Xray pics - Hock spavins and reverse rotation of pedal bone

[cptrayes]

(sorry CPT but not everyone can send to Rockleys or do the necessary reconditioning work)

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Something which I have acknowledged for years now Mrussel, no apology necessary

 

[cptrayes]

we are so often told it is a cure for every ailment known to horses.....

Not on this forum we aren't

 

[ester]

we walked .... lots plenty on long lines and started trot maybe June/julyish so 3ish months in. Canter didn't start until beginning october, 'proper' schooling and circles 6 weeks ago.

 

[ester]

Working together, your vet and farrier will advise you on how to proceed.

and yes, mine both had input and were in agreement if i wanted too, Vet was mostly concerned that it would take a while and needed to be done properly (also had know history of knowing worked for his diagnosis only of sending a couple of navis to rockley). Farrier was keen to try other methods, mostly because he would like to have got him sound for me, but did suggest I got a trimmer in as he didn't know enough about barefoot rehab.

 

[LucyPriory]

Trimming would be the last thing you would do.

The result of the careful and continuous work is that his feet have been stimulated to produce digital cushion inside the foot and his pedal bone is rising on top of that increasing digital cushion. The collateral grooves have got hugely deeper, without the height of the hoof wall increasing at all. He is, quite simply, carrying his pedal bone higher inside the foot, especially at the back where the digital cushion is thickest.

I had a similar issue with my dressage youngster who arrived with bullnose feet behind, and another horse a couple of years ago with bullnose hinds. Wedges will provide an instant loosening of the tightness in the back caused by negative angle in the hind feet, so they can seem a miracle at first. But over time they tend to crush the heel even more, and the horse will often revert to being lame again, as my current rehab did.

The conundrum with these horses is often that they are not sound, but that they need "work" of some kind in order to build the foot to become sound. Taking the shoes off is not enough. My current rehab has not had shoes on for a year or more and he was still lame when brought back into work. At Rockley Farm the right work is achieved early on by turning the horses out in a group that keeps them moving, onto tracks with conformable surfaces that work the digital cushion. I don't have that luxury, so for me is walking in hand if necessary, and then under saddle, for miles and miles. Of course I am lucky enough to have the time to do that.

This ^

Most of my clients don't have access to a track, nor can they afford Rockley and they work mostly full time, but they still manage to transform their 'genetically' bad hooves into sound ones. For those without any 'metabolic' issues such as Cushings, IR etc it can be pretty quick too. Although DC development is not precluded by metabolic disease, the resultant Low Grade Lami, until resolved sufficiently for comfortable foot steps can interfere with putting in sufficient work.