Morris has been going on some longer hacks, the latest was about 3 hours on roads and forest tracks. His hooves have great concavity and great performance. He even tried some BMX Arab stunts on a large heap of road planings in the forest.
Fari still needs his front boots for some surfaces although he is happy on all but the worst. His latest hoof cast shows increasing concavity and collateral groove depth so hopefully in the coming months, if I can keep him of the green stuff he will continue to become more capable and be up to hunting on Exmoor with Felix in April.
Jesta has not been ridden since his illness in November. He continues to have some sort of problem with his skin which means if you touch him on his muscle areas he displays discomfort. My vet is baffled but it must be due to the septacemia and high levels of toxins maybe damaging nerve endings. A search on the internet revealed nothing in the horse world (horses seem to die frequently though) but in humans this kind of sensitivity has been reported. His hooves have been totally unaffected still able to romp about on my treacherous tracks at speed. I expected to see some kind of ripple but as yet his hooves are smooth.
S x
Terry
Abu and Medraar still maintain their excellent performing feet, the best Abu has been ever so time does make a difference, I am fortunate that in developing his foot this has not affected his performance in any way.
The babies, Max, a 2year warmblood thug, with the best self maintained balanced feet I have ever seen! However, his breeding does reflect the natural athletisism in his father being one of Germany's top performance dressage sires.
New Baby, Mourad Sakr, been in Britain 10 months, 4yr old straight from the Eygtian dessert, nobody touched his feet apart from me once! Feet very like Abu's were when shoes came off, very winkle picker like back feet, it's like memory lane!! Tough as old boots though over any terrain. He had his first proper trim yesterday ( only took me 2 hours!!!) so will be interesting to see the change in shape as they develop.
Sarah,
keep looking on the net, I know if anyone you will find the answer to help little Jesty.
Terry
cptrayes
Jazz has had an abcess in his heel on a front foot. It came out down the collateral groove on one side, but three weeks later had moved across to burst out of the heel bulb on the other side. Then another day later there was a second track an inch away, in the coronet band. The two are joined, squirting peroxide in the higher one comes out both holes. Now dry and clean, and not affecting him at all. I am intrigued because it is becoming my experience that abcesses seem to happen in feet with spread, underrun low heels, and not in contracted feet. Does that fit with anyone else's experience?
Also, Jazz's feet are not the same. The heel height on one to the hairline is around an inch, and only half that on the other. The lower one has a really nasty scar around the pastern (over the lateral cartilege but not appearing to have damaged it from what I can feel). I can only hope that the two are not related.
The further down the line from his breathing operation grows, the more concave his feet are becoming. You couldn't wish for more on the backs now, and the fronts are getting there, though one better than the other.
Whatever, he is stonkingly sound and now jumping, when he consents not to look at the fillers , a full metre high and wide. He is almost ready to event this year, we think.
Zippy is now approaching four (not til June, and still very much a baby to look at). He had foalie-feet (contracted looking) until he was over three, but they are now shaping up into super rock hard and beautifully shaped things. Like many contracted feet in my experience, his frog sheared as they uncontracted, so I have been keeping it well disinfected. It is just coming right now, with two wings folding out from the central sulcus, which should gradually come up to the surface. He too is very competent even in a rocky gateway. His back feet are amazingly concave, and the front ones pretty deep too.
Tally
I have been getting plenty of concavity with Justine too for the last 3 months. It started as soon as the ground stopped being hard - which for us was about end Sept.
What I find amazing is that she's not only producing concavity on her soles (front a lot more than back) but also on the frog. Whereas in the summer, the frog was pretty thick and flat all across, she has now developed a deep central sulcus (same on hinds but not as deep).
I'm thinking if it's nature's way of creating some tread for extra grip in the mud, which then disappears when not needed on hard ground ?
rose
my girl remains great, now riding out without any boots on over most terrain.
I am a bit concerned about the grass growth at the moment as she is prone to LGL. She is on very restricted grazing during the summer months and I took her off the 'big' field at the end of March last year and didn't put her back in to the big field until mid November.
It seems that the growing season keeps extending so she is on restricted access for longer and longer each year. Whilst this restriction keeps her safe from LGL it means that she has very limited access to the free movement which is good for her feet.
Em
Wow, I love reading this
Drummer is still rock crunching, his feet are growing like mad even though its winter, something that didn't happen last year so I must be doing something right! He has had little road work and hardly any conditioning surfaces but will canter up our stoney drive without blinking! Interestingly his front frogs have gone all thin and horrid again although I have no signs of thrush.
Shadow is acting less like an invalid than he was. His feet are changing so much, its AMAZING!!! I'm fascinated! His movement has hugely improved and he trotted out on a hard surface yesterday for the first time (previously had minced along!) He has some concavity with a cm of sole weight bearing next to the hoof wall. Both his hind feet are squiffy and we have a bit of a hole in his sole at the apex of his frog on his off hind which I am wondering about? any ideas? His fronts are great, although one of then shed its frog he has nice new growth underneath. He is a bit thrushy though! To be expected I suppose.
Nic
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and be up to hunting on Exmoor with Felix in April
Yippee and raising a glass to that idea - what fun Can't wait
Sounds like everyone is doing great - well done Em and Shadow, especially
Both Felix and Conto have each had an abscess - hind foot, and despite their awesome healthy feet (conto does have a couple of not so good feet but the abscess was in his best one - go figure!). Cause remains a complete mystery, except that there have been spates of abscesses recently among the shod horses on Exmoor too.
Fortunately for me, my 2 boys were a bit lame for about 3 days each, then absolutely fine - Felix was actually off work on Monday and back hunting on Saturday, so I can't complain as the friends with shod horses have been off for weeks...
Everyone else fine - Jack deserves a special mention for being a complete star now that he is hacking out, and Charlie for being a thorough-going hunting star, now going out on his own and hunting up with the master all day
Em
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Sounds like everyone is doing great - well done Em and Shadow, especially
Thanks Nic
I'm holding my breath re abscess' I keep thinking that I can't have missed out totally but in 4 years Drum has never had one and Shadow we shall wait and see! Glad yours were quick to come right
abitodd
I have not posted on this thread before,but it seems to be a great way to record progress.So here goes with a brief history.
Wubbo is a 4 yo KWPN.I bought him last June and backed him through the summer.He has never been shod.
The winter has been tricky.He twisted his stifle/hock complex in the autumn and was on 3 legs for a month.Mary Bromily advised hill work and a close look at his mineral levels to encourage his muscles to catch up with his bones.
Now Wubbo has a very low pain threshold.He is a complete wimp.He decided that hill work was far to difficult and might hurt.So he planted.Any attempts to get him going forwards resulted in Levade or Capriolle or both.I had a trapped siatic nerve from kicking (or staying on)and have developed some fine muscles from getting off and leading him.Our hill work program was sporadic.
I finally lost my temper with him when he decided to plant and stand up when I was leading him.
He has not planted since!
Last week he and I got lost on the maze of tracks on Grabbist hill.We went up and down stoney tracks.Sometimes I rode.Sometimes I lead. We did scary objects and difficult terrain.We were a team. We trusted each other.It was one of life's fab moments.
So we are now exploring daily.He is sound on tarmac but still pottery going downhill over stones.(Downhill stoney tracks cannot be avoided on Exmoor)
Longing for dry weather. Still tweaking his diet.(Is it the grass nuts,or the spring grass?Does he need more mg or more exercise?)But most of all I am paying attention to my riding. I know I turn into a tense,twisted twit when he goes pottery thus unbalancing him and making him tense and POTTERY!
Tally
Nic - I'm curious, did you find out what was wrong with your boys ?
The lady who brings my mare from the field at night told me on Tuesday that she did not look right and her hind feet were red hot.
By the time I got to the stables (several hours later) feet felt normal + nothing to see. I went on to ride her but she felt very uncomfortable so lunged to have a good look. She was lame, coming very short on one hind.
Wed morning she was trotted up & did not look too bad. She was worse when coming at night from the field though. Decided to keep her on box rest Thu and Fri. Tonight she looked much better than Tue but still a bit stiff, just not quite right.
I'm now wondering what it is ? Pulled muscle ? Don't want to make her worse by starting to ride too soon. Nic - how were you sure yours were fine 3 days later ?
Yann
Looks like Rio needs boots on rough stony ground again, with me on her back at any rate. She's not terrible but doesn't stride out as normal.
Apart from her suspected abcesses and unsoundness Tess seems to be doing well in hand, no gimping on stones in hand and feet still standing up well and making a nice clopping sound on the concrete
She went short on a hind a few weeks ago, then got better and I discovered a hole in her heel which I can only assume was an abcess exit. The blooming things seem to be rife this winter.
Tally
After 4 days of box rest, my mare is now sound behind when lunged but still not happy when ridden esp when trotting on one diagonal more than the other.
Put her out in the field at the week end. She fell off whilst cantering.
She took a chunk off her front hoof wall, just in front of the heels. I did not think this was possible from over reaching but cannot find an other explanation. I suppose it could have been a lot more nasty if she had shoes on.
Guess what : she's now footy & short in front !
Melanie
Mia - still rock crushing hoovesofconcrete.
Roxy - very sound, shedding lots of sole and getting nicer more concave feet than she's ever had before.
Jay - ex-cripple, now very sound, has been for her first walk down the bridlepath from h*ll where they've decided the ideal surface is many different varieties of stones with the worn bits patched up with some more stones and walked down it happily.
Nic
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Nic - how were you sure yours were fine 3 days later ?
Because they both went lame suddenly, and were reluctant to take weight on their heels, flinching from pressure to their heel bulbs, which is an absolute classic for an abscess.
A few days later each had an abscess blow out through the hind heel bulb. The holes were free draining and as soon as they blew the boys were fine. The holes are ugly, but as long as they are high up in the hoof (coronet or heel bulb) they rarely seem to cause an ongoing problem as they grown out.
FWIW, an absccess in a healthy foot is rare, in my experience - out of the multiple horses here over 4 years I have only encountered 5 abscesses - and 2 of those were in Charlie's front feet when he arrived, which were poorly connected and out of balance, so thats only 3 in healthy feet.
There do seem to be more horses both shod and unshod abscessing this year. Wonder if we will ever discover the reason....
Nic
Em
Thats interesting Nic, Shadow is short behind again and nothing found by my Bowen lady on Tuesday. I have looked to the foot. I was thinkiing abscess, his feet have changed so much and we already suspected an abscess once before! You have got me thinking!
Jane
Magic - yawn, RC as usual
Ben - actually verging on RC :swoon:
Dan - careful but happy to walk on stones, but does have the odd ouch. Has new booties though so there's no stopping us now!
I have had 2 abscesses in the last month, both in transitioning horses, one with rubbish feet, popped out nicely through the heel, the other subsolar and a biggie, although he was still sound 3 days after it popped.
Nic
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Shadow is short behind again
Em, an abscess would usually show up as more than shortness - though that is how it starts. An abscess often looks more like stifle/hip at first, especially behind. Very quickly IME you will see significant lameness.
Have you tried doing a flexion test on Shadow? Its often worthwhile as a simple test when you are sure its not in the back.
Nic
Em
Nic wrote:
Quote:
Shadow is short behind again
Em, an abscess would usually show up as more than shortness - though that is how it starts. An abscess often looks more like stifle/hip at first, especially behind. Very quickly IME you will see significant lameness.
Have you tried doing a flexion test on Shadow? Its often worthwhile as a simple test when you are sure its not in the back.
Nic
I keep wondering if its just brewing. He was very lame behind when he first came and his back and pelvis were all out but first thought was abcsess. Jane thought he looked uncomfy on Sat and a bit short, I rode again Monday and then he had Bowen/Osteo on Tuesday and she found nothing wrong. He was worse on Thurs after a day off (1/10th lame in trot). Yet in walk he is striding out and landing well! I have never done a flexion test before but I know the principle. I'm a bit baffled actually as struggling to pinpoint the leg now, its very subtle but worse on a circle left, which I agree sounds like hip/stifle area!
Sorry, gone totally off on one
Yann
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Looks like Rio needs boots on rough stony ground again
Or so I thought, but today she stomped over everything, didn't try and walk on any verges and went from A to B without breaking stride across an area of big rocks outward and homeward bound. It was with her sharer on board who is probably a couple of stone lighter than I am, perhaps that makes all the difference.
sarahh
Feeling like a bad mum at the moment... Haven't been able to ride as much for the past few weeks and when i have ridden i've noticed some ouchiness. It must be exercise as everything else is the same in his routine. Feet are looking lovely however and he's still a much happier horse than the one i bought, more forward going and swings through much nicer.
So naughty mummy is going to MAKE TIME to ride more so that poor Boy pony doesn't feel sore
Nic
Sarah, its your resident prophet of doom here Beware of the grass - thats the other thing that has changed in the last few weeks, and you are down on the lovely Somerset grass lands which are so emerald green right now...
, a full metre high and wide. He is almost ready to event this year, we think.
His feet are changing so much, its AMAZING!!! I'm fascinated! His movement has hugely improved and he trotted out on a hard surface yesterday for the first time (previously had minced along!) He has some concavity with a cm of sole weight bearing next to the hoof wall. Both his hind feet are squiffy and we have a bit of a hole in his sole at the apex of his frog on his off hind which I am wondering about? any ideas? His fronts are great, although one of then shed its frog he has nice new growth underneath. He is a bit thrushy though! To be expected I suppose.
Can't wait 
Beware of the grass - thats the other thing that has changed in the last few weeks, and you are down on the lovely Somerset grass lands which are so emerald green right now...
