I had been worried about her hooves because she moved over here from being a lesson horse on a flat, sand arena to living full time on a rugged, rough terrained ranch.
Her feet were knicked and banged up around the edges and her periople was covered in sand cracks. For several weeks, I've been dressing her feet every other day with Hoof Conditioner, which is painted on and then rubbed into and under the hoof and around the coronary band to promote healthy growth.
It had made a difference in preventing any more dents and knicks. But the original damage was still there.
BEFORE:
The farrier reassured me that this was normal and that wild horses often look even worse. He said that all of the horses he's seen have the cracks, too. We haven't had any substancial moisture for weeks. Everything is so dry now. And with the wind, I have to remember to add moisture to my hands, or I can't even touch my horse without sparking her with static.
Check out those ragged hooves.
AFTER:
The farrier trimmed and filed Baby Doll's hooves and they turned out really good. Her feet look so much better now and with me keeping up with the hoof conditioner, and Baby Doll's hooves acclimating to her new paddock terrain, the new hoof growth should hopefully be stronger and more durable. Some might say I should get her shoed, but that would weaken her feet even more and not build up any strength.
Think of women with fake nails. When they finally get the nails removed, their real nails are often weak and fragile. With a horse hoof, the shoe would protect the hoof, but only temporarily, unless I kept her shoed for the rest of her life on our ranch. And if I keep her stabled all the time, her feet will never get used to living on our mountain terrain. So, with good farrier trims, hoof conditioner, paddock maintenance, and good care/feed her feet should adapt.
And she did very good with the farrier, too. She doesn't like her back hooves messed with much so she shifted around a bit, but got back in line pretty quick with a warning.
I really like this farrier, too. He's great to talk with and is fair and kind with the horses. He also showed me a better technique for picking out Baby Doll's back feet so she didn't get so unbalanced and drop her foot so soon. Check out these pretty feet. Nice manicure, eh?
7 comments :
Nice tootsies! When we had my sisters horse, same thing, no shoes unless there was going to be a lot of time on pavement (parades). Did your dog come and eat the trimmings? Ours always did.
my mustang doesn't wear shoes either, her hooves are like iron.
Thanks for stopping by my blog - we do have water again. We let it sit for a couple of days, and now it's pumping again, and the 10,000 gallon is filled. So, still not sure what was wrong, or when it will happen again. :0(
off to read more of your blog!
A very interesting post. I've never stopped to consider why one would want to NOT shoe a horse, but what you said makes sense. I think you must be a great care-taker. Wishing you a great day and weekend.
Her feet look so much better!
I ride my horse on the road, and some people have told me to definitely shoe her, while others have said that she should be fine without shoes. Daisy's hooves actually got bruised on the bottom last summer, but my farrier said to keep riding her on the road and that her feet would 'harden'. Sure enough, by the end of the summer, her hooves were fine, no stumbling on rocks and no bruises! I like keeping a horse natural...I've actually read articles that say that shoes aren't as good for a horse as going 'barefoot'...anyway, sorry for rambling! :D
If she's like me, she feels much better after her pedicure. :)
He did a good job. Bombay once had a sand crack go all the way up into the soft part of his hoof and it bled. I had to get the vet out because Bombay was hopping around on three hooves. The vet yelled at me to put shoes on him. The farrier put on a special shoe that is one full piece that pulls the crack together. I had to clean and dress his hoof twice a day for several weeks and keep him on stall rest. In his case, he injured himself when striking a rock while galloping to get away from a truck that came roaring up the street hauling a very loud stock trailer. You've got the extra challenge of low humidity and dry heat. One trick I've learned is to keep the ground wet around the water trough so that that horse has to step in it each time she gets a drink. The hooves soak up the moisture.
Hi sugarcreekstuff!
Yeppers, our dog loves the trimmings. Makes her breath stink, though. hehe
Hi Woolies,
Thanks for visiting my blog,too. Your climate is similar to ours in that it's so dry. I'm glad to hear that your horses' hooves are nice and hard now...well seasoned...so to speak.
And I'm glad to her that you've got water again. Whew!
Thanks Pat! And thanks for posting a comment, too.
Hi Mel,
I'm glad that Daisy's hooves do so well barefoot. Your comments mean alot ot me. Thanks for posting.
Hi CeeCee,
It sure seemed like she did. She was pretty light on her feet afterwards! hehe
Hi Nuzzling Muzzles,
I'm so glad you posted a comment ater reading my blog post. OUCH! Bombay! Poor guy. I bet the stall rest for him was just about as bad as the actual injury to his hoof, too.
I've been trying to keep the area moist around the water bucket, but it is horribly dry and the ground just soaks it right up! ugh.
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