You could certainly use hoof boots and pads to ride, which would make him a lot more comfortable.
Thanks, I’ll look into them, any suggestions?You could certainly use hoof boots and pads to ride, which would make him a lot more comfortable.
Yeah ok. I’ll look into bothThis would be an option, but it wouldn't be more than a sticking plaster that does nothing to solve the underlying problem. Given the price of good hoof boots and pads I think the money would be better spent on an ACTH test.
I'm not entirely sure what you are getting a blood test for? What are you going to ask the vet to check for? If you think your horse may have PPID then take a step back and look at the whole picture. A quick google search will tell you the main symptoms. Does he have a thick coat that doesn't shed? Is he more thirsty than normal? Does he have poor immune response? Has he ever had laminitis? While I agree that foot pain may be one symptom of PPID, I really wouldn't be calling the vet due to one comment that the farrier made about dropped soles, especially since he said himself that there was nothing that could be done about it and from what I can tell, there isn't anything to indicate that your horse is in any pain. Asking a vet to come out and run bloods will quickly run up big bills. While I wouldn't hesitate to do this if I felt there was an issue, in your case I am not convinced there is.Oh, well I mean to call the vet out to get a blood test, I mean sure, I could drive Jake there or take blood myself but I’d rather the vet come out. I’ve taken blood samples from our cows many times ans a horse once. I’d only ever do it myself in an immediate emergency
Lots of horses trip when ridden and there could be multiple causes for this. As for the hoof issues, I think that the farrier is the person to make recommendations on any treatment and he is not recommending anything. In my opinion, yes it is worth keeping an eye on and making further enquiries when the farrier comes back but I don't see this as requiring a vet to come as a priority on Monday morning.@Mary Poppins she's said before that the horse is tripping when ridden, the soles are not only dropped but thin, and he's 20 years old. That, for me, would be enough to make an acth test worthwhile, particularly if you add in hoof wall separation which can come from low level laminitis.