Treating Founder (Chronic Laminitis) without Horseshoes
Guest book posts, 2004
Gretchen Fathauer's replies are in RED.
This is a wonderfully informative site! I am rescuing a pony w/a vertical coffin bone and really desired this backup of my views that turnout could only be helpful to his condition. He is currently stall bound. Also have another pony w/bulging soles, and a horse w/navicular. Am totally thrilled by what I learned! Thanx.....Anita S...brodix@earthlink.net
Very informative and somewhat reassuring. I have a 22 year old mare that foundered. Left front severely - new hoof growing out over old damage line. Right is fine, Left heel looks good, but front continues to abscess at the coronary band area and above. Tried shoes and meds for 3 months, then found a natural trimmer and pulled her shoes off & threw out meds except for Bute. Wish us luck, Sue Fiano sfhrswmn@aol.com
Thank you for a great read. Our horses have been barefoot for more than one year and their hoof-health has greatly improved.
James Elsbury elsbury@atrax.net.au
Articles are very helpful. Thank you for your hard work and sharing your expertise.
Your web site has been very helpful to me. I have never put a shoe on a horse and am reluctant to do so. I believe that a properly trimmed hoof and continual exercise will allow a horse to travel just about anywhere. I am interested in being trained in your method of treating foundered horses. Please contact me at lprater34@hotmail.com Thank you, Warren K Prater.
my name is maga nwaba i was here looking for healing to my foot mugu@obasojo.com
??? This site is about horses' feet, not human feet.
I found your web site very informative. I have a 17yr old gelding who is lame in all 4 feet. He is only on grass. Being a novice, I was unsure of laminitis/founder, but after visiting your site, I have a better understanding on this subject. Your photos are excellent and have helped me a lot. Sharon...shaz.gaz@bigpond.com
Have a sweet mare who foundered after developing terrible abscesses two summers ago during a prolonged rainy season while turned out. She has not responded to any of the conventional methods and I have been considering allowing her to be barefoot, even before finding your site--it just seemed to be a more realistic approach. One piece of advice that is often repeated by blacksmiths and vets--is keep the feet dry--but the mare will invariably head to the pond when turned out if I don't confine her to another paddock. It's been at least 16-17 months with no improvement. I am going to let nature take over! If I end up putting her down, at least I will be able to say I tried everything. Your thoughts on shoeing in general are, of course, radical.
While I don't believe in changing a sound horse's natural foot during shoeing to produce cosmetic changes or change conformational defects, I would not be able to use my horses unshod. If you play polo on barefoot horses--even unshod behind--they will slip and fall. Horses have occupations as we do--every horse can't be a backyard pet. There may be a place for barefoot--I pull all mine (15 horses) for 6 months a year when we turn out, but shoes are a necessity the rest of the time. Moderation sounds like a better approach--not elimination. If my foundered mare improves I will share the good news with you and your readers. The mule is darn cute.
There's a lot more to this than just pulling shoes and 'letting nature take over.' The hoof form needs to be correct, and there are a number of other factors involved, such as lifestyle, exercise, terrain, etc. The trim is a precision trim, not just pulling the shoes and turning out for several months.
Not all barefoot horses are backyard pets. There are beginning to be more people competing in dressage, eventing and endurance with barefoot horses. Please look at my Section 23 for one example. The people in Section 23 are finding their eventing horses are MORE sure-footed, not less, barefoot. They used to shoe their horses, but they quit.
Hi,
Care to take a guess what I did after I read your outstanding website? I walked into the barn, grabbed a pair of nail pullers, rasp and hoof knife. Pulled the shoes and pads off my TB Mare and threw them as far as I could into woods. I've been working on her first natural trim a little at a time over the last week or so, and I have to say, the horse seems happy, I'm happy, but my farrier is madder than a hornet's nest...My horse's feet already look so much better, and she actually stands on cross ties in a relaxed manner now. Before, she looked like a TOP-FUEL Dragster trying for the quarter mile record. She used to bite, stomp and try to wedge me up against the wall. Now, she just stands there with a cocked rear leg and half-closed eyes, and lets me work on her feet for as long as I want...seems to move well too...
You rock on with your bad-self bad girl...
Cheers!
'Buck' from Rhode Island Prolan@Cox.net
What a pleasure to hear all this! :-) Sounds like she likes what you're doing.
We have a mare, thirteen years old, who is showing signs of founder. Her mother suffered from this, too; both have/had high crested necks and came down with founder at the same age (12) and same time of year. Your website is giving me hope that we can help our mare this time. (We had to have her mother put down.) We live in a very cold, snowy place. We have two horses, with a pasture and woods and creek. The horses come in at night and are out all day. My husband is very knowledgable about horses and is filing her feet as Dr. Strasser suggests. We will wean her off grain...she'll be sad, but...Do you have any suggestions for soaking her feet in this climate? I really appreciate your website. Thank you again, Candace Broughton cbroughton@cattlv.wnyric.org
Hi there... I love your site.. very informative and very interesting! I myself have been barefoot trimming for 2 years now and will never go back... and I've had too many success stories to write about!!! It's hard to keep up with all the info, there are sooo many theories, but I cant get enough of it! Thanx, Ash... barehoofarabs@hotmail.com
Looks very good. It will be nice to see how this works out in the future. Is there anyone teaching this in FL? I live in the south west part of the state, but I can travel some. Thank you. My e-mail is Haze4u@comcast.net
Wonderful site! Thank you for making it available. I am getting a reg. morgan mare of 15 with concave hooves and no ridging. She walks stifly, but is able to get around. Kim Kidd, blacksmith is currently trimming her every 4 wks. A mare age 5 that is my stallions daughter foundered 2 yrs. ago. They were feeding her insulage on a dairy farm, plus grain. She also had been used by a young girl and came back foundered. No sure which caused it. She is a big mare and my plan is to feed her only hay and water to take some wt. off. Perhaps some soaked beet pulp for fiber and prevent impaction? I have 20 acres of soft ground and my barn has box stalls on dirt with thick rubber mats. I wonder about my sanity for taking this on as I am retired nurse and have 3 healthy horses. It would be $25 a trim on each of these. Would they be able to be broodmares later?
Gail Bellamy jnuff@madbbs.com
Lora Majewski silvervixen23@hotmail.com
Hi there, I will be starting the farrier training program this semester. After all the research I have done, I am not confident in any of the programs I have found so far. I was wondering if you have any suggestions as to where I should go for training. The longest program is only 10 months long! Already I know that is not enough time to learn everything I want to know. I plan to become a tradesman and finally a master farrier. I want to make a contribution to suffering horses by volunteering farrier skills to rescue facilities and have paying clients to support the volunteering!! That's the plan, so if you have any suggestions... Or if you know someone that will need an apprentice come next spring, please get back to me via email. Thanks so much, and I love your work. I read and reread your website all the time. I hope I never have to see anything as horrible as you have had to deal with, but if I do, I must be prepared, or at least know someone who is. Happy trails, Lora Majewski silvervixen23@hotmail.com
Trying barefoot on navicular horses. Have gone barefoot on most of my horses for years. I think the time has come for the horse world to notice. Thanks for the help in transition. rmcraig3@juno.com
I am sorry to read about your loss, I learned a lot from you and Max. I lost my foundered mare on March 3, at age 23, due to severe colic, after 17 years of friendship. I am happy to know that she spent the past 4 years quite comfortably after I learned how to trim her feet by the methods you have described. I have continued to apply these methods to the rest our our horses and so I know my lessons learned will continue to help these quiet friends. Warmest Regards, Laurie Laurie.Jones@probes.com
This site was very informative and interesting. We also bought a fixer-uper farm house with some outbuildings and a goat. We came to this site b/c our dog and cat (the dynamic duo) found two little bunnies and were in the process of "making friends" with them when we rescued them. We are going to release them tomorrow very far away from everything in the forest conservacy behind our house. We already released one of their sisters/brothers yesterday, hopefully one of these guys is not the same one. They are cute and i would love to keep them but it isn't fair to them. ANYWAY, loved you site put more pics up of your pets and farm, looks good!
Wonderful information! I have Arab mare with chronic laminitis. Vet says her coffin bones have not rotated; however, she keeps having hot feet events. I have reduced her weight considerably. I have read that other problems cause laminitis, is that true. If yes, how can a person determine the catalyst for laminitis incidences? wlhollow@qosi.net Wanda Holloway
I found your website very interesting. M. J. Faulhaber
Thanks for your site. Do you take on special cases at you farm? Where are you located? What are the costs? I have a very special case in mind. The horse is magnificent (as they all are). His desire to live is enormous. He is bestowed with all the spiritual virtues we humans seek. In spite of his plight he is patient, longsuffering, forgiving, joyful, hopeful, playful and affectionate. He needs extraordinary help. I'll be looking for your reply. Rene at vikkikittles@yahoo.com
Marvelous!!! Absolutely wonderful!!! I have loved every page of this website!!! I have just begun a farrier practice and had so much to learn. The schooling I got was piss poor, to say the least, and I was searching for good information on how to trim and shoe horses. Had bought "Principles of Horseshoeing II and Farrier Science" and shod this foundered mare I bought to learn about horseshoeing foundered cases, and found I really goofed when I drove a heel nail into her contracted heels awry through the pad I put on. It lamed her big time and I was searching for a remedy to ease her pain. Tried everything. Knew I had to get her heels lower because her frog was non existent and because "Farrier Science" also suggested the heels be lowered, but I did not know how much lowering should be done to make her comfortable (can't afford X-rays). Finally I saw this site and settled on just slowly lowering the heels to the angle suggested in this website and dubbing the toe as you suggest. She looks better and I have confidence that this approach will work on her minus shoes for a time because it makes sense. We need shoes out here because we have extra rocky ground, but I will use these techniques in order to bring this mare back to normal hoof growth and frog shape. Bravo to you!!! Thanks a million!!! Now can you tell me what to do for a client's mare whose hooves have cracked almost completely up the front of the toe on both front feet?
Sincerely,
Dorothy Jackson dorothy@clnk.com
Gretchen Fathauer's reply: Doing some cadaver dissections will build your confidence re foundered feet so you will need x-rays a little less. Most of the time you can lower heels quickly, but you have to correct lateral imbalances slower. Shaping the bars, frogs and soles to follow the form of the underlying structure is also very important. Toe cracks are often the result of imbalanced hooves.
Great site found just when we needed it!!! We are trying to learn more about nutrition to help prevent laminitis or at least give some relief from the discomfort. I have heard magnesium helps, what are your thoughts? I cannot tell you how great it is to have found some support here! Nick & Vivienne viviennepennells@btinternet.com
Gretchen Fathauer's reply: While magnesium is not a magic bullet, it is an important factor. It is especially lacking in the new spring grass. Correct hoof form is just as important, if not more.
Very impressed. My pony has had laminitis for over a year now, I thought she was getting over it last year, but was always slightly lame. She had blood tests taken and I was told that she had Cushings. She is now in a very poor way. She has Modrenal tablets daily, we have tried various things for her feet, Polystarin pads, putty stuff put in them. Also, she is on 2 butes daily. The vets have told us this is the last resort and we should consider putting her out of her misery, but she looks so well. I am about to order a pair of Old Mac's boots, and although my farrier is very helpful and has done everything he can think of, I am now, after reading your findings, seriously considering a change of shoeing. In the past my pony (Pollen) always went lame for a while after being shod so maybe my farrier would try to shoe her a different way, or I will have to find someone else, it's worth a try, isn't it? Thanks for the information. Pat Dixon. patdixon.1@tesco.net
But I'm not advocating shoeing at all! You need expert trimming help. Where are you? You also might join the Equine Cushings list for more help on nutritional support for Cushings. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EquineCushings/ Sometimes adding Bondo or dental impresssion material under the pads before they are nailed on can backfire, and bruise a horse. This scenario will also reduce circulation. It's hard to accept, but you need to wait for a stronger new laminar connection to grow down. This is a long wait. However, you can't force separated white line to 'glue itself back together.' Once it's damaged, you have to wait for sounder white line to grow down. Increasing circulation will enable it to grow back in stronger than if the circulation is more compromised. Good hoof form will both increase circulation and make rotation less likely than bad hoof form, because with a ground-parallel coffin bone, the white line is equally weighted all around instead of just being over-weighted in the toe area (as it is with high heels and toes over-shortened from the bottom.)
Thank you for your insight on raising wild mammals. I successfully raised 2 orphan squirrels 3 years ago. Since I have 2 acres of woods around my house, I let them go there, and have not seen the ungrateful wretches since! I now have 2 orphaned raccoons. They were about 2 weeks old when their home was destroyed and are now about 6 weeks old. Like you, I know they must be released, but will certainly miss them, and worry when the time comes. Jamie
I really missed my possums after I let them go, and I sure was dragging my feet on releasing them!
I feel this is a wonderful site...I feel like crying. This is the first time I have come close to understanding the true interior of the hoof. I would like to know more about club feet that have foundered, and abscessed, repeatedly in wet weather? I used to wrap my old mare's feet in plastic, which helped. We have just started using Gallium on a race filly that, has just been diagnosed with navicular, and with one treatment she seems sound . She is just being lightly longed at the moment. She has finished the second treatment and it's going well. We insisted that the bar shoes come off after a couple of days because she was much worse, and that molded shoes go on, and she was good within days and continues to be. Truly amazed from Australia Joanne Pattillo. kenjo@hotmail.com.au
I am SO grateful to you for having this website available. I have been doing my own trims for over 18 mo.s now, on 11 horses (1 is yearling now, 1 is two) and they have taught me much. Having this info available for education and review is a real blessing. I'm learning some fine points that I've been curious about, and am further able to help two horses with different hoof problems - navicular, and one has dropped soles, but no rotation. I do find one thing lacking that is so essential to good hoofcare, which should start the day a horse is born - care of foals' hooves. This information is just plain hard to find! Thank you again for this wonderful website. Coreen Harris
I have a paint mare that was foundered by the veterinarian. He gave her Dexamethasone to clear a fungus. Then she was taken out to my farrier's home, where he drug her (ponied) down the street when I left. Then using the Strasser trim he cut the heels off. Then he cut all the sole off exposing the coffin bone tip. He cut the hoof wall back so she was walking on the tip of her coffin bone. She hasn't been able to walk very well since. I called another Strasser certified farrier that said the first farrier wasn't even certified. This lady cut the front end off. Just lovely. There are terrible fever lines. This Strasser thing has damaged my horse along with the Veterinarian that started it all. By the way Dexamethasone is know to cause acute laminitis. If the horse is returned to working after this drug you will damage your horse even more. It is a corticosteroid. So when my farrier ponied her down the street the day after her hospital visit, by the way she had never been ponied before, he continued to damage these feet. This Strasser trim in these hands has left my horse in bad shape. She was only two years old when these people got ahold of her. My name is Lisa My email is whispering4joy@netscape.com
Gretchen Fathauer's reply--Strasser does not teach people to over-shorten the toes from the bottom, exposing the coffin bone. She specifically warns against this. She teaches trimming steps that would make this less likely than with other trimming methods. To call what your horse had "a Strasser trim" is neither fair nor accurate. As you say, it is well-known that steroids can trigger laminitis. I am amazed anyone would prescribe steroids to treat an infection; steroids suppress immune response. What would work better is correct hoof form, and soaking with a weak apple cider vinegar or borax and water solution. I am very sorry to hear you and your horse have been so ill-served by the professionals you turned to.
Thanks for the wonderful information - this founder thing is so baffling. We hear so many things and nothing makes sense or seems to work in the long run. The natural approach makes perfect sense to me. We have a 23 yr gelding that is foundered - he has been on 1.5 acre irrigated pasture for a couple of years - turned out 12 hours each night and doing well. Then this week they say he is foundered - certainly doesn't make sense to me. If he was just new to the pasture and wonderful grass I could much easier understand. They want stall rest and only 2 hours a day of pasture turnout. If you have any thoughts let me know. And thanks much for your help. Kay Bouma kaybouma@cox.net
You might consider a grazing muzzle. http://www.bestfriendequine.com/grazing_muzzles.html Getting an analysis on this grass might be a good idea. More info on labs, etc., on my jiaogulan link: www.naturalhorsetrim.com/Jiaogulan.htm There's a good chance it is magnesium deficient--I'd want to check into that, anyway. If he is fat and has a cresty neck, he may be insulin-resistant. you can get a lot of help on the equine cushings email list http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EquineCushings/ Getting correct hoof form with a good trim is really important. Where are you? You need hands-on trimming help.
This site is wonderful! My beloved Arab friend of 23 years is going through the same problem as the horse in the above article. It is almost impossible to get a vet to come here--Michigan's Upper Peninsula--and the farrier every two months. I am following the guidelines from this site and have hope that my friend will be with me longer. He doesn't show pain, so it is sometimes difficult to determine the degree of his problem. Is there a Strasser method farrier in the U.P.? If so-please contact scooter@up.net. A million thanks!!!
I loved the information although some of it was a little confusing to me not having all of the hoof terminology and anatomy. I have a friend her horse continues to always have thrush and she never gets it cleared up. Can severe continuing thrush cause navicular to worsen? Thanks for the info.
I really loved this site and I am studying hard to understand the navicular. It seems Navicular horses are all around us. My friend has a navicular horse that continues to have thrush. The mare seems to be in pain and no one seems to help her. We have terrible farriers here and this mare needs help. I don't really understand all the anatomy of the hoof and legs so I don't understand everything I'm reading on shoeing a navicular horse. Can thrush cause more damage? Thanks,Cyndie Abercrombie Cyndie1@alltel.net
We like your health related site very much! Visit: http://www.vitafly.com
Thank you. As a young horse lover, I needed to find this. It's kind of funny, but my boss at the ranch I work on has always left his horses barefoot, but that was more because he didn't want to spend the money to shoe his horses. I'm glad to know that this is the right way to take good care of my horses. Thanks again, Andrea
btrs2004@tctelco.net
Gretchen, Hi, from a little place in mid NSW, Australia. I first visited your site about 5 months ago and spent hours reading (I'm still working my way through). I passed on your site to my sister and friends. I have never come across such wonderful information,diagrams and commonsense re founder before. The natural horse trim just really makes sense to me. I don't have easy access to a vet who I feel would be sympathetic to these ideas. I have a querie and would be very grateful if you could offer your opinion. We have 2 ponies affected by founder. One that came to us that way and the other one got too fat even in a drought! I was having great success I thought, especially with the shetland whose feet have spread 1.5 cm since we started. My husband, who isn't horsey, made a foot bath for me because their hooves were so hard on our dry ground. They have been running together and doing well until recently. We've had rainfall about 2 months ago and a flush of feed. The welsh pony mare is sore again, reluctant to walk and has some heat in her feet. I have been walking her and she "frees up" as we continue. I can foot bath her each day and we are feeding her oaten hay. I have trimmed her down in the heels and squared her toe. Apart from some old rings and the uneven growth lines in her hooves she is not too bad, however there is about an inch of quite shelly hoof below the coronary band and the hairline is quite 'scurfy', flaky. She also had a faint weep of blood(?) from the hoof wall about an inch from the hairline. What do you think is going on and how will I know if the pedal bone has dropped and or if the laminae and wall have reattached. Many thanks. Ruth Maxey ruthmaxey@bigpond.com.au
I am very encouraged by your entire web site. I am currently in the process of learning how to trim my horses and was interested in reading about your info.& adventures, since I also have a gaited, 13.5hand pinto pony that foundered sometime before I acquired her. I have her trimmed every 3-4 weeks, keeping the toe very short and we are able to ride her in the 6 acre pasture-but wonder how she will be on a longer trail ride. Thanks!! Cat McQ.teacher-Mobile,USA cat1234606@aol.com
Gretchen Fathauer's reply--be careful about shortening the toes! If you are shortening them primarily from the bottom, you can get the horse more sore, not less. Shorten them primarily via backing up breakover:
Shortening toes by backing up breakover, rather than shortening from the bottom:
You can shorten the effective toe length considerably by backing up the breakover, without cutting into the toe area of the sole, which is often too thin in foundered horses:
Shortening toes by shortening from the bottom, rather than by backing up breakover, shortens the lever forces on the toe less, and leaves the tip of the coffin bone too unprotected because the sole is over-thinned in the toe:
This is a very interesting site and will be very helpful for anyone seeking literature and photos about laminitis. Respect! Astrid Maurer, www.hufpflege-astridmaurer.de
Hi, Is this the site that sells the Balance International Free Spirit saddle that I read about in my Equus magazine? If so, please let me know if you sell different styles. (Western, English, endurance, etc.) My E-mail address is: ldigoebel@yahoo.com.
Thank you, Dianne Goebel
No, I don't sell saddles. You could try: http://www.balanceinternational.com/ I also talk about saddles in general in Section 19 of my site.
Good to hear some involved with horses say they are still learning. I have been barefoot trimming my daughter's ponies for years, but not with a lot of instruction. They went to Pony club, worked on the farm, entered events, and had no real problems compared to families who constantly shod their ponies, often leaving the shoes on too long. I have printed off the diagram of the 3 hooves which I feel clearly show what is trying to be achieved. Jenny Nicol Nicolaj@xtra.co.nz
Not being a horsey person and knowing very little when my favorite lawn ornament foundered, I followed everything my vet and farrier told me to do. Locked her up in the stall with 2 feet of shavings. Put 2 inch foam pads on her feet, changed every 2 days. Gave IM and oral medications at least every four hours for over 2 weeks and did an abundance of crying myself to sleep. Nothing was working, and by her 2nd x-ray, she rotated from five to nine degrees.
Two different farriers insisted I shoe her with something called a heart bar? And, there was even talk of putting her down.
Finding your naturalhorsetrim site has turned our lives around, and I have great hope that my mornings will continue again watching my Patchouli prance around the field with her buddies as things used to be.
I've always been an advocate of NO SHOES, so your articles and trim methods made the most sense to me than anything I had ever read. Being a retired nurse helped me understand the mechanics and circulation needs which we were overlooking, and my beautiful horse is doing very well.
Thank you, Thank you! I do have her wear a grazing mask and she's lost her plumpness. Keep her on matted stall and gets plenty of exercise playing with her field buddies. Would like to know more about apple cider vinegar soaks--how to do them, and if they will help her even more than what we've done so far. Also, can only get farrier to trim every 3 weeks....what to do about that? LINDA
lindamotleyl @ aol.com
You can tweak the trim in between farrier visits. I give farrier tool sources in Section 15 I'm not in favor of stalls at all unless they constantly open so she can come and go at will. If she is standing on mats with no bedding for hours, she will be standing in urine and manure, which will have an adverse effect on her feet. Try to go to a clinic to get some hands-on learning, or work with an experienced trimmer locally to learn how to use the tools.
Thank you for this website. I have had my horse since she was 6 months and she is now almost 7. I even trained her myself; we've been through everything together. She recently has an early stage navicular disease and I'm collecting a bunch of info on it. You were a great help! Laura Mason thelabyrinthgurl@yahoo.com
Great article--understandable for the layman--thank you, and the pictures are great. We have a horse that has foundered, and want to understand more and what could be done--perhaps we'll discuss this article with our vet and farrier. Once again, thank you. handb@telusplanet.net
I have a 6 month old colt, and I have a problem. I hope you can give me some advice on how to fix this problem. His coffin bones are rotated forward to where it is making him walk on his tippy-toes. It looks bad--please help me. Wen8t@att.net
Your web site was very informative. I have a 16.2 Appendix (thoroughbred-quarter) horse who has very bad conformation on his front legs. He has no heels, and his left front foot on the inside is lower than the outside of his foot. With all the rain this spring, his feet had some thrush, and he started throwing shoes. The Vet recommended to keep his shoes off while his feet dried up. In the meantime, he pulled a suspensory ligament, and is very lame. The Farrier now put egg bar shoes on him that helped him a little, but he's still very lame. I've had nothing but lameness problems with this horse from the time I bought him 5 years ago. Could you please help me? I'm very frustrated and confused. I'd really appreciate your input on my horse Adonis. Sincerely, Stephanie s.schindlbeck@comcast.net
Low heels are good卽nless they just LOOK low because they are under-run and collapsed, despite being long. You are describing a lateral imbalance, too. Does he toe out on the LF? Lateral imbalances can only be corrected slowly, as there is often joint adaptation involved. I can抰 help you without any photos. Where are you? You need expert trimming help. What were the causes of his earlier lameness problems? Take some photos of him, but please shrink file sizes on photos before you email them匢 don抰 want a dozen 1 MB files taking a long time to download. Full-body shots, front and side, and front, sole, and side views of the hooves. Overlaid bars are often the cause of a lot of problems.
Uzoagba@yahoo.com I love this page.
Great site! Lots of information and for a great purpose. Glad to see your interest in natural horse healing. Bill Arnold wsarnold@aol.com www.noniforhorses2.com
I have not read the entire website, but tend to agree with many of the ideas read so far. I have attempted to keep my horses in as much of a natural state as possible, and until last week, they have been healthy and had good feet without any trimming needed. Their feet wore down naturally. Now my old mare (25+) is having problems and I wonder if it is related to the large amount of rain and more green grass than usual. Kathleen Parker kathleen_p@hotmail.com
Yes, it may well be. Soft, muddy ground gives less hoof mechanism. Periods of time when the rainfall is high result in high-sugar, low-mineral grass...much like the new spring grass. Some interesting info at www.safergrass.org As old as your mare is, you might find some help on the equine cushings list. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EquineCushings/ Dr. Kellon is quite active on that list.
I am excited about the Barefoot Trim. It make sense. I took the shoes off my horse, which was shod with the now-traditional high heels. I trimmed 2" of heel from her front hooves! I think she is really uncomfortable! I know she will be better for the rest of her life when she gets through the change.
Kristi Werner e-mail bwerner@starband.net
Gretchen Fathauer's reply--If you didn't also lower the bars and frogs, she will be very sore. Send photos! She can also have joint adaptation, or habitual muscular holding patterns that will benefit from massage.
So very informative. I am going to order Dr. Stasser's books and equipment. I see I have a Doctor in Parks, Arizona that has taken her course so, I would have a mentor close by. I have two mules and a Missouri FoxTrotter Mare. When they go barefoot, their feet look beautiful. I shoe in Spring and Summer because it is so rocky here but, will learn this method and buy the boots.
Thank you so much!
Sharon Perry sperry@ncu.edu (this is me at work) hpyldy@localnet.com (at home)
My daughter contacted you about six months ago about our saddlebred, Snazzy, with laminitis. He foundered about four years, but really improved over the next 3-1/2 years on a diet of half grain and half oats and hay, and along with our farrier's help. After moving him to a different barn in February of this year, he got worse very quickly. X-rays showed us that he hadn't rotated anymore, but our farrier discovered that he had abscesses in his feet, maybe from kicking the trailer while being moved. After having him on a diet of oats and hay and LaminSaver, and InflamaSaver, he started dropping weight very quickly and was still in pain. Sometime around April or May we put him on Jiaogulan. With the help of the farrier, he was slowly improving, but seemed to keep developing abscesses in his feet. Toward the end of August, we put him on a diet of beet pulp, rice bran, oats and grass hay. The vet is also treating him for Cushings. Within a few weeks of changing his diet, he seemed to have more energy, looked more alert and started walking better; sometimes almost trotting. We're so happy to finally start seeing some good results and plan to continue this course of treatment and diet, for the rest of his life, if necessary. Thanks so much for your web site, and your assistance and advice. We'll let you know how he progresses. Joyce Javins, Charleston, West Virginia. E-mail: jjavins@charter.net
Have not ck. out your web site yet. But will do so.
Nicole medicalhorses5656@yahoo.com
Interested in your site and will look at it at some time.
This is my favorite site! I was given two 8 year old quarter horses that were foundered and scheduled to be shot two months ago. They are now walking, although I still wouldn't say great. It really is a lot of work rehabbing these girls, but they are so young--I had to give them a chance. That is how I discovered the Strasser trim, and I have now read three of her books. I am converting all my horses to her method. I have one question. One of these mares has started to severely toe in. She actually seems to bring the entire leg over center line. I'm not sure how to correct this. The feet appears balanced, but I'm obviously off. She gimped along straight before I started working on her so I'm sure I am to blame. The closest Strasser SHP is over 3 hours away so that isn't really an option. Any help would be appreciated. Cassie Cassandra.Magers@conagrafoods.com
There is a good chance the lateral balance is off...or one bar is more overlaid on one side than the other. Try and connect with this trimmer, anyway. It may help, even if you just discuss photos of your horses.
I appreciate your site for boots, but it would be wonderful to consider a different, searchable database. I am sure there are many computer whizzes on your Strasser board who could reload the database. I will be sure to post the URL on bare foot truth and bare foot horse, both in Yahoo. Thanks for this wonderful service.
Gretchen, I have been reading your site for the last 5 years. Thank you for the inspiration to set our horse community on the barefoot path. We have completed several Strasser Trimming clinics, our local wonderful vet is committed and we are doing the best we can for our own horses and others in need. Your site is the first point of reference for any queries we get, and a constant reference for myself . We now have several qualified Strasser Hoof poeple in Western Australia, so are accumulating a good knowledge base.
Things don't always go to plan with hoof rehab. but we have had enough success to know we are in for the long haul for the sake of our horses.
I can't thank you enough for your comprehensive and informative site. Max is a golden angel to all our horses
Sincerely, Ros Brennen brennen@netserv.net au
Hi very interesting and informative. Hope for all! Our little mare has and is very poorly, two steps forward and one step back. We have a very good vet who will explore every option. So i'll be feeding him some of this info! Many thanks Colleen Sawicki colleen@esawicki.fsnet.co.uk
Hi: I think your site is excellent. I am going to use your trimming method on my beautiful sweet 20 year old baby (mare). She foundered several years ago. After much suffering and many abscesses, finally she was returning to her old self. (I had not had her feet done by a farrier for a year and a half because we live so far out, I felt so guilty about not doing them properly that I rented a trailer and took her in to town in June and had them done properly by my farrier--maybe that was my mistake.) Anyway, suddenly last week she became very lame again, standing bridged etc., etc., quivering in pain. I am going to try trimming her hooves myself, the way you suggest. I am very inexperienced and unsure. Can you suggest tools and such, I have the rasp and nippers. Don't think the nippers will be appropriate though. Your site gives me hope I can help her myself the right way, it upsets me terribly to see her in such pain. Sheri el_rancho@workshopbc.com
I give some sources for tools in Section 15. What you really need is someone to work with you hands-on. These skills take time to learn. I hope you can find someone to work with, or go to a clinic to get an introduction to trimming. Your horse does not sound like a beginner project, though.
What a lovely website......... This is the first time I have seen the human posture compared to the equine......... very interesting. When I have more time I will be back!!!
I LOVE your website!! I stumbled upon it looking for treeless saddles, and I wish you had more links! I have TWH horses and am always eager to ride as naturally as possible, but bareback pads are inadequate for support and security (the hardware severely lacking). I passed along your address to my breeder--I'm sure she'll like it!
Stephanie Cantrell Louisburg, KS. USA whipwalk@yahoo.com
Very Useful Site!
I have a 22 year old mare that is severely foundered. I rescued her about 2 weeks ago. Apparently she has never had any kind of treatment for her feet. The left front hoof has a crack from the coronary band all the way to the toe. She can barely stand at all, and on top of all this, the person I got her away from says that she is pregnant. Now what do I do? helP!!!!!!!!
This is not a beginner project! Where are you?
Wow! What a great website! Where do I find a farrier who has been educated/trained in this technique? I live in Virginia. Thank you very much. Ro
There is a Strasser trimmer in VA: Susan Hedenberg, Fredericksburg, 540-286-1616 mail@flyinghfarm.com You can check with her to see if there are any more people she could recommend there as well.
Thank you for this informative website. I never knew so much about foundering, but after all of this reading, I have so many questions regarding my guys. Please let me know where to email you regarding 2 of my horses which are seniors. thanks Shelia Pace space@ikon.com
Thanks for your lots of information on your sites - have a real need for it down here in PNG as we do need to do all ourselves without any farrier or vet. - just some more or less experienced people.
Gunnar, space.land.png@web.de
Thank you for your site. It is very educational, and I hope more horse owners, Veterinarians and farriers will see the how much better horses do without shoes and realize the common sense of it. I recently bought a horse with navicular for $1. He had raised egg bar shoes with full pads & silicone packing. I had his shoes removed and saw instant improvement. He is now on the Strasser system, and after 2 months, doing quite well. I am expecting a full recovery. Sites like yours reaffirm that what I'm doing is the right thing for my horse. Thank you, Birgitta briggs720@yahoo.com
I have found this site to be quite informative in regards to founder and your case studies. I have had and continue to have a younger mare with abscess problems, usually during summer months, and could not even trim her due to her pain from these. I now realize that this is NOT the thing to do. She does not wear shoes, ever, and gets little exercise due to her pain. We are now trying to get her off her heels, and according to this article I should trim her more often...trying to concentrate on what? My blacksmith has a mare in worse shape and is considering euthanising her, and she does wear shoes. He still has her on bute--with no results?
Trimming her while she is lying down is very clumsy, and risky to you. I spell out what all you need to be concentrating on in my site. Sometimes trimming a sore horse is easier with a sling. I hope you get an experienced barefoot trimmer to help you. You mean you are trying to get her heels lower, right...not 'get her off her heels?' For rotation, you want her to carry more weight in her heels instead of overloading her toes. Don't forget that when you lower heels, you also have to lower the frog and the bars, especially the bars.
I would like to add that we to have raised wild animals and then turned them back to their freedom. Such a sad and happy day in one. I am the one that has the younger mare with summer abscesses which blacksmith is currently trying to get off her heels. It is now winter here in Indiana and I am soaking the hay for everyone as I also have an old mare with respiratory problems so all get their hay soaked. Not a fun job with temps in the teens...thanks for your explanations. R_C_Newman@lilly.com
I want to thank you so much for the wealth of information. I have been able to educate others using your site & the result is owners are buying saddles that fit & bitless bridles. There has been an obvious change in the horses, plus a more trusting bond between horse & rider.
Thanks for your web site. I have a 17.3 h Dutch Warmblood who has had a change in shoer in the last two shoeings, and is now very lame. The shoer is young, and I believe has tried to make his crooked feet look more "normal". One thing seems obvious--his heels are higher than ever. I think my next step is to remove his shoes and take down his heels, before he founders completely. He has a lot of heat in his LF, and thrushy necrosis in both feet. He's wavy coated, prone to low thyroid and a cresty neck, weak mane and tail, no sheen. Any recommendations welcome. My name is Connie Yost e-mail @ cypolestar@aol.com
Hi, I think your web site is awesome. Very informative and full of education. Thank you so much for putting the effort, time, education, and all the care you project for horses. Thank you. I have a question and a very serious concern. I have relocated to a different state, New Mexico, and all they sell in the entire state is alfalfa hay. I refuse to solely feed my horse alfalfa. What is one to do? I have been giving her Senior Purina Feed. It is a mixture of pellets,.etc. I called the manufacture and was told that I can give her up to 7 lbs. a day. I am worried about her foundering etc. Any suggestions?
My email address is cjwright505@hotmail.com Regarding the unavailability to locate Oat hay. I know I can give her grass hay, and a mixture of alfalfa hay. But also, can you explain the different cuts of hay--1st, 2nd 3rd, 4th?? My horse is a barefoot horse, and I plan on keeping her that way. I am concerned and frustrated. We moved from a California stable where oat hay and alfalfa was feed. So now regarding her diet, I am in need of education. People here in New Mexico just feed ALL ALFALFA. To me that is just stupidity. Just because that is all they know to feed. anyway h.e.l.p.
1st cutting hay is the first cutting a field gets in late spring/early summer. 2nd cutting is the next cutting?and so on. 1st cutting tends to be heavier on grass from the same field than later cuttings from the same field. There is a higher percentage of alfalfa in later cuttings, when the growing conditions are dry. Alfalfa has a deeper root system,.and does well in dry conditions. Too much moisture favors the growth of grass over alfalfa. In more arid parts of the country grass hay is harder to grow than alfalfa. This is one reason there is so much of it out West.
You might contact Dr. Kellon re getting your diet?s mineral balance corrected after you get a hay analysis. She will tell you, for a nominal fee, what you need to supplement to get the diet in balance. Contact info and more info on her jiaogulan trial: www.naturalhorsetrim.com/Jiaogulan.htm
I am leery of feeding a lot of pelleted senior feed. A lot of senior feeds are too high in sugar. You can also get more forage info at www.safergrass.org The Equine Cushings email list is a good source of nutritional information, even if your horse is not insulin-resistant or a Cushings horse. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EquineCushings/ Actually, getting your horse's diet correct may well prevent a horse from getting more insulin-resistant over time.
I contacted your web site from info in Equus 1/05 #327 regarding insulin resistance in horses. I had been very concerned about my own horse (an Anglo-Arab) whose lovely long neck had thick, heavy fat along the crest since age 5. My last four horses were TB's off the track with no such issues. I had changed her from a diet of one lb. of sweet feed twice a day to pellets. The hay we are feeding is a mixed grass of minimal quality, but it is clean dry and dust-free. I like to have hay in front of her a much as possible, but she really is a hay-burner. She is turned out with her core family members on a small and over-grazed pasture. I try to do frequent fecal samples and rotation worming. With working her 3-5 days a week and working at the barn, I'm trying to monitor her weight and condition closely. This somewhat compromised situation seems to work fairly well. The article and your web site have been very helpful. With this info I am increasing her under-saddle and in-hand work with more free lunging. I'm also going to look into a non-grain based pellet. We are supplementing ABS vitamins and Redman salt. A selenium supplement has been recommended by our holistic vet. Thank you for making this info available. I also very much enjoyed your pets and the wildlife rehab info (also an interest of mine). All this info is striking a chord even closer to home and I'm makng diet and excercise changes for myself. Thank you, Rosemrie Decker onewomanatpf@webtv.net
I hope you join the Equine Cushings list. They have a lot of good nutritional info, and Dr. Kellon is active on that list. It sounds like you are dealing with some issues they talk about quite a bit. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EquineCushings/
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