Flare

His hooves grew out in 6 months since moving yards and the flare on his off fore has mainly gone, then he went lame again...maybe he needs to grow it back!!!

PPID

Red was doing really well and I was starting to think about popping him over a small fence, but we had a set back. We had some very, very hot weather and a few days later he felt very messy riding out then the next day he was very footy, even on relatively smooth ground and then on day 3 I rode him in the school and he was lame in his off fore (about 4/10). His pulses in both front feet were quite strong. I gave him a few days off and his pulses returned to normal and his lameness improved. All I can think is that the grass was stressed and it triggered inflammation in his hooves. I have been toying with the idea to get him tested for cushings (PPID) for a few months now and as luck would have it there is an offer on at the moment for free lab tests.....so off to the vets we went. I was convinced he has it as from the list of symptoms he has: fat pads above the eyes, drinks a lot, wees a lot, slow to heal, footy/raised pulses and is lethargic. His results came back just above what would be considered a 'normal' range, so suggested monitoring him and then doing another test before the spring. Having read about the 'normal' range, apparently at this time of year it is expected that readings will be high and so the 'normal' range is adjusted to allow for this. I am going to speak to the vets again tomorrow to get his exact readings to see just how close to normal they are. If I put him on treatment and it brings him sound then that would be great, but it could just be that the grass is dying off and the ground is becoming softer so could just be that. I think I will just monitor him as the grass and ground changes and use hoof boots if he needs them to hack out (I did buy him some scoot boots), if there isn't any improvement then I could try him on treatment to see if it makes a difference, I can always take him off it if there is no change. Thinking back, he keeps going lame in the summer and I give him the rest of the year off, maybe it is just the stressed grass?????

Trimming and boots

After Red appeared to have so much bruising when we had our ride at the end of March I started to look into hoof boots. I tried on the scoot boots and because he has some flaring the boot gapes at the front.

So......the question is...... do you trim the feet so that he can wear the boots????? I don't agree to shape the foot to fit a boot BUT if he is too sore to be ridden without them then a small amount may need to be removed. I have been trying to follow the methods used at Rockley Farm, however, I am restricted on the grazing and movement over surfaces choices and so the horses diet and use of their feet is not as good as it would be there. It may be that occasionally I will have to compromise. I took a very small amount off his bars and he seemed more comfortable after, makes me wonder if a conservative trim would benefit him....................... I have since tried the boot on again and they will do up without a trim on his feet, so maybe I can have the best of both worlds and leave him to self trim and use the boots when he needs them. (Although on today's hack he was feeling great and not footy on the stones at all, so maybe we are turning a corner.)

Foot update.

Near fore (4 photos)

Near hind (4 photos, starting at next photo)

Off fore (4 photos, starting at next photo)

Off hind (4 photos, starting at next photo)

A great ride again!

Red and I went for an hour through the forest today with a proper canter. Red was really up for it, marching out, balanced going down hills and not footy, even on the more stony ground! It was after our last good ride that he went lame and his feet looked sore, so fingers crossed.

Red and his new friend

This is Merlin. He spent the first week or so chasing Red at full gallop across the field. They seem to have made friends now.

Highs and lows

On 31st March I had a great ride on Red through the woods. We had a couple of canters and he even offered trot going up hill! Before his diagnosis when ever we went for a canter he would do a few strides and then want to drop back into trot, but on that day he was so much more forward. The next day I took him in the school and he didn't feel quite right on his near fore so I cut the session short. I decided to take him out for a wander on the downs to see how he was the day after. About 3 times on the way out he took a sore step, as if he had stepped on a sharp stone, so I got off and lead him back home. In the round pen he was sound on the left rein but intermittently lame on the off fore on the right rein. Abscess?? I decided to turn him out and was fully expecting him to show an abscess within the next few days. Nothing. I washed his feet off to have a closer look at them and discovered what looked like bad bruising on his soles. The shape of it looks like it could be his pedal bone...could his soles be that thin??? I began to think that we had over done it on the ride days before and he needed time to let the bruising go down. 3 weeks later he seemed sound again so I took him in the school to see how he felt, I just did 10 mins and he was sound in trot. The next day when I flicked a small stone out of his foot a load of puss came out too!!! I was right, it was an abscess all along!!!

Pastures new....again.

2 weeks ago the horses moved to their new home, back in Jevington. The mud was horrendous in Wilmington and turnout had been restricted to a couple of days a week. This was far from ideal for their feet yet alone their mental health...and mine.

They are now out 24/7 on dry fields! Red is really striding out across the fields, although he seemed a bit 'footy' on the road, I took him for a short walk in hand to the pub and back and he was walking out really well so not sure if he really is 'footy' or not. I have been applying field paste from Red Horse products. I am seriously impressed by the change in Red's frogs in just the first 4 days. The black on the frogs is disappearing and I think the collateral grooves are becoming slightly deeper.

Red's off fore

Red's off hind Boths sets of photos were taken 4 days apart and had 2 applications of the hoof paste!!!

No trimming required.

As mentioned in a previous blog, while Red was on box rest his feet grew due to the lack of movement. The following photos were taken on 31.10.15, 29.12.15 and 22.1.16 Near fore

Off fore

Walk, walk, walk, walk, walk, walk......

Well we have made it to the February half term and we have walked for 12 weeks. Red has been sound in a straight line for several months now and even on a 10m circle on concrete is only a little off (2/10 he was 5/10) but, as I promised myself, we have not began building the trot yet (every now and then I had a short trot to check he is still sound). We have built up to 1 1/2hrs, mainly on the roads, which has worn his feet back nicely (the vet even commented on the fact that he had built his heels up well!) Near fore

Off fore

We have ventured out onto the hills a couple of times and we are starting to introduce the trot. Although he is sound he has been quite footy again. I am treating him for thrush and have introduced some bicarbonate of soda into his feed as it is supposed to help settle the hind gut. Time will tell if either of these helps. The mud is absolutely horrendous and turn out has been restricted to a couple of days a week! I am desperately looking for somewhere else for them to go where they can have all year turn out. MUD!