what do you think ? What would you do? - hoof problems?

Question

My TB has punctured himself with his shoe, the nails got loose from the wet weather down here and the shoe loosened and twisted which resulted in him stepping on to the toe clip. This has occurred twice before in the past 1 1/2 years from the same reason- Moisture softening his hooves and getting the nails loose. So I am quite used to having to take that shoe off, cleaning it out, poultice it up for around a week and then once Its clear of infection having the farrier come out and shoe him.

But because my Tb lives on 40 acres with a herd of 20 other horses, you can believe how hard it is to keep his bandages, clean, dry and ON!

Parts of the paddock are quite damp from all the rain we have had, and guess where he like to stand, smack bang in it where all the lovely new grass is growing. So I have locked him in a small yard, with the fence high enough that he cannot leap out ( yes last time he was lame he found it easy...)

So now I am considering getting some boots for his mishaps, one for when he is locked up with a poultice( can be used for whenever he is in bandages) and one so that when he loses a shoe and there is no damage i can just boot it up and he stays happy. 

Here are two boots I have found would suit

http://www.easycaredownunder.com.au/page12.htm - good for poultices etc
and 
http://www.easycaredownunder.com.au/page8.htm- for when he has lost a shoe and I'm waiting for the farrier to come out, so there is no need for locking my herd obsessed boy.

I think because of how often this has happend it  would be a good investment, and not too expensive either. I cannot remove him from this paddock, all year round it is usually a fabulous place but it rained for 3 weeks straight and the lower parts of the paddock are still recovering.

But what I need is some more opinion, if anyone has been in my situation before, have you done something different?

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

I would definitely recommend the Easy boot RX I think that 's what it's called, the one that's good for poultices. As far as the problem itself though, you should talk to your farrier and find out if there is something that he/she can do to fix the problem so you don't have to worry about it all the time! I don't know if I would worry so much about getting a boot for the foot when you're waiting for the farrier to come back out, simply because in my experience, a horse seems to do better on "three legs" than one foot with a big clunky boot on. But obviously if you have a very soft footed horse, which it sounds like you do, you might not really have a choice. I guess I would try to work with the farrier to correct the problem first. Good luck!

? · Answer

i might get a diverse farrier. each time shoes are reset, that would desire to be suitable to the time they require a trim. the chipping possibly had not something to do with getting the shoes placed on, yet together with her hooves being too long. they'd desire to be trimmed each and every 6-8 weeks. it fairly is advisable to attempt clips on the fronts of the shoes, in the spring my horses ft start to crumble somewhat and the clips somewhat help. he was once barefoot yet regrettably thats not an selection anymore, so i might ask a 2nd opinion to a farrier who trims each time! additionally i might beware for "tommys" answer...it sounds somewhat biased and a powerful farrier will greater healthy the shoe to permit growth, if it didnt i think of you spot a good purchase greater problems on shoed horses. additionally a diverse breakover is often times required for a horse who would not have a organic terrific suitable for his universal hoof wellness. after my horse foundered he required a diverse breakover, so it fairly is a sturdy component. and how does NSAIDs have something to do with shoes? not basically that its not straightforward to take somebody heavily whilst they call NSAIDs "steroids" whilst it certainly stands for NON-steroidal anti inflammatory drugs

supersuzym · Answer

A lot depends on how you use him, do you ride in the winter? if not, why not get him trimmed up and let him go barefoot in the winter and put shoes on when the ground firms up each spring. Ask your farrier about that, he will know if his type of hooves will do ok barefoot.

sage · Answer

you are clearly very knowledgeable, but it would seem treatment for this horse has exhausted your capabilities. It is time to seek help from a horse veterinarian and possibly a good farrier.

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what do you think ? What would you do? - hoof problems?

4 Answers