if he’s eating and you go near him but he doesn’t DO anything. And he is still “grumpy” if he’s hungry but it’s far far less than before

- more forward out hacking - he’s actually turned into a right bouncy little thing out hacking. Still gets quite tired on longer hacks but that’s to be expected as fitness isn’t there and if he is feeling better and using himself more, that will be hard work for him

- more push in the trot from behind. We’ve only done a few trots but if I trot him on flat ground as opposed to a hill, he is starting to push more from behind and actually start to come onto the bridle. Of course, I’m not forcing him onto the bridle and him being in that frame is so far down my priority list right now but it’s an indication that he’s pushing more from behind - again, still far from perfect but an improvement

- feels better going downhill. Something I’d not noticed was an issue until recently. He is just more confident and forward going downhill

- better picking his back legs up. I used to have to really hold onto them when I picked them out and he’d constantly try and put them down. Again, I just thought it was a balance issue

- less camped under. He used to regularly stand with both back legs together and camped under but I’ve realised he’s actually starting to stand more like a “normal” horse now

 

[Lucky Snowball]

I think trying boots is a good idea. A barefoot shouldn’t take lame steps but if the horse has been off work then perhaps it needs more transition work. I hope it goes well given more time.

 

[paddy555]

As someone who never had a barefoot horse and am pretty ignorant about it…
I always feel sorry for unshod horses picking their way up the road or on tracks and not walking out properly. It may be that is ‘normal’ and walking well on all terrain is a man made artificiality .

there is no excuse for it, there are plenty of boots available nowadays. Some horses are simply not going to make it BF over all ground in places like the UK. Many are not conditioned to it from a very very early age, many arrive with rubbish feet from poor shoeing and hoof care, and many people just don't have optimal living conditions especially in over crowded England, nor do they have suitable grazing, they just have to manage on what is available. Plus people have to work all hours to support their horses so they don't have the time to work them suitably to condition the feet.

Boots have the advantage over stony bridlepaths as they actually protect the foot, shoes don't as the sole is exposed to bruising.

There used to be a train of thought (hopefully long gone but maybe not from your comment) that to condition a newly BF horse you kept riding it over surfaces even if sore as that would finally toughen up the feet. All it did was make them even more sore with the added advantage of bu**ering up the rest of the body due to the poor/unbalanced movement.

(this is nothing to do with OP just replying to your comment )

 

[J_sarahd]

I’m going to invest in some boots - annoyingly I sold Nova’s pretty much the day after I lost her. I’m probably making him out to be way worse than he is on stony/hard ground. But absolutely nothing wrong with making sure they’re as comfortable as possible.

I think if there is something else going on, it’s either foot balance or SI issues (from my research this morning). Neither of which are particularly great.

But I am also hoping that it’s just a case of my farrier can’t detect lameness to save his life.

 

[Flame_]

They're all lame and compromised just like all living beings. He's had some medical support, give him some time off, condition him back to work and ask him for as much as you can encourage, but never force, him to do.

 

[smolmaus]

I’m going to invest in some boots - annoyingly I sold Nova’s pretty much the day after I lost her. I’m probably making him out to be way worse than he is on stony/hard ground. But absolutely nothing wrong with making sure they’re as comfortable as possible.

My thinking also. If handwalking I go without boots as she is perfectly capable but with my extra weight on top I don't want her to really feel the random sharp stone she will inevitably find to stand on.

Just rang the vets and my vet is off until Monday so hopefully I’ll get some answers then. Annoyingly, this is coming just before I fly to the other side of the world for 10 days - but then I guess that’s horses for you…

The positives I’ve found:
- far less aggressive. No longer lunging at people over the stable door. I’m no longer fearing for my life by just entering his stable. He still has his ears back if he’s eating and you go near him but he doesn’t DO anything. And he is still “grumpy” if he’s hungry but it’s far far less than before

- more forward out hacking - he’s actually turned into a right bouncy little thing out hacking. Still gets quite tired on longer hacks but that’s to be expected as fitness isn’t there and if he is feeling better and using himself more, that will be hard work for him

- more push in the trot from behind. We’ve only done a few trots but if I trot him on flat ground as opposed to a hill, he is starting to push more from behind and actually start to come onto the bridle. Of course, I’m not forcing him onto the bridle and him being in that frame is so far down my priority list right now but it’s an indication that he’s pushing more from behind - again, still far from perfect but an improvement

- feels better going downhill. Something I’d not noticed was an issue until recently. He is just more confident and forward going downhill

- better picking his back legs up. I used to have to really hold onto them when I picked them out and he’d constantly try and put them down. Again, I just thought it was a balance issue

- less camped under. He used to regularly stand with both back legs together and camped under but I’ve realised he’s actually starting to stand more like a “normal” horse now

This all sounds really really positive! Especially the general improvement in mood. That definitely tells you more than a farrier who is possibly dealing with a bruised ego.

 

[J_sarahd]

They're all lame and compromised just like all living beings. He's had some medical support, give him some time off, condition him back to work and ask him for as much as you can encourage, but never force, him to do.

This is the thing, if I ask him for as much as I can encourage, we will already be cantering! He feels like he wants to go for a big blast, which I’m obviously not going to do as he’s not ready for that yet. We’ve had a couple of unintentional canter strides already just from me trotting (and not even pushing him). Whereas before, getting him into canter was one of my main red flags and he’s not a hot horse in that if trotting was painful, he is the type to just trot reaaaaally slowly or go back to walk

 

[m1stify]

I think one person’s opinion has you questioning everything. The positives you just listed are what you should be concentrating on IMO. If there is an issue you are not going to miss it but I would allow others opinions (excluding vets) in one ear & out the other

 

[J_sarahd]

I think one person’s opinion has you questioning everything. The positives you just listed are what you should be concentrating on IMO. If there is an issue you are not going to miss it but I would allow others opinions (excluding vets) in one ear & out the other

You’ve hit the nail on the head there. I think my farrier’s opinion on his soundness has made me forget all the other positives that are signs he’s feeling better in himself. Especially the behavioural one!

 

[SEL]

To be fair, the only person/people I truly trust to detect lameness is a handful of vets. Like really truly trust - unless horse is HOPPING lame but then I would hope I’d spot it myself even if I’m the one trotting them up.

The car park we walk through to get to the flat drive is very stony and most horses do throw in the odd lame step on there, even some shod ones sometimes. So it could be a footsore type lameness

We've got some horrible hardcore down on one of our bridlepaths - literally looks like the farmer dumped a demolished building into the mud - & my usually rock solid barefoot pony tiptoes over it. When I mentioned it to my farrier he said he'd tiptoe over that too & not to worry.

If you've trotted up on the flat drive and his assessment of being lame is a mis-step on stones I'd not take that as gospel.

 

[J_sarahd]

Just an update but I’ve sent the vet a video of him trotting up and she said he looks so much better than when she saw him and has basically given us the go ahead for carrying on as we are and increasing our workload slowly.

So my farrier can absolutely do one Not the first time he’s made me super anxious about this horse for days, but definitely the last time.

 

[anglo]

Keep a close eye on him , as steroids are a know casue of laminitis .

 

[webble]

I would definitely change farrier and so happy you have a positive update, after all you have been through you deserve an easier time