uncomfortable after loss of shoe...

[L&M]

I went to get my cob in to ride today and noticed he had lost a front shoe. The hoof wall looks fine and he walked down to the yard ok.

I left a message for my farrier, then decided to lunge him in the school, but he was reluctant to go forward when trotting and seemed a little footy, so left it and turned him back out again.

He is entered into a HT at the weekend so really want him to be sound - as the ground is so hard atm, would I be better to bring him in to stand on a soft bed until the farrier can attend?

What would you do?

Thanks in advance!

 

[whisp&willow]

personaly i think he's best out in the field until re-shod. when was he last shod- is his foot jagged from the shoe being pulled with tight clenches? or has it come off clean?

i think lunging him with 3 shoes was a mistake, but as long as he is sound, or relatively so in the field i'd leave him there. this is based on the thinking that he is foot sore from it being without a shoe, rather than lameness further up the leg due to having pulled the shoe off in a fence, bog etc, and twisted his leg funny/jarred it etc.

i'd check his legs for heat etc and decide if he's sore in the foot, or up the leg, and take it from there. if he's only sore in the foot, then i'd guess he'l be fine for the weekend once re-shod.

just a thought- does he tend to throw shoes? if not and he is slightly lame it could indicate an abscess.

 

[L&M]

Thanks, and yes in hindsight I shouldn't have tried lungeing him, but he looked totally sound at walk across hardstanding and assumed as the surface was soft, it wouldn't worry him.....

The shoe has come off cleanly with no signs of damage and there is no heat or signs of trauma. He was happy for me to pick it out as normal and bear weight on it. He has never thrown a shoe before but there is a boggy patch in the field which I suspect is where the shoe is - I have had a quick look but will look for it again tonight.

Will play the waiting game for the farrier and just hope by attempting to lunge haven't made him more uncomfortable......

 

[whisp&willow]

im sure you wont have caused him any problems. once he has a shoe back on he'l be right as rain! he was most likely unbalanced on the lunge rather than lame

was he due to be re-shod? are the clenches on the remaining shoes raised? if so then i wouldnt worry too much, as a boggy bit would probably be your cause.

from experience from a horse who never casts shoes, the one time she did we found that she'd had a really deep rooted abscess, which had then burst, causing her to loose a shoe as the foot was a bit soft in areas.
not saying thats necessarily the cause here- but a possibility.
xx