Gnildron
Member
Hi everyone, looking for feedback on my horse, who has some issues.
He's a 9YO TB, I've had him since he was 5. He always moved skew, throwing his quarters to the right. Over the years, he began refusing jumps and later being very unhappy walking down hills. I kept him at a yard on a steep hill for the first four years, and while I did have some saddle fit issues and some concerns about his feet (he was shod on all four) I recently got the vet in who diagnosed him with atrophied muscles around his right stifle. She injected him with HA and at about the same time I moved him from the hilly hard to a flat yard with better footing—an ideal place for shoe removal, which my vet had recommended for his hind feet to encourage the feet to find their own balance and make the limb lighter for the stifle. Oh, and she xrayed the stifle and it showed nothing—although she could not rule out soft tissue pathologies.
Now, in the new yard, the shoes have been removed two weeks, and I'm worried. He's wearing the weak hind different to the other one, which I worry could destabilise the compromised stifle. He seems generally a bit unsettled and has lost some weight. There is some girthiness. Ulcers are obviously a concern, he's on ulcer prevention supplements but with all the changes I've made that may not be enough. My question is: should I perservere with barefoot behind? Does anyone have experience of taking off hind shoes on a horse with a weak stifle? I asked many farriers, they said it can go two ways with stifles - either they get better or worse when you remove the shoe. Generally, his stance looks better. But he's lost some weight since the move, which is normal I think, but obvoiusly also something that could be related to gut health.
On his foot wear, the outside of the compromised hind hoof is wearing faster than the inside, creating a bit of a 'turn in' (his conformation is upright and when he's been sore in the past and tense he tends to stand like a ballet dancer, so it's opposite to the old pattern, but that might not be good??). The farrier said he'd pop through today to just even out the toe so it's not uneven, but I also know there are people who say leave the feet to find their own balance as the horse might 'grow the foot he needs'.
On work, he's on a rehab programme from the stifle diagnosis, with the aim of strengthening him, so he's not jumping or doing anything hectic. Lots of walking and pole work, and straightness work.
If anyone has advice, thoughts, experiences to share about stifles and back shoes (and ulcers/moving/weightloss in relation to it), please do share? Happy to answer further questions. What would be the red flags while I adopt a 'wait and see' approach? It's so difficult to know what is related to what, with the move, the shoes, the new routine and care etc.
He's a 9YO TB, I've had him since he was 5. He always moved skew, throwing his quarters to the right. Over the years, he began refusing jumps and later being very unhappy walking down hills. I kept him at a yard on a steep hill for the first four years, and while I did have some saddle fit issues and some concerns about his feet (he was shod on all four) I recently got the vet in who diagnosed him with atrophied muscles around his right stifle. She injected him with HA and at about the same time I moved him from the hilly hard to a flat yard with better footing—an ideal place for shoe removal, which my vet had recommended for his hind feet to encourage the feet to find their own balance and make the limb lighter for the stifle. Oh, and she xrayed the stifle and it showed nothing—although she could not rule out soft tissue pathologies.
Now, in the new yard, the shoes have been removed two weeks, and I'm worried. He's wearing the weak hind different to the other one, which I worry could destabilise the compromised stifle. He seems generally a bit unsettled and has lost some weight. There is some girthiness. Ulcers are obviously a concern, he's on ulcer prevention supplements but with all the changes I've made that may not be enough. My question is: should I perservere with barefoot behind? Does anyone have experience of taking off hind shoes on a horse with a weak stifle? I asked many farriers, they said it can go two ways with stifles - either they get better or worse when you remove the shoe. Generally, his stance looks better. But he's lost some weight since the move, which is normal I think, but obvoiusly also something that could be related to gut health.
On his foot wear, the outside of the compromised hind hoof is wearing faster than the inside, creating a bit of a 'turn in' (his conformation is upright and when he's been sore in the past and tense he tends to stand like a ballet dancer, so it's opposite to the old pattern, but that might not be good??). The farrier said he'd pop through today to just even out the toe so it's not uneven, but I also know there are people who say leave the feet to find their own balance as the horse might 'grow the foot he needs'.
On work, he's on a rehab programme from the stifle diagnosis, with the aim of strengthening him, so he's not jumping or doing anything hectic. Lots of walking and pole work, and straightness work.
If anyone has advice, thoughts, experiences to share about stifles and back shoes (and ulcers/moving/weightloss in relation to it), please do share? Happy to answer further questions. What would be the red flags while I adopt a 'wait and see' approach? It's so difficult to know what is related to what, with the move, the shoes, the new routine and care etc.
