Posted: Sun Mar 29, 2009 9:28 pm Post subject: Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhh!!
ONE DAY!!!!!!!
ONE, just ONE day of sunshine, and Jazz has come in with pulses raised. That's it, off the grass daytime for the whole of the rest of the season unless we get a long dry summer and the grass gets burnt off.
Brucea - absolutely agree on linseed. Jake gets 500g a day and I'm sure its this + barefoot which is keeping him flexible. Been speaking to lovely lady from Sweden - at least where she came from they NEVER trot shod horses on roads cos its thought to be so bad for joints. She arrived in UK to find everyone 'fittening' their shod horses by trotting them on the roads and was horrified.
As for navicular fronts I've been pondering /in two minds as to whether jake was getting slightly more footy due to spring grass growth or whether I was just asking too much too early on since taking boots off and he needs more conditioning work to harden up soles, heels etc. He does try to get onto grass verge sometimes e.g. if there are stones in the road but not always - in fact sometimes if I put him on verge he takes himself off it as he has a preference for flat smooth tarmac over lumpy turf - suggesting its not grass sensivitivy rearing its head but just heels/sole being worked and having a break.......?
Well I'm playing it safe for now, I've taken him off grass and onto grass free pen during day. He as access to his diet muddy grass paddock at night. I think he has improved slightly as he did 2 hours of mixed surfaces sunday and my companion said he looked better than when we did this last time 2 weeks ago PLUS on soft surfaces he's getting pretty swift, and we've started jumping again
Join the club! If the others go in the field Fari just watches them, tiz the only way to stop him being a grass affected cripple. I don't even do the night stuff with him anymore. Thanks for the flame gun tip, got one and am about to start burning my verges ;0)
Girls been on spring circuit for a couple of weeks. No particular signs of grass problems, but keen to stay ahead of the game, especially with the QH.
Had a weekend in the NF. QH had a great time, demonstrating just how long she can trot uninterrupted for and how fast she can canter. One leg can't really cope with that much trailer travelling (hips) and struggled a bit so I got a really really long walk for two days on the trot...
VET visit [for vaccination] and what a pleased/surprised chappie he was to see navicular bone spavin horse sound enough to jump.
as per usual I get my freebie lameness check as he's keen to see how bareoot is suiting us. Sticky moment when he trotted off a bit unlevel on off fore - but then after fetlock flexion test (no problems felt in joint) he went off sound phew and no whiff of toe first .
Generally Jake's fetlocks are a bit stiff, more noticeably on diagonal off fore/left hind - once they've been flexed a bit they loosen up. He is managing 2 hour hacks on roads, (we pop on to verge if stoney), jumping on grass, schooling in rubber/sand arena. Without boots, I now see slight changes in robustness of the fronts whereas I didnt ever see this in boots. I think they masked it all. So now, he's done a fair bit over last week in terms of intensity, and so I think he's not 100% (hence bit of unlevelness at vet visit to begin with) , so we'll keep in to walk for few days until I feel him get stronger.
What was great was to have a proper discussion about barefoot with a vet: about Jake's performance without boots, opening up of back of hoof and beefing up of heel, proprioception, playing by ear, if unlevel then ease off on intensity, pea gravel etc.... NOT unlike discussion I would have with trimmer
Vet was grinning ear to ear about a case he was treating where hoof growth of severe laminitic was outstandingly better without shoes.
...thing is I cant gake credit for getting this vet to be open minded about barefoot. well done Sarah _________________ X
SueH with Jake and Clay
Our vet has now recently seen another "big" TB type horse like my Link who has gone barefoot over the last 18 months - with the same hard to diagnose lameness around the same time - with the same kind of radiographic changes - high P3 position in the hoof capsule, proliferation of new bone growth in the palmar extensions, bony changes round the circumference of P3 etc.
Our bet is that this is just bone remodelling going on to provide a greater stability, more support behind. Perhaps contraction and decontraction is something that happens to P3 itself as well...is this a silly thing to be thinking? That extra bone growth must be there for a reason.
What has been noticeable is that his heel bulbs have changed shape over the last 4 months - more prominent and plumped up, and the area between the lateral cartiliges is more plumped up too
Would be fascinating to find a study that followed the radiographic changes over time in a group of horses as they transition. Has anyone found one?
Well, me again...we're seeing it all this last week. Hot feet, pulses, hives, grass glands, loony mares and potty geldings!
Our little chap actually had pulses over the last 2-3 days and was a bit footy and has rubbed his tail quite a bit - he isn't on grass, has had no variation in his diet, he and Polly are working through the same bale they have had for nearly 2 weeks - I can only think it is hormonal with the days getting longer.
H has moved fields into one that is tinged very slightly green rather than totally dead mud, but it is just a tinge and she hasn't been observed grazing at all, still has her neb in the hay all the time. My nerves are just about coping! Fingers crossed she'll go back into a completely bare paddock when the summer grazing/lami paddocks are sorted out, YO is very helpful and there are lots of lardarse ponies that don't need the lush grass.
We have hoof wall growth big style in front, hinds are still just about OK but will need booting for any more roadwork for a few weeks. Hacked her out for 75 minutes the other day, mostly in that well known gait 'jiggle', 1.5km roadwork in total - couldn't see any change in front at all when we got back, but I don't want any more off the backs.
She feels fantastic at the moment, very 'upferit' - her backs have no visible angle change but fronts will be another 6 weeks before the last angle change (from adding msm & glucosamine for wonky front legs) is grown out enough to go when the roll is applied. Once we have tight growth top to bottom some of my promotion money will probably be going on renegades!
Mum's been riding her as I've been away lots in the last 7 weeks and she's (mostly) been behaving her little ginger self - butter wouldn't melt!
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