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Would this be "cruel" of me?

5K views 42 replies 20 participants last post by  Cowgirls Boots 
#1 ·
My gelding, whom I bought almost a year ago for $2500 was diagnosed with severe navicular in the spring. He can still be ridden but is on Cosequin, previcox, and 60 isox a day. Plus, backwards shoes.

When I first got him I pulled his shoes all winter and he was okay. he was ridden maybe once all winter and he was fine. But in the spring when I wanted to start riding more he came up lame. That's when his previous owner told me he needed his shoes. -_-

Needless to say he's pasture sound while barefoot but if I wanted to ride he needs shoes and on top of the navicular.

I recently got a lease to own which I wasn't expecting to get. My gelding with his conditions cannot do what I want riding wise so has been a pet aside from a few rides here an there.

Would it be cruel of me to pull his shoes and see how it goes? He obviously won't be ridden without them but I'm hoping to save maybe alittle bit of money if he doesn't absolutely need the shoes since he won't be ridden. Of corse, if it turns out he needs them that bad I don't mind. But if he can be pasture sound barefoot is much rather prefer that then putting $100 pairs of shoes on him every 6 weeks.

Any help would be great. Thank you.
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#3 ·
Yes. I think it would be cruel. He's at your mercy. I think it's pretty selfish to put your monetary and riding needs ahead of your horse's comfort and health.

Your statement ".... but if he needs it badly...." gee, it sounds like you're willing to let him suffer, as long as it's only nominally. I have a problem with pet owners who care more about their pleasure than the comfort and care of their pet.
 
#5 · (Edited)
Yup! Cause I'm caring more about my money then his needs ;) if that were so, I wouldn't have saved him spent over $1000 to find out why he was lame and paid for his shoes, etc etc. you also failed to quote where i said "if he needs it badly I DONT MIND". As I said he was barefoot last winter and comfortable. Thanks for jumping to conclusions though!

Thanks for the rest of you that answered without being snobs!
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#6 ·
If he's pasture sound while barefoot and you don't plan to ride him, it's not cruel.

Navicular is degenerative, and there's going to come a time when you're going to have to make a decision about his quality of life, regardless of whether or not he's wearing shoes.

As long as he's not in any pain while barefoot and being unridden, there's no real reason for you to keep shoes on a pasture ornament.
 
#7 ·
He is unsound at a trot without shoes but at a walk he's ok. I think he's always in a tad bit of pain that is usually managed by the meds he's on.

He's okay so far but I know ill have to pull the plug sooner then later. So far he's doing good but the navicular is pretty severe.
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#9 ·
I don't see any cruelty in what you're suggesting.
A lot of retired navicular horses are kept unshod with no ill effects at all
The best thing you can do it 'try it and see'
I get the impression that you're a responsible owner and if the horse looks to be not coping you'll have the shoes back on.
I am one of those people that will shoe when needed so not a barefoot fanatic but if this link works - its quite an interesting article
http://www.hoofrehab.com/navicular_story.pdf
 
#13 ·
I agree with others, it's not cruel at all. You only want what's best for the horse and IMHO, what's best for him as a pasture ornament would be shoeless.

You might want to message Loosie and ask what kind of trim she thinks would be best for this horse and then discuss it with the farrier. Given the proper trim, there is no reason why he couldn't be just as comfortable barefoot as he is with shoes.
 
#14 ·
I think pulling the backward shoes is the best thing you can do for him.

I know there is some big advocates of the backward shoe for some conditions but it is a really archaic practice and we have really moved past doing that. A breakover shoe or rolled toe shoe is much better and provides more relief.

You will be doing him a favor by going barefoot. Have you thought about trying to trim him yourself?
 
#15 ·
This situation is always hard. I had a friend with a mare she adored that ended up in a similar situation, and after a few years she was no longer consistently pasture sound and was put down.

so no, I don't think its cruel, and I commend you for the effort and money you are putting into keeping him comfortable, many, many people would have dishonestly resold him to try and get some money back.
 
#17 ·
He was dishonestly sold to me and has been worked to the ground. I love him regardless and have been doing everything I can to try and keep him comfy.
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He sounds like a lucky horse to have you as an owner. Keep him comfy and happy as long as you can and lots of carrots and kisses along the way.
 
#18 ·
Ugh darn horse had me in tears! I almost lost him 2 weeks ago from a bad gas colic. Had to rush him up to the emergency clinic where they were almost positive that he needed surgery. He ended up fixing his displaced colon over night. Ugh. What a night that was. :(
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#19 ·
I think he's a very lucky horse and that he seems like he'd be happiest as a pasture pet. If he can go without shoes comfortably, why put them on I'd you don't want to? I see nothing selfish in that at all. I have a problem with people who think that we, as pet owners, should never consider comfort AND money at the same time. I agree that if anyone has an issue with pulling his shows, then they can certainly send you some money to help cover costs. It's the least they could do, after all. How selfish they would be for withholding their own money and not helping you!
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#21 ·
I have a navicular horse who is doing just fine at age 20. She is kept barefoot.

I would take a close look at his hoofs. Compare the frog size/shape to a normal bare-foot horse's frog. Is his hoof contracted?

The problem with shoes is they can cause hoof contraction. When the hoof contracts it inhibits shock absorption and can cause navicular.

May 2000 California Thoroughbred

Getting the hoof to expand, should help the horse stay comfortable.

If you cannot afford shoes, you could try hoof boots. If the foot is contracted, the foot really needs a cushion to help with shock absorption. Hoof boots are better than shoes in that regard.

Here is a long article but well worth it.
DIGGING FOR THE TRUTH ABOUT NAVI

New Page 3

Unfortunately my mare's condition was diagnosed too late. The contraction was irreversible. I often wonder if it was caught earlier if we could have gotten her hoof to expand. By the time I learned farrier work, it was years too late.

It is possible to get the horse stabilized at least. My mare has had "navicular" for 13 years now! I don't think it has really progressed. Her lameness has not gotten worse so I have not done more X rays to check.
 
#24 ·
So I need opinions.

I had his shoes pulled Friday and he was okay but sore which was expected.

He doesn't really want to walk much as before and is noticeably sore/lame when bringing him into the barn. He doesn't even want to walk in.

Should I give it another week or two? He was not like this last year and I pulled his shoes when the ground was hard. He was sore but not like this. I've been applying Venice turpentine to his soles but what do y'all think? I'm pretty sure he is hurting alittle. He's on previcox as well so I can't bute him on too of that.
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#26 ·
He could be sore for a few weeks so padding his feet is the best option - Styrofoam fastened on with vetwrap duck tape - be sure to remove regularly and have his feet scrubbed out with a hoof disinfectant as you're making a great breeding ground for bacteria and fungal infections at the same time you protect his feet
You could try some hoof wraps like these - I'm using them right now on a horse that's got a sore foot. I got mine from Tractor Supply, you can get a gel insert to put inside them or improvise with Styrofoam etc.
They stay on in the field fine and are a lot easier to put on than wrapping tape around a foot!!
Saddles Tack Horse Supplies - ChickSaddlery.com Hoof Wraps Equine Hoof Bandage
 
#28 ·
Sounds like Shalisha is one of those "save all the horses" kind of person who has no experience with the reality of horse ownership and how ridiculously expensive things can get when you have an unsound horse ;)

OP, I completely commend you for your consideration. My boy and I are constantly battling soundness issues and it takes a LOT of energy out of me(not to mention money) worrying about his comfort.
 
#30 ·
Quite honestly the OP is doing more than I would do. She is giving this horse a shot at being a pasture ornament if he can be pasture sound barefoot.

I would not do this. I would simply put the horse down if the horse cannot be ridden due to chronic Navicular disease. For me, as much as I love horses, they are large money to just keep around because of love or whatever. A horse had to be useful and sound and able to work and if they could not then either they were sold or put down. Horses are livestock.. they are not My Friend Flicka or Mr. Ed or the Black Stallion.

I commend the OP for giving this a go. I would not. Clearly this owner has more compassion than I would. I would NEVER call her "cruel."

OTOH many would call me cruel for NOT keeping a pasture ornament.
 
#31 ·
Thanks guys for the kind words. I know I am probably doing alot more then most would.

Just for the record. He can be ridden but the navicular is so bad why would I? I mean I have another sound riding horse that I unexpectedly got so I would love to give him the chance to be a horse instead of being worked into the ground like he has been his whole life.
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#32 ·
I look at it like this, if your horse was in the wild, he wouldn't have anyone riding him, and he wouldn't have shoes on now would he.

Allowing an animal to exist in its natural state is not cruel.

at the same time doing what you can to make him more comfortable, there is nothing wrong with that either.
 
#34 · (Edited)
I look at it like this, if your horse was in the wild, he wouldn't have anyone riding him, and he wouldn't have shoes on now would he.
He'd have been long dead by now if he were out in the wild. Nature is not kind to her children who are at less than optimum health.

Allowing an animal to exist in its natural state is not cruel.
A domestic horse's natural state is to be cared for by humans, so yes, it would be cruel to leave him out to suffer with no medical/farrier care. If that were the case, he'd be better off put down.

People need to stop waxing poetic about the grandeur of feral horses. The fact of the matter is that their lives are short, harsh and brutish, and in no way comparable to that of domestic horses. There's nothing grand about slowly starving to death during a hard winter, or being eaten by predators if they're young, injured or weak.
 
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