The Stumbly Rehabilitation
To solve the mystery (sort of?) of my last post, I have changed Guinness' feed to help with his foot rehabilitation.
After a lot of thought, I decided to go with Buckeye's Grow n' Win. I have upped hay consumption, and started double bagging the hay to slow down GP's consumption. So far, I'm incredibly happy. My horse is much less stumbling, and more confident in his feet.
Every day I see him walk out sounder and sounder, and my heart beats happier. It's a good feeling to help your animal.
Austen,
ReplyDeleteI came across a post you commented on back in January in the Barefoot Horse Blog about thin soled horses going barefoot. You mentioned that you had been padding him. I read your blog, and I feel like I'm in a similar situation! My 5 year old paint mare has really thin soles, experiences sole bruising consistently and is always sore for weeks after being reset. Anyway, I wanted to see how your barefoot experience was going and if you could give any insight if Guinness's sole depth is increasing. I'm going barefoot on Friday and I'm very nervous about the transition!
Erin, I'm so glad that you are trying to help out your horse!
ReplyDeleteThat said, going barefoot with a thin soled horse can be difficult. Trust me. There are lots of different variables that can contribute, and lots of things that can set you back that you wouldn't even think of!
I would still recommend barefoot for a horse with soles that are having problems in shoes, however. I know from experience that shoes can mask what is happening to your horse's feet, and make proactive care extremely difficult.
Guinness is showing sole growth, and I'll write an update for you (plus, I've been meaning to anyway!).