Sore on bare hinds?? Help/Advice Please

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Gorgeous George

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I hope someone can give me some advice, 7 weeks ago I had George's hind shoes taken off in the hope that it would help him with his rehab from PSD and it was with the vets and farriers blessing. He is on a foot healthy diet, soaked hay, low sugar chaff with pro balance and linseed added. Farrier was out on Wednesday and was pleased with how the hooves looked and the fact that they are rock hard and cool to touch.

The problem is that I feel George may be a bit sore on them, he is a laid back stoic character at the best of times but he does seem more reluctant than usual, particularly in walk. He is completely sound, is tracking up well on soft and hard surfaces and is not pottery, BUT on some stony ground, uneven concrete he seems to stumble a bit behind and just doesn't seem so happy. Obviously I am aware it could be his psd so the vet is coming out next week to check him over, but how would I know if it is sore feet instead (apologies if that is terribly naïve). If it is his feet, should I have his shoes put back on, or persevere? I can't do all his work on soft ground as hard ground is good for his psd rehab.

I really hope someone can help as I am worried I am hurting my horse, but I really want to keep the shoes off as I know it can be so beneficial for his injury.

Thanks for reading :)
 
Has he been the same for the whole seven weeks or just more recently? I'd persevere and invest in some boots (and perhaps pads) for stony bits...
 
Gorgeous George said:
Doubting my decision at the moment.
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I took my horses shoes off about 3 months ago and went thorough the same thing and was so worried that I was making him sore, but I kept going and although nowhere near rock crunching g seemed to get through that point and is now much better. I think the main thing is to get comfy miles into the feet, whether you have to lead, boot or whatever. I also took shoes off my 4 /5 year old about 5 weeks ago, I started hacking him over the Christmas holidays but this week hasn't been ridden due to work. I lead him tonight off g and he seemed fine but struggled on the way home (was only out for 20 mins) and I think that he is feeling his feet due to me not being able to condition him a little bit on a near daily basis, ( he is out on sodden ground in the day and stables at night). I think I will boot him in front until the light gets better and I can ride him after work in the week. I go thought periods of doubting my decision also, but I thing that for my horse it's for the greater good :-)
 
Many people run in to trouble around 8 weeks after removing shoes. There are many theories in place about why this happens(improved circulation, re-awakened neural pathways, pockets of infection-i.e dead tissue caused by poor circulation from shoeing being expelled,growth not yet quite in line with wear and I am sure there are more ideas!)
By 12 weeks without shoes the horse usually recovers from this minor crisis. In the meantime you could use boots. Also keep a very close eye out for thrush as this causes more soreness than people realize and can lurk un noticed in the central sulcus.
 
abitodd said:
Many people run in to trouble around 8 weeks after removing shoes. There are many theories in place about why this happens(improved circulation, re-awakened neural pathways, pockets of infection-i.e dead tissue caused by poor circulation from shoeing being expelled,growth not yet quite in line with wear and I am sure there are more ideas!)
By 12 weeks without shoes the horse usually recovers from this minor crisis. In the meantime you could use boots. Also keep a very close eye out for thrush as this causes more soreness than people realize and can lurk un noticed in the central sulcus.
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This was my thinking. Also even the tiniest trim can make a horse sore if it's vulnerable: the farrier doesn't need to have trimmed sole or frogs - even just taking a little too much down at the heel can give the horse more exposure on the frog than they're used to, which can make them sore on rougher / harder surfaces. Don't panic, investigate boots and keep the faith! :)
 
I've been reading up loads on barefoot in the past week. (So of course now I'm an expert :D ) It seems chaff is not recommended, even low sugar ones.
 
Just another thought to confuse you even more. My old Tb developed a mystery lameness, so mild you could barely notice. After prolonged investigation we concluded that it was due to the very wet weather softening his soles, then on stony or uneven ground, he was footsore. No idea of Georges current routine but could it be possible that its related to the weather?
 
Thanks all, think I will look into some boots, and maybe it is the fact he has just been trimmed and the ground is so wet, although he is in at night so his feet shouldn't be too wet? It is a bit of a mindfield really, but I will try to keep the faith as I'm sure it will be for the best in the long run.
 
Gosh Darremi that wasn't very helpful or supportive was it? If you read my post you would see that I'm not even sure if he is sore and that was why I was asking for advice, I really appreciate you making me feel even worse/doubtful.
 
Even though my boy has been bare for two years, he still can get sore behind sometimes, I just boot all round and as I have the equine fusions, his "trainers" he then bounces along happily!:D
 
Treat the frogs as though he has thrush even if you can't see any .
The first time I took fatty BF we had a devil of a time with his hind feet in end we treated invisible thrush and it resolved .
 
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