I just looked at the photos. They make me sick. Shame on the school is right.
I feel so bad for horses like this who have a great heart and really try to please their rider, but aren’t getting the care they need.
The farrier apparently digs them out more every time he does his feet, which doesn’t seem to be doing anything for him. But I love the idea about switching his program over for the next three months! It’s brilliant, however, somewhat hard to implement given that he lives out with 30 other horses, and they’re probably all fed the same thing… But I will see what can be done.
The way to make sure one horse gets what he needs in a group feeding situation is to use a feedbag. However, I do understand that a barn might not want to change its management practices even to use a feedbag on one horse.
White Line
Run, fast. Here is my experience…horse has small WL crack (and I mean a small fraction of what your photos show). Owner spends $1000 to clean up issue with well-known clinic. Hoof needs one year to grow out–no riding. After one year it takes another five months of off-on ride/don’t ride, every day decisions before it clears up. Special shows, special glue, vet fees = thousands. It requires daily upkeep to keep it from coming back–special diet, special farrier, specail turn out.
That is the reality here.
PS I would want to talk to the person that adopted him and then “ran out of time” too.
Those are some impressive cracks! Wozas.
I would PASS. The price is way too high with out the medical issues. you could get the same horse for 500 in the midwest, if not nicer.
I know it stinks, but there will be other horses. Don’t get stuck with a horse that is a major money-suck. It takes the joy out of it. Start with the healthiest horse you can!
For $2500, I got a nice school horse as my first horse. When they reshod her prior to shipping her to me they found a whopping case of white line in one foot*. They immediately discounted the price and gave me the option of turning her down.
As another poster said, it was $500 of extra farrier work 10 years ago, so adjust accordingly, (massive resection, glue-ons, etc) and 9-12 months before I rode her, and that was a back foot. It was not a one & done thing - I dealt with WLD on & off until she died. She also had a tendency to abscess in that foot. It wasn’t super expensive, but not cheap either, and it was always in the back of my mind.
*Prior owner died, so the executor had the horse & really didn’t know the situation existed. In your situation, the issue is painfully visible, for them to be asking $2500 is ridiculous. Unless they are hoping to unload him on a starry-eyed student who doesn’t know the difference.
Here are some things to think about before you move forward.
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If this horse is actually sound (which I doubt) and passes the PPE, will you be able to move him to a different barn, with a different farrier, immediately? The current situation isn’t working for him.
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Do you have the time/energy/facilities to soak the crack several times to kill infection, and potentially keep the horse on stall rest any time it is wet/muddy outside (until the cracks are fully healed)?
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Do you have the funds to have the cracks repaired? Here’s a link that explains how repair works: http://www.equipodiatry.com/qtrcrka.htm No horse is cheap, but if I were given this horse, I’d expect to spend ~$1000-2500 in farrier expenses in the first 6 months having the cracks repaired and custom shoes done to support the feet while the cracks grow out. Given that there are two cracks on the foot - you may have to do the repair in stages, or use glue-on shoes for a year or so while they grow out too.
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As someone mentioned above, I’d also be concerned how much wear and tear this horse has if he already has a few owners and he’s been in a lesson string at 4 y/o.
[QUOTE=findeight;7436519]
The bacteria causing white line can work their way far from the initial site sometimes and are sometimes difficult to get completely eradicated even under the best conditions under competent farrier care so it can keep coming back. To the point they remove most of the hoof and fashion a prosthetic in some cases…I have witnessed two over the years.
It looks like one crack has been opened up/cleaned out? More recently then 2 years ago?[/QUOTE]
Are those cracks from the WLD treatment? They don’t look like naturally occurring cracks, but grooves from the hoof being dug out?
And was the WLD diagnosed by a biopsy? OP I would read up on WLD in your shoes, just to know all that you can before making a decision.
Sometimes the label WLD is thrown at things that are not WLD, and sometimes resections are done when it’s not been confirmed.
My horse was [] this close to having his front feet 75% resected.
Then I asked a much better farrier who used to do my horses feet… thank God for Kenny!
We did not resect those feet and we found a better farrier who knew what he was doing re: shoeing and diseases/issues of the hoof
[QUOTE=Angela Freda;7438019]
Then I asked a much better farrier who used to do my horses feet… thank God for Kenny!
We did not resect those feet and we found a better farrier who knew what he was doing re: shoeing and diseases/issues of the hoof[/QUOTE]
If the OP is correct and this has been going on for 2 years, than a different farrier is more than overdue. With a resected crack that big, the foot should be kinda sorta clean, not standing in mud. Once it’s full of mud the anaerobic bacteria in that crack can keep growing; it’s no longer open to air.
Having BTDT, I wouldn’t automatically turn down a WLD horse. A working 4 yro wouldn’t bother me in the least. A horse with feet that look that bad for apparently 2 years? Not gonna happen. What is horribly apparent is that:
a) Something different needs to be done with this horse. WLD or not, the minimal care approach w/29 other horses isn’t working. I’m all for cheap, minimalistic horsekeeping, but that foot in the mud is uncalled for.
b) The title of this thread is exactly what the sellers are looking for: someone blinded by love.
OP, unless they drop the price by about $2K, AND you have alternate boarding available AND you have a really good farrier AND you can live without riding for the next year, I’d pass.
To be a quarter crack, it must be in the quarter.
I’ve been battling white line here in south Florida for a year. Cleantrax must be stored properly for it to work, it’s $20 a bottle for two feet and must not get warm during shipping and stored in the refrigerator. I bought a special
soaking boot with a rubber insole and a Velcro top.Fill has been added to his pasture and when it’s wet he’s locked in his stall on dry shavings. It’s expensive, time consuming and ulcer inducing! This summer I may board him up north if I feel we are going to have a abnormally wet summer. I’m not complaining, but I want you to be aware of what you could be facing. Every trimming cycle I pray to god it dosen’t get worse .
OK, let’s say LIKE a quarter crack that runs into the coronet band and may be related to genetics and an overall weaker hoof structure.
Sonebody asked about opening them up? The WLD bacteria are anaerobic-live without air. The looooong time treatment has been to open up the hoof either with horizontal cuts (usually with a rasp) at intervals from bottom to top or by opening or reaming out the crack vertically as seems to have been done here. Theory being the air will make a hostile environment for the bacteria and kill them off.
Problem is, unless you keep it clean and dry? Aerobic (Air loving bacteria) invade the softer inner hoof tissue that’s exposed and continue the problem, even add to it if the anaerobics are still hanging around. The infection can get into the horse’s system and drag down immunity and overall health.
The fact this one has the crack continually reamed open and stands around in mud and manure is…pathetic. Obviously, mud and damp make the hoof soft which allows the cracks to grow and having it in regular work…?
Feel really sorry for this poor horse but I could not afford to take on a long term project like this.
