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Bruised Soles... no pics. A little Frantic.

4K views 28 replies 6 participants last post by  Skyseternalangel 
#1 ·
Hey,

This morning I received the news that Sky's feet are all bruised on their soles. It has me rattled because I love my horse dearly but he may need to get shoes.

I felt silly calling up the vet to ask her what causes soles to bruise and she told me being on hard ground.

I need advice, I need support.

The farrier wants to wait 2 weeks to put front shoes on because Sky is going to have more people riding him this week. He isn't sore, but there is bruising.

I was thinking of buying him those trail boots.. the ones you snap on to the bottom of their hooves for rocky terrain to see if that helps him. Or does anyone else have any other ideas?

I'm really shook up. First horse and I have limited experience with farriers and vets.

Thanks.
 
#2 ·
Pics would very much help. If it's just a little bruise here and there, that's nothing to be too worried about assuming he's not lame. My horse gets little pea sized ones every now and then and never seems bothered by them.

If you can soak his feet in warm water and epsom salts for 20 minutes each day, that would help with any soreness he might be having.

If you can get a bottle of Durasole, that would also help a lot. It's caustic purple stuff that plumps up the sole giving them instant relief.

Boots (with pads) would help the most if you are waiting to shoe him. Maybe somebody has a pair you can borrow?

If your farrier wants to wait to shoe, and your horse is sore, do not let anybody ride him unless you have boots on his feet to give him a cushion.
 
#3 · (Edited)
Thanks for the quick reply!
Boots with pads.. What is that? Where could I buy them? I don't know if anyone has ones that would fit Sky.. I'll ask around anyway.

And I will try to get pics asap. I'm not there so I have to rely on others.

The farrier and the barn manager both said he isn't sore, but I don't want it to get worse while we're waiting to see what happens.

Would any of these work? Barefoot Boots (Sports Medicine Equestrian & Horse)

I am going to expedite Durasole from this site and noticed they had barefoot boots/pads as well. Any that you recommend?

Thanks again


EDIT:

http://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?pgguid=50c82d4f-38f7-4606-a1a3-ae9a4c8a0656

or

http://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?pgguid=6a0e9429-58b7-4737-a217-96df1f9be008

Would one of those work?
Leaning more to the first choice, despite the incredibly high price.
 
#4 ·
It doesn't take hard ground to get a sole bruise...all it takes is the wrong rock in the wrong place. It's actually not unusual to get a bruise in muddy ground because it doesn't provide any support and your horse can hit all those unseen rocks in the mud.
In my experience soaking actually makes it worse because it keeps the sole soft. For a bruise, I always keep the foot as dry as possible to let it harden/toughen up. If it's going to be very muddy, I'll make the old diaper/duct tape boot just to keep it dry. Will also use iodine to toughen it up.
Be patient before thinking of shoeing....bruises can take a couple weeks to heal up.
 
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#8 ·
Yes that's exactly why we're waiting two weeks. I'm new to this, so I'm trying to get as much information as I can. He usually is a champ barefoot but he wasn't being ridden enough and had a lot of pent up energy and we think that's why he has started to bruise. He's also got a crack in his hoof apparently. I'm trying to get pictures.. drives me crazy not being able to actually be there.

So no boots yet.. but I will eventually get them to have on hand in case this happens again.

Durasole is still a go. Is hoof cleaning the same with it on?

Sky hates soaking anyway so that's alright..

Apply iodine straight on and then duct tape?

Thanks for all the help.
 
#5 ·
If you're going to shoe him in two weeks, it probably won't be cost wise to buy boots. They aren't cheap. Any chance your farrier has some you could borrow?

As far as the ones on your link, it kinda depends on what type of riding you do and if your horse gets rubs easily. The boots that cover the whole hoof can cause rubs on some horses. I like the look of that new one on the bottom left. Easy boot has a variety of pad you can place into the boots to give sore footed horses instant relief. They don't last long, but the few times my horse had problems, he really appreciated having them on. I use Renegades for riding, but they ain't cheap!
 
#7 ·
I looked at that boot once. It's a low end boot, but seems like a good bang for the buck. Just make sure to measure your horse's feet properly since a good fit is necessary with those. Don't want them spinning around.
 
#10 ·
Thank you :) I'll try to get that to him asap.

I'm having Sky's feet measured within the week.. do you still recommend barefoot boots? I wish I knew how much bruising there was.. I asked the farrier and he just said "they are bruised but he's still sound and showing no signs of pain."
 
#11 ·
We paint the iodine on with 1-2 in brush. Unless it's going to really muddy, I wouldn't worry about wrapping it to keep it dry...you pretty much need to redo it after a couple days as they wear through it. You can also use Venice turpentine, but it's more expensive than iodine.
 
#13 ·
Alright, thanks for all of the advice :)

I would spend my entire salary on my horse if I had to.. but it wouldn't be the smartest move huh..

I'm also having the vet take a quick peek when he goes to do shots at the barn. Better safe than sorry.. I was going to do an entire soundness exam and x-ray but I think I'm jumping the gun.
 
#14 ·
Alright, thanks for all of the advice :)

I would spend my entire salary on my horse if I had to.. but it wouldn't be the smartest move huh..

I'm also having the vet take a quick peek when he goes to do shots at the barn. Better safe than sorry.. I was going to do an entire soundness exam and x-ray but I think I'm jumping the gun.
I want to wish you and Sky all the best - I've never had a hoof problem, but the replies you've received seem like excellent advice. I know you're in New Zealand which may seem a million miles away now, but it looks like you have many caring and competant people looking out for him. Not to mention your friends here on the forum :)
 
#16 ·
I have 2 pics!

Here are some pictures I got this morning.

I think the first pic is right.. then left (they had no labels, but judging where her fingers are in relation to the forearm in my imagination.)

Going to see if I could get better pictures, but these do show bruising for now.
 

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#17 ·
Durasole or even nothing at all. That looks very minor to me, although I am not an expert on hooves. My guy has some pinker ones than that and they don't phase him. Since it does run along the line of the toe callous, just make sure the heels are level with the toe and that he's not landing toe first.
 
#21 ·
He was trimmed on the 4th of April, and before then it was the 21st of February, so just at the 6 week mark. He was at 5 weeks before, but when I started riding him more, he got it at 5 and a half to 6 weeks instead.

Is the trimmer trimming into that toe callous? Those look like nice feet to me, but then again it's only two shots.
I'm not sure, when I'm there he doesn't seem to. Do you think it could have been farrier related on the 21st and he's been ouchy and developed that bruise since? Or..

I'm going to see if I can get better shots of his entire hoof from all sides, and then have better pictures of the soles and entire hoof base itself.
 
#22 ·
Those soles appear extremely thin at the toes and that is quite worrysome IMO. when I see a frog that blends into the sole at the apex like that, I worry.

I would make sure the farrier is not rasping into your horses sole at all and not carving out any live sole...only the chalky stuff. Id love to see more pictures to have a good overall feeling on what is going on with these feet. It may be farrier related or it might also be toe flair making for thin flat soles or dietary related as well.

IMO thin soles like these appear to be from the two pictures should be protected anytime the horse is not on soft terrain - be it boots or shoes. If you choose to shoe, I would pad this horse for awhile for some extra protection.
 
#24 ·
Okay

I have been thinking about it and thinking about it until my brain just couldn't think about it any longer.

I'm still waiting on the pictures.. but Sky has been doing so great barefoot. This is his first time with bruised soles and the only change was not getting out of that pasture enough as promised. That has changed, and he's able to have dry feet 4 out of 7 days.. maybe even more.

So I think I'm going to get him some hoof boots, and see how that goes for 6 weeks. If there's improvement, then we'll keep on with those until the mud clears up and he has access to the larger grass pasture in May.

If it doesn't go well, there's always the option of shoes.

He just.. he doesn't like shoes and his feet have been the healthiest in all of his life these past 2 years barefoot. His feet aren't cracking, his soles got thin. The vet checked and there aren't any underlying issues.. so I've told the barn manager not to call the farrier out just for Sky. The farrier will be there for the rest of the barn probably in 3 weeks, and he can see how Sky's feet are doing then.

Is that a good plan? This is my first time dealing with this but I've read up on it and I've asked a lot of people about it.

Thanks
 
#25 ·
I don't like these pictures...

I finally got pictures

They're labelled.. and I'm still going to go with boots over shoes to give them time to heal. His frogs look terrible... his feet look terrible.
 

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#26 ·
Bruises on the toes can be caused by toes growing too long (going too long between trims) or the farrier trims to short. Bruises on the soles of the horses hoof can be warnings of an underlying abscess that's trying to come to the surface or they could just be a simple rock bruise.
I personally think you should get your vet or farrier out there to check the situation before going to all the trouble of buying different products, hoof boots, etc. All of these are great, but only if you're using the to cure the right problem. It's better to pinpoint exactly what's going on with his hooves before you start treatment, IMO.
 
#27 ·
I have. Hence how I found out about the bruising :) I'm in NZ right now, my horse is in the States under barn's care.

Well farrier told me it was sole bruising.. looking at pictures it looks to be toe bruising.. and the vet said my horse needs extra protection for now anyway so it's either shoes or boots.
 
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