Warm feet and just removed shoes, what to do?

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painted ponies

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I am not riding my horse out on the road anywhere as much as I used to maybe once a week so I had his back shoes pulled. He was fine to begin with but about 2/3 weeks after he has started to get a little more sensitive, he is fine in the school and on a hard level surface but you have to go over gravel to get anywhere off the main yard and his feet are a little warm. What to do with him?

Persevere and wait until his feet harden and grow a little more,
Put his hinds back on (really dont want to have to do this as im poor and he does tend to have good feet)
Should I box rest him (again really dont like doing this as his back legs do go a little puffy), If they were out at the minute I would just turn him away for a month, but we are on clay and it rains lots in Wales.
Would keratex hoof hardener help?
What should I do with the warm feet? If I soak them in ice water would that not soften them.

Thanks for any help
 
Bare hooves are warmer because the circulation isn't blocked by the nails from the shoes. Highly recommend uknhcp forum and google pete ramey and jaime jackson for more info.
My friend used keratex hoof hardener for the first 2 months of taking her boy barefoot, he was very footy on anything but the softest ground.
 
As above - bare hooves tend to feel warmer as their circulation isn't compromised in any way. As long as there is no bounding pulse or 'hot spots' then they are fine.

Regarding sensitivity, this is caused by;

1) Diet too high in sugar/starch - it has been found that too much sugar/starch weakens and causes inflammation to the laminae (the tissue that holds the hoof wall to the coffin bone) and also causes flattened, thin soles.

2) Low magnesium in the diet - magnesium is required for at least 300 actions in the body. It can be lower in the grazing at this time of year (which is why some horses can get agitated at this time of year, and in spring) or it can also be missing it's chance to be absorbed by a mineral imbalance in the diet. Symptoms are commonly agitation/sore feet/sore muscles.

3) Thrush - doesn't need to be a smell. Scrub hooves with salt water and smother in sudocrem if in doubt.

4) Inappropriate trimming - bare hooves need trimming more conservatively than shod hooves. The frogs should not be pared routinely and the sole should not be touched at all. It is normal for the farrier to pare the frog and trim the sole in a shod hoof as neither has ground contact and cannot exfoliate themselves. But please ensure the farrier isn't doing this to the hinds, as this will make the hoof weaker and sore.

Unless you are treating infection I am opposed to putting lotions and potions on the hoof. Water is all that may ever be required in the hight of summer. Certainly not required at all in our climate in winter. A rule of thumb is that if you wouldn't be happy to gargle with it - then don't put it on the hoof. Hoof health comes from inside - not outside.

Ketaex Hoof Hardener is formaldehyde. This = no, imo;)

Bare hooves get stronger with work, but obviously this is dependant on your horse's comfort level. You can always use boots.
 
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You could of course ‘Pop the shoes back on’ what would worry me if I did that and my horse went better is, what have I just covered up.
For what it is worth after 38 years of shoeing horses what you have is very common.
I often was asked to take hind shoes of horses only to find that they were OK but sometimes did have heat in them.
This heat did not go up the leg so was confined to the foot , it would often come and go depending on work load and diet.
1) I would make sure sugar content of diet is at a minimum if it is not being burned up with work
2) I endorse all Oberon’s points and when trimming I only use cider vinegar as a cleanser
What you will find is that until the hoof has grown down a sufficient amount, the reaction to the expansion and contraction that has now increased due to the shoe removal will have this effect.
I have now only got barefoot clients and I have to say that any that had your problem found it went with patients and good management.
 
One of mine is in week 2 of working barefoot and his feet are defiantly warmer but at the moment he seems happy so I am trying not to worry about it.
I have not got any advice as I am new to barefoot too just to say I am worried the whole time I think thats because I know exactly what I want from a shod foot but barefoot is new to me ,good luck nice to know I am not alone.
 
amymay said:
Pop the shoes back on.
Click to expand...
I don't agree with amymay: you can walk him over the gravel then get on when the going is better, absolutely no way he can't walk on tarmac, even the most footsore horse can do this, unless it has a major problem, I am assuming it is not lame [though you may have to consider bi-lateral lameness], but as others may have mentioned taking the shoes off can reveal issues which were masked by the shoes. I think this is unlikely.
I tend to agree with others that the feet are warmer because there is more "healthy" flow of blood in the tissues including the cartilage.
Check out Feet First [book] and other barefoot advice on here. Being barefoot gives your horse an opportunity to have a longer life as there is not constant interference and concussion caused by steel shoes and shoeing.
I trust the farrier left enough wall, sole and frog on the horse when he removed the shoes, or did he think "customer is confused, I will pare these feet so she can see how sore he is!"
Feed a hi fibre, lo sugar diet with [hoof] minerals and you should be fine.
To condition the feet you need to do about twenty minutes per day on tarmac, he needs to exercise those feet.
Imagine you are sent down to the beach without sandals, day one you are walking on eggshells, but by the end of the week you will have relaxed and toughened the soles, just the same with horses.
 
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Oberon.... I was thinking that about the keratex containing formaldehyde but couldn't remember where I read it or if it was a figment of my imagination :)
I've not used it on my boys but know of a few people, friend inc who have used it in early days of going barefoot or to try and prevent lameness whilst shod !! To be honest, I didn't like the smell of the stuff, way to chemical for me.
As most have said, Start with the feed OP and work from there.
 
I believe poor horn quality needs to be improved by diet. Here's one article about hoof dressings. You might need to join to read but it is free and there are some fab articles. http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=3840

I agree with Oberon. Diet being a biggie as well as ensuring no sole/frog trimming, except exfoliating crumbly or loose flaky sole and frog flaps. Both these need to be able form a tough callous to cope barefoot, constantly trimming them stops this happening. I'd also keep to softer surfaces and make sure you increase work gradually. Second hand boots are one thing to consider if you don't wish to fork out for boots. UKNHCP forum have a board for this.

Pete Ramey's book 'Making Natural Hoof care Work for you' is another book you may find useful for what to avoid in trimming. There are updates for this book on his website. He wrote it some time ago but the basics remain the same.

Good luck.
 
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Thanks for the replies guys. He is just sore when on unlevel hard surface ie gravel. When I went out today his hinds are not as hot as they were 2 days ago. When the hinds were removed the farrier left the wall alone but did remove some of his frog as he did have a very large healthy frog, was this wrong to do as surely you would have to remove some to compensate for the fact that now his hoof is 1cm closer to the ground?

He is not on overly high starch diet, balancer 1kg, alfa 500g, hay almost ad lib and grass when it is dry enough for them to go out (its Wales and we are on clay so not too much).

I think I will preserver until the farrier is due and make a decision then.
 
Removing frog - very generally speaking diseased and necrotic tissue only. If outer callous removed then this alone can make a barefoot horse sore.

If ouchy over lumpy hard ground/stones this generall reflects a sore frog, a thin sole or a degree of LGL. All of which can be resolved if you get the right advice.

Every horse is different, mine would be sore simply from the alfa
 
I tend to agree with the no alpha as it is indicated in footyness for some horse, Fast Fibre is the plainest feed you can get which supplies minerals and vitamins without sugars.
In the early stages at least, known as the transition period, I would go for regular walking on tarmac to toughen the feet, the frog will be working harder now, just keep an eye on the sole, which will adjust its character quickly at first. Farriers are always keen to cut the frog back, which is part of their training, it is not always needed if the horse in barefoot, ie in work but not shod.
I think that sharp loose gravel is always going to be a problem for my horse, so I just avoid it!
 
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I nearly ran screaming out of the stable when I felt my horse's barefoot hooves, they were noticeably warmer than I was used to.
 
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