June

Nic · June

Here we go folks, a bit late but get posting Laughing

Fab photos, Caroline, and what a babe George is - he looks a bit like Jane's Magic - star performers both of them.

My lot - I messed up with Dex last week - all the others have been fine turned out overnight, and Bailey (our usually sensitive flower) is, like all the others, rock-crunching. However Dex went footy between Sunday and Tuesday, and although I then got him straight off the grass it took a good few days to get him back to normal.

No competitions this week or next week, but we are aiming for a one day event towards the end of the month, newly inspired by Jane Tweedie, who spent a couple of days down here and is a great instructor... Cool

Nic

hobnob

Still a bit up and down with lgl pone. I never talk about my other barefoot/self trimmed pony as he is always stonking and only needs trimming now and then - his hooves are like granite - I even have to use the 'sharp' side of the rasp on him !! (on his feet that is, not across the head like a far***r (Oops naughty!)
Other half strimmed under our elec fence yesterday and I followed on behind throwing the green stuff back behind the fence so ponies couldn't gobble it up !! Following me were 2 said ponies trying to grab what they could - not alot luckily. Has finally stopped raining so hopefully we are on our way to a halt in the grass growth and my 2 can have the rest of their track back Smile

NB - Stonking small pony had projectile poo for a few days last week and I had to put him on Pink Powder - he is now my guide to when the grass is growing Laughing

Poor soul.

cptrayes

Jazz has been more sensitive to stones than previously and not smacking his feet down as hard on the road. A muzzle during the daytime has all but cured him, just a tiny bit of "ouch that stone" left when he treads on a stone on top of a hard surface. His feet, normally slow to grow, are growing much quicker and he is squaring his toes.

Zippy's feet are growing fast too but he is not over-sensitive to the grass that I can tell, although his pulses are sometimes up.

George is storming. Being a solid half-bred, he's the one you'd think would get laminitis, but not a sign of it. Tight legs all the time. He's going PN (3ft5) at Catton next weekend and in his 2 May events was totally surefooted though we did at least 3 motorbike turns Shocked

.

His feet are showing amazing effects from being in work. They are so tight in the top half, and they have already come down in size about half an inch. They didn't look bad when I bought him, just biggish cob feet. But they will hardly be big at all by the time the growth since he started work reaches the floor. Which won't be long, he's got the fastest foot growth I've ever seen.

Isn't it amazing what an impact being in work has? I noticed it with Zippy last year too.

For those who don't know me of old, the arena I work all three of these horses on is surfaced with 2-4mm grit. No rubber, no fibre, not even sand, just grit. So much for "unshod horses can't work on abrasive surfaces", eh Laughing

C

cptrayes

Wendy in France

Haven't managed to ride Lutine for nearly 3 weeks now as we seem to have swapped weather with the UK and have had rain, rain, rain and more rain. Can't get her out and about without a riding partner and the field still has waist height grass in it waiting for a break in the sodding rain so we can get out there and make the haylage.... so we wait and wait and wait.

However, her feet are looking great! We've been using a magic home made hoof gunk and by picking and spraying every day, the frogs are magically reappearing. No more deep central sulcus and funnily enough, this has been accompanied by the overlaid bars finally retreating and starting to straighten. The fact that the hay's not been cut yet means they're all still in winter dry lot paddocks on a diet of hay so no problems with LGL. Have also just started her on some homeopathic remedies prescribed for her by Chris Day for her uveitis and the physical stiffness so am looking forward to seeing how that goes.

Hopefully, we'll be back to good weather and at least get riding before the end of June!

Nic

sarahh

Have been playing around with my management to see what i can and can't get away with. Seems that currently my boys are both rock crunching despite being turned out 24/7. while i can still get away with this i will, as they are happier out.
Feeding copra meal mixed with SS Lucie Bix and this seems to be doing a good job, both looking well with fab feet.
The flatness of Boys fronts had been bothering me but as the dead sole now seems to be exfoliating i am hoping to see some concavity appear, to match his hind feet.
So another month of rock stomping happy ponies ... hooray! Laughing

Jane

Yey, June! Laughing

Had a great time at Rockley, as ever, so thanks Nic. Especially entertaining was the 'we really shoulda been drinking' hackette that we took one evening! Laughing

Came home and Dan had his first proper XC school on Friday, then his first ODE on Sunday - but don't get excited, he ain't Magic yet!

XC schooling went well, he was brave about the crocs in the water jumps and so we seem to be over that trauma. But apparently he learnt to hurdle over tyre jumps as there was no way he was jumping that one nicely, sigh.

Feet were fine, but I like Sarah's new OMDC thing.... it fits for a Daniel.

Then Sunday he had his first ODE. First stressage on grass - first outing on grass really.... he was soooo good. Grip was really good, even Mr Flatfoot on two wheels on the canter 20m circle!

I bottled out of the jumping as the SJ was indoors with no room to drop to trot (its either drop to trot or race past the fence at the mo!). But he did the SJ warm up as he's never done SJ either, and he was golden with the other horses and with the umpy jumps.

Magic thinks he's retired and is sulking big time.

All other feet are good. New horse arriving end of month so I can start the whole process over again Rolling Eyes

.

brucea

AAAAAAAAAARRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! Mad

After telling everyone our little lami pony Bramble was doing so well, he's sore on his pins again! I've nailed it down to the better quality hay - I'm sure of that - timing is too coincidental.

The stuff he's been eating in the dry lot is very poor indeed - but his big pal, fat gobble-guts porky gormless cob - managed to reach over the fence and into a good bale, dragged loads off, and they got into it. Don't ask me how on earth he managed it, but all the fence posts on that side of the dry lot now need attention from a mall hammer and the wire tightened up. As if there wasn't enough to do.

I love fat cob, I really do, but sometimes he is just asking for a trip to the pie factory!!!

hobnob

Nnnoooo dont say that!! Rolling Eyes

That cob sounds intelligent to me ! (well apart from the trip to the sugar beet bin!! How do you know Bramble didnt ask him to do it ? Confused

brucea

We got Apollo as a confidence giver for my wife after one of those riding accidents that resulted in a 3 week stay in the ICU.

He is smart - that's the "problem" with him. Too smart for his own good.

These are just some of the "annoying" things he does:
- his dry lot is next to the school so he "twangs" the wires when people are tring to practice dressage tests - makes horses spook and riders have fallen off - apparently that's fun
- rolls bales around by pushing them with his chest, you go up to the paddock and find straw bales all over the place
- digs up stones and kicks them down the slope into the school to frighten horses whose riders are working on their dressage tests (he has a thing about dressage)
- escapes out of stables. Bolts and kick bolts can be overcome. No idea how, never caught him at it, always happens when I leave the stable.
- everything is kept out of reach - or it gets pulled into the stable with him
- kicks the large cast iron bath in his dry lot non-stop until the yard manager has an apoplexy (apparently that is fun for him too)
- is always in the right place - blocking gates for example - to really wind up the more dominant horses
- untying himself. However you tie it. Again, you'll never catch him untying himself
- getting from wherever you left him (tied or stabled) into the cattle feed

We watched in amazement (and just a little horror) as this cob set about annoying a farrier so much that the farrier just refused to shoe him again. Nothing really bad - just licked his back, leaned on him, undid his chaps, stood on his tools, timed taking his foot away to the perfect moment then innocently lifted it right back up again...within a half hour the farrier was really angry but didn't know why!!! Actually, that was one reason we went barefoot - we couldn't get the farrier back!!!!

I love him loads, and he makes me laugh every single day. And he's safe and great with the kids. Can I really ask for more?

Yann

My two pretty much as they were, OK in hand, not much in the way of heat or pulses but needing boots for hacking over rough stuff. Rio spends her afternoons trying to twist her greenguard off and either gets past it or gets it stuck in her mouth, I think I'm going to have to try something else.

Both going very well though, thought they might be a bit sluggish last night after a 3.5 hour hack on Sunday but they were nothing of the sort Very Happy

SueH

Jake same really - still footy - despite being on barest paddock on the place. No chance of grass-free turnout still so its boots, boots, boots (with this season's gorgeous prosthetic pink frog by Sarah) and heels stay where they are. Not quite the progress I thought summer would bring with all the light nights and dry weather for more hacking to build up back of front feet Sad

.

However, hv spotted a grass-free abrasive bit of track Very Happy

at another local yard...Better than stabling to get him off grass surely + J cd share with laminitic barefoot pony for company. So its DECISION TIME : put up with performance I have or risk MOVE on to a new yard to try and give Jake fighting chance for performance feet.

Where we are now is good for quiet lanes, access to mountain but no school, ride in field only if dry. So if wet hooves are in mud mud mud. New place has less quiet lanes for hacking out on tarmac, [although more company when we do] I think what's the point in all the hacking opportunities where we are now, if Jake's feet cannot, cos of grass, progress. PLus the new place does offer more off-road areas: sand school, big field and little woodland bit so we can always manage to do something with those feet everyday.

**I know this is not strictly performance diary but seemed so related I've put it here.

X
Sue

brucea

Damn, Damn and Damn! Sad

Link has gone from being fine on the rough ground to beign a bit footy on the rough track in the yard yesterday, and is a lot more footy tonight. Hint of warmth and a bit of a pulse, but he's also very itchy and has been scratching against a post - bad sign - he never does that - suspect early LGL so he's off the grass altogether for a while and onto supportive feeding. He'd actually asked yesterday to go into the dry lot, but I thought it was just to be with his pals - maybe he was telling me something.

He's carrying more weight than I'd like at the moment and I need to get that off.

All the horses are, it's been a silly spring and early summer for grass. Where does it all come from!!!! Shocked

I think some of the shod horses are footy too - just slight changes in their gait, but sadly it's harder to see with the shoes on until they are in crisis.

hobnob

Message for Yann - if you are having trouble with horsey getting Greenguard muzzle off - this year they have changed the design slightly. You probably have a HORSE size with 3 sides making a box and the 4th side 'open' as such. The old PONY size are as they were but the HORSE size is a complete 4 sided 'box' and alot bigger in size. Looks like a small hanging basket !! Very Happy

Hope this helps they look alot harder to get off !

Note for Bruce - fingers crossed for Link - bloody grass Evil or Very Mad

Yann

Thanks for that hobnob, they're also eyewateringly expensive - got my current one second hand, suppose I'll have to dip into my pocket again if I need to. In the meantime I'm trying a closed nose net with a hole cut in it, not as durable I wouldn't have thought but more comfortable and less likely to rub.

SueH

something Brucea said:

brucea

This is something I now really pay attention to - have you ever noticed that if you eat a lot of sugary things, or alcohol for that matter, at night - then you lie in bed itching? Children get itchy skin with too much sugar - my wife is an independant nutrition adviser and sees this all the time.

Whether it's an alergic type reaction to the sugars, or to the raised insulin levels we don't know. Maybe someone out there does know.

I do know from my own direct experience that itchiness - and very often round the tail area, chest, sheath, under mane, neck - basically where there is tender skin - is a regular "early warnign sign" for my ponies and I've seen this with other ponies too before LGL sets in.

Washing and lotions only seem to provide temporary relief (but Agnus Castus provides more relief it seems) - complex area.

SueH

Thanks Brucea, VERY interesting. I should have Jake onto his grass-free track within days and I will monitior his bum rubbing and skin sensitivity carefully.

X

brucea

The other early warning sign I notice is irrritability - the ponies behave uncharacteristically - ears back at the kids, don't want to be "bothered" or disturbed, get upset by activity going on in the next stable kind of thing. Like we sometimes do when we aren't up to par.

So combination of itchy and bitchy tells us to keep a very close eye on them.

sarahh

hobnob

Hi Yann - yeah bloomin expensive now - we sell them for £49 !!! It would probably be cheaper to buy a hanging basket !! Laughing

Hi Brucea and the itchy scratchy brigade - wasn't going to say anything so I didnt tempt fate...but... my lgl pony seems the best today than she has for 3 weeks and guess what ... ? she has been rubbing her bum/tail today as the top of it looks like shes been pulled through a hedge backwards (no way for a lady to wear her hair). I think she may also be in season so it could be that?? Confused

If she footy tomorrow I am really going to wish I didnt post this tonight - but I am used to ups and downs now Smile

brucea

Thankfully I don't have the season thing problem - all mine are geldings. Much simpler than mares (of ANY species!!!!!) Very Happy

My friends horse has been shod today after weeks of laminitis and now has hot feet, pounding pulse and is quite miserable and lame. He was doing quite well yesterday. Farrier set the shoes well back, made heels low, and reduced the dorsal wall quite a bit back into the wedge. Very sore horse, real pity. Been shod all his life, and apparently is "too old not to have shoes now" Shocked

hobnob

Give me a mare anytime ! And she's chestnut and probably the 'lovliest person' you could wish to meet !! You can just tell from the expression on her face what mood shes in - she does lovely nose wrinkles very occassionally Smile

I do prefer mares I must say ! You can have a really strong bond with them. My gelding (only 34" high will attach himself to the back of your leg by the teeth at any opportunity!) I suppose you would say that's a strong bond in itself !! Laughing

Sad about your friends horse. Just over a year ago when my pone was really lgl footy - I called the farrier in to have a look and he said she would be fine as she had nice high heels ?!?!? These are the heels that have taken me 6 months to lower so I can no longer fit my hand under the back of her foot Confused

(When its on the ground !)

brucea

We're gettign way off topic for the performance reports BUT your comment about 6 months is spot on

That really struck me today - we are so lucky that we can make changes very slowly, gradually and subtly because we do it ourselves. This poor horse had what I would probably have taken (conservative) me months to do all done in a day - because it's eight weeks till the farrier comes again aint it! So his weight and loading are just thrown into a different place all at once. Time - the best tool in the box.

Sarah

Ooooops thanks Nic! Forgot the month had changed, too busy with......

Fari - on a very small amount of grass. I've fenced off verges and his diet will be at least 95% hay but the five percent is enough to have made his feet flatter. He is still pretty good but not as capable as in February.

Morris - his rocking crunching abilities impressed Sue H when we rode out together. Working up to a fun ride or two at the end of the summer when we have done a bit more flat work.

Jest - has a definite ripple where his septicaemia illness was although it could have been the antibiotics rather than the infection that caused, will never know which of course. Otherwise displaying rock crunching abilities chasing Fari around the hardcore last night. His muscle problems are improving and I'll probably try to start ponying him out in a few months before he explodes, his belly is much the largest thing about him now and he looks exceedingly well.

NJH Foxy, really doing well, no lameness, sound as a pound and very forward on everything but the knarliest tracks where he just goes "Ooppps I've got a digital cushion on the very large stones. Can I get him jumping now Very Happy

Re the itchyness, I have noticed for the last couple of years that my horses are much less itchy than they used to be when they were on grass turn out in the summer. I believe that it is due to having less toxins in their system. They used to rub so badly they used to wear Boett blankets. The Boetts have been gathering dust for the last three summers now.

Maybe too much grass gives them the equivalent of gout! Certainly you see swellings etc. Idea

S x

S x

brucea

Yes swellings - a couple of owners at the yard were told by the vet that the swellings (all over the flanks and neck) were too much protein in the feed, cut the hard feed and just leave them on grass. I quietly wondered whether it was a reaction to the grass. Interesting that you have noticed that too.

Jill

My mare who has mild sweet itch has been rubbing her tail for the last two or three months (coinciding with grass growth?).

As an experiment I stopped feeding her garlic - lo and behold she has gradually stopped rubbing her tail and I am only using her sweet itch 'gunk' occasionally now. Unfortunately the flies (interestingly not midges) are now finding her tastier.

I had heard that garlic could be irritant but thought she probably needed it to keep mossies at bay. ( sometimes we can be really stupid can't we Rolling Eyes

)

SueH

cptrayes

Well George did me proud today at his first PN. You can read my blog if you really want a blow by blow account, but I just wanted to report that the ground conditions were as bad as they get for barefoot traction.

The earth was baked and rock hard. The dressage arena and showjumping arena were grass covered. I would have expected to slip on a shod and studded horse. George was marvellous. He didn't slip in the dressage at all. In the showjump warm-up, I felt one of his hind feet "go" a couple of times, but each time he knew it straight away and limited it to about 6 inches and just carried on. He absolutely flew the cross country and if I hadn't taken a wrong direction would have had very low, or no, time faults on a course where it's difficult to get the time. Several sets of people spotted his bare feet and were all pointing him out to other people. Since he was stomping across a hardcore track at the time, having just stormed a clear round at his third ever outing and his first PreNovice event, he was a good advert!

C

Jane

Well done C and George! That's the way to show em barefoot works!

And actually more people seem to be noticing our feet these days.... do you find that? Pretty good job they are performing then. Laughing

When Dan went to his first event last weekend, we were warming up for stressage (note he is scrawny ex-racer that looks like he should still be in training!) and I got a couple of double takes that really made me laugh - you could almost hear the "what the ****, that TB hasn't got shoes on!!"

Thank goodness he didn't go ouch!! Wink

Sarah

Wow! What a horse, special indeed, you must be totally and utterly thrilled. You are going to have one hell of a summer Caroline.

S x

Sarah

Nic

Huge congrats to Caroline and Georgie the wonder pone - if anyone hasn't read her blog, its well worthwhile, especially as G only arrived a few months ago Very Happy

Kelly and I had a fun couple of days this week at Liphook, the equine veterinary hospital, where we took Dexter for an MRI and Felix as a companion. There is lovely hacking round Liphook, so of course we took our tack and rode them out the evening we arrived and then the next morning at 7am Smile

We asked the staff about routes, and they thought we were walking them out in hand. We explained we were going for a ride and were kindly told that Dex would have had his shoes taken off for his X-rays Laughing

We said that was fine, 'cos actually he hadn't had shoes on since February. We could see them wondering what on earth we were about as we strolled over their knarly gravel yard Wink

We had a great couple of rides - forgot that neither Dex nor Felix had encountered trains before, and we went right under the London mainline on our ride - oops Shocked

- fortunately the boys thought it was just a very grounded RAF jet, and were fine. Then we went across the front lawn at Champneys, the health spa... Embarassed

You could tell the country cousins were in town Laughing

Nic

brucea

Quick update
Link has gone much more footy on the front right - and has a strong pulse Sad

- this from a horse that has been in all sorts of grass over the years and not had a problem! So, the cause is probably shrouded in mystery, and not ruling out an abcess. This is day 3 so we expect to see some change one way ot the other in the next days or so. He's out in the dry lot with hay and moving around.

hobnob

Mid June report :

At last we have a stonking lgl pone !! Very Happy

Diet tweaking has obviously come to a point which works for her. She is even back on the track and having elec fence moved most nights (Only about 4 inches though !)

Diet is now 12 hour soaked hay as 95 percent of her forage, Hi Fi Lite, Linseed, NAF Slimline, and newest addition half rations of NAF Laminaze. The Laminaze has been the icing on the cake I think. It contains Bentonite clay to slow passage of food so no sugar rush - saw results within 4 days - whoopy !!!

Sarah

I think my NJH will jump anything. Took him to our riding club showjumping and he was awesome. Still OMDC on the stones in the car park but foot perfect on anything smooth or with stones less than about 15mm.

Gonna test ride him Cross Country ASAP what fun and what navicular?

S x

cptrayes

You going to Kelsall or SPF??? Can I come, can I, canI????

C

Nic

How about we have an entirely navicular barefoot team chasing team?! We have Foxy, Ghost and Dexter for a start, and I am sure we can rustle up another client or two to complete the picture Laughing

Caroline, Jane, we'll just have to put George, Magic and Felix in the non-navicular team (sigh!) Shocked

N

cptrayes

Sorry Nic, Felix doesn't match. Magic and George are the image of each other!

C

Wendy in France

Finally, the outside perimeter of our field has been cut and baled and was dry enough to ride on so managed to actually get out and ride Lutine. She was brilliant! Full of energy and power, not a sign of any lameness. In fact, I can't remember the last time she was off in trot as she used to be sometimes. Touch wood! Her front feet have gained much more concavity recently, the bars are stopping laying over and have straightened up and both front frogs have widened out. I still have to pick her feet out and spray her frogs with my magic hoof solution every day if I want to keep the thrush away but it's about the easiest thing in the world to do.

Diet at the moment is Top Spec Balancer, Top Spec Fibre Plus, their 10:10 joint supplement, 300ml of canola oil (split over two feeds) and her Chinese herbal blend for the uveitis. She's now being stripped grazed on our field but the stuff that's been cut has dried out so it's like eating hay whereas there's not that much green stuff growing back through yet.

sarahh

Boy and I went show jumpies yesterday at a new place for us... Lorry park all ouchy stones but he said "no probs mum". Girl in adjacent lorry looked horrified and asked how he copes without shoes... Smiled and said he does ok. Proceeded to prove it by getting placed in both classes. And beating said girl Very Happy

Sarah

brucea

Yard Show yesterday. Just because the Pony is laminitic and can't be ridden - he can still take part in the fancy dress - this time he went as a "ROCKING HORSE" Very Happy

He does have an Elvis look about him, shades, quiff and a scarf!

Click to see full size image

sarahh

jane stevens

Anyone going to Cirencester Park EGB this Friday? if so would love to meet up we're taking Otto and Ecliptic entered in the 50km vet time at 9.20am will let you know how we get on next week Exclamation

Monty my homebred Arabian who is advertised on this site for sale is getting fit to do his first barefoot 32km and is really going well - just need to find the right person to take him on slowly slowly? Idea

Nic

cptrayes

The WriteOffs Laughing

The RightOn WriteOffs Laughing

C

evie

It's become clear that the month of 3 muzzled hours of average grass per day that H had in April really did set her back more than I thought. Still, we've grown a new hoof capsule once and we can do it again! Nice tight stuff growing down and I'm rasping flare/renewing roll weekly.

However - she's stonking in her hoof boots (go-faster-trainers) - did 20k at the Scottish TREC champs in Old Mac G2s this weekend, mostly at warp speed with little ears pricked like this. She even chose to jog down a 1 in 4 hill Shocked

We did day 2 barefooted - mixture of terrain from short grass, over rubble, up big hill with random stones everywhere, blast along flattened long grass, down and up incredibly steep dirt/grass inclines and trotted down a steepish hill with long grass. She coped brilliantly with it all. Shame he didn't get a back view!

sarahh

hobnob

She's lovely Evie - look at her little ears!! I like to go faster stripe down her osf leg too !! Smile

SueH

Jake still at old yard on his bare paddock - seems to be improving. Rode down re-surfaced lane with loose chips and seemed absolutely oblivious to surface in frnt boots (previously he has seemed a more slow/careful in front boots even on fine gravelly surfaces, so I thought even rears suffering). Now I wonder if him being on bare paddock is actually working sufficiently for me to question unsettling his with move -(still uming and aaring - track at new place quite small so is it worth it Confused

will do separate entry in general bit of forum to save clogging performance with my dithering! Rolling Eyes

).

Heels/navicular Left frog prosthetic isnt fitting as snuggly as when fitted [not so notiveable with right but left was crappiest] - hopefully suggesting some change there in response to stimulus Smile

. I've been using the boots with pads and frog prosthetics for every ride to try to get frogs going. Downside is that sole around the frog (not so much the sole calous round perimeter) on fronts are looking flaky as not getting abraded sufficiently but I think frogs a priority.

Bone spavin still manageable (no irritability/bucking in canter so long as warm up properly) - stiff on the hind until well warmed up, and so this can make him less forward going especially initially as he cannot flex the hocks so well to manouevre rocky bits, inclined surfaces. Its now 1 year since intra-articular steroidal anti-inflam injection and barefoot seems to be keeping him manageable without further injections - hope this keeps up as long as poss.

X
Sue

brucea

Interesting thing I found with Link's bone spavin has been that the Linseed meal really made a difference to him - I use two good scoops a day and he seems to be much more sound on it.

SueH

I have had Jake on linseed since last year but just taken him off it [ was using Linseed from Simple Systems = instant stuff) to get weight down. Still feeding alfalfa + mag + seaweed + rosehips + mobilityherb (D&H) + spearmint + cider vinegar. Linseed has I think helped keep bone spavin manageable but but extra weight is counter productive and i think a short period without it to get off excess weight will be worth it. I will monitor him over next couple of weeks. If the soundness reduces I'll get him back on it.

Jake is 15hh TB and his weight rocketed early this year to 475 kg (weight tape). Now down to 455 kg but want a bit more off yet.

x
Sue

sarahh

Local show yesterday and Boy came 3rd in the best coloured class...judge said he has wonderful light paces... Something to do with not having lumps of metal nailed to his feet maybe? Laughing

And can I join the pocket rocket gang after a 5th in a BIG 2'9 class where all others placed were over 16 hands Very Happy

jane stevens

Cirencester Park EGB results on Friday were good for Otto Laughing

but bad for Ecliptic Sad

They were both going brilliantly until about a mile from home then Vicky who was riding Ecliptic felt something was wrong so we stopped and got off to check him over only to discover that he had cut his coranary band and bruised his pastern! probably struck a cotswold rock as he was jumping over the wet patches!!

Anyway Grade 3 for Otto Very Happy

Ecliptic vetted out for slight lameness on that leg Crying or Very sad

Thats the way it goes!

Yann

Rio seems to be motoring bootless once again on the local rides round the woods which is progress. Tess isn't so good though, lots of wall flare and a bit ginger in hand over the worst of the stones on the way to the field.

rose

After my May performance report when I said my laminitic prone girl was the best she had been she has been footy ever since.

Nothing has changed in her care except I suppose the grass is growing but she is in a very very bare small paddock and she had her yearly injections.

She was foot sore on the road even in boots for about 4 weeks and is now just improving. I am riding her out again now but with boots all round where as at the beginning of May I was riding her without any boots.

Has anyone heard of routine injections causing problems or is it just I haven't managed to manage her grass intake adequately?

hobnob

Yes I have heard various reports of vaccinations causing footiness in barefoot pones! Also some chemical wormers - all anecdotal I believe and only what I have read on line etc.

Chin up !! Wink

brucea

2 times laminitic - both times within 7 days of paste worming. Ain't a coincidence.

sarahh

My position is terrible & the jumps looks a lot smaller than they were, but here is some barefoot performance for you all to laugh at

Click to see full size image

hobnob

Go pony - go !!

I think the girl on the grey outside the ring is saying to the other one on the bay horse - my god its got no shoes on !!

brucea

Near end of month report
Bramble showing slow but steady improvement - his hooves look great, but still a little pottery at times and finds downhill harder.

Apollo - no problems, never are. Cobs and small boys...always hungry.

Link- abscess on front now closed up and seems to be sound on it HOWEVER this morning his back legs (one more than the other) were very filled and hot. We looked over each leg for cuts, checked for hoof issues/abscesses and nothing found other than one or two tiny scratches. So lots of antibiotics and he's turned out with his pals to move around. Strange one - vet said he may just have been standing around too long in the sand paddock.

brucea

Link - legs much less filled today with being out on the grass with his pals. Must have been just not getting enough movement in the dry lot. The other 2 are fine though.

Nic

Fun pics, Sarah Smile

Someone was asking about wormers and vaccinations, and yes, there is lots of anecdotal evidence of horses having bouts of footiness after these, and its a recognised side effect of some wormers.

We've found combination wormers are a particular problem, and if you search the forum you should find more info.

Nic

hobnob

End of June report - lgl pony still stonking, On track system with small amounts of LONG grass allowed each evening. No pulse or footiness since started feeding NAF Laminaze 2 weeks ago at the maintenance dose. I up dose if we have rain and sun etc. Not the cheapest supplement but worth it !! Very Happy

Soles shedding a little and outside bar growing on OSF - did this a while ago and then disappeared ??(this is the only foot that ever has a pulse ??). She is obviously growing it for a reason so it will stay as long as it wants ! Only a tiny amount of flare to trim off and definate angle change since the beginning of the year. White line at toe really tight and slight stretching on both fronts on outside quarter.

brucea

Bramble shed off a whole load of sole on Monday and Tuesday - it sort of peeled off. He's been much happier on his front feet since that happened and was fairly being a cheeky monster tonight, kicking up his heels and escaping from his paddock Rolling Eyes

. Seems to have changed the pressure distribution. Whatever - he seems more comfortable, even on the rough bits.

sarahh

Yay Bramble! That's good news for him, hope he continues on the up Smile

hobnob

Well done Bramble Very Happy

We are shedding well this week also. Isnt it lovely to see them being naughty when they have had a tough time of it !!
Does y'heart good...