Foxy is an eight year old welsh cob cross and he is our new pocket rocket! Diagnosed with navicular in 2007, prospects looked bad for this horse until he was given to Performance Barefoot’s Sarah. Sarah hopes to use him for cross country, show jumping and hunting.
Although only shod on the fronts, Foxy has contracted hooves on all four feet. The back of his hoof is very weak and he has a central sulcus infection in the front right. His frogs are very stretched and long. Sound in shoes which were wedged, we were fairly certain he would be fine when they were removed, even though he would be living on our hard core surfaces. The video below shows how toe first his landing was in the aluminium shoes. We will video him again in a few weeks to show how this toe first landing can change when the hoof is able to function more naturally.
May 2008
We have given Foxy a few weeks to settle in and get used to Paddock Paradise living. He is quite a nervous horse when handled on the ground so we have been working on gaining his confidence. He has gained weight and is now looking very posh. He has learnt how to pony out from Morris and Fari and we will start riding him in the next few weeks once he has filled out a little and gained a bit more fitness. He is sound and very capable on his hooves on most surfaces.
June 2008
Well! Our little chap loves jumping. We took him to our riding club show jumping rally and look how lovely he is! He is about to land on his navicular hoof!
July 2008
Foxy has had a busy month! A natural horsemanship clinic with Steve Halfpenny where he learnt to chill, more jumping clinics, a trip to Kelsall Farm ride with his new friend Heather, the very large Cleveland bay, and to end July, a ten mile ride organised by the Flint and Denbigh Hunt. See how his day went below :0).
Foxy has provided a really good opportunity to video his movement both in shoes and without. The videos below show him on the same day both in shoes and immediately after they were removed. We did not trim his hoof or alter it in anyway other than to remove the shoes. If you click on each video you can run them almost simultaneously and observe the way the shoes affected his normal gait.
Foxy’s hooves at the end of July, after his ten mile ride. Note the dramatic change of angle, the dark line shows where the shoes were removed and he started on our diet for performance bare hooves.
August 2008
Foxy travelled down to Devon with Morris and went hunting on Exmoor with Conto. What a lovely day as the video below shows. He loved the day and we hope to get him out hunting in Cheshire in the following months.
October 2008
Look how much our Fox has changed over the past few months as his hooves have improved. The picture opposite shows him in May when he was was uncomfortable on all four feet. The discomfort came from both the wedged shoes and the infections in his contracted feet. Notice how he is standing underneath himself trying to unload the back of his hoof. Notice the shape of his shoulders and the hollow in his neck. His head is held high and overall he looks as if he is ‘holding’ himself in a tense way. Now contrast this poorly shaped horse with the picture below ..... yes it is the same horse!
Now he is standing correctly, his shoulders have developed and his neck is now correct. Look at how relaxed he has become, his head held lower, his expression comfortable and happy. The picture opposite was taken on his return from a hunter trail where he jumped a novice cross country course and went clear apart from the last jump which he needed to take a good look at due to all the flowers at its base. Once he had taken a look he jumped it from a stand still. The picture below shows his confidence over jumps.
His rehabilitation has not however been completely straight forward. When his shoes were removed at the end of April it was clear that he had nasty central sulcus infections in all four feet. If you dragged a hoof pick through the slit of the contracted sulcus he was most unhappy. He was also unhappy if you squeezed the hoof at the back. In September he went lame on the right front and an abscess came out of both heels and the white line on the outside ( lateral) edge of the hoof. It was a few weeks before he was fully recovered. Interestingly once the abscess had blown the hoof then began to de-contract probably because he was now loading the heel
Right front in May 08 to the left.
Right front in October 08 to the right. Notice the distortion on the outside edge where the abscess exited.
It’s not just the body that has chunked up either! These pictures span a time period of just four months. Notice the way the back of the hoof has rounded and become fuller. Notice too the way the front of the hoof above the coronet band has become more developed.
This hoof is starting to develop the characteristics of a healthy hard working bare hoof. Find out about what healthy hooves should be like here.
Right front in May 08 above. Right front in October 08 to the right.
March 2009
Fox has been busy hacking around North Wales for most of the winter. Over the Christmas period he was out most days on the roads for miles and miles. At the end of January we took him drag hunting which he absolutely loved. He was sound as a pound all day and the day after. However two days later he looked slightly off on the left front. This hoof now seems to be going through the same process as the right front did in September 2008. If you press the central sulcus or squeeze the back of the hoof he is uncomfortable. We anticipate it will be a few weeks before he is back in work again. It is interesting that although the back of his hoof looks like it has become well developed and he has been happy in all other activities his left hoof is obviously not capable of the type of tough activity that hunting threw at it. Below are a some of shots of his right hind which has changed beyond all recognition in the 10 months we have owned him.
