Terrible looking feet....but I think we like them!

[poiuytrewq]

Through the 5 years I've owned this horse he has had both awful and good looking feet.
Arrived with the biggest feet I've ever seen on a TB and shoes hanging off. My farrier took them back a bit too much and slightly lamed him- Farrier and I learned from that and he was done monthly so barely any change each time. He was never sore after shoeing again.
This is the tb some of you will already have heard about. Problems with tripping and soundness, we, at first went down the foot route so tried all manner of different shoes, pads infill material, heart bars and so on. The out come of all this experimentation was that the more complicated and expensive we went the worse he was. He was happiest in simple bog standard shoes. By this time he had shrunk back a few sizes and his feet looked in place with his legs!

He had constricted heels and very deep central sulcas so I worked on cleaning and packing them with Red horse hoof stuff. They improved a lot. Friend always said though that the only way to really open the frog up was to remove the shoes. This we did when I have up on trying to get him completely sound and non trippy. He ended up having about 18 months off out in the field barefoot.
His feet grew huge again, not just flare, he did get some flaring towards the end of the trim cycle but they just looked bigger and his frogs imo looked great, really open and therefore infection free.

He came home in February/March this year maybe. I had no option but to put fronts back on. He doesn't live out here and needs to walk across very stony ground. He was crippled. My farrier simply wacked a set of fronts on.
I think because he's retired he just didn't bother taking as much time and has left them the same size, so he removes, trims and refits.

Physio said yesterday Its no wonder he trips with feet that size and they need taking right back asap. So i planned a chat with my farrier, who's great and will be fine about it (I hope!)
However, Its occurred to me the horse is currently the soundest and least trippy then he's ever been and I'm actually hesitant to make his feet look pleasing to the eye for fear of changing this. Now, we ruled out his feet being the cause of the tripping and lameness anyway with nerve blocks and xrays etc but as far as i can see its a fact that he is sounder with "wrong feet"

I worry if we even try and take them back it may be too late to then think ah ok that was the wrong thing to do because it took a year and a half to get them to this point.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

When you remove shoes on any horse the foot will expand over time so I think they grow the foot they need, shoes restrict this happening so they look neater bit it doesn't mean it's right.

I wouldn't worry about how they look if his not tripping with them like that why would you change them?

To be fair physios that are not trained as vets are not really qualified to advise you on feet, so it's just someone's opinion at the end of the day.

I would leave him how he is.

 

[poiuytrewq]

He is a vet as well. It wouldn't make sense would it. I know myself when I look at them they look too big and i remember how neat and lovely they used to look but yeah, I'm definitely veering towards not conforming to the norm here.

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

I'm not sure what you mean by too big. If the widening has allowed him to have an open, healthy frog, they are not really too big, are they?

 

[FinnishLapphund]

He is a vet as well. It wouldn't make sense would it. I know myself when I look at them they look too big and i remember how neat and lovely they used to look but yeah, I'm definitely veering towards not conforming to the norm here.

Almost all rules have exceptions, you have tried giving him more conforming to the norm looking hooves before, but this is the hoof shape that works best for him.
If the physio says anything again, just say that you've already tried, but the horse haven't read the hoof rule book, and this is what he's happiest with.

 

[poiuytrewq]

I'm not sure what you mean by too big. If the widening has allowed him to have an open, healthy frog, they are not really too big, are they?

Well no you'd think not but people do like small neat feet. Farriers and even vets don't appear to see a problem with constricted heels at all.
He looks like they should be a bit clumsy but as i say appear not to be. I think they are quite an endearing feature

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

When I took Arabi's shoes off for the first time he outgrew the cavallos I bought him in a mater of weeks.

 

[Reacher]

So far as I understand people bred horses over the years to have small feet to look pretty , rather than what the horses needed. Does he have long toes ? If not and they aren’t flared I’d keep them as they are

 

[I'm Dun]

Theres big healthy feet and theres big flared feet with long toes. I'd take the shoes off and rehab the feet so he can manage. It sounds like he would do a lot better out of shoes, and if your not riding then its a lot quicker and easier to do than getting them fit for ridden work.

 

[I'm Dun]

ooh was this rob jackson? i was waiting for you to post about how you got on.

 

[poiuytrewq]

ooh was this rob jackson? i was waiting for you to post about how you got on.

Yes! Really really liked him! Such a nice guy.
Horse is crippled without shoes sadly. He did the full barefoot diet for years and everything was all very correct but he was some days visibly sore in the field even and really just can’t cope here as it’s so stony.
Day 2 of being home he was miserable and not willing to come in or out of the field. I honestly think he’s just one of those who can’t cope without.
I also want his feet to be comfortable so he isn’t holding himself weirdly or trying to compensate.

 

[poiuytrewq]

And anyway who said I wasn’t going to be riding him….

Not just yet. Quiet lunging to see how he manages after a lot of (quite vicious looking) loosening off of his neck
Then I’m to put his “old book” on the shelf and open a new one pretending I know nothing of his past other than ex racer might be a hacking horse!
He might not be, but Rob said to treat it as an exploration of how far we get. Nothing to loose.

 

[I'm Dun]

And anyway who said I wasn’t going to be riding him….

Not just yet. Quiet lunging to see how he manages after a lot of (quite vicious looking) loosening off of his neck
Then I’m to put his “old book” on the shelf and open a new one pretending I know nothing of his past other than ex racer might be a hacking horse!
He might not be, but Rob said to treat it as an exploration of how far we get. Nothing to loose.

What did he say about your other boy?

 

[poiuytrewq]

What did he say about your other boy?

He was very tight behind the saddle and down his off side wither/shoulder area.
All loosened off.
He was very clear that this probably isn’t contributing to the head shaking but could have been the newer head shaking symptoms I’ve been experiencing which is horizontal head hollowing and whipping to the left.
Generally though nothing much wrong that may cause problems.
So he’s got stitches on the ground, like specific point carrot stretches and I need to try and strengthen that area of back, that is easier said than done with him as he’s so difficult to ride properly. I was relieved recently when someone who knew his old owner commented that he never worked over his back properly so it’s going to be a tough one!
However head shaking aside he’s pretty ok body wise which is good to know.
I may try lessons with someone new and see if a fresh approach may help.

 

[I'm Dun]

Well I guess its good and bad news. I was really hoping Rob would find something and make a huge difference. Hes not straight forward at all is he! Have you xrayed his back and neck?

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

He was very tight behind the saddle and down his off side wither/shoulder area.
All loosened off.
He was very clear that this probably isn’t contributing to the head shaking but could have been the newer head shaking symptoms I’ve been experiencing which is horizontal head hollowing and whipping to the left.
Generally though nothing much wrong that may cause problems.
So he’s got stitches on the ground, like specific point carrot stretches and I need to try and strengthen that area of back, that is easier said than done with him as he’s so difficult to ride properly. I was relieved recently when someone who knew his old owner commented that he never worked over his back properly so it’s going to be a tough one!
However head shaking aside he’s pretty ok body wise which is good to know.
I may try lessons with someone new and see if a fresh approach may help.

Do you feed oily herbs?

I only ask as Arabi is a mild shaker he doesn't toss his head but he rubs his nose and face on things, it's not horrendous he probably does it twice when riding and I see him sometimes rub when his in.

I honestly do think his slightly better since being on the oily herbs.

 

[poiuytrewq]

Well I guess its good and bad news. I was really hoping Rob would find something and make a huge difference. Hes not straight forward at all is he! Have you xrayed his back and neck?

I haven't no, I'd kind of hoped Rob might have said something like this point is really bad and you need to x ray that. Nothing was really bad though! Which really is a good thing, It just might have been nice to have been able to give him an excuse! You never know though. After 6 weeks of theses exercises maybe he will be better, maybe that weak seized area is more sore than he lets on.

Do you feed oily herbs?

I only ask as Arabi is a mild shaker he doesn't toss his head but he rubs his nose and face on things, it's not horrendous he probably does it twice when riding and I see him sometimes rub when his in.

I honestly do think his slightly better since being on the oily herbs.

I don't no, He absolutely refuses to eat anything in his feed, he often refuses to eat feeds at all but guarrenteed won't even touch it with anything in. I did try, starting with the tiniest amounts but its a no from him! Its lucky he's a good doer and eats hay willingly!