[Elizabeth Bowers]

I was reading and doing some research on horse keeping. I came across a book called paddock paradise, it has some great ideas, and makes a lot of sense. I'm undecided if i should try this new way of keeping my horses or keep them in the same manner in which they already are.

*note i do have 2 horses who have hoof problems, and 2 who have breathing conditions.

Would this be a good idea to try or not??

Thanks:?

 

[Shropshirerosie]

I have seen a lot of discussion about the paddock paradise system on other forums, and it seems to have some good uses for laminitic ponies. I would certainly continue to research it and give it proper consideration.

Whether it will suit the needs of your horses, and your land I cannot comment further on.

Good luck with your research, and keep us updated.

 

[Elizabeth Bowers]

Thank you. I have one gelding who suffers laminitis yearly. And two mares who have heaves, and one mare who has hoof issues as well. I considered trying it to see if it would help my lame gelding, and mare. I'm worried that the "track" and just straight hay might affect the mares with heaves, even if soaked. They have horrible coughs even while grazing. It would be great to help them wear down their hooves, and get them a little more fit. I just run into so many other questions regarding their overall health, and if it would be worth it.
Our land is roughly rocky, open mountain sides(somewhat steep). Placing post is quite a chore even with a tractor and a post hole digger(where its feasible to attempt). Certain wild life becomes a hazard too.
Thanks again!

 

[loosie]

Hi,

If your horse suffers laminitis yearly, this is very most likely a dietary/lifestyle 'disease' and he likely needs less calories and more exercise, as part of his treatment. I don't know much at all about heaves, but have heard that nutrition has a lot to do with it and ensuring adequate omega 3s & other essential fatties has been said to help.

I haven't actually seen the PP book, but you might get some other ideas from the SNHC | Paddock Paradise Grazing website & others if you google.

I think the 'PP' idea has a LOT of positives, including motivating more exercise, restricting grazing for overweight/lami prone horses, making horses regularly move over specific types of terrain and improving hoof health, due much to those other factors. It can also free up your land & allow you to grow/cut hay or such. Of course, we can't all do it 'by the book'(& we read different books anyway ;-) ) but you can always compromise or find other ways to include some of the benefits, if you can't go the whole 9 yards.

Eg. you don't need to feed out hay, if there is enough grazing &/or you can easily move bits of the fence to 'rotate' grazing. I do this, using easy electric fence tread-ins, as there is more than enough grass in their paddock. You can have a part track - say long, narrow dead end 'alleys' ending in their water supply & shelter but the rest of the paddock open, different areas joined with 'alleys', etc. By only allowing a narrow track through undesirable areas, such as boggy ground, this will a) cause the horses to want to move through the area without hanging around in it and b) greatly reduce the area so make it more feasible & affordable for you to put down gravel or such there.

 

[caseymyhorserocks]

I really like the idea, it sounds really cool! Here is a nice site, although it does mainly talk about slow feeding horses in small mesh hay nets (which I really recommend) it does go into Paddock Paradises also.
Slow Feeding Horses on Paddock Paradise Tracks - Paddock Paradise Wiki
And another
Natural Horse World Paddock Paradise

Although not all the information about shoeing horses or whatever on these sites I agree with, they provide pretty good info about the PP itself.

 

[Saddlebag]

Horses with heaves need something to help control airway inflammation. Coughing can take weight off a horse. Small amounts of hay that well scattered will also reduce dust and keep the horses moving. They will nibble one pile a bit then check out the next. Mine is scatted over about 7 acres. A well worn path on a hill has had course sand with a bit of pea gravel added. Small mesh hay nets reduce the speed at which a horse eats hay and the result is better digestion.

 

[Elizabeth Bowers]

Thank you all! As for my gelding, he suffers a laminitis yearly because of the rate of hoof growth, he foundered as a 3yo, and recovered really well, but was left to pasture because my grandfather said he was ruined. And it's almost impossible to find someone who will come and trim him, because of his fear of men, and there aren't any female farriers in the area. His hooves grow out of control, and break and split, i do the best i can to keep him comfortable when this happens. And i don't have the skills or the knowledge about hoof trimming. PP i think would be a great idea for him, it would help him immensely with his hooves.
As for the mares with heaves, i was told by a few people to leave them to pasture for 6-12 months, but they are already at pasture year round. Then i was told to feed them corn with corn husk for the same amount of time, i don't know if this is true. The mares got heaves/this breathing condition from getting nasty moldy round bales (i had no control of what they were fed, they aren't mine, but i would still like to help) I would go out and take all the moldy and no good parts of the round bales off, but it think the whole bale was no good. It has gotten better since spring has come, and they aren't fed round bales any more (i flipped out, it was beginning to effect my horses too). PP would be great for them in a way, but since i don't own the mares their owners are going to have to learn how to motivate movement, and use good quality hay, they raise cattle and think that horses can eat the same quality hay. I'm the main care taker for these horses, but the quality hay they owners buy is less than desired. *my horses are fed separately*

 

[loosie]

Thank you all! As for my gelding, he suffers a laminitis yearly because of the rate of hoof growth, he foundered as a 3yo, and recovered really well, but was left to pasture because my grandfather said he was ruined. And it's almost impossible to find someone who will come and trim him, because of his fear of men, and there aren't any female farriers in the area. His hooves grow out of control, and break and split, i do the best i can to keep him comfortable when this happens. And i don't have the skills or the knowledge about hoof trimming.

Maybe I'm getting the wrong impression from what you've said, but in all honesty it sounds like he desparately needs you to either find him a new home with someone who will care for him appropriately, spend some time & money on training to get him over his fears so you can get him the regular professional help he needs, &/or get yourself the knowledge & skills to trim his feet & look after him properly yourself(it's not just about trimming either).

I do appreciate that it sounds like you've been dumped with him & sounds like you may have no support from knowledgeable & caring horsepeople, but seriously if the horse suffers both from regular laminitis and is also chronically neglected, then respectfully, it sounds like your current 'best' is far from good enough for him either. This may be hard to hear, but if I'm getting a realistic idea of the situation from what you've told us, it's nowhere near as hard on you as it's been for the poor horse to have put up with, for how many years?

PP i think would be a great idea for him, it would help him immensely with his hooves.

I think you're overestimating what it can do. It will not look after your horse's feet for you and encouraging/forcing further exercise on a chronic and unmanaged founder can make matters worse for the poor boy.

i was told to feed them corn with corn husk for the same amount of time, i don't know if this is true.

That sounds like strange advice to me, but then as I said, I know very little about heaves. Not assuming, hopefully stating the obvious, but I'd just suggest you don't just do what someone tells you blindly, at least analysing whether or not it's reasonable. At least ask for different professional's opinions before trying stuff willy nilly.

 

[Elizabeth Bowers]

Loosie, my gelding was a gift to me from my pap when i was 12. My grandfather was trimming his hooves regularly when he was still at his farm. He hasn't foundered since i've had him, he's on a strict diet of good quality grass hay, and pasture. My gelding has an issue with men because of my great grand pap, whom would lock all the horses in the barn and beat them with a hose because he was mad about something. My other gelding has recovered from this trauma very well and is a great trail/pleasure horse. But this one just seems to hang onto the fact that it might happen again. He's finally beginning to accept my husband touching him and picking up his feet. He still gets a little skittish on some days. I've been working with this gelding for 8 years. This fear of men didn't get really bad until we moved, then all of the sudden he seem to have had a relapse, and its taken almost 2 years to get him back to where he was.
My great grandmother told me this, i think its old folk talk i guess. The last horse i had with heaves was sold away, and i never knew what become of him. I've been doing research on heaves to find a way to help the girls out.

 

[NaturalHorseGirl]

Paddock Paradise

I was reading and doing some research on horse keeping. I came across a book called paddock paradise, it has some great ideas, and makes a lot of sense. I'm undecided if i should try this new way of keeping my horses or keep them in the same manner in which they already are.

*note i do have 2 horses who have hoof problems, and 2 who have breathing conditions.

Would this be a good idea to try or not??

Thanks:?

My parents and I created a Paddock Paradise at our old farm in Michigan and it was wonderful for our horses. One had had laminitis but all of them improved a lot. you can put in dirt to make hills if you don't already have it, add rock, etc. You might want to look at the PP forum on facebook or buy the book. You will love it!

 

[loosie]

I was trying to convey - & hope I succeeded - that I was not trying to blame or judge you, but the fact remains that from what you wrote, it sounds like the horse is desperate for better care, regardless whether it's anyone's fault. That might mean you're not the best owner for him.

You said he gets laminitis yearly and that due to his fear of men, he hadn't had his feet done in a long time and that while you try to tidy them up, you don't know how to trim them. In the above post however, you then say the horse hasn't foundered since you've had him. I'm confused by that contradiction. You say he's on a 'strict' diet of hay & pasture, which if your first assertion about yearly foundering is correct, sounds like it is not good for him. safergrass.org is one place you can learn more about the dietary/metabolic side of founder.

Regarding his fear, yes, change in environment will have made him less secure, so his emotional reactions are likely to be stronger too. I think if you've been working on this issue with little progress for years, then if possible, it would help to find a good, considerate & understanding horseperson to work with. Failing(or in addition to) that, learning about 'clicker training' is a great approach, especially with fearful/traumatised animals, to get them over it. As he's so desperate for hoofcare, I would also strongly consider using sedatives or even knocking him out, to get the regular care he needs, rather than leaving it (months, years?) longer in the hope you get him over his fear first.