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Lameness Issues?

3K views 23 replies 8 participants last post by  bjgiff13 
#1 ·
I have been struggling with my gelding with lameness issues for almost a month now.

First it started that he was just adjusting to the hard ground.
After that he blew an abcess in his rear right hoof.

I had rear shoes put on him due to a large crack that was in his rear left.

We thought we were in the clear and he seemed to be getting a lot better. I started walking him in the arena because he isn't moving around a bunch in his pasture and he was walking great, still a little short at the trot but I was attributing that to him being stiff from not moving around a whole lot.

Well this morning I went out to see him after two days of not seeing him and when I got there he was completely dead lame. I tried to figure out which hoof it was but he was limping on both fronts. So I picked them out, saw a couple small rocks while doing so (he was not happy about picking them up at all), and then headed into town for a bit. When I got back about an hour later he was completely fine and back to how he had been. No limping what so ever. He appeared a little short at the walk, but wasn't hesitant to walk or extend the walk at all and did so with very little encouragement.

I tested picking up his hooves again and he picked them all up without any issues.

Could it have just been the rocks were maybe pushing into his hoof when he would walk so he was limping which would explain him being fine once I picked his hooves?

It just seemed odd that a horse could go from being completely lame, limping extremely bad, to being just fine and not limping at all?

I am wondering if I should put front shoes on him? Would it help him adjust? I am holding off on calling a vet out since he is so wishy washy right now. He has been fine for 5 days then all the sudden lame, then an hour later fine.
 
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#2 ·
It's completely possible that a few rocks could cause that much soreness out of no where. When you think about it, if you had a few rocks stuck in your shoes you'd be limping as well, and once you removed them you'd be fine unless it caused some bruising.

It sounds to me like he has extremely sensitive soles, may likely be from inadequate trimming, thrush, or he may just be plain sensitive.
Can you post photos of his feet?
What's his trim schedule like?
Have you changed farriers, or feed lately?
What are you already feeding him?

Shoes would help keep his soles off the ground and relieve some soreness on hard surfaces for sure, but throwing a pair of shoes on could possibly mask a deeper issue. I personally believe a healthy, strong foot comes from the inside out, not the other way around. A proper nutrient balanced diet is extremely important to a horses feet (and overall health), as well as good, consistant trimming. Triple Crown feeds and supplements provide the nutrients needed for healthy feet, and flax seed has also shown to be beneficial. Once you've got a good diet set, you can go from there. For the time being, a hoof hardener like Keratex on his frogs and soles could help strengthen his feet, and if shoes do become necessary, I'd go for shoes and pads for some extra sole protection.
 
#4 ·
Think about it this way.

When you are walking barefoot on a nice smooth paved driveway and you encounter a small rock it makes you bobble. If that small rock sticks to the bottom of your foot for some reason, you continue to be ouchy until the rock is removed.
 
#5 ·
Thanks guys, I was thinking the same thing. I just wasn't completely sure so decided to get some second opinions.

Can you post photos of his feet?

^^ Rear [these [pics are from a week and a half ago, he was just coming off an abcess]

^^ Front

What's his trim schedule like?
He was trimmed on June 4th but was very overdue
He was then trimmed again on June 10th by someone else to make it easier for him to walk, he was tripping pretty bad
He was then trimmed on June 22nd by a very well known and liked farrier that put rear shoes on him to fix the crack in his left hind

We are in the process of fixing his hood angle and getting his feet back to where they need to be, slow but steady process.

Have you changed farriers, or feed lately?
Yes I did change farriers. He was being trimmed by a farrier his old owner had and now he is being trimmed by a farrier that was recommended to me by both my trainer and the owner of the place I board him.

What are you already feeding him?
He is getting 2 flakes of high quality hay, 3lbs complete senior feed and 1 scoop msm morning and then 2 flakes of high quality hay, 3lbs complete senior feed night.

He is a TB and I have been told by multiple people that he has thin hoof walls, not uncommon in his breeding, so I know he is pretty sensitive as it is. He has no thrush I have checked for it, he is on dry ground right now. I am going to wait on the shoes cause I really would rather him barefoot, I don't like using shoes. I am also using hoof heal on him which has turpentine and linseed oil and such in it. We racked his pasture to get as many rocks out as we could and plan to do it more thoroughly again on saturday, I think that may help as well.

Hope I answered all your questions :]
 
#6 ·
Your boy has identical feet to my ottb mare. The RF is overall smaller and more upright, and the LF looks like (as my farrier likes to put it) a dinner plate :-p

I like what he has done with the front feet. He's taken into consideration the wacky angles your boy has and trimmed accordingly, rather than trying to shape the 'perfect foot' - which, let's be honest here, he's never going to come remotely close the having.

I'm not quite as pleased with the hind trim from what I can see. You're not going to achieve perfect symmetry by any means, but I feel he could have done a much cleaner job given the angles he had to work with.

Anyways, I'd recommend a 4-5 week schedule for him to keep cracks are flares under control for the time being, especially on that LF. You'll also need to keep a close eye on the LF's heel, due to it's overall conformation his heel may become easily underrun without adequate, up-to-date trimming. I'd say in a couple more trims, some occasional hoof hardener on the frogs and soles, and maybe some ground flax seed if you're feeling generous (actually has the same, if not more benefits as SMS, and is much more cost effective), shoes will not be necessary unless you consistantly work him on the road or trails.

Also, off topic, but what's his registered name? I can't get over how crazy similar our horses lower leg & hoof confo are. Maybe they have some similar breeding?
 
#7 · (Edited)
Thanks again :] I will look into the ground flax seed. I am a new horse owner so going off of what my trainer has told me cause she has experience with old horses.

Junior does have some seriously wonky hooves. But I hope with some time they will look closer to normal :]

I like the new farrier, he seemed to do what he could. He didn't actually trim any of the hoof off but instead rasped off the funny flares and such. Junior's feet look really good compared to what they were, he has flares on every hoof it seems like. He may not have done a perfect job but he is the best farrier I have used so far and is really patient with the horses. Junior isn't the nicest to work with sometimes with his feet.

His registered name is Soda Prince, he is out of Blazing Soda by Nordic Prince and has Nearco, Nearactic, close in his lines and as well as some Bold Ruler, Nasrullah and Native Dancer further back. He is mostly Canadian and Irish bred.

Not the best picture to see his feet but you kind of can, this is before the new farrier got ahold of him.
 
#8 ·
Oh wow, poor boy! I without a doubt believe your farrier will have those fixed up in no time. Those heels were so horribly underrun...no wonder he's got sensitive feet. He's been walking on the balls of his heels for god knows how long. I'm so glad they are being tending to properly now, especially on an older horse - bad trimming + bad lower leg confo is just begging for joint or tendon issues.

Checked their pedigrees - neither my mare nor my gelding have any similar bloodlines with your boy after the 1940's :lol: Him and my 17 y/o ottb gelding both have some Princequillo but that's about it. He's got some pretty impressive bloodlines though, I'm surprised he was unraced.
 
#9 ·
Yeah, he just got behind on his trim schedule before I got him so it gave his feet time to get wonky. After a few more trimmings I think he will be pretty close to normal, normal for him at least :]

He was entered in a maiden race but then scratched before the race started. Only thing I can think of was that he played around too much. I have galloped him in fake races with some friends and he will dilly dally at the back of the pack until the very very end and then he will all of the sudden realize he wants to win so he will kick it into gear. But by that time he doesn't have enough ground to take the lead. I know he was bred to be a distance runner, I can only assume he was also a closer.

Really I am glad he was unraced, means he doesn't have injuries or anything that I have to worry about from the track.
 
#10 ·
My mare had 15 starts and her best race she placed 7th I believe. My gelding on the other hand had 57 starts, 8 wins, 4 places, and 2 shows if I can remember correctly. He raced for 7 years, is severly over at the knee and had to be retired at 14 due to joint & tendon issues - now he leads the stressful life of a lawn ornament :lol: . You're most definitely lucky he was practically unraced!
 
#11 ·
Hi,
Have only skimmed replies. First & foremost, take a look at my signature links & learn as much as you can about the principles & factors of hoof health.

Rocks stuck in his feet could definitely have been the cause, but I would also suspect he's probably got thin, sensitive soles. Shoes may releive him from feeling pain in his feet to some degree, but I don't beleive they'd be helpful to him. While if he were living/working on level ground with the occasional small stone, in which shoes raising his soles could provide a little protection, in most environments, metal rims provide little if any protection and no support to the base of the foot. This could well be the reason he's become 'sensitive' in the first place.

Unfortunately not much can be gleaned from the pics you posted, except that besides the mud, they look a bit flared & poss some imbalance. The RF looks a tad clubby(or at least it was before heels collapsed)? The pic of your whole horse shows that he's in good condition & not too fat:thumbsup: His feet look perhaps too low heeled, (esp LF?) but in the lifted back one & I suspect the others, this is due to long but crushed forward heels, rather than no heels. They are all a bit shallow/run forward looking, esp the backs which *should* be steeper than the front. However, combined with the bumpy look at the sacroiliac area, that may be due to a back prob & unchangeable. Is he an ex racer?

I would consider changing his feed to a low starch/sugar diet and I would avoid putting anything harsh or oil based on his feet. TB's do have a tendency to being thin walled, weak hooved, flat footed, etc, but i believe that is very much more to do with deed, rather than breed. Good/bad hooves are made, not bred.
 
#12 ·
HI! Without going into too much detail, I just went through a very similar situation with my horse. Transitioning from shoes to barefoot, he had a couple of short barefoot trims along with poor heel growth during the winter and he could barely walk! It broke my heart. Called the vet and the solution was simple...get shoes on him immediately with 1 degree wedge pads to lift his heels up and no riding for 6 weeks to make sure his tendons could heal. Vet was concerned about the tendons stretching. Once the shoes/pads were on and he was allowed to rest, I am happy to say he is fine. It was quite an ordeal. He will stay in shoes and will only need pads until his heels have grown out. Good luck with your fella!
 
#13 ·
Thanks loosie. First to answer you question technically he is an ex racer but then again not really. He was racetrack bred and trained. He was scratched from his maiden race and turned into an eventer. So yes he was a racer but no he never really raced, was just trained for it.

On another note, his hooves got pretty bad due to an off cilter trim schedule. He was overdue for a trim before I got him and his old owner had him done right before I bought him. After I got him I had him done again and then just a couple weeks ago I had him done again to put the rear shoes on. The farrier I have now is very good and I feel worked really well with what he had to work with. He couldn't really take a whole lot off without causing lameness. Hopefully with a few more trimmings the farrier will be able to get his feet back to normal.

He is on a senior feed which was suggested by his vet and my trainer. He has been on this type of feed before and did fine on it.

So I shouldn't put hoof heal on him, main ingredient is turpentine?
 
#15 ·
Thanks loosie. First to answer you question technically he is an ex racer but then again not really. He was racetrack bred and trained.
Yeah, the link I was thinking with his back/back feet & racing was about being started when he was a baby, not nec. how many races he actually ran.

He couldn't really take a whole lot off without causing lameness. Hopefully
Yes, I imagine there's little to be able to come off the ground surface(tho that's a guesstimate, as not having even seen his feet in any kind of detail...) but it appears that there may be a substantial amount of 'backing up' & 'rolling' that can be done. This, along with scooping quarters & is also basically how I allow 'crushed' heels to grow more vertical.

I wouldn't generally put anything on feet aside from water, unless there was some infection to treat. Tho if the horse were in a boggy paddock I may soak regularly in salt water, to help them dry out.
 
#14 ·
Also would like to add he is completely sound at the walk but short at the trot. To me it doesn't appear that he is short because of his hooves but rather because he is stiff. He has been in a paddock by himself but not willing to move around a whole lot, one because it is sort of rocky and two because the terrain isn't the best. I moved him into the bigger field today because work is being done on his field and he was moving around great. I am thinking he could be short at the trot because he isn't moving around enough in his paddock and would be better if he was in the bigger one stretching out and moving on his own. Thoughts?
 
#16 ·
What's the footing like in the larger field? It could just be softer/deeper/less rocky and he's able to move without being sore.

Also, I'm not sure if this has been mentioned yet (or if I mentioned it, honestly my memory is horrible) but have you tried hoof boots on him?
Rather than having him sore off and on when it comes to hard surfaces and cruddy terrain, you could turn him out with hoof boots. They're not really intended for general turnout, but it could most definitely make him more comfortable until he's 100% sound and has had enough adequate trims so that he will not need to wear them anymore. Check out this site and see what you think:

EasyCare Inc. | The Leader in Hoof Boots and Natural Hoof Care
 
#18 ·
Yep, I agree, could well be:wink:. Could also be that he's 'left handed' - habitually has left foot forward while grazing, so in this position is loading the right toe more than the heel, or could be a conformational thing or other injury that's caused it.
 
#19 ·
Abbey : I have tried hoof boots on him before on his rear hooves in order to try and fix the crack without having to use shoes. They caused rub marks and were generally more of a pain than they were a help. I talked to the owner of the place where I board him and she is letting me keep Junior out in the big field, in a few days we shall see if he is moving around better :]

Amazin : He doesn't noticabily favor his left front though. His hooves have always been mishappen, always had odd flares and such at least for the four years I have known him. As Loosie suggested I do believe him being an exracer may have something to do with the way his hooves are now. Hopefully we can fix that up.

Loosie : You are absolutely correct about him being "left handed". He grazes, eats his grain and even drinks water with his left hoof forward. This is something he always does no matter what. Everytime we feed him his grain [which he gets in a rubber feed container on the ground] he eats the entire thing with his left hoof forward. I never thought anything of it, but now that you meantion it you could be correct in that assumption.
 
#21 ·
Abbey : I have tried hoof boots on him before on his rear hooves in order to try and fix the crack without having to use shoes. They caused rub marks and were generally more of a pain than they were a help.
You don't need boots to fix a crack, but you may need protection/support for the horse while you're working on hard ground. Generally speaking, problems with boots, including rubbing, come about due to incorrect fit. The best boots for a particular horse are those that fit best. That's why I think it's a good idea to at least get fit checked by an experienced boot fitter before buying, if possible. So saying, if you had low profile ones such as Epics, there is nowhere really for them to rub because it's below the hairline.
 
#20 · (Edited)
I'm not saying your horse is lame. I'm saying he favors the right front. There are 4 main things that will cause this left-handedness and only ONE of them is lameness:
1.An foot or leg injury has caused the horse to favor one side
2.Conformation(think of one leg being longer than the other)
3. People working a horse in the left lead and building that side stronger. Rodeo horses commonly have this issue because events are geared to go left. Team roping turns left, barrel racing is one right turn and 2 lefts, etc. Even loping circles warming up everybody lopes left.
4. When foals start grazing they sometimes will reach in front instead of spreading their feet like a giraffe. Their neck is too short and legs too long.
Regardless of the cause, the results are the same. They even rest on that strong side standing in a stall. The whole left side is stronger. Stand directly behind him and look over his butt at his withers.(you may have to stand on a chair if you're not tall). Make sure the front feet are squared up. You'll see the muscle is bigger on the left side just below the withers. This can make your saddle shift to the right. Also he won't pick up the right lead as well. You will be the one that corrects this, not your farrier. Lope your horse to the right alot

PS: You stated he doesn't favor his left front. He won't favor the left, it will be the right
 
#22 ·
Loosie : Boots were suggested to me to fix the crack instead of shoes so I gave it a try. I am not gonna put boots on his fronts because now that he is in the a different pasture he is doing a lot better. In his old field I would go out to pick his hooves daily and each day he would have rocks, dirt and manure all in them because he was walking where he was pooping. But now that he is in the bigger field I went out to pick his hooves and they were almost completely clean. Also he is only worked in the indoor arena which has nice footing. Thank you though for your help, it is much appreciated.

Amazin : Sorry I got confused :] He doesn't show any favoring to the right foot either during movement. I will try to get a picture like you described and take a look at it. He was a trained racer which means he was tack trained galloping counterclockwise for at least a year or more of his life. Because of this you are probably right and his left side most likely developed more muscle early off in his training and was just never corrected. Now he is 22 so has been unevenly muscled for about 19 or more years of his life. When he is sound to work I will make sure to work on cantering him the opposite direction to try and counteract it. Also I have never noticed him having an issue picking up left and right leads. He picks up the correct one everytime on both directions.
 
#23 ·
I am a huge fan of going barefoot. All my horses are.. It started with a sevre quater crack that shoes pads and gels could not heal. I found a barefoot trimmer amd took the shoes off. Yes the transition can be ouchy and there are ways to help them through it. Look up barefoot trims mustang rolls etc. You have to usually trim every 4-5 weeks but it makes a huge difference.. I lightly readmthe thread. So not sure if it was mentioned to check for founder ? Lots of grass no alfelfa hay no grain keep the horse from grazing during the hottest hours of the day and such. Shoes do not heal only temperaily mask the problem and barefoot it a heck of a lot cheaper than padded shoes:)!
 
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