Warning, this is one of those annoyingly happy barefoot threads... :)

Scarlett

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Rascal. 14yo TB. Told would never cope without shoes alround, had backs off when came to me nearly 4 years ago and hunted, xc'd etc. Had suspensory tweak in March, followed by serious over reach to heel, followed by hock injection, followed by acupuncture to treat issues with SI. He's really been through the mill this year poor boy....

Pulled his fronts shoes in the middle of everything else going on.

Neraly 9 months after his initial injury and 4 months after his fronts came off we hacked out for the first time today. Our hacking is very varied, stones, gravel, concrete, sand, grass, you name it we have to hack over or through it. Rascal was super, the odd ouch on the very sharp stuff but he walked out with the energy and confidence of a 4yo, and even had a few canters over the pine cone covered tracks...


Rascals all terrain 4 wheel drive :)
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And a vid... :)


His feet are still very much a work in progress - as I'm sure you can see from the pics - but he's moving better than ever in front, his flat foot has a heel and his boxy foot is changing shape weekly.

Our aim is hunting fit by March so we can get out to the final meet of the season :)
 
Not annoying but very heartening :) I saw the pictures you posted on another thread of how his feet were progressing and was quite impressed. You have every reason to be pleased with you both. Well done.:) both the boys I share are barefoot and have far fewer problems than their shod field mates.
 
Thanks peoples, I'm super pleased with him, we thought we might be facing loosing him at one point so to be out in the sun yesterday was truly wonderful.

TrasaM - I think the pics you saw were my other boy Indy - so many Tbs, so little time ;) - who is also bf and a few months ahead of Rasc. I am going to post pics of Rascs feet up soon though, the change in his feet has been quite astonishing.
 
Thanks Scarlett. I'm trying to convince my friend to get the shoes off her TBs front feet. His are a mess. He's constantly loosing shoes and had a bad abscess earlier this year and one of his fronts is flaring as well. Farrier has messed them up somewhat and has also over trimmed the BF one in the past. That's when he can be bothered to turn up:mad: your story will be repeated to her and hopefully she will listen. :)
 
Thanks Scarlett. I'm trying to convince my friend to get the shoes off her TBs front feet. His are a mess. He's constantly loosing shoes and had a bad abscess earlier this year and one of his fronts is flaring as well. Farrier has messed them up somewhat and has also over trimmed the BF one in the past. That's when he can be bothered to turn up:mad: your story will be repeated to her and hopefully she will listen. :)

Sounds like a bad situation to be in! I have loads of pics of my 3's feet showing them going from 'typical' TB flat and weak to having heels and being sound on them, inc my mare who was diagnosed with navic/soft tissue damage due to poor balance, it can be done, I hope she listens to you.
 
I think it's a real shame that people have grown to accept 'typical' Tb feet as being flat, think soled and weak. I think we now expect them to be like that so we settle for it when infact they can be improved.
 
I think it's a real shame that people have grown to accept 'typical' Tb feet as being flat, think soled and weak. I think we now expect them to be like that so we settle for it when infact they can be improved.

I think you are right about this, I know I did! however I now know better!!:D
 
There does seem to be more and more barefoot TB's out there that are happily working without shoes and proving the 'Typical TB' feet myth wrong :)
 
Well I'm not annoyed either. Love it! I took my TB mare bare 2 1/2 months ago. Shocking pics just out of shoes. Flat was not the word for the front feet. Underrun heel. Ghastly. But without boots and shoes just off she was pretty much sound straight away. I gave her a week to adjust. I really can't do as much RW as I like due to a very small road with endless lorries up and down, but she is so sound I have been amazed. We've been hacking out on fields, on the roads, arena work. Whatever I want really. I'm so amazed by her with how early it is in her bare days. The hinds have been off a year. When she gets to 6 months I will do comparison shots. For now I've only been brave enough to share with CP and Oberon!

Terri
 
Well I'm not annoyed either. Love it! I took my TB mare bare 2 1/2 months ago. Shocking pics just out of shoes. Flat was not the word for the front feet. Underrun heel. Ghastly. But without boots and shoes just off she was pretty much sound straight away. I gave her a week to adjust. I really can't do as much RW as I like due to a very small road with endless lorries up and down, but she is so sound I have been amazed. We've been hacking out on fields, on the roads, arena work. Whatever I want really. I'm so amazed by her with how early it is in her bare days. The hinds have been off a year. When she gets to 6 months I will do comparison shots. For now I've only been brave enough to share with CP and Oberon!

Terri

Yay for more Happy TB Feet stories :)

Would love to see pics when your ready, and of anyone elses horses if they are willing to share, I'm becoming obsessed! I will sort out Rascals pics and put them up, his contracted foot has been doing some pretty funky things the last 6-8 weeks.

My vet thinks that there probably was something going on in his front feet and we have caught it before it got worse, very happy as you can imagine!
 
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