Re: [IceHorses] Barefoot? Shoes? / Tradeoffs
--- Janice McDonald <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > at the barn we were at for years, i swear there was more lameness > from > pulling shoes from AQHA western pleasure show horses than any > walking > horse barn! I would say it was 100% of the time! some NEVER got > over > it and had to be re-shod. Its almost like those ancient chinese > women > whose feet are bound. They would have these little teeny tiny feet > held in for years by shoes and then when the shoes were pulled they > would go lame. Those horses begin to get shod shortly after they turn 1 year oldwe have several we shoe, they keep getting bigger and their feet are small. We talked one of the barn into switching over to the poly steel ground controll shoes and were able to get the foot to go up 1 size in the 2 QH in less than a year, pretty remarkable...their feet were finally able to grow and move, and they did that and were still rideable and never took a lame step. Skye Fire Island Eco-Treks-808-443-6085 Fire Island Professional Farrier Service-640-6080
Re: [IceHorses] Barefoot? Shoes? / Tradeoffs
at the barn we were at for years, i swear there was more lameness from pulling shoes from AQHA western pleasure show horses than any walking horse barn! I would say it was 100% of the time! some NEVER got over it and had to be re-shod. Its almost like those ancient chinese women whose feet are bound. They would have these little teeny tiny feet held in for years by shoes and then when the shoes were pulled they would go lame. I of course dont know why or the bio physical mechanics of it... i just saw the results over and over. and some horses you wouldnt have a CLUE what they were on, but when they would go to the new owner and the shoes pulled, put on normal feed and hay and no supplements they would go into a physiological crash that was at times spectacular. I remember one that was a huge bulked up halter horse, glossy, just gorgeous, had no winter coat, sleek and shiney from being stalled under lights 24/7... his name was buddy. shoes were pulled and he went lame, couldnt even walk. Then, a mystery, ALL his hair fell out in handfuls. so there was some physical meltdown going on there. Then it turns out he was HYPP positive. Then he stopped eating and lost about 400 pounds and nearly died. The woman had paid 1800 for him at auction and thought she had such a bargain. I was absolutely horrified when the barn owner told her "take him back to auction this friday nite and dump him on someone else" and she did... she got three hundred bucks for him and gave no disclosure of any of his problems! Janice-- yipie tie yie yo
RE: [IceHorses] Barefoot? Shoes? / Tradeoffs
That weight is fine and dandy and makes him gait perfectly. ... Until ...that weight has negatively affected, over the years, some tendons, ligaments, muscles, etc. and then the horse starts having some problems either with pain or gait or whatever. I got that lecture with my very first equine vet farm call, before I literally owned a horse. I called the vet out to do a pre-purchase on Mac, who was still in his Big Lick shoes and pads. The vet asked me what I planned to do with him, and I told him I wanted to take the pads off and make him a pleasure/trail horse. He looked relieved, and told me I was darned lucky that Mac didn't appear to be lame from the years of "abuse", but warned me that some could still show up.(I put it in quotes, because I don't think Mac was ever sored or beaten, or literally mistreated, but just wearing those shoes/pads and staying in a stall most of the time was enough abuse for me.) He then said he probably wasn't a prime candidate for jumping, endurance, or anything extreme, since there was no doubt that his joints had had plenty of strain already - but that he appeared fine for a pleasure horse prospect. He also told me that we'd need to take our time in bringing his feet back to normal length and angles, so that the tendons and ligaments could re-adjust gradually. I've never had a problem with pulling any horse's shoes making them sore or tender, but correcting Mac's angles and balance back to normal took ages. Mac wasn't quite five when we started taking his feet back to normal. Sure his feet were rather extreme, but I know that lesser extremes could have similar effects, if left for longer periods, or if the horses are ridden harder than Mac was ridden. It took over a year to get Mac's feet under control. About a year after that, he started letting him be barefoot...and that part was a piece of cake. Karen Thomas, NC No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.503 / Virus Database: 269.16.9/1155 - Release Date: 11/27/2007 8:30 PM
Re: [IceHorses] Barefoot? Shoes? / Tradeoffs
>>>"Trade-offs in hoof care." Basically, one farrier would point out the >>>advantages to one aspect of shoeing/trimming, and then the next one would >>>give the counterpoints to the same aspect. Yes, I think there are always tradeoffs. For instance, say you have a horse that needs some weight to be able to do a particular gait better than what he was conformed to do, or what he can do naturally. That weight is fine and dandy and makes him gait perfectly. Until ...that weight has negatively affected, over the years, some tendons, ligaments, muscles, etc. and then the horse starts having some problems either with pain or gait or whatever. Would these resultant problems be connected to the years of carrying shoes? Maybe not. Maybe they should be. Judy http://icehorses.net http://clickryder.com
