Concavity & Sole Factors?

[0dd]

Can someone please tell me what the general methods are for toughening the sole and encouraging concavity (especially in the fronts)?

Thanks.

[Roofio]

When my lad first came out of shoes his soles were so bad they were proud of his walls. With a good trim and lots of time walking in solemates pads and wearing boots during the day, the false sole exfoliated and as better quality walls came down his soles had to bear less weight and improved. We don't have anything i'd really call concavity just yet, but we're getting there. He's having the new 'Energetics' hoofwear on today which hopefully will give him a good boost :)

When his shoe came off and couldn't be got back on..
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n248/Roofio24/DSC00031.jpg

After 5 weeks in boots and pads
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n248/Roofio24/DSC00074.jpg

Just before christmas
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n248/Roofio24/SNV30266.jpg

[MelanieD]

Things that get pressure to the sole like solemate pads or sand should help. But what really helps most is getting the diet right (not too much sugary stuff, good balanced diet) and growing out any flare which can take time.

There's an interesting article on www.hoofrehab.com about concavity and how the surfaces the horse moves on affects it, think its called 'a hoof for all seasons' or something like that..

[senjj]

Start out with some pads definitely. You can put them in your boots or tape them on for walks. Exercise on the road is brilliant for concavity because it strengthens the lateral cartilage and digital cushion. School work on sand is brilliant for strengthening and conditioning the sole.

[0dd]

My boy after much ups and downs has been barefoot 3 years in August..
He started out with insanely underrun heels which are still improving with flares still growing out, but are dramatically different.

He recently had a trim where in my opinion far too much wall has been taken off and his sole seems to be too bared to the ground :\ (he's still very flat). I need to talk to my trimmer about this next time.

However, the farm yard we are at is all concrete and tractors keep coming out the fields and dragging stones with them!! So it's impossible to keep him comfortable on the way in from the field at the moment..

I've had a good fair few comments.. only some genuinley helpful but I'm fed up of having to defend myself and why I have my horse barefoot!! In the past we've galloped over stubble fields, gone on 2 hour + hacks all on the road, showjumping many a time.. we're just having a down point at the moment :( sorry for the rant......

Anyway to get back on track - Once I've had chance to measure his feet I will order him some Hoof Eeze boots for pad walking - good idea?
I was lent some a while back which were really good! Do you think that will help? Also hacking on the road is in order once he is 100% sound of course.
I'm at uni during the week so riding is lacking currently, but my friend is lunging him occasionally to see how he's going.

I was a little concerned he could have laminitus, as a pony in our field just got it, however he wasn't here last year. My boy has never had it as far as I know.. and his lameness occured after the trim, so I'm hoping that's all it is.

</rant!> sorry.

[Yann]

If he's been barefoot 3 years and you're still not seeing much progress with concavity or footiness, then it's more than possible that he has something dietary or metabolic going on. Problem with this sort of situation is that there might not be any easy fix, even taking off grass completely won't always solve the problem but it might help if it were feasible.

Tess gained concavity over last winter and then lost it during the wet horrible summer. It's come back again this winter. She's been walked and ridden the whole time in boots and pads, both solemate equivalents and comfort pads. If you do have a problem of that kind my own experiences suggest that it isn't possible to condition your way out of it.

[0dd]

If he's been barefoot 3 years and you're still not seeing much progress with concavity or footiness, then it's more than possible that he has something dietary or metabolic going on. Problem with this sort of situation is that there might not be any easy fix, even taking off grass completely won't always solve the problem but it might help if it were feasible.

Tess gained concavity over last winter and then lost it during the wet horrible summer. It's come back again this winter. She's been walked and ridden the whole time in boots and pads, both solemate equivalents and comfort pads. If you do have a problem of that kind my own experiences suggest that it isn't possible to condition your way out of it.

The trouble is at the moment I don't have time to condition his feet and all these things. I'm hoping to pretty much devote my summer to him (as last summer he had an ethmoid haematoma, so all our summer riding was instantly put to a stop). So hopefully we'll see some progress this summer.

My trimmer has spoken to me briefly about Magnesium. Can anyone tell me more about this? He's only Biotin at the moment and well, pretty much has been since we wanted his feet to grow whilst he was shod.

[MelanieD]

If its dietary issues causing problems then one suspect is magensium deficiency. If he is deficient in magnesium then adding some to his diet could help, but would recommend starting with a sensible dose and not doing the throw in tonnes in case he isnt' absorbing all of it approach, have had a few problems with feeding excess magnesium! Salt can also be good, its meant to balance some of the excess potassium in fertilised grazing/hay.

[0dd]

If its dietary issues causing problems then one suspect is magensium deficiency. If he is deficient in magnesium then adding some to his diet could help, but would recommend starting with a sensible dose and not doing the throw in tonnes in case he isnt' absorbing all of it approach, have had a few problems with feeding excess magnesium! Salt can also be good, its meant to balance some of the excess potassium in fertilised grazing/hay.

Is this to be fed instead of Biotin?
If so can it be done say.. if I reduced the Biotin gradually and gradually introduced Magnesium?

[MelanieD]

You can feed magnesium and salt as well as biotin. Equimins hoof mender is meant to be a really good supplement with lots of biotin in, not tried it myself.

[Gill]

I feed magnesium too. My mare is still having sole problems and my farrier suggests possibly a copper deficiency? We are going to give her a go with a dose of copper as he says her foot capsule is really good but her soles are not packing in the material as they should be with the work she has been having.

[senjj]

Have you been on our epa proboards forum? There is loads of dietery info on there.

http://aepauk.proboards56.com/index.cgi

I would say definitely hoofeeze but then I sell them. Purely because they are so good. You can put my EPS pads in the bottom and they work really well together.

I would definitely look at diet though.

[0dd]

Have you been on our epa proboards forum? There is loads of dietery info on there.

http://aepauk.proboards56.com/index.cgi

I would say definitely hoofeeze but then I sell them. Purely because they are so good. You can put my EPS pads in the bottom and they work really well together.

I would definitely look at diet though.

Thanks, I tried to have a look at that but it said I needed to register - then it said I needed aproving from one of the staff?! lol

Anyhoo, Yes I was the one who emailed you about the boots just recently : D
I plan to go measure my horse's feet on Sunday when I get home and then shall order soon after : )

[senjj]

I have accepted your membership of the forum. It is a closed forum so you do need to register and be approved.