Barefoot trimming & feet.

[jenharvey]

I may be able to organise a qualified Equine Podiatrist to come over and do a clinic. Ive wanted to get someone over for ages and if there was enough interest then im sure someone would be able to. If anyone is interested PM me and i will see what i can do.

[ciarafog]

I'd be interested in doing one of those courses.

[harriet]

I would be interested in doing a course in barefoot trimming. As I previously mentioned Sean gave me a lesson and I have been trimming my horse and think i have been getting better each time.
The hoofs look healthier and are more balanced. I have done an exceptional amount of internet research and some basic equine anatomy from books. My horse has very wide feet and quite short in the toe. He is very foot sore on stoney ground but is fine in his field trotting around. I have not ridden for 7 weeks. I have tried a variety of hoof boots without success. I have been on the easycare.com website and very few hoof boots fit a wide foot draft horse.
I have tried cavallo boots/old macg2/ and the sizes are not wide enough in any other boot. As a podiatrist I think that hoof boots change the biomechanical function of the hoof and rub alot. My horse looked as if he was going to fall on his head with the hoof boots on.
The most interesting looking boot which looked as if it would be effective are the Renegade boots as these look as if they allow correct heel to toe function of the hoof.
They also don't fit my horse.
I then thought about glue on shoes as a temporary measure. Does any one have any opinions on this ? Does it defeat the object?
I have jus purchased some horse- slips. These are rubber stick on shoes and they were originally made for laminitics but they are now trialing them for barefoot horses.They are made of a slightly tougher rubber. They last 6 weeks and come off naturally after this length of time.
They come as one coil so you can cut off as much as you need and glue on.
They cost 41 pound sterling and this includes postage from northern Ireland. The horse slip is a spiral extrusion of rubber, which is flexible, absorbs impact, reduces concussion.
I dont know how durable they will be but I am putting them on lancer my horse friday and we will be going riding saturday afternoon. I have decided to trial them on the fronts only and this way a cost of £41 will last 12 weeks. This is alot cheaper that 70euro for 6 weeks for the farrier. There are no nail holes and every 6 weeks I will trim the feet myself.
I will let you know how I get on.
Anyone interested in ordering some as a trial www.horseslips.com for further info.
Is anyone else having the same problems?
looking forward to hearing from you.
I will post some photos after this weekend of Lancer with his new horseslips.

[intouch]

Ive just had a look at those horse slips. They actually look really good. Sorry to hear that its hard to get a pair of boots for your horse. It can be frustrating. How long have you had the shoes off? Some horses take longer to adapt to being barefoot that others, depending on the condition of the feet before the shoes came off. The best thing you can do at this point is pleny of conditioning work. Riding in a sand arena or handwalking on the roads. You cant just expect him to be able to withstand stoney ground yet. I recommend handwalking him for at least 20 mins on hard ground to develope a better hoof. The foot needs this stimulus to be able to develope. Even with the slips on him, you could still handwalk or ride him on the roads. If you want him to be able to go over certain ground conditions, you have to build him up to that by going over those surfaces. Its like getting a horse fit after a holiday. You wouldnt expect a horse that hasnt been exercised in months to be fit enough to be able to go competing.
As for the glue on shoe, thats up to you. They are a little more flexible than a nail on shoe, allowing more movement. But i think that if transitioned correctly, your horse should manage fine without them. Keep us updated on how you get on with the horseslips. I look forward to the pictures.
Jenny

[jenharvey]

Sorry i posted under my mums log in name. I can be a bit stupid sometimes. But that last post was from me, not intouch.
Jenny

[moongirl]

Hi,

I have been in contact with Dermot McCourt and he said he will come down here to see Charley, but he hasn't got back to me yet.

Harriet - Those horseslips look quite good but a lot of hassle to get them on. Look forward to hearing how you get on with them - are you going to put them on yourself ?

Michelle

[mariab]

Hi again,

The course I am arranging in March next year is the 12-14th March and is a 3 day horse owners trimming course, basically to make it easy for yourselves to keep the maintenance of your horse and know what you are doing after a professional has set your horse up, the details will be up on this website under courses etc. once I get the exact price per person.

Like I said I am currently training and would be more than happy to come and have a look and share some ideas, 4 eyes can be better than 2, the internet is absolutely brilliant and full of advice and guides but doing it in real life and getting the results never seem like the book says.

Harriet it can take a while to not be foot sore on stoney ground I have 3 of my own and 2 took no time to transition but my main horse I ride has taken along time and very much trying different things to figure out what really works.

My number is 086-2329120 and my name is Maria

[Elaine]

www.barefoothorse.com/

Click on the 'do trim' page

Scroll down to photo 7 to see the mustang roll.

[mandy]

I am concerned to read that the mustang roll may not be suitable for horses in a wet climate... I would certainly consider ours to be a tad wet! Any thoughts barefooters?? (ref:barefoot.com 'do trim')

[amanda1066]

Aug 17, 2009 18:40:01 GMT mandy said:

I am concerned to read that the mustang roll may not be suitable for horses in a wet climate... I would certainly consider ours to be a tad wet! Any thoughts barefooters?? (ref:barefoot.com 'do trim')

I can't see that bit please point me to it. I believe doing a mustang roll (45degree bevel) is a no brainer for all barefoot horses. Pete Ramey explains the inward forces created by the bevel which help work against the expansion forces created by the hoof mechanism in his DVD.

[jenharvey]

Amanda1066, can you explain what you mean by the inward frces created by the bevel which helps work against the expansion forces created by the hoof mechanism? Ta
As for the mustang role, it always depends on the horse. A horse on hard surfaces would be better with a mustang roll to help with brakeover, but a horse on soft wet ground may not need such a strong roll if its always ridden on soft ground. Every horse is different and depending on the quality of the hoof wall, will be trimmed slightly differently in relation to a roll.
Jenny

[amanda1066]

I'll try! When the hoof sinks into the ground the bevel causes an inward force on the base of the hoof wall... I can't do Pete's diagram on here but here's a link to the blurb about the DVD with a pic of his take on the forces of m.roll v flat finished flared hoof wall in the inserts on the right. Hope this gives you some idea...
www.hoofrehab.com/underthehorse.htm
The downward force of the horse bearing weight exerts an expansion force on the wall and the roll exerts a compression force. I'm useless at explaining it and am self taught not a trimmer.
He does vary the roll ( as he does trim) depending on individual circumstances.

Mta... here's a link from I believe 'Strasser' type Trimmers who believe that a flat base of wall is needed for traction on soft ground. Have a look at paragraph 10 above the second photo on the left...
www.easycareinc.com/Education/articles/mustang_roll.aspx

Experience with domestic horses seems to show them that the m roll is valuble for all barefoot horses in domestication. I also wonder if feral horses in soft footing don't always develop a bevel because the hoof isn't 'honed' by any abrasion. I know my horses when they were in field 24/7 did have rolls and kept them well between trims.

I also think some Trimmers/Farriers believe that the compressional force of the M roll can cause contracted feet but PR states that this has not been his experience.

[jenharvey]

Thnaks for that Amanda, very interesting articles. I understand what you mean now.
Jenny

[harriet]

I tried the horse slips on lancer and the only words I can use are disaster zone.
The glue was every where, the horse wouldnt stand still and in the end I felt like it was a waste of money.
I have decided I am going to have a go at making my own hoof boots this week. When we make orthotics at work we take an oasis impression of the foot which we fill with plaster of paris. This produces a negative cast.
We then vacumn press EVA onto the cast and then add on other materials later.
I will have a go anyway and it will be interesting to see how I get on. If all else fails I will have to have some bespoke ones made.
Has any one seen

[harriet]

sorry computer error.
Has anyone seen the new hoofwing.co.uk website. or hoofwing.com - american site for more info.
these look good.

[moongirl]

Hi Harriet

I think these look the best if you want a really good close fit - they go up in very small increments so you get a great fit.

www.easycareinc.com/our_boots/easyboot_glove/Easyboot_glove.aspx

[moongirl]

Hi,

Dermot McCourt came to see Charley today. He came all the way from the North to Tipperary ( 210 miles ) just to do Charley's and Mani's hooves.

He was a bit shocked by the state of Charleys feet but said they will be OK after a while. He took off all 4 shoes and did quite a radical trim, but Charley seems fairly comfortable and walked fairly well afterward. I am so relieved that he is on the mend.

Dermot is a really lovely and gentle man, he is passionate about horses and hooves and doing things as naturally and kindly as possible for the horse. He knows heaps about hooves and feet and explained everything he was doing - it really made sense. He is really happy to help and answer questions. And he did'nt even charge me loads of money !

And Elaine -

He also said he would happily come down this area sometime for the day and do a course for us all to learn how to maintain a trim ( as long as someone knowledgeable has set up a proper trim first )
He reckons 1 day would be long enough, although if we wanted him to trim our horses first as well it may need longer.

Michelle

[mariab]

Problem with the easyboot glove is they don't sell it outside America yet, unfortunately it looks absolute great.

Harriet I have exactly the same problem with fitting boots for Dully and he desperately needs them my other horses are fine, he is just not mr barefoot naturally, he is abit of a girl thingy when it comes to his feet.

I have a pair of Renegade 2WW biggest size don't fit him, have just ordered the easyboot epic and hopefully will be able to fit it with a pad and thank god they exchange if it does not fit thats the problem you can get poor trying boots on.

[intouch]

Try here
www.equinepodiatrysupplies.co.uk/

[mariab]

well I'll be d**ned only a few weeks ago I was told they didn't anyway too small won't fit my fella they do look lovely though