STOCKING UP AFTER CONDITIONING RIDES ON HARD GROUND

[RAPIDFOXRACHEL]

Hello,

I have been experiencing stocking up on all four legs with my horse after conditioning rides on hard ground.

We live in AZ & have lots of hard ground, rocks and heat. Horse is fit (has been gradually conditioned over the last year) & all vet scores are excellent at NATRC & AERC rides. He has a BCS of 5. Is barefoot & wears hoof boots. He does have sensitive feet. Not an arab or mustang. Hooves are properly trimmed every 5 weeks. Good leg conformation. Grade stock horse, but not stout.

All my online research shows stocking up is due to poor circulation, lack of conditioning or overfeeding protein. None of this applies to him.

Is there any vitamin / mineral supplement that would help this? Our SW bermuda grass hay is known to be deficient in several vitamins/minerals, but he does get smartvite.

I am thinking the sport is too hard on him & may just happily go horse camping and trail riding.

Any advice? Please note that NATRC competition forbids wrapping, poultice, ice, alcohol or liniments.

Thanks.

[kdreger]

[QUOTE=RAPIDFOXRACHEL;8102634]
He does have sensitive feet…I am thinking the sport is too hard on him[/QUOTE]
Well, you do not say what if anything you are using for hoof protection. He sounds like a sore footed horse in die need of shoes or at the very least boots. I do not see why you would think riding him and wearing his hooves faster then they grow means the sport is “too hard for him”. You will have the same problem with just riding.
Honestly it sounds like he is not fit for endurance yet.

[tabula_rashah]

Is he stocking up immediately after a workout or are you noticing it the next morning? If it’s not immediately after, you should be able to ice and poultice once the judging is done and you are headed home- that’s what I do after a CTR or endurance ride and my mare’s legs stay nice and tight. Also since I see you are doing hoof boots, you can do a pad in them-I really like the thinline hoof pads because they are super thin and seem to do a good job absorbing shock. How long have you been conditioning? It takes much longer to strengthen bone and soft tissue than muscle.

[RAPIDFOXRACHEL]

[QUOTE=kdreger;8105413]
Well, you do not say what if anything you are using for hoof protection. He sounds like a sore footed horse in die need of shoes or at the very least boots. I do not see why you would think riding him and wearing his hooves faster then they grow means the sport is “too hard for him”. You will have the same problem with just riding.
Honestly it sounds like he is not fit for endurance yet.[/QUOTE]

Don’t get your knickers in a knot, KY gal.
I did state in my original post that I am using hoof boots.
There is no need for such attitude on your part.

[RAPIDFOXRACHEL]

[QUOTE=tabula rashah;8105468]
Is he stocking up immediately after a workout or are you noticing it the next morning? If it’s not immediately after, you should be able to ice and poultice once the judging is done and you are headed home- that’s what I do after a CTR or endurance ride and my mare’s legs stay nice and tight. Also since I see you are doing hoof boots, you can do a pad in them-I really like the thinline hoof pads because they are super thin and seem to do a good job absorbing shock. How long have you been conditioning? It takes much longer to strengthen bone and soft tissue than muscle.[/QUOTE]

I have been gradually conditioning for over a year. I do understand it takes 2-3 years for connective tissues.
Had my vet out for the routine annual today & we both agree that ‘he’s not an Arab’ (lol) and he may not be suited to the sport. That’s OK. We are both enjoying the good riding the state has to offer & have made good friends to go on short conditioning rides with.
The heat, rocks and terrain in AZ are TOUGH on horses.
I think we’d both have fun just camping and trail riding and not competing. I’m pretty sure my guy won’t mind the more leisurely pace.

[beowulf]

i think a little more information is needed: what type of stocking up, and in what area?

filling in the suspensory area? i’d be worried. puffiness near/on the fetlock – i wouldn’t be AS worried, but would monitory closely. it could be windpuffs, it could be something more malign.

FWIW, my horse is sound, but does stock up behind after a hard workout. its the shape and consistency as a windpuff, but vet doesn’t think that is what it is. vet declared it doesn’t bother him, but suggests keeping an eye on it. putting him on platinum performance CJ really tightened up the puffiness. putting shoes on also helped.

IME, hard ground wears out hoof wall quick. it rasps it, actually. i have to be careful as we do a lot of loading work on the road and the horse is currently barefoot behind because of winter (i don’t want herd situation w/ boriums behind). i have to be careful to monitor his hooves because pavement and hard ground IS compounding and can shear their hooves down quickly.

keep in mind that swelling behind can also be indicative of hoof lamenesses or issues.

[candyappy]

What do you do with him after his workout? Does he have a large area to live in or is he in a stall or small turnout area? I had a horse who I rode hard most every day and the footing was hard too, but he was shod all around. He would stock up after most of the time, until I changed his way of living.

Does the swelling go away once you start working him again?

[RPM]

kdreger’s name is not “KY gal.” Talk about attitude – yours isn’t looking great right now, Rapidfoxrachel.

Sounds to me like he needs shoes too. Hard ground is hard on barefoot horses. Why boots instead of shoes? Especially since he has sensitive feet.

Everything kdreger told you is IMO good advice. She was not copping an attitude. For that matter kdreger could be a KY guy!

Chill. You came here asking for advice, you are getting good advice. If you don’t want advice, don’t ask.

[LouBeans]

Just based off the original post, I am also going to vote for needing shoes. My old guy went barefoot when I switched careers with him, and he has great feet, but he has some mild arthritis, and it was obvious he could not go barefoot on trails. I did the Cavallo hoof boots for awhile, but he really did need the support from good shoes.
Since NATRC competition does not allow most things I would suggest, I am out of ideas other than shoes, and making sure he has plenty of time to get out and move around.

[chicamux]

Just finally had a relaxed chill out moment to reply. Conditioning of legs can take years, depndent on what type of life and exercise probram a horse has had thru their entire life. So we don’t know your horse’s life history. If he has liveded in smaller lots during his life without regular significant road and trail riding over several years then the stocking up isn’t suprising. My suggestion is keep plugging away consistantly and be regular about your riding program. Do not be inconsistant, use Sore No More liniment on his legs after rides, just build up over time. I have a 16 year old that has had less and less stocking up over the years, his wind puffs no longer fill up after had work, his legs are tighter and tighter with regular work and time. Do not assume that your horse will not improve, just be consistant with your exercise program.

[reubenT]

Something is being stressed slightly beyond it’s capacity. Isn’t quite up to the task. A combination of exercise, building up to it, and minerals to provide the body with material to build up with. Mineral deficiency can cause all sorts of problems that would hardly seem related to it. I’ve heard lots of good stuff about soft rock phosphate, (the main source has a trade name of calphos) both as a soil mineral additive and used as dietary mineral supplement. Super hard bones is one of it’s results. For people it’s been known to cause tooth cavities to fill back in. Indicating significant remineralizing of the bones. I’ve heard that from several sources, one was from cows eating grass from a calphos fertilized field, and the person using the milk had their cavities refilled over time. I once saw it in a catalog sold in buckets for a horse supplement. But I get mine direct from the supplier by the ton, haul it myself from the bagging facility in FL. But have to order through Canton Mills in MN. As is it’s ok for soil and animals but not clean enough for humans. It’s just dug out of the old settling ponds and dried, powdered, bagged. Beef cows that were raised on it, (through the grass) were very healthy and found to have very hard bones without the usual soft bone marrow. I’ve often thought it would be really good for our horses who depend on strong bones a lot more than a cow. I’ve started my new paso fino on it, just a little bit mixed with the feed every day. It’s pretty rich with phosphate and calcium . around 21% and 30%