--- janine4494 <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
I wonder
>
> if the condition didn't cause them to grow out, or the wet weather
we've had this past week. My questions to you all are;I'm obviously
not looking at his feet objectively. The new farrier took off ¼ to
½" of toe. Any recommendations on where I can get info on "natural
balance" trimming?
hopeforsoundness.com
That is Gene Ovnicks web site dedicated to natural trims and natural
balance shoeing. Gene is an advocate of natural balance trimming,
but he also feels like some horses never fully recover without NB
shoes, or that the process of barefoot can be unneedlessly painful
for some horses. Sally and I happen to agree with him on that.
He sells a DVD on Natural Balance trimming, if your farrier is
Certified then he has studied with Gene or at his place in Colorado.
> The diet thing is hurting me more than him. I thought (and so did
my riding buddies) that he looked better than ever. It seems he lost
some "baby fat" he's not so big around the barrel as he's been in
the past. BUT
the vet showed me how to check weight by observing
"fat pads" he's got `em on his crest, has love handles in the girth
&
sheath area and he has butt cheeks! I'm committed to his weight
loss but are there any low cal treats I can give him? What about
supplements, he had been getting "born to win" for the vitamins and
minerals what are my options now?
This can be a tricky area of of help here. What I can say is what we
give to foundered horses or what we tell our clients to give....all
the horses under our care are in recovery, and they look good and
they Love their food.
We give up to 50% beet pulp with grass hay. We also add black oil
sunflower seeds, they Love that.....they believe it is a treat, and
you will feel goof giving it to them.
There are so many different supplements for different things....it
depends on what your horses needs.....Sally makes supplements up for
our horses herself....but if it is just a general supplement you are
looking for, ask what is good in your area.
> He's confined, he's bored, he doesn't have much of a play drive,
I've put in several play toys but he's not interested. Any ideas?
I've got a call into the vet. I'm not in full agreement of
"complete" confinement. As I said he did much better after a few
hours on the sand and the new trim. I think (and the new farrier
agrees) that he would really benefit from some walking. Any input on
that?
Confined horses in our farrier practice do not do well. They get
depressed easily, bored, plus they are not walking on their frogs,
getting blood to the needed areas...he needs to move, walk around on
ground that is comfy to him.
Also fat pads can also be around the shoulder area, neck crest,
butt...any of those signs and it is just usually a matter of time.
If we have a horse in our farrier practice who shows fat pads, and
Sally checks on the horses physical being before she trims or shoes,
she does a trim with founder in mind and they get put on a 4 week
schedule to keep that toe back, as it is Vital at that point to avoid
acute founder.
Good Luck!
Also there are many different ideas about founder out there.....many
different thoughts and studies...we have found that if you stick to
one protocol, Natural balance trimming etc it works better than if
you combine other ideas from other protocols (like mixing Jaime
Jackson with Ovnick or Strausser or Pete Ramey.....) Stick to one
and follow that...however we have found that Genes is very straight
forward, the horses get better and are more comfy for less
money......
Skye Lee
~~~~Fire Island Farms~~~~
Breeding Quality Icelandic Trail Horses
Certified Farrier Services
'Natural Balance' Shoeing and Trimming.
Founder, Navicular options for your horse.
808-640-6080
