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Shoes mask weaknesses, barefoot highlights strengths

Monday 3 October 2011

Home grown...

Just deshod

11 weeks later


































Very 'metabolic' horse, to the extent that a couple of handfuls of the wrong sort of hay will have a negative impact on legs, feet and behaviour (swelling, footiness and grumpy). Not an easy one for anyone; so hats off everyone to the owner of this horse for doing such a grand job in very difficult circumstances.

Note:
Overall shape change
Bulking up of frog
Reduction in thrush
Development of heel buttresses
Thickening and toughening of sole
Decontraction
Extra bulk in heel bulbs

5 comments:

cheyenne jones said...

It looks good........But in truth, and here I am being general. I have often thought about going barefoot. But, in view of the surfaces I ride on, and the roughness of quite a few of the tracks etc. I have been reticent.

Janet said...

I have followed your blog for over a year and never thought that what you have said about LGL applied to me. I was totally wrong. Even my vet misdiagnosed it and I am 10 weeks in to a new diet regime and whole new way of life for us. My pony is still footsore but nowhere near as bad as he was. I am grateful to you and your advice.
Janet

Lucy Priory said...

Wow thank you Janet :-) I am so sorry to learn your pony is footsore, but equally pleased to hear he is getting better.

LGL is very widespread, so common it is seen as normal. Well done you for doing the necessary.

amandap said...

Good on you Janet. I am constantly amazed how much I have not 'seen' before as each little bit fits into place.

May I ask about the deshod photo? Has the thrush spread over the whole hoof underneath on the crumbly sole and into white line? It just looks to me so black like necrotic, thrush attacked, crumbly sole that you've partly scraped away.

Sorry for the non technically worded question.lol

Lucy Priory said...

Hi Amandap

It was one of those times when I had started cleaning the foot, when I thought - 'Oh hang on need a photo.' So it was actually worse immediately post deshoe. Yes the thrush is everywhere.

I find that thrush gets a good grip under shoes and then creeps across the sole, to be met by the material growing round on/through the frog.

Very hard to deal with in the shod horse as even if the sole/frog are kept clear there is a constant resevoir of material under the shoe, esp if there is any stretching of white line.

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