Success stories of horses coming back right after lengthy time off due to foot balance issues

[Gryfiss]

Anyone got any success stories, my 4 yr only mare went lame last may she since has had around 8 months off she was diagnosed with collateral ligament and deep ditagital flexor tendon inflammation bone brushing of the felock joints and ligament damage across her back ?
Story goes brought her in the Oct started backing her in the late Dec waa having problems with her putting her back up had it xrayed no kissing spine but as above was found (had MRI on feet)

Turned out vet wanted to shoe I wasn't keen (previously barefoot) put a set on no difference so left off turned away . I had been reading the rockey books so decided to give self trimming ago she wasn't able to do any road walking due to the bone bruises so from what I'd read thought I'd see if they'd naturaly break up in the field..they didn't so 5 months on at the vets no big difference in lameness get said get remedial shoes on 3 showings later in bars there is a improvement but still lame.farrier says it's a repetitive strain injury due to long pasterns and collapsed heal. I'm thinking do I just have the shoes taken off have her trimmed every 3 weeks put her in foal and see where we're at in 18 months 2 years time .

has anyone else found that with the time it's healed or it just throws up the same problems as before as soon as they're back in work.
I'm not a big shoes fan but would stick with it if I though it made a massive difference in just not sure it has also last time they injected her coffin joints to relive the inflammation but I'm just thinking as soon as that wears off then she'll be lame again, vets says not but I'm not sure what to believe .I feel really pressured with time as I only have till may with my insurance but don't currently have the facilities to bring her back into anytype of work till late spring dur to facilities/covid/work which then doesn't give me time to put her in foal?

i have had a horse with collateral ligament injuries before I did all the remedial shoeing work box rest and hand walking only to be still lane a year later so I'm not sold on this is the way towards but don't want to bite of my nose to spite my face ?

Thanks in advance ?

 

[Meowy Catkin]

Have you spoken to Nic at Rockley about your mare (by the Rocky books do you mean Rockley? Eg the book 'feet first'?) at all?

Do you think your vet would be willing to do a referral to Rockley if Nic thought it was worth trying?

Have you tried hoof boots?

You mention that she has long pasterns and that this could have contributed to her issues. I would be cautious breeding from a mare with conformation issues that is unsound so young, you don't want her to produce a foal with the same problems.

 

[Gryfiss]

Have you spoken to Nic at Rockley about your mare (by the Rocky books do you mean Rockley? Eg the book 'feet first'?) at all?

Do you think your vet would be willing to do a referral to Rockley if Nic thought it was worth trying?

Have you tried hoof boots?

You mention that she has long pasterns and that this could have contributed to her issues. I would be cautious breeding from a mare with conformation issues that is unsound so young, you don't want her to produce a foal with the same problems.

Thanks for replying, I have spoken to her but no advise as she hasn't seen her, I've read her second book and listend to her on humble hoof blog and you tube plus followed her blogs.
I could send her there through my insure but they wouldn't pay the board fee so I'd have to pay 50% of the fee which I couldn't afford. I did play about with boots when breaking her in and for abit at the start of her lameness but didn't want to use them for turnout as found they were quite slippy . I'll attach a pic of her , actually it won't upload it says it's too big

 

[windand rain]

Yes a young horse too relied on the farrier to get it right, The horse ended up lame, He was taken to vets hospital and balance issues were highlighted. He also ended up with ligament damage, several months of remedial shoeing etc and no real improvement, turned him away for a year with a new farrier trimming to x rays came back sound and was fittened up as a hunter and never went lame again. He was on livery at the same yard for 15 years and was just as any horse jumping and dressage until he retired age 23 I think the rebalancing involved a complete new hoof growing through so he trimmed very often every 3 weeks in Spring and summer and every 5 in winter

 

[Gryfiss]

Yes a young horse too relied on the farrier to get it right, The horse ended up lame, He was taken to vets hospital and balance issues were highlighted. He also ended up with ligament damage, several months of remedial shoeing etc and no real improvement, turned him away for a year with a new farrier trimming to x rays came back sound and was fittened up as a hunter and never went lame again. He was on livery at the same yard for 15 years and was just as any horse jumping and dressage until he retired age 23 I think the rebalancing involved a complete new hoof growing through so he trimmed very often every 3 weeks in Spring and summer and every 5 in winter

Thanks for your reply , did you keep him shod or barefoot, I think it's worth a try I've not really been in the position before but now we've got are own land I don't feel the pressure of having to pay for one on livery plus she's a good companion ?

 

[Gryfiss]

This is her

 

[Tiddlypom]

though it made a massive difference in just not sure it has also last time they injected her coffin joints to relive the inflammation but I'm just thinking as soon as that wears off then she'll be lame again,

Has medication of the coffin joints made her sound? Gel injections into front coffins made a big difference to mine, and the effects last much longer than steroid injections. Mine wasn’t MRI’d, but vet suspects soft tissue damage within the feet from previous poor foot balance. ETA Initially my mare was put back in shoes, but is now unshod - vet had thought she would never cope without shoes.

Her pasterns don’t look especially long in the pic, can’t judge the heels.

Please don’t breed from an unsound young horse.

 

[MissTyc]

My then 13yo cob had a bad medial collateral ligament injury. He was competing BE 90 at the time and winning elementary classes. Had always been sound, and we're not sure what caused the injury. I rehabilitated him on a track around 0.7 acres, bi-weekly barefoot trimming to mimic the effect of the remedial shoes recommended by the vet, and shockwave treatment + the usual injections in the coffin joint. We X-rayed for foot balance a few times to make sure the trim was doing the right thing, and I learned how to do it myself.

He was field sound after 5-6 months, so we started controlled walking in hand, then under saddle. There were up and downs, but two years after the injury he was hacking straight lines in walk, trot, canter, up and down hills, and we're now at 3.5 years post-injury and he was in full work prior to lockdown. He's back at elementary dressage doing OK and I have jumped small courses up to about 80 on good surfaces + a few XC fences while on a fun ride. I keep his feet balanced like my life depends on it (his maybe does). I draw on his sole with a marker pen to check the balance and in summer I rasp up to twice a week. Winter is a bit easier as it doesn't grow as quickly. So far, so good. The vet didn't think he'd ever be sound and even less so without remedial shoes, so I treasure every moment.

 

[Gryfiss]

Hiya these are some previous pics of her barefoot , we couldn't tell this time of the medication had worked due to her loosing a shoe we're going back next week.

 

[Gryfiss]

My then 13yo cob had a bad medial collateral ligament injury. He was competing BE 90 at the time and winning elementary classes. Had always been sound, and we're not sure what caused the injury. I rehabilitated him on a track around 0.7 acres, bi-weekly barefoot trimming to mimic the effect of the remedial shoes recommended by the vet, and shockwave treatment + the usual injections in the coffin joint. We X-rayed for foot balance a few times to make sure the trim was doing the right thing, and I learned how to do it myself.

He was field sound after 5-6 months, so we started controlled walking in hand, then under saddle. There were up and downs, but two years after the injury he was hacking straight lines in walk, trot, canter, up and down hills, and we're now at 3.5 years post-injury and he was in full work prior to lockdown. He's back at elementary dressage doing OK and I have jumped small courses up to about 80 on good surfaces + a few XC fences while on a fun ride. I keep his feet balanced like my life depends on it (his maybe does). I draw on his sole with a marker pen to check the balance and in summer I rasp up to twice a week. Winter is a bit easier as it doesn't grow as quickly. So far, so good. The vet didn't think he'd ever be sound and even less so without remedial shoes, so I treasure every moment.

That's sounds amazing well done . this is what I think I need to do I don't mind the work but don't want to work her having been injected I just think it covers up what's really going on but I'm probably wrong who knows I just think more time would be better for her .

 

[Gryfiss]

That's sounds amazing well done . this is what I think I need to do I don't mind the work but don't want to work her having been injected I just think it covers up what's really going on but I'm probably wrong who knows I just think more time would be better for her .

Also did have her on a grass track till October time round 1.5 acres x

 

[MissTyc]

Also did have her on a grass track till October time round 1.5 acres x

I swear by tracks now! My rising 3yo (you can probably work out the dates and realise I panic bought a foal after my cob was injured lol) has the most balanced canter having grown up on the rehab track. My mare's gaits also improved enormously from the track. I am fortunate that I have access to a big herd for the summer, but winters will now be on the grass/mud/sludge track where I can control the movement so much better.
GOOD LUCK!!!

 

[Tiddlypom]

What issues are the insurance currently paying out on? There’s the stuff which showed up on foot MRI, but also she has ligament strain in her back.

How much is left in the claim pot, and when does the claim run out? From the time line you give, this seems to have been going on for over a year, but maybe I’ve misread it.

 

[Gryfiss]

What issues are the insurance currently paying out on? There’s the stuff which showed up on foot MRI, but also she has ligament strain in her back.

How much is left in the claim pot, and when does the claim run out? From the time line you give, this seems to have been going on for over a year, but maybe I’ve misread it.

She had claims in at the moment for ulcers, sarcoids , front feet and back ligament. They claim ends in may for the back and front feet I don't think I have a huge amount left due but not 100% need to find out x

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

Mine had balance issues at 5 the vet and farrier just couldn't get his feet right, they looked too long in the toe to me but farrier wouldn't cut them back, I just so happened saw a friend with her horse and noticed how lovely his feet looked, rang her farrier he came and put natural balance shoes on the front and he was sound and had no balance issues since that was 12 years ago his now barefoot.