I would like to take Merrick barefoot again. In 2005 (Sep-Dec) I tried him going barefoot using the HPT trim, with an EP. At the time it seemed a disaster, with Merrick becoming progressively crippled despite following all the recommended transition procedures very carefully. By the time he was 6/10ths lame all round, my vet passed us on to a remedial farrier, and he has been shod ever since, coming sound towards summer 2006.
My vet said at the time that Merrick has very thin soles. He also has a natural tendency towards being pigeon toed, which got steadily worse when barefoot (which surprised me). When I bought him, he had very underrun heels and long toes.
Merrick is totally out of work and has been since winter 2004, due to arthritis in his stifle, and back problems (now pretty much "fixed" - vet and chiro are both happy with their respective areas!). He is stabled at night all year round on rubber matting and a 2-3" deep shavings bed over half the floor. He has ad lib hay at night which is moderate quality, and a small feed at night (single handful of alfalfa chaff which carries his supplements - Devils Claw, glucosamine, vitamin and mineral mix). We do bits of groundwork in the manege (rubber surface) and go for walks inhand around the farm. He is *very* ouchy over uneven or rough surfaces, and always has been. The grazing is better than I would ideally want, as it is ex-dairy pasture and there is grass all through the winter. The other liveries' horses are fine on it, but it is a worry.
Although Merrick has had some very sound periods, following some recurring lameness issues, ranging from shortened stride to almost non-weightbearing, I now wonder if going barefoot simply highlighted an underlying problem.
There are two specific areas I could do with some advice on.
1. I believe Merrick may have low grade laminitis. Around 3 weeks ago, he turned out "sound", but came in very sore, with some warmth in his hooves. He became more lame over the next 2 days and showed a slightly increased digital pulse all round, so I called the vet. In the belief there may be an abscess, although there was no reaction to hoof testers, the vet pulled his near fore shoe and pared away a lot of the sole. This exposed a tiny bruise near the toe which bled a little. For two weeks after that Merrick wore a Hoofeze boot continuously, with a dry animalintex poultice for 4 days, and then several layers of nappies after that. He was on Danilon for 1 week (2 sachets daily) and also magnesium for 2 weeks (3 tablets daily). Losing his shoe and most of his sole made him severely lame, which skewed our observations of the progression of the lameness somewhat. However, even though my farrier has now got a shoe back on, Merrick is not particularly improved from when he first showed signs of lameness. He stumbles a lot, oddly when his off fore touches the ground, and still stands with the near fore in advance of the off fore. His front hooves have flare, and after just a few days of shoeing at this time of year the clenches are usually risen. This year, unusually, there are cracks and small chunks of outer wall missing. I also think his heels are still somewhat underrun and his toes perhaps still a bit longer than ideal. He is tight mouthed when being led to and from his stable and really isn't comfortable. Bearing all this in mind, does it sound like LGL or something completely different? Should I wait for significant improvements before re-attempting to go barefoot? Is it worth continuing to add magnesium to his diet? Should I play it safe and go for box rest, soaked hay, deep bed etc for 7-10 days - basically act as though it's definitely LGL and see if there is an improvement?
2. Going barefoot. Should I assume that our failed last barefoot attempt was due to (possible) recurring LGL, and that if I can deal with this (or whatever other underlying problems there may be) the HPT trim could still be a viable option for us? Or would it be wise to try a different method? I would very much prefer to use hoof boots this time to help with the transitioning process - I got the feeling last time from my reading that the use of boots was... not exactly frowned upon, just perhaps not in the spirit of going barefoot according to the purists. But I am very concerned for his comfort levels. When his shoes are removed or cast (very rare) the heat in his hooves and soles is immediate and so is his discomfort. Perhaps boots and the use of Keratex or pine resin?
Any advice would be really appreciated
My vet said at the time that Merrick has very thin soles. He also has a natural tendency towards being pigeon toed, which got steadily worse when barefoot (which surprised me). When I bought him, he had very underrun heels and long toes.
Merrick is totally out of work and has been since winter 2004, due to arthritis in his stifle, and back problems (now pretty much "fixed" - vet and chiro are both happy with their respective areas!). He is stabled at night all year round on rubber matting and a 2-3" deep shavings bed over half the floor. He has ad lib hay at night which is moderate quality, and a small feed at night (single handful of alfalfa chaff which carries his supplements - Devils Claw, glucosamine, vitamin and mineral mix). We do bits of groundwork in the manege (rubber surface) and go for walks inhand around the farm. He is *very* ouchy over uneven or rough surfaces, and always has been. The grazing is better than I would ideally want, as it is ex-dairy pasture and there is grass all through the winter. The other liveries' horses are fine on it, but it is a worry.
Although Merrick has had some very sound periods, following some recurring lameness issues, ranging from shortened stride to almost non-weightbearing, I now wonder if going barefoot simply highlighted an underlying problem.
There are two specific areas I could do with some advice on.
1. I believe Merrick may have low grade laminitis. Around 3 weeks ago, he turned out "sound", but came in very sore, with some warmth in his hooves. He became more lame over the next 2 days and showed a slightly increased digital pulse all round, so I called the vet. In the belief there may be an abscess, although there was no reaction to hoof testers, the vet pulled his near fore shoe and pared away a lot of the sole. This exposed a tiny bruise near the toe which bled a little. For two weeks after that Merrick wore a Hoofeze boot continuously, with a dry animalintex poultice for 4 days, and then several layers of nappies after that. He was on Danilon for 1 week (2 sachets daily) and also magnesium for 2 weeks (3 tablets daily). Losing his shoe and most of his sole made him severely lame, which skewed our observations of the progression of the lameness somewhat. However, even though my farrier has now got a shoe back on, Merrick is not particularly improved from when he first showed signs of lameness. He stumbles a lot, oddly when his off fore touches the ground, and still stands with the near fore in advance of the off fore. His front hooves have flare, and after just a few days of shoeing at this time of year the clenches are usually risen. This year, unusually, there are cracks and small chunks of outer wall missing. I also think his heels are still somewhat underrun and his toes perhaps still a bit longer than ideal. He is tight mouthed when being led to and from his stable and really isn't comfortable. Bearing all this in mind, does it sound like LGL or something completely different? Should I wait for significant improvements before re-attempting to go barefoot? Is it worth continuing to add magnesium to his diet? Should I play it safe and go for box rest, soaked hay, deep bed etc for 7-10 days - basically act as though it's definitely LGL and see if there is an improvement?
2. Going barefoot. Should I assume that our failed last barefoot attempt was due to (possible) recurring LGL, and that if I can deal with this (or whatever other underlying problems there may be) the HPT trim could still be a viable option for us? Or would it be wise to try a different method? I would very much prefer to use hoof boots this time to help with the transitioning process - I got the feeling last time from my reading that the use of boots was... not exactly frowned upon, just perhaps not in the spirit of going barefoot according to the purists. But I am very concerned for his comfort levels. When his shoes are removed or cast (very rare) the heat in his hooves and soles is immediate and so is his discomfort. Perhaps boots and the use of Keratex or pine resin?
Any advice would be really appreciated
Last edited:
