Footiness is a symptom of less than perfect health. Sometimes only minor, sometimes something more. But less than perfect health nevertheless.
This is a quick list of things to consider:
- too much grass
- impact on grass of change in environment (rain after drought, several days of frost, fertilizer)
- too much sugary/starchy feed
- sugary hay (for cool season grasses)
- other non specific dietary upset
- course of antibiotics
- thrush
- bruise
- corn
- abscess brewing
- sole been thinned by inappropriate trimming
- foot overdue for trimming
But please don't be tempted to shoe until you know what the problem is - you may resolve the footy symptom, but you won't resolve the cause and without the footiness to guide you, you won't know if your horse has been restored to better health.
If you are determined to shoe (and of course I'd counsel against) then only shoe a sound horse.
5 comments:
I totally agree with not shoeing a horse to correct lameness. Fix the lameness first. I do shoe, I also pull shoes when the horse is not working and I would be horrified to see that going from shoes to barefoot or vice versa changed the way the horse moved. That's very wrong.
My 4 yr mare has a club foot with a deep central sulcus. She is shod - all 4 feet. Her feet have been healthy - until now. We have been battling with thrush - diagnosed by our farrier - for over a month. She has not been sound on that foot since this began.
Looking at your previous post about heels, what was used to treat and close the crevice?
It's much easier to sort out thrush if the horse is bare as the hoof mechanism can work properly and the frog can impact the ground. I wash/scrub with salty water every day until all the black has gone and the foot smells fresh. Avoid harsh chemicals, especially those labelled 'thrush treatment' and the like. They usually contain necrotising agents which do as much harm as good. Basic hygiene and bare works best.
Lucy, would you mind if I put a link to this post on my blog. I think it's a great reminder for horse owners :)
Hi Kristen - sure :-)
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