I wouldn’t be surprised that once her feet are more balanced, she’ll move around more, and some of that puffiness will dissipate. My 25yo gelding was body sore all over due to a few rounds with a new farrier, who liked to keep toes long and heels low. (don’t get me started.)
In just one trim/shoe with the new, much better farrier, he clearly felt better and moved out more. Now that we’re five or so rounds with the newer guy, the old gelding’s doing great, his feet are really improved, and shows no more overall soreness.
She’s a nice mare…and you’re a nice person for doing her right.
Had the vet out yesterday afternoon. We looked at a few old wounds, including one where it’s likely she got it from lying down, and so she might need a rubber ring around one leg to keep it from getting worse, if i see it swelling. I’ve never even heard of it before. The vet called it a shoe-something? Anyway-
we took blood to test for metabolic and cushings, results will be in before the end of the week. For now we’re continuing on as we have been- the vet is happy with the amount of grain for what type it is, but would prefer a lower starch one so we can increase the amount a bit, so i’ll be getting that soon.
Went and saw a barn yesterday that has a paddock she could have. The owner comes highly recommended. They had a stud colt who doesnt respect fencing terribly well but apparently he is about to get gelded and they’re working on making the electric more consistent. That was my only qualm. Im considering it for sure, just want to see all my options.
My farrier is out today, doing her as we speak. We sent him radiographs so he can make informed decisions about her feet. The vet was bewildered that she had so much toe. I asked for a before and after picture; hopefully he remembers!
Farrier called as I was typing this. Looks like she had/has all sorts of abscesses on one foot, and he forgot to take a before photo. I’ll post the after photos when he sends them to me.
Clear up those abscesses and you may have a brand new horse.
As a lover of senior horses, I’m glad you got her home. I have a 29-year-old and a 23-year-old. The 23-year-old is my main riding horse. He’s still going very strong.
Here are her new feet! About a thousand times better than what they did look like. I don’t have a good before photo but you can kind of see how they looked from my prior photos of her on this thread.
She was perfect for the farrier. She’s a perfect little gal
Its the best known, I’ve used it decades ago, there might be a better, newer option others can suggest.
But I’d be thinking of maybe adding something, even if just for a few months to get those feet grown out?
Eta I’m not sure what I’m seeing in those feet, is the dark portion below the white where the hoof is gone?
Is there a white line issue?
Personally I’d just add Cu/Zn, biotin, and maybe E. That’s all FF is (and honestly I don’t think it has enough of them), and they can be had for far less. Depends on the diet for how much you’d need of each.
I use Mad Barn Cu/Zn for my older mare - a half dose, since what she gets in her ration balancer is about half what it should be.
Lola just started on Uckele Coco-Hoof, which has all the hoof stuff in appropriate amounts, and is relatively inexpensive. Gotta get her hooves fixed up before I can do a lot with her - and her teeth.
One option you need to exercise is NOT moving to any boarding barn based on what the owners say they are going to do. Ever. No matter how nice they are, how well recommended they are or how nice the place seems to be.
What you see day 1 is what its going to be like day 30, 60, 90 and beyond. Have some concern over the “geld the colt and work on the electrical” statement. Should be simple to get the regular barn vet to add a simple castration during a regular visit and a charger and hot wire installation is not rocket science…assuming there is power available to plug into without adding a pole and electrician.
So…why are they going to do it at some point in the future and exactly when will that be? And what “electrical” are they going to work on? These things should be done already before taking on mare as a boarder.
On the shoe boil, when horses go down to sleep, they often curl their forelegs up under their chest, like a dog or cat. Most favor one side over the other, particularly as they get older and arthritis makes it easier to get up in one side then the other. They rest on top of the same side shoe resulting in a pressure sore or closed lump right behind the elbow. Some use a foam donut around the fetlock of that leg. Personally, never had much luck really eliminating the issue that way.
If she has a shoe boil from always sleeping in the same position or you notice she aways gets down to roll on the same side, does not roll all the way over and gets up the same way she went down? Or she only ever gets dirty/muddy/manure stains on one side? You might consider a little something for arthritis and age related discomfort.
I could always tell when it was time for hock injections or other alternatives for joint issues when mine got noticeably one sided in their rolling and resting habits. Even a little bute might be in order for elderly, creaky joint issues. And barefoot creates a sore or lump as well, maybe not as noticeable but its there.
One thing that will greatly help with one sidedness is more room. Never noticed it as much in horses that were out or had free access to even a small run or paddock. Moving her to a place with a paddock or run would help greatly…just not sure this last place is the right one unless they take action before you get there.
What @findeight says about boarding barns and what-you-see-is-what-you-get is true. Barn owners often have plans of all sizes that may or may not come to pass, and they almost never happen (if they happen at all) on the original time-line. You really want the improvements to be done already or actively in-process (as in, workers are on site, doing the work) before you move in.
One other point about the stallion/soon to be gelding: I’m not an expert on this, but I believe that even after gelding, the horse can remain fertile for a month (?) or so. That’s another thing to consider.
