Ups & Downs of Barefoot

Wimbles

Wimbles

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On a high - I've posted a bit about one of my lovely ex racers who came to me with pretty cruddy feet, shod in heartbars and still not sound. To cut a long story short with the full backing of my vet and farrier we completely changed his diet, started him on the progressive earth supplement and removed his shoes in August Last weekend he went to his first ridden horseball session, barefoot and it was fabulous. He can now be walked/ridden on tarmac with no problem, goes beautifully in the school and just needs his boots for rougher tracks. I'm really proud of us all for the journey we're on and I think it's really turned this horse around.

A massive low - I have another ex racer who has always struggled with his feet. We tried him barefoot several years ago and it was not a success but armed with all this new knowledge and a hugely positive success story behind us I decided to give it another go. I will admit that I struggled a bit with the first horse but he managed fine on pain relief when needed and it was never really bad. The second horse, however, is crippled. His weak feet have crumbled and I'm having to keep him in on rubber matting on 2 danilon a day :( I want to cry every time I look at him. I just don't know what to do, even in boots he can barely walk. I'd put shoes back on him in a heartbeat but there's nothing to nail to. My farrier is considering casting his feet to see if it helps.

Just wondering if anyone can offer any advice on anything else that I can do for him as it's breaking me.
 
Does your second one have thin soles?

Perhaps something like Vettec Sole Guard http://www.vettec.com/faqs-sole-guard might help, even if he also needs equipak as well?

Casting might help with a hoof pack (dental impression material); if casted (which can last up to 6 weeks), the hoof needs to be thoroughly disinfected, and anti bacterial/fungal packing needs to be used to prevent thrush.

OR, you could try glue on shoes like sigafoos, or even imprints.

If there is no hoof wall, this can be created with epoxy to nail a shoe on.

Unfortunately all of these options aren't cheap... :(

I hope your boy is feeling better soon.
 
I too would consider casting with some packing material in. I don't know if you can/people do add packing or not without google!

What boots are you using? with or without pads?
 
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I've got him in the easyboot clouds and we've added comfort pads but he almost seems more comfortable in his stable, at least, without his boots. I just feel awful for doing this to him :(
 
Casey76 said:
Does your second one have thin soles?

Perhaps something like Vettec Sole Guard http://www.vettec.com/faqs-sole-guard might help, even if he also needs equipak as well?

Casting might help with a hoof pack (dental impression material); if casted (which can last up to 6 weeks), the hoof needs to be thoroughly disinfected, and anti bacterial/fungal packing needs to be used to prevent thrush.

OR, you could try glue on shoes like sigafoos, or even imprints.

If there is no hoof wall, this can be created with epoxy to nail a shoe on.

Unfortunately all of these options aren't cheap... :(

I hope your boy is feeling better soon.
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Thanks for all the suggestions, really appreciate it! One thing this horse has never been is cheap but I'll try anything for him :)
 
Wimbles said:
I've got him in the easyboot clouds and we've added comfort pads but he almost seems more comfortable in his stable, at least, without his boots. I just feel awful for doing this to him :(
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bummer I was hoping you would say something else! Any chance something metabolic going on to make him so sore?

My other thought would be rather than the rubber matting can you fill his stable with something conformable bedding wise?

are you on any of the barefoot groups? I don't brave a lot of them but am on here, Lucy priory doesn't post on here anymore but might have some ideas to help and runs this one too. https://www.facebook.com/groups/BarefootApproach2WholeHorseHealth/?fref=ts
 
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Ah hello, POR, I was thinking of your boy as know he was very sore and knew you booted for turnout but couldn't remember if you did anything else.

Hope your boy still doing ok.
 
Mine had very thin bruised soles when her shoes came off. I used boots (cavallos) with EPS pads in. They are foam and about an inch and a half thick. They gave great comfort immediately and enabled her to get some exercise in hand and loose in the school. She didn't get turnout and was kept in on rubber mathing and shavings. The pads are less than a tenner so well worth a try.

The support they give helps the sole develop. My vet thought mine would need heartbars and pads to be ridden but she has been bare ever since using boots and pads as needed. She is now hunting barefoot.
 
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Hello Ester, Yes my boy is doing ok considering how bad he was! He did have a period of being turned out in boots ad pads which did help him, but he did better in the wraps, which also encouraged good growth.
I must admit that it has been very hard, but he has been bare five years now and is no longer on danilon, his feet look great and are so much more healthy, but he will never truly be a barefoot horse as he has too much damage, so I just boot him all round for riding and accept this is what he needs and my EP agrees with me.
We still have good and bad days, but I never thought he would still be with me!!!
 
You may also find that yours needs a higher spec mineral supplement, different feed, or lower sugar. What are you feeding? I found I needed more copper and more magnesium than were in the pro earth supplements.
 
Kat assuming POR still has the same trimmer I suspect she is as good as she can get.

POR hacking in boots is much better than him not being here, even if he has put you through the ringer a bit on the way.
 
He has had navicular since he was eight and he is now sixteen, so at least he has improved , rather than going the other way and at one point I thought I would never ride him again! I really have to play by ear each day and I know him so well now, that when I get on I can tell if it is going to be quick walk out or a longer hack. Over five years I have tried many different approaches with him , regarding feed and vit/mins.
I do think that they can't all be totally fixed barefoot, especially when they have other issues going on as in his case, an old navicular fracture and arthritis as well. But he would not be here if I had carried on shoeing, I am sure!!!!
 
I do agree, they don't all make amazing recoveries but I do think they generally end up better off than the alternatives long term.
 
Thanks for all of this, it gives me a bit of hope. I will have a look at the links when I get home. I'm just gutted as the other boy has done so, so well.

Feed wise he's got ad-lib haylage and then readigrass, soaked grass nuts and micronised linseed. It's ironic that his body looks the best it's done for years! Sigh..... We have to be a bit careful with what he's fed as he's sensitive to alfalfa and things but if there's anything I should add/remove then please say and i'll give it a whirl!
 
Put the wraps on pines of rome mentioned. My horse was transitioned in them after 10yrs of shoes and you can put pads under the wraps to keep him comfortable and stimulate the foot. He needs to move to get the foot to wake up, I still use them on mine when his feet gets slightly weak in the wet, the amount of growth when you use them is phenomenal! You might like to try a DAEP trimmer/podiatrist to help you as well as they are very informed about how to help. Am assuming his diet is ok?
 
I dont want to say that your farrier is doing a bad job, but one of mine (Brandy) was very lame in shoes. We took them off about 4 years ago now, but he struggled for a very long time. We change feeds, due to his age thought about cushing etc. After about 2 years we change from a farrier to a trimmer (farrier moved away and i didnt like the others in my area) anyway after the first trim there as a massive difference and he's now ridden without boots!

Our farrier bare trimmed my pony for many years with no issues, so this didnt even cross our minds at the time!
 
Poor you (and him), that sounds frustrating. I don't have any particularly helpful advice other than, every time I've needed them, the advice given by Equine Podiatry Supplies on which products help what has been amazing. I would definitely recommend emailing them incase they have some sort of packing material that would help or particular advice on boots/feeding.

Agree with comments about a thick bed for the meanwhile rather than matting but perhaps you have a reason for using matting specifically.
 
He's having the wraps put on tomorrow :)

We keep him on mats because he is the grimmest, dirtiest animal on earth, if you put bedding in he just digs and digs and digs until everything is churned together and his feet just get caked in crud. If You leave him on mats with just a tiny square of bedding it's immaculate.

I've been out this weekend and bought some different, very soft matting for the front section of his stable where he stand as he seems happier with this. This horse is determined to break me financially (and physically as he can be pure evil) but I'll do anything to sort him out :). He's given me some great days and I want to get him back there.
 
ester said:
Kat assuming POR still has the same trimmer I suspect she is as good as she can get.

POR hacking in boots is much better than him not being here, even if he has put you through the ringer a bit on the way.
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I was replying to Wimbles - the OP. I know a bit of POR's story and how much she has gone through to get where she is. I wouldn't attempt to advise POR having found her posts on here and on phoenix forum useful when I was transitioning mine.
 
Oh poor boy :-( I've heard of people literally taping really thick foam (from places like Dunelm Mill) to horses with severely sore feet in these situations....might help. Hope he improves soon x
 
Wraps and pads have now been applied and he only looks marginally better but it's only been a couple of days. For saying he's the world's angriest horse he was exceptional to have it done which meant we were able to make sure they were kept beautifully clean so I'm definitely hopeful that we might start to see some improvement soon. My farrier says that if things don't improve satisfactorily then he will look at nailing some shoes into the casts.

Just wanted to say a big thanks to everyone that has taken the time to reply and offer advice, it's greatly appreciated.

In better news my other barefoot rehabbed horse strode out across the frozen ground this morning without a care in the world. To say I'm thrilled is an understatement!
 
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