Sarah
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March 2008Suddenly realised that it's March!
Fari is continuing to do well, even better since I fenced off all my verges and cut off a major corner. With the temperature this winter being over 8 degrees so much the grass has been growing. Within a week of fencing him off most of the grass he was walking most purposefully across the hardcore and even trotting away from Jesta when Jesta looked at him funny.
It is most apparent to me now that if my little grey arab is to become rock crunching I just have to get rid of the green stuff forever. Interestingly I have two angles growing in (or out which ever way you wish to look at it  ) One corresponds with the ripples which occurred with the start of grass nuts the other with the ceasing of the grass nuts.
I have had delivered in the last two weeks seven more loads of road scalpings and my eyes keep glinting at the prospect of a hay only summer.
Jesta continues to recover from his illness. No ripples apparent in his hooves, a surprise as I would have thought they would have been affected.
Morris continues to be rock crunching over any surface at any speed and believe me I have experienced the any speed as his enthusiasm gets the better of me from time to time. 
S x
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hobnob
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March already!!
I have not posted in this section yet so will write a quick overview!
Pony had first bout of laminits in April 2007 - recovered well but became footy for 3 weeks after every farrier trim. Therefore started trimming myself at the end of December 2007 (what took me so long - penny finally dropped - must have hit my head or something!)
Ok then - March 2008 :
Hind feet have always been unaffected.
Front frogs growing and thrush is a thing of the past. Having to keep outside walls rolled as the last growth ring is reaching the bottom and I dont want it to flare. Forward growth is also coming back and heels moving into correct position. Performance wise we dont hack out alot in the winter (full time job/darkness etc) but sound over gravel drive for the first time in months and months and her movement in the feild has changed considerably. On about half acre of very well grazed field with her chum and getting 12 hour soaked hay also plus Antilam. Watching closely as spring approaches and will cut grazing as and when necessary. The pones have a track system around their summer field which is mud - my own kind of paddock paradise  I have put a pile of logs in the middle and they do a Shetland grand national around it on their own - crazy!! 
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Yann
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Both horses still doing remarkably well, not something I was able to say by this time last year. Rio is still walking comfortably across rough surfaces with her regular riders on, and seems up to doing up to a couple of hours including a lot of roadwork with no adverse reaction or excessive wear.
She also had tons of height to take down after I left her 6 weeks between trims, but I don't know if the extra heel height has caused a bit of contraction because both forefeet are looking longer and more underrun. She still has one split heel and I found a hole on one of the hinds near the seat of corn which looks like an unnoticed abcess exit.
Tess appears completely unconcerned about stones in hand and not too concerned about the odd bit under saddle either, will start carefully pushing the envelope bootless if this carries on. Certainly the best she's been since the shoes came off in August 2006. Feet still not showing significant flaring of any kind between trims and the fronts still have some concavity. Heels not great though.
Next month or so will be the proof in the pudding but I really am starting to wonder if the SS feed and Hoof Mender supplement in particular are actually making a difference. Would be wonderful if that were the case
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Jane
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Well its the first time I've had to move to restricted summer paddocks in February!
But mine are all improving (their winter field is 3 acres and very well fertilized each spring for growing hay. They had restricted access to it (track system) in the autumn and were fine, and then it was strip grazed up til Christmas (still fine).... but by mid feb the grass was growing and my one lami candidate had to come off it so the others did too.)
So everyone is better than they were in February, many exfoliating soles, and this is the first winter Magic hasn't lost concavity due to living mainly on concrete and I think rubber matting the barn has helped that.
Unfortunately it'll soon be racetrack paradise here again, but for now they are on a strip of paddock so they don't ruin it all if and when this 'mega' storm arrives!
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Nic
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Blimey...March already 
Performance lambs are boinging out and lepping about at a great rate...Rock-crunching hooves on a diet of mother's milk
As for the ponies, they are all in good form - Felix and Conto who both bizarrely abscessed last month (and each were unsound for at least 4 days - shock horror!) are back as if nothing had happened, bar the holes in the back of their heels
Bailey has tweaked a tendon - the same one she first did years ago in shoes and which has been a weak point ever since - and is sound but is having a light few weeks - ie no hunting - to be on the safe side.
Jack is working OK but is growing in a new hoof, and it will be interesting to see if that helps him load more evenly - he loads medially at the moment as a way of compensating for his old injuries.
Charlie - just a joy, having a blast hunting and generally being loveable
Ghost - the original, and what a star - a bit porkie at the mo as he is only working 3-4 times per week, but a stomper.
Dexter - the new boy, navicular horse who arrived with nasty feet and is growing in fantastic new ones. I'll post photos on the blog next week, but he is already sound to long rein walk/trot in the school and is going out led from another horse with renengades on. I would expect him to be fairly close to rock-crunching by next month's report - fingers crossed
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brucea
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We've had all 4 seasons in the last week up here in North East Scotland, but the grass is growing quick enough to hear it if you listen carefully!
Linkwood - bare since October - is just surprising me every day with what he can do barefoot. He had horrendous mediolateral imbalances behind and these are growing out beautifully.
Our ex-farrier asks to see him every time he comes to the yard and he's actually enthusiastic and delighted with his feet! It's the "Anni effect" I tell him.
The farrier said he is missing us as clients - "but you have 4 new clients in the yard" I said..."Aye, but they just don't think to have hot pies and coffee when I get here on cold winter mornings" he replied!
Apollo our coloured vanner has been bare since spring last year and is just crunching. He's been struggling with the new grass though and has been mildly grouchy which is most unlike him. So I'll try to read the danger signs.
Bramble has laminitis - came down two weeks ago - worst I've seen him since we got him 6 years ago. We had him stabled while the fencers were putting up a bare paddock, and he just stiffened up and got more lame. He's now out on a grass free sand/clay mix area with a marvelous 20 ton sand pile to play in, and Apollo for company. Movement - I'm convinced movement is the key to recovery.
Bramble has made a little pony size "nest" at the top of the sand pile and he sleeps there - the sun warms the sand so I guess it's nice. He's also found that the sand below the surface is damply cool so he lies in his "nest" with his feet worked in to the sand as far in as he can - clever little pony! Teaches me something every day.
We have him on ad-lib hay, with twice daily feeds of Pura beet, metaslim and a mineral supplement - but have added in some CalMag as well. Hope that's adequate. Now he's out I'll trickle in the soaked LucieNuts over the next weeks in the evenings as it's still really cold overnight.
We need a long cold winter with lots of snow next year!
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Em
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Its interesting what you are saying about the grass, I'm very unsure wth Shadow at the moment.
Shadow was doing well and actually started to walk over the stones without thinking about it but the past week or so, he has gone short in front and Jane will agree he was not happy on the hard ground on Saturday, we even had a few lam steps!  Boots helped on Sunday but he has definitely lost his confidence!
So.. is it the hard ground, the grass or something else. He seemed happier today, I walked him on the tarmac in hand and he strode out heal first and looked great! Time will tell!
Drummer is rock crunching! even though his frogs are horrid! Just goes to show!
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Claire
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Teddy's feet are fab just now - albeit wonky and with pretty crappy frogs still, they're doing the job fantastically! Yesterday we were hooning about over newly resurfaced stony tracks without a hesitation (Ted's idea, not mine ) oh he's just soo cool!! We do have fab concavity tho 
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sarahh
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Boy - Heading back to rock crunching after naughty mummy didn't ride much causing his feet to go downhill  Was concerned the incoming spring grass may have been a problem but *touchwood* seems to be fine, as went up across hills near us, along a very stoney bridleway and he was a happy Boy
Tyler - The new boy! Luckily from a barefoot home so was already being fed the right stuff. Stonking gigital cushions from having spent his first 2 years roaming around a hillside. Frogs not so great as past few months spent stabled. Been taking him for "walkies" in hand as not yet broken, and nothing seems to have bothered him yet *frantically touching wood again*
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Sarah
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| Quote: | | Yesterday we were hooning about over newly resurfaced stony tracks without a hesitation (Ted's idea, not mine ) |
Claire! Let's not introduce him and Morris then! 
S x
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abitodd
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Quite an enlightening month for me and the Wub.
Some of you may remember that I recorded 'footiness' on stones last month.
I bought boots.
Minor improvement.
Now I need to recap. Wubbo was on 3 legs last autumn.Seen by Mary Bromily who detected stifle/hock complex injury and general weakness,mineral deficiency.She recomended hill walking.
So we have addressed minerals and we've been doing hill walking.However his stifles and back end are still weak(Mary refers to him as that fabulous 3 year old....he's nearly 5!)
Anyway not to bore you with the details,but he is suffering with his stifles again(he does suffer,big wimp) and I suddenly realised that this apparent footiness on stones is much more to do with muscular weakness than poor feet. My farrier keeps telling me that Wubs feet are fantastic,but I did not believe him....but now the light is beginning to dawn. Stones usually mean uneven ground.My horse has never been shod,so he can feel every footfall,every undulation.He is a baby with poor balance and weak quarters.....no wonder he is struggling!
I moved him today.15 mile hack(mainly on level roads!) His new abode has quiet lanes to hack. So now I can do gentle road work,with hills to improve his balance and build his muscles.
I wonder how many genuine but footy horses have something else going on.
ps. sorry if this is long and garbled,but I lead my horse for half of the 15 miles and I am knackered!
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Sarah
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| Quote: | I wonder how many genuine but footy horses have something else going on.
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LOADS!
Your farrier sounds like an excellent chap
S x
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brucea
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Bramble still quite footsore - but only on one foot rather than all four. Have been supplementing with CalMag, whilst waiting for MagOx on order.
I have had to buy the little guy the next size up in easy boots - his 000 size boots that fitted him when first unshod no longer fit him - hoof has completely changed shape and we need to move up a size to 00!!! The widest part of the hoof has "moved" backwards - instead of spades he has hearts now.
if any one needs 000 then I have a pair with pads.
Still sticking with the bare clay/sand paddock, 30 minutes brisk walk twice a day, and putting up with opposition and criticism from the yard manager.
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Yann
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Well things were going swimmingly but in the last week there has been a slight but noticeable deterioration in both horses. They both have varying amounts of warmth in the area above the coronet and DC, but no obvious pulses as yet. The only thing that has changed is the field gradually getting greener. Hopefully upping time in the stable for a little while will help, along with riding them as much as time and the weather allow. Been here before...
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Claire
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| Sarah wrote: |
Claire! Let's not introduce him and Morris then!
S x |
Hee Hee Ted needs no encouragement for these things, believe me!! Its great fun though hey?!
I have found a remedy for our crappy frogs this week - at Ted's house they have just created a small allweather turnout paddock of hardcore topped with sand. Frogs are beefing up beautifully after a couple of hours per day mooching about in there
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Sarah
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| Quote: | | at Ted's house they have just created a small allweather turnout paddock of hardcore topped with sand. Frogs are beefing up beautifully after a couple of hours per day mooching about in there |
Tis all about stimulus then 
S x
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Wendy in France
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Lutine is just doing so well at the moment (touching wood!!!) We did a course of Global Herbs Restore and she's now on their ImmuPlus mix too, which is meant to be revitalising and good for everything. For the first time ever we did a proper ride out on Sunday, about 8/9km in total but with the first and last couple of km with me walking. There were some very steep hills in the bit we walked and she was fine going down everything but the steepest bits, where she started dragging the toe of the weakest hindleg during breakover, albeit not in any serious way.
She's still on hay only, wears boots with red pads and black frog supports in them all round for hacking or hard ground and is still having her EPSM high oil diet, based on Top Spec Cool Condition cubes and their Comprehensive Balancer. The only green stuff she gets is what she can snaffle when we're working!
Here's a vid of her the day after the longest ride she's done in the last 6 years!
p.s. Yann, we got the camera the right way round this time so you can watch without the risk of neck injury!
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Nic
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| Quote: | | The only thing that has changed is the field gradually getting greener |
Oh, and its such a big thing
I had a call from a client a week ago who has a rock-crunching cob that came out of shoes at the end of Jan, and which has been stomping over everything ever since.
She was very worried because it had gone very very footy - and she could not even hack it out.
To cut a long story short, it seemed as if nothing had changed, but the horse has been on Readigrass (since she came out of shoes) and that, together with the grass out in the field, has been proving too much for her (even though there is aparently only mud in the field!). Owner switched her onto hay, and rang today to say cob is rock-crunching again...
N
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Wendy in France
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A field of dead grass with only the tiniest green regrowth at the base last autumn is what caught me out with our big cob, who had been out all summer eating greener stuff than that - but it greener stuff that was long and past growing actively. Cue a week on soaked hay in a sand based round pen for her. Scary
Lethal stuff....
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brucea
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Bramble is picking up now and the laminitis episode is almost past I hope.
We have him on a sand paddock with a big 20 ton pile of sand to play in which he is enjoying immensely. Lies in the warm sand and buries his feet in the cool damp sand
He's footy without his Easy Boots and pads, but is quite happily walking out with them on, and this morning was trotting around the school braying at the mares, all 11.2 hh of him playing at stallion!
Improvements - small but significant - each day. The flexible crescent area of his hoof is getting smaller and the sole seems to be firming up on the firm supportive surface provided by the sand/clay mix.
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Yann
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| Quote: | | Oh, and its such a big thing |
Absolutely! I've noticed a spate of posts on the message boards I frequent with barefoot horses going footy in the past couple of weeks. Instant improvement again in my two since I upped the stable time, though the weather might well be playing its part too.
Wendy, can't see the vid at work but look forward to watching it later in comfort
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brucea
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Bramble doing better now - starting to look brighter and moving around much more comfortably. There seems to be a 3 week spell that they just need to detox.
We are giving Pura beet, Meta Slim and Mag-ox and clean hay. No grass at all.
His feet seem to be hardening up in response to being on the sand/clay mix and I'm noticing a ridge of sole growing just behind the apex of ther frog - new sole - and the sole calus is a little more formed, only a little, but that's something.
Progress!
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hobnob
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Ponies still in winter field but I cut it in half a couple of days ago as my mare who had lammi last year was not walking down hill as good as before! Argh alarm bells  3 days on and I have upped soaked hay and cut the grazing as above and she has been road walked (without any boots) for 20 mins for the last 3 days and she is OK again! Thank bl***y god. Want to keep them off the rested field for a bit longer as drainage is rubbish and we are having so much rain at the moment. I am planning to strip graze this new field as I normally do but keep the 'racetrack' around the edge which they love! PLEASE everyone watch out for that spring grass. Pone had no heat and no digital pulse though?
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sarahh
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ARRGGGHHHH!!!!
Didn't touch wood enough ... Boy pone is now stabled as we went out for a 2 hour hack sunday and he was ouchy on the stoney bits .... meaning i got to ruin my boots on the lovely clay-ey mud of the bridlepath, as my shod friend looked back smugly ... grrrrrr
Hoping to see an improvement by sunday as we're supposed going on a fun ride (fingers crossed everyone please) and i don't have hoofboots 
Stupidf spring stupid grass stupid not having own land. Grrrrr.
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hobnob
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Dont worry Sarahh - your shod friends horse may be suffering from spring grass syndrome too but the layer of metal isn't letting it show up ! Sorry - was that a bit rude - really didnt mean to be
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Sarah
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Just got back from a few days with Nic.
Wednesday was hunting day. I rode Felix, Nic was on Conto. What a great day, thanks Nic. We were out for 7 1/2 hours on a mixture of moorland, tracks, bog, flint, rock and road some parts were vertical on the up and down front. Felix in particular was still pulling at the end and was constantly wanting to be up at the front no matter what (he had also had a full day on Monday!).
The horses never put a step wrong their feet performing beautifully much to the total amazement of some vistors to the hunt. In a field of around 30 we were still out when others had retired through shoe loss, lameness or just tiredness, not bad for two barefoot horses one of which was due to be sent to the great horse heaven in the sky due to incurable lameness just 10 months ago. Way to go Nic.
I have to say the horses might be fine but yesterday I was as lame as a dog!
S x
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Nic
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Yay! Glad you got home safe, and certainly a bit of an epic day Its always fun surprising visitors down from other parts of the country about the strange barefoot things we get up to down here
Sarah didn't tell you that when she was being asked why on earth we didn't have shoes on, she just smiled and fluttered her eyelashes at the visiting master and said "He doesn't seem to need them" Great response!
Thanks for a fab day, and can't wait to do it again
N
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brucea
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Just back from a wonderful 4 hours out this afternoon with my big lad - crunching over almost everything. Pulled off the track over some very rough ground to look at a new septic tank that wasn't there last time and had to be given a good snorting at to put it in its place!
Just had time to tidy up his feet when wind and rain came blasting in - wild here now. Horizontal rain.
Lovely - when I got back, my 10 year old daughter was snuggled up with her little lami pony in the straw in his stable - both well fed, rugged up cosy, and dozing off together. The way it should be for a kid with a pony. These moments are soo special.
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brucea
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Time for annual vacs for two of our lads. Vet came out and looked at the big lad - tutted and hummed and hawed and muttered to her student.
Now -apparently I am unrealistic to expect the big lad to go barefoot because "his feet are really too small for the size of the horse, he should have wide feet, he'll never stay sound"....at 16.2 and a size 5, he's not exactly a ballet dancer!
Honest, I said, he's sound for the first time in 4 years...Ah, but he won't stay that way if I work him like that I'm told 
Grief...who needs this! 
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