Would you get them? Hoof pads

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Equi

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In summer my horse seems to pick up any stone in a twenty mile radius. He will go into the arena and within about three steps be lame and I have to pick them out from right up in the corner of the frog but they’re not trapped by the shoe. Doesn’t happen to any other horse on the yard and doesn’t happen in winter either. It seems like every pebble is just perfectly sized for his groove and even when the surface has just been done he will find that one stone that didn’t get raked back down.

My farrier said there are pads he could put in under the shoe to help stop it but my main worry would then be moisture being trapped in the field and causing thrush that I wouldn’t be able to see (he doesn’t have thrush now in case you wonder. This happens every summer!)
 
A couple of thoughts in no particular order ...

What type of pads? The old fashioned way is leather (sometimes plastic), cut to shape and nailed on between hoof and shoe. Cheap and cheerful, does the job to a certain extent but shoes tend to be pulled quite easily which is unhelpful with a footy horse!
Or the syringe gel stuff is better for keeping shoes on but can be a bit slippy to ride in.

If it’s just stones getting trapped in a groove have you considered some sort of putty? Red horse?

You might want to consider why horse more sensitive in summer. Any chance of low grade lammi, can be very subtle
 
I was also wondering if there was some low level laminitis going on, particularly as it only seems to be a summer problem. Do you monitor digital pulses & have you discussed the possibility with your farrier? A leather pad should be breathable enough that thrush isn't likely to be a problem, particularly since you're talking about the hopefully drier summer months. You could always squirt some Antibac under it once a week to help if you are worried. I must admit I don't - touch wood! - have a problem with pads causing shoes to be pulled, but I do keep overreach boots on.
 
I'd be suspecting thin soles, and be looking at foot balance and shoeing and trimming techniques.

You can get great pads now. Breathable, shock absorbing etc. And you can put magic cushion underneath which keeps all fresh and cushioned.
 
Yes I have used them, never had any thrush problems, I always had the farrier put them on for long sponsored rides as and it could be stoney/flinty in certain places
Long time ago now and I expect they have really improved since then, I can't remember any problems associated with them
 
Thats encouraging about the thrush! Its not that it only happens in summer, if he gets a stone stuck anytime hes going to be sore (i suspect most horses would!) but it seems to happen more in summer and my only thought about that is that the sand is dry thus doesn't stick to the hoof/sole making a natural pad for the duration of our rides lol

Ill have a look at the links. Thanks :)
 
I had some and they were great, and lasted for ages, many re-fittings. No thrush. In fact I still have the last pair somewhere on a shelf. Farrier said I could have the cheap ones or the expensive ones, but the latter would last, which they did.

Horse then came out of shoes completely for a while, and although he now has his shoes back on, it hasn't yet been necessary to have the pads put back on.
 
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