A pictorial in going from orthopedic shoes to barefoot.

[KC and the Sunshine Band]

Some of you may remember my thread from last month about my horse who was getting some pretty expensive shoeing jobs in an effort to keep him in work which ultimately led me to finally taking him barefoot.

I thought it may be interesting for you all to see where we were, and where we're at now.

There are 3 folders of pictures.

One has pictures of his shoes, one has pictures of 3 days after pulling the shoes, and one has pictures from today, 4 weeks later.

I have started him back to light work and he's sound but with a tiny bit of soreness to the hoof testers on the inside left bar where a corn developed which lead me to pulling his shoes.

Let me know what you think of his current foot. I think it looks a lot better.

[ChocoMare]

YAHOO! Mucho betterer. :yes:

Little by little you're gonna see those heels creep back where they belong and lose that underrun/run forward look.

Way to go!!!! :D

[Daydream Believer]

I think he's on the road to growing a much healthier and sounder hoof. Great progress! I like the trim too...a nice strong roll and back to the WL.

[KC and the Sunshine Band]

Thanks. That's my own handy work with a rasp.

The farrier took some of the bars off yesterday with his knife, but other than that I'd just been rasping away a little bit every day or every other day and finally got his hoof looking like I thought it should look. Now I've just been watching out about his quarters and trying to keep them smooth so they don't get all broken out again.

[ChocoMare]

Here's Kim/Irishcas' video on trimming from the top down. Just this simple demo REALLY helped me with the quarters.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLc-C03mfuM

[KC and the Sunshine Band]

Anyone else have any comments on this horse's feet?

Is it possible that his sole will become thicker & healthier given more time barefoot?
Is it possible that his walls will get thicker too?

[KC and the Sunshine Band]

Thanks for the video link chocomare.

[grayarabpony]

Is it possible that his sole will become thicker & healthier given more time barefoot?
Is it possible that his walls will get thicker too?

Yes to both.

[ChocoMare]

Ditto :yes:

The horse will grow the hoof that is required/asked of it. As they develop more sole callous and concavity, you'll be able to ride on harder/rougher ground, which stimulates more and stronger growth. :)

[kookicat]

Can someone talk me through the pics and video?

In the last part of the video (looking at the bottom of the hoof) can someone tell me what she's trimming? The lighting isn't very good and I can't make it out.

[ChocoMare]

Since it's COTH's own irishcas' video, maybe PM her so you can get it straight from the woman herself :D

[matryoshka]

The new growth looks good in the 4-week pics. That's one of the ways I can tell whether I'm doing a good job or not: looking at the growth. His frog doesn't look as prolapsed, but it is hard to tell. The new growth will also give you an indication of how far his toe can eventually come back (draw a straight line following the angle of the new growth to the toe). You have to grow it that way by maintaining the breakover back far enough, but you can't get it back all the way until the new, better attached wall grows down to ground level. It'll be interesting for you to see the change in angle from old growth to new growth as he continues barefoot.

Not everybody agrees that walls thicken just from going barefoot. Personally, I see walls get healthier when the shoes come off. I think the important thing to look for is a tight laminar connection all the way to the end of the coffin bone. That will give you the strongest hoof possible for that horse. You will know you are there when you see a nice, tight white line that is uniform thickness all the way around.

How is the horse's comfort level? Pics can't tell us how well he's moving around. I'm guessing he was very sore at first, but one hopes that he's much better by now.

[KC and the Sunshine Band]

The horse is sound on the turf and in his stall but sore on the left front in the arena, which is surprising because it's good soft footing. He's doing light work out on the turf and seems to be very happy/sound there.

He was on 1 gram of bute 2 times a day for two weeks then 1 gram once a day for 1 week. Now he's drug free and seems to be adjusting well so long as he stays on the turf.

[matryoshka]

My flat-footed OTTB was great turned out barefoot. He needed boots for riding even after 4 years of being barefoot. I would have thought sand footing would be comfortable for him but not so. He didn't gimp in sand, he just didn't stride out as well barefoot in sand as he did booted.

It might be a good idea to measure his feet and order some boots for riding until you know how his hooves are going to shape up. Aside from the whole discomfort thing, gimping is bad for the rest of his body, even when he's not being ridden. Ask me how I know this. ;)

If you are interested in boots, there's a new thread on boots in the Horse Care section. That OP is interested in boots for turnout rather than riding, but there is still some good info on boots. There are also a number of threads on boots in the Endurance and Trail Riding forum if you do a search. As a group, we trail riders are probably the biggest users of boots, since they can be used in competition without a problem (Competetive Trail Riding has restrictions on type of boot).

[Gayla]

I really don't have much of an eye for the details of trimming. But the thing that really jumped out at me are the wavy lines in the hooves with the shoes on. The shoes were pushing up on the hoof and pushing it into the coronary band in several spots. In the barefoot pics the wavy lines are almost gone. Really nice. I think you have really made your horse more comfortable.

[goponies]

You can also visit:
http://www.equinextion.net/phpBB3/
Loads of info there as well!

[BornToRide]

I have started him back to light work and he's sound but with a tiny bit of soreness to the hoof testers on the inside left bar where a corn developed which lead me to pulling his shoes.

Let me know what you think of his current foot. I think it looks a lot better. Much, much better. I am so glad you tried - I bet your horse is too :) I saw that the periople on his front hoof dips down in front. I noticed that also in old photos of my geldings fronts, shortly after the shoes were pulled. I am now wondering if this was a sign of peripheral hoofwall loading.

Look at the growth just under the coronet band. This is the angle the dorsal hoofwall wants to be at :yes: Also remember the hooves adapt to their environment. A hoof used to soft pasture will never be a rock cruncher. He also still shows contracted heels, especially on the RF. That should change as well.

Hoove health is also very much dependent on diet. If the horse gets too many sugars/starches in the diet it will make a hoof weaker. Lack of or certain mineral imbalances can also be a factor. This is a good article to read: Feeding the Hoof http://www.hoofrehab.com/diet.htm

Best wishes !


He didn't gimp in sand, he just didn't stride out as well barefoot in sand as he did booted.
Sand can create too much pressure, depending on how solid it can be when wet if a hoof is still a bit more on the weak side.

[grace l]

I havent watched the video yet, but I will,exactly what im going through. In trying to grow heel in rear my farrier was setting the shoe back.Wasnt working,and was disrupting movement in back.I finally told him to just take the shoes off,her stride is much better,she can step under better.Hopefully feet will grow better,and stop collapsing in the heel.

[BornToRide]

trying to grow heel in rear my farrier was setting the shoe back.Wasnt working,and was disrupting movement in back
That's what I experienced as well with my gelding. I just do not understand why most die hard farriers do not see this trend......:(