MagicMelon
Well-Known Member
Right - 2 ponies, 2 problems.
Pony no 1 had very serious laminitis about 15 years ago. He's now 20yrs old and (touch wood) with careful management hasn't had it since. He's obviously been more prone to absesses etc. over the years though and used to get about 2 a year although this seems to have gotten better.... Anyway, the pony has always been shod up until now on the advise of our farrier. However recently he has now gone shoe-less and we have him trimmed by a barefoot trimmer. This pony has always been funny on certain ground. Like he hates stoney ground for example, walks carefully on tarmac / cement but is perfectly fine on grass / arena surface. For example, Ive been taking him out for walks a few times a week - he'll walk across the stoney bits VERY carefully and looking extremely sore, he'll even stop sometimes and not want to walk on. But as soon as he hits grass he's 100% sound and away! But if he stands on a stone he will limp like hell for a few strides and then be fine again. I hoped with him being barefoot that the soles of his feet (since they're now in contact with the ground) would harden up and he'd improve with this, but they haven't. Will they? If so, how long does it take and is there anything I should / shouldn't be doing? His hooves are generally in a pretty damn good nick considering and they aren't soft or anything. What do you all think?
Pony no 2 - Vet said she is slightly athritic in her hind hips (probably due to a kick she had about 10 years ago which left her very very slightly lame ever since) and she also has a confirmation fault where he hind joints dont un-click out of place. ie. the joints which lock when a horse sleeps - they lock up a bit as she walks so you can see her hind legs sort of click as she trots. Its never caused her any problems as she's had this since a foal but this could also encourage athritis. She's 17 by the way. She's also had a few bouts of laminitis (I think she may have cushings) over the past year even though Ive tried my damnest to keep it away. So she's in a very small paddock which she gets bored in and therefore doesnt move about much. She always looks lame in the paddock but as soon as I take her out, she'll be lame for a bit but suddenly have a buck and a kick with excitment and she's loosened herself up and she then jogs everywhere and looks 10 times better. I try to give her exercise daily (in hand or lunge) but am wondering if there's anything I can do to help her stay loosened up in her paddock? BTW, she's on a joint supplement which has helped a lot.
Pony no 1 had very serious laminitis about 15 years ago. He's now 20yrs old and (touch wood) with careful management hasn't had it since. He's obviously been more prone to absesses etc. over the years though and used to get about 2 a year although this seems to have gotten better.... Anyway, the pony has always been shod up until now on the advise of our farrier. However recently he has now gone shoe-less and we have him trimmed by a barefoot trimmer. This pony has always been funny on certain ground. Like he hates stoney ground for example, walks carefully on tarmac / cement but is perfectly fine on grass / arena surface. For example, Ive been taking him out for walks a few times a week - he'll walk across the stoney bits VERY carefully and looking extremely sore, he'll even stop sometimes and not want to walk on. But as soon as he hits grass he's 100% sound and away! But if he stands on a stone he will limp like hell for a few strides and then be fine again. I hoped with him being barefoot that the soles of his feet (since they're now in contact with the ground) would harden up and he'd improve with this, but they haven't. Will they? If so, how long does it take and is there anything I should / shouldn't be doing? His hooves are generally in a pretty damn good nick considering and they aren't soft or anything. What do you all think?
Pony no 2 - Vet said she is slightly athritic in her hind hips (probably due to a kick she had about 10 years ago which left her very very slightly lame ever since) and she also has a confirmation fault where he hind joints dont un-click out of place. ie. the joints which lock when a horse sleeps - they lock up a bit as she walks so you can see her hind legs sort of click as she trots. Its never caused her any problems as she's had this since a foal but this could also encourage athritis. She's 17 by the way. She's also had a few bouts of laminitis (I think she may have cushings) over the past year even though Ive tried my damnest to keep it away. So she's in a very small paddock which she gets bored in and therefore doesnt move about much. She always looks lame in the paddock but as soon as I take her out, she'll be lame for a bit but suddenly have a buck and a kick with excitment and she's loosened herself up and she then jogs everywhere and looks 10 times better. I try to give her exercise daily (in hand or lunge) but am wondering if there's anything I can do to help her stay loosened up in her paddock? BTW, she's on a joint supplement which has helped a lot.
