Yet more sore feet

[HannahB]

Just been reading threads on sore feet from previous month or so, just wondering if there are any more answers/suggestions.
My cob has been sore on stony ground since the weekend, saw the farrier on monday. He said her feet are fine, shes all barefoot, just checked again this evening- soles fine, no digital pulse, no signs of thrush in frog. Farrier knows to leave her bars and she is never sore after a trim. Rode her earlier today but kept it short as she was fine on grass (had a lovely rare canter) but stumbling a bit and reluctant to walk on stony bits, didnt want to make it worse. She has no problem turning a tight circle. Shame i sold my sheep last autumn as i never had issues like this previously, now ive got grass growing out my ears! Ive shut them in the most grazed field as last few weeks theyve been on 2acres grass thats growing 10x faster than they can eat, hopefully I can borrow my neighbours sheep to graze down the grass a bit more. Stabling isnt really an option for me sadly but if she did get lami then I would obvs sort something. I am very worried she may have low level lami but not certain, really hope she doesnt. No history of lami. Any suggestions?
Only other thing i can think of is changing weather, one field has a slightly muddy patch so she has been going a bit wet dry wet recently, this caused her hooves to crack last year but farrier has said her hooves are much better this year, no cracks or flaps so far..

 

[Barklands]

Might be beginnings of lami, one of our little ponies shows barely any signs other than being a little bit footsore but it is definitely lami. IMO this year has been terrible for lami.

If I were you I would electric fence a tiny parcel of grass so that is eaten down in a couple of days, then feed soaked hay. If sore feet rectify in a week or so, voila, it’s lami!

 

[lynz88]

I would keep an eye for lami just in case. Mine isn't a lami risk by any means but doesn't mean it can't happen. Did you use hoof testers and was she sensitive? Mine had no pulses, no heat, but was super sensitive on hoof testers about a month ago. I switched to soaked hay just in case as, though he doesn't have that much grass in his field, the grass seems very different this year. I was also using hoof armour and do rate it but wasn't seeing that much change so last week switched to Keratex and like magic, have a happy horse who the other day, dragged me to/from the field (he never does that). I've been hoof armouring his frogs still as it has sorted out a central sulcus issue brilliantly but use the keratex for the soles.

 

[Highmileagecob]

Would she tolerate a grazing muzzle? This year I have had issues with soft hooves due to the wet, thrush, cracked heels, mites, footy over the stony gateways, all of which start to clear when the weather dries. Then the grass starts growing like wildfire and I'm holding my breath in case his metabolic issues flare up. If you can keep your grass like a lawn, cropped short, it does seem to help.

 

[ycbm]

Might be beginnings of lami, one of our little ponies shows barely any signs other than being a little bit footsore but it is definitely lami. IMO this year has been terrible for lami.

If I were you I would electric fence a tiny parcel of grass so that is eaten down in a couple of days, then feed soaked hay. If sore feet rectify in a week or so, voila, it’s lami!

I wonder how many more years we're going to go on before vets and farriers realise that in barefoot horses the first sign of laminitis is a reduced ability to walk on stones, with absolutely no heat or raised pulses?
.

 

[Jambarissa]

I wonder how many more years we're going to go on before vets and farriers realise that in barefoot horses the first sign of laminitis is a reduced ability to walk on stones, with absolutely no heat or raised pulses?
.

Fair chance you're right here but how do you gather the evidence? Would it show on xrays?

This sort of thing mostly resolves itself without turning into clinical lami so maybe it was lami or maybe it was weather or a trim or something else .

Sounds like qualitative evidence isn't there, if every lami case a vet saw had the owner saying the horse had gone footy a week earlier then they'd already know.

If it would show on an x-ray we need vets to ask owners to report footy horses and then fund the xrays for their own learning.

 

[ycbm]

Fair chance you're right here but how do you gather the evidence? Would it show on xrays?

This sort of thing mostly resolves itself without turning into clinical lami so maybe it was lami or maybe it was weather or a trim or something else .

Sounds like qualitative evidence isn't there, if every lami case a vet saw had the owner saying the horse had gone footy a week earlier then they'd already know.

If it would show on an x-ray we need vets to ask owners to report footy horses and then fund the xrays for their own learning.

We just need owners told by vets and farriers to get their horses off the grass, and then if the problem resolves and reappears back on grass, it was the grass. At the moment the "safety first" advice is sometimes not being given, just because the horse has no pulses or heat. The only safe action with a horse which was always fine on stones and now isn't, in spring, autumn and any time after a grass flush, is get the horse off the grass, as Barklands recommends above.
.

 

[dorsetladette]

My round ones are under house arrest at the moment. The grass is going mad - and my grazing is poor so i pity anyone with good grazing and lami prone/type ponies.

There spending 9hrs a day in a small bare pen in front of the shelter with the tiniest haynet's known to man. Then out at night on the smallest paddock I have which is grazed down already.

We don't have lami per-say but the little pony is a little footy on stony ground. He has slightly soft frogs which is being treated but I'm also treating as lami too. As others have said/reported, no heat, no pulse's but weight issues and footy is enough for me to worry.

The wet/dry weather isn't helping as the feet are changing from dry and hard to moist and softer all the time (expanding and retracting) - it's perfect for grains of sand etc to get in and cause mild soreness.

My farrier said on his last visit he's seen more lami issues this year already than he has seen in a long time. Wet, warm weather helps the grass grow, less riding due to bad weather, still rugging as the rain never stops, still haying as the weather is still rubbish and there you have it perfect recipe for a laminitis epidemic. Lot of people (including myself) have been caught out this year with field kept horses.

 

[Barklands]

My round ones are under house arrest at the moment. The grass is going mad - and my grazing is poor so i pity anyone with good grazing and lami prone/type ponies.

There spending 9hrs a day in a small bare pen in front of the shelter with the tiniest haynet's known to man. Then out at night on the smallest paddock I have which is grazed down already.

We don't have lami per-say but the little pony is a little footy on stony ground. He has slightly soft frogs which is being treated but I'm also treating as lami too. As others have said/reported, no heat, no pulse's but weight issues and footy is enough for me to worry.

The wet/dry weather isn't helping as the feet are changing from dry and hard to moist and softer all the time (expanding and retracting) - it's perfect for grains of sand etc to get in and cause mild soreness.

My farrier said on his last visit he's seen more lami issues this year already than he has seen in a long time. Wet, warm weather helps the grass grow, less riding due to bad weather, still rugging as the rain never stops, still haying as the weather is still rubbish and there you have it perfect recipe for a laminitis epidemic. Lot of people (including myself) have been caught out this year with field kept horses.

Definitely feel your pain. It has absolutely been a perfect storm for it this year! We are overcome with grass and having to keep the small ponies in a little pen with virtually no grass and giving soaked hay instead.

One of ours is very prone despite being almost a little too lean for my liking and this year she was beginning to be footy by March and we were almost caught out too despite always being alive to it! Hate when they don’t have a lot of room to run about but it’s cruel to be kind it seems

 

[dorsetladette]

Definitely feel your pain. It has absolutely been a perfect storm for it this year! We are overcome with grass and having to keep the small ponies in a little pen with virtually no grass and giving soaked hay instead.

One of ours is very prone despite being almost a little too lean for my liking and this year she was beginning to be footy by March and we were almost caught out too despite always being alive to it! Hate when they don’t have a lot of room to run about but it’s cruel to be kind it seems

Last year I set a track up and managed it that way in the weedy part of the field, but it's to lush this year as its so wet.

I need a couple of weeks of hot dry weather and the grass at mine will all die - then I will be safe (ish). My soil is sand so unless we have constant damp weather the grass just doesn't survive.

And disappointingly hacking is out the window as it's mostly stony tracks around us until his feet are better, but I will ride more in the field to help with calorie control. God knows what I'm going to do with the none ridden one.

None of mine have had laminitis previously, but all being natives they make me nervous.

 

[Flowerofthefen]

My horse has suffered soft soles due to the wet weather. I was advised to use keratex hoof hardener and its been a game changer!

 

[lynz88]

My horse has suffered soft soles due to the wet weather. I was advised to use keratex hoof hardener and its been a game changer!

Same. I gave up on the hoof armour. Keratex has sorted it out brilliantly (though we've gone back slightly with the recent wet weather but only half a step back as opposed to several leaps back with the hoof armour....)

 

[HannahB]

Might be beginnings of lami, one of our little ponies shows barely any signs other than being a little bit footsore but it is definitely lami. IMO this year has been terrible for lami.

If I were you I would electric fence a tiny parcel of grass so that is eaten down in a couple of days, then feed soaked hay. If sore feet rectify in a week or so, voila, it’s lami!

I've kept her in a small well grazed field over the weekend, no longer foot sore now! Gonna be on close lookout for any signs of reoccurrence, she will be staying there till the other field been grazed down by neighbours sheep

 

[HannahB]

I would keep an eye for lami just in case. Mine isn't a lami risk by any means but doesn't mean it can't happen. Did you use hoof testers and was she sensitive? Mine had no pulses, no heat, but was super sensitive on hoof testers about a month ago. I switched to soaked hay just in case as, though he doesn't have that much grass in his field, the grass seems very different this year. I was also using hoof armour and do rate it but wasn't seeing that much change so last week switched to Keratex and like magic, have a happy horse who the other day, dragged me to/from the field (he never does that). I've been hoof armouring his frogs still as it has sorted out a central sulcus issue brilliantly but use the keratex for the soles.

I tested with a hoof pick, no sensitivity. Soles are hard and farrier said they are thick too, he barely touched the soles this time. Frogs all healthy too, she does have a habit of standing in wet mud which impacts a bit but trying to keep clear with very regular hoof picking

 

[HannahB]

Would she tolerate a grazing muzzle? This year I have had issues with soft hooves due to the wet, thrush, cracked heels, mites, footy over the stony gateways, all of which start to clear when the weather dries. Then the grass starts growing like wildfire and I'm holding my breath in case his metabolic issues flare up. If you can keep your grass like a lawn, cropped short, it does seem to help.

Unlikely to tolerate one but if I can't get the sheep in, she may need to. This year is awful for issues! I've been lucky with feather mites so far

 

[HannahB]

I wonder how many more years we're going to go on before vets and farriers realise that in barefoot horses the first sign of laminitis is a reduced ability to walk on stones, with absolutely no heat or raised pulses?
.

Fair chance you're right here but how do you gather the evidence? Would it show on xrays?

This sort of thing mostly resolves itself without turning into clinical lami so maybe it was lami or maybe it was weather or a trim or something else .

Sounds like qualitative evidence isn't there, if every lami case a vet saw had the owner saying the horse had gone footy a week earlier then they'd already know.

If it would show on an x-ray we need vets to ask owners to report footy horses and then fund the xrays for their own learning.

Interesting point here, I'm starting at bristol in Sept with my vet med offer and I've seen a few grants available for research like this

 

[HannahB]

My farrier said on his last visit he's seen more lami issues this year already than he has seen in a long time. Wet, warm weather helps the grass grow, less riding due to bad weather, still rugging as the rain never stops, still haying as the weather is still rubbish and there you have it perfect recipe for a laminitis epidemic. Lot of people (including myself) have been caught out this year with field kept horses.

Is it better continuing to ride or not, while she's like this? I've been riding more this last year than ever before. She's 18 so semi retired, but I've still been riding at least 2 times a week, often 3. I last rode quickly on Thurs, but only around 30 mins as she was a bit sore on the track that gets to the woods (where she was fine, had a lovely canter and no soreness whatsoever on the soft). I was going to ride yesterday but didn't, do you think it's OK to ride her? I'm keeping off the lanes for a while, won't do a 3 hour hack for a while either.

 

[catkin]

Is it better continuing to ride or not, while she's like this? I've been riding more this last year than ever before. She's 18 so semi retired, but I've still been riding at least 2 times a week, often 3. I last rode quickly on Thurs, but only around 30 mins as she was a bit sore on the track that gets to the woods (where she was fine, had a lovely canter and no soreness whatsoever on the soft). I was going to ride yesterday but didn't, do you think it's OK to ride her? I'm keeping off the lanes for a while, won't do a 3 hour hack for a while either.

Would it be possible to get her some hoof boots and pads so you could keep riding?

 

[Barklands]

I've kept her in a small well grazed field over the weekend, no longer foot sore now! Gonna be on close lookout for any signs of reoccurrence, she will be staying there till the other field been grazed down by neighbours sheep

Sounds like you caught it just in time, so pleased for you that she’s back to normal!

What a terrible year this has been for weather and grass!

 

[HannahB]

Sounds like you caught it just in time, so pleased for you that she’s back to normal!

What a terrible year this has been for weather and grass!

Thank goodness I trotted her up on the yard, she had no problems today!

 

[HannahB]

Would it be possible to get her some hoof boots and pads so you could keep riding?

If needs be yes I will deffo do that. I took her for a 5 min bareback trot down the track and she had no problems, will take it steady probably just keep riding in woods for a few weeks and try keep the grass down. Thanks for everyone's help

 

[SEL]

I am inching my way strip grazing into the track that goes up around my 2 acre field. The grass is knee high.

Appy muzzled but the microcob thinks electric fencing is optional so she's not helping my spring stress levels