Would you expect a barefoot horse to be lame on hard ground?

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LizScott

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As title really...

My 9yo mare had an mri scan in October (I think) last year, which diagnosed a split in her ddft and a few other issues. She was basically lame on both fronts but it was only really obvious on hard ground on a circle.

She was given 6 wks box rest and then could either have been walked in hand for 6wks prior to starting work or be given more time off.

I opted for more time due to personal circumstances but am thinking of starting to bring her back into work in a month or so's time.

I have the vet coming out to look at one of my others on thurs and thought he will prob ask about my mare (as he treated her and was baffled to begin with) so thought it was about time I checked to see if she was 100% sound.

I did a very quick lunge on the hard ground in trot and she looked hopping lame
frown.gif
on a surface she looked much much better but prob not 100% but guess I could put this down to stiffness.

So.... what I was wondering is whether or not her having no shoes on at the moment would affect her that much on the hard ground?
confused.gif


Sorry for long rambling post!
 
My horse would be massively lame on hard ground if he had no shoes- Him loosing a shoe is like my nightmare! He's crippled without them.
 
I think it really depends on whether your horse is normally a shod horse.

If he's lived the last few weeks in a stable his feet may have gone a bit soft anyway, so sudden move to hard ground might be a bit of a shock if he's a sensitive sort .

Maybe it'd be better to try lungeing on a soft surface first if you have one?
 
QR
Yes, shoes have been off since October.

She had 6 wks box rest but has since been turned out in the field every day (and walked up a long track to get there) and bought in at night.

She has very good feet but has always been shod when in work so have nothing to compare it with.

She hasn't been checked since the scan as vets said to bring her back after the 6wks in-hand walking and we haven't done that yet...
 
[ QUOTE ]
I did a very quick lunge on the hard ground in trot and she looked hopping lame
frown.gif
on a surface she looked much much better but prob not 100% but guess I could put this down to stiffness....

[/ QUOTE ]

Taking the shoes off is usually helpful for the sort of foot injuries your horse had, as it reduces concussion and stimulates circulation to the foot. However it's important to have the farrier trim the feet regularly to keep them in balance. It also helps to condition the soles of the feet by hand walking in a sand arena, and eventually to more challenging surfaces.

If you haven't done this then the feet are probably underconditioned and it's not surprising the horse is sore. Also if you have navicular issues associated with the DDFT tear, these can go hand in hand with arthritis, so again, stiffness in a horse that has been out of work would be expected.

I would get the feet trimmed if they haven't been, and put the horse on a good joint supplement containing MSM such as Suppleaze Gold, and if the vet and farrier say it's OK, then I would start hand walking every day on a sand surface ideally.

DDFT injuries can take a very long time to heal - up to a year, so you may have to be patient for a while longer and take things slowly.
 
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However it's important to have the farrier trim the feet regularly to keep them in balance.

[/ QUOTE ]

Feet are trimmed every 5 weeks by a remedial farrier.
 
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