April 12th Hoof Photos
I started Chance, Zola, Beauty, and Bettina on Grand Hoof with MSM hoof supplement in mid-March. I do see changes in their feet, but more than I would expect for only 3 weeks or so.
Thinking back, I wormed the horses on January 15th. I never considered worming – or rather worms? – affecting the hoof, but now I wonder. Could it be a factor? Something to consider. (Note: I did worm my horses regularly in Paris, but the other 5 horses were not wormed.)
Below are photos I took today while the horses were eating. Chance clearly has a distinct line about an inch down from the coronary band – a sign that something significant occurred – as well as an improved angle. So do all the horses, so that rules out the hoof supplement as the cause. Leaving worming as a theory. See photo below.
(Click on images to enlarge)
Chance's right front 4-12-12
Below is a photo of Zola’s left hind foot. An abscess clearly exited from the back of the foot, but more dramatic is the significant angle change. Since I am the trimmer and the trim hasn’t changed, something changed. What?
Zola's left hind 4-12-12
Below is a photo of Zola’s right front showing the exit wounds of two abscesses, as well as the remaining crack from her time in Paris.
Zola's right front 4-12-12
The next photos show Zola’s left front in October 2009 – when I first got her, and almost a year later – August 2010 – after living in the blue grass.
Zola's left front 8-5-10
Zola's left front 10-30-09
Study Shows Long Toe – Low Heel Related to Racehorse Injuries
I stumbled over this the other day while searching for material for the online trimming course I’m offering.
I quote from the Welfare and Safety of the Racehorse Summit Issue 2 – Sponsored by the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation:
“Long toes can cause strain on tendons, the suspensory ligament and the sesamoid bones while short toes combined with high heels can cause concussion to the hoof (putting the horse at risk for navicular disease, ringbone, and arthritis). Low toe angles have been reported for horses with musculoskeletal and/or lameness problems.
In one California study, all groups of injured horses had acute toe and heel angles suggesting that decreasing the difference between toe and heel angles should decrease the risk of suspensory apparatus failure for Thoroughbred racehorses and should be considered to help prevent injury.”
Imagine my surprise when I see that this was published in 2007! This is the report that caused toe grabs to be banned, but apparently that was the only thing that racing decided to embrace. Sadly.
For those who want to read the whole report, which is well worth a read, click here.
Chance’s day off
As planned, I gave Chance the day off yesterday. In the evening I gave him a trim. There was very little to do, I just beveled the toe from 10 to 2. There is still about 1/2 inch remaining of the bad hoof caused by not being on the dry lot early enough, but other than that, his feet look good. The frog is wider and healthy, and the funny curling up at the toe that was there last fall, is gone. The collateral grooves are nice and deep – but not too deep.
After trimming I groomed him – which he doesn’t really love, so it was more brief than I’d planned. He was, of course, a mud pie. He loves to roll in the mud – the wetter and goopier the better – and it had rained. Luckily he had dried. After grooming, I planned to massage him (which he does love) with a nice liniment. And this is where I learned something. I have used the liniment on him before, always AFTER a workout at the training center. This is the first time I ever used it when he hadn’t worked. Chance went immediately from relaxed and calm to wound up and anxious! What that tells me is that prior to a race he was rubbed down with Bigeloil. Once I put that liniment on he was expecting to go race, and not in a good way. He was more relaxed at the actual races last September than he was last night!
Well, that killed the massage, as he was in no mood for it. No point in trying to give a nice massage to a tense horse. Gave him 2 cups of Strategy and then let him go. Now will teach him that liniment can be applied any time – just to make him feel good.
Chance appears to have an abscess
Chance was more off over the last few days, and I believe he has an abscess. He had one on his left front, and now his right. This is not uncommon for a horse who has grown in new feet. As the feet become truly healthy any damaged material that can’t be re-absorbed by the body is expelled via abscess. Since Chance’s feet had really long toes and very little tight connection there was most likely damage to the laminae. Now that the feet are functioning as they should and circulation is normal, “clean up” is most likely going on.
That said, yesterday he was running around as if he’s perfectly fine. In fact I have never seen the horses run around as much in one day as they did yesterday. Not all of them, just Zola, Chance, Fancy (a TB mare), and Star (Fancy’s buddy). They raced around bucking and playing. Chance’s tail was straight up in the air. This continued for quite a while. Then, as it got dark I would occasionally hear them racing by.
It’s raining now – but I will check later to see if Chance is still ouchy – I would guess not based on his behavior yesterday!
I got a notice the other day stating that my order from Dover (the Pee Wee bit) had shipped. A pleasant surprise, as my last 2 orders from them took weeks! Today I checked the tracking online. So far the package has left Massachusetts, arrived in Indiana, left Indiana and shipped to Mississippi, where it arrived safely. One can only wonder where it will go next – as it not scheduled to arrive here in Paris until the 29th! Where is the logic in that??? The mind boggles. Does Fedex really spend the money to ship a package all over the country just to be sure it doesn’t arrive earlier than the customer paid for?
Update on Chance – Nov 19th
Monday Chance was ouchy again! This is frustrating. We had a heavy rain and I think it softened his soles. I trimmed him again – it’s amazing how much dead sole came off so soon after the last trim. It’s rained a couple more times since then, so am waiting to see.
The rain is a problem. While we don’t get a lot of mud, the ground does get very slippery. Too slippery for galloping. I need to find some alternative.
Update November 14
Wow, I hadn’t realized it’s been almost a month since I last posted!
As of my last post I had sat on Zola once. We had a week of cold, windy weather with sporadic rain after that so I didn’t do anything with either horse until November 2. It was still windy and cold so I just lunged Zola and Chance. I lunged Zola with tack on, and of course, right in the middle of our session it started raining. She wasn’t too happy to find herself trotting and cantering into cold rain, but she did it. When I finished with Zola the sun came out! I lunged Chance, but he finds it stressful – not sure why, am assuming unpleasant previous experience somewhere.
Nov 4th
I lunged Zola again and rode Chance. He was fussy with his head, seemed slightly ouchy on his left front, and wanted to GO!!! So we just stayed in the front pasture and did mostly walking with some trotting.
Nov 7th
The weather finally got better and on Sunday I rode Chance again. Still fussy about the bit, and more definitely ouchy, but still wanted to GO! Again stayed in the front pasture. I guess I should say that the front pasture is probably close to 10 acres – it’s not like it’s a small confined space. The pasture where I normally gallop him is 50 acres. We stuck with walking and trotting, and at least he seemed more settled, not quite so explosive.
I sat on Zola again. Probably for 10 minutes. She was relaxed and accepting. I tried to encourage her to move into a walk, but she was reluctant. We did do what amounted to a tiny pirouette, but that was it. Still I was very happy that she is not looking to race away in panic. This was only the second time I was on her – and I thought she was doing well.
Nov 8th
I decided to trim Chance. I started with his right front. Usually he’s perfectly behaved, but he refused to hold it up for more than a few seconds. When a horse does that it’s often a sign he has some issue in the opposite foot, so I switched to the left front. He had a lot of sole ready to come off, and once again a lumpy bar. Trimmed all the dead sole off and noticed that since he’s lost the very last of his old growth, the wall is much thicker, and he has slightly more concavity. I then went back to the right front and he stood perfectly while I trimmed it. Clearly he has very sensitive feet – the princess and the pea! – as just that excess bar made him very uncomfortable. I imagine he has a bruise underneath as a result. Didn’t ride him, as I figured he would be more ouchy until the sole heals.
I did get on Zola. This time I just mounted (using the mounting block) without any preparatory laying on the saddle or anything. She stood totally still and quiet. After a few minutes I tried to encourage her to move off. After some clucking and a slight tap with the crop – I confess to being cautious after her response to being tapped with the stick at her first lunging session! – she walked two steps. Then she turned and walked about three steps. She was more balanced than the first time she moved – on our first mounting session. But she was still a little concerned. After she offered a couple more steps, I halted her, gave her a cookie, and dismounted.
To me, a good session is a calm session. I don’t like to rush. Before I get on, I like the horse to be unconcerned about the saddle. Before I ask for a lot of movement, I like the horse to be really comfortable with mounting and just standing still. I’ve seen people ask for too much too soon; because the horse is quiet and accepting they move to the next step and then the next, thinking they’re making progress. Then suddenly the horse becomes overwhelmed and explodes into bucking or otherwise has a meltdown. Accepting something and being comfortable with something are two different things. Since I want to avoid any bucking or other panic related behavior, I take my time and make sure the horse is not only accepting but ALSO calm and unworried about what we’ve done so far, before I ask for something more. I always ask for new things at the very end of the session, and then the reward is really appropriate. Horses understand this routine really well. They learn quickly that when something new is asked of them they are nearly done. They just have to try to do it and they will be done with work. In Zola’s case, she is also rewarded with cookies and a little meal. Over time, the cookies will go away, as will the meal.
Nov 9th
Rode Zola again. This time she was ready to walk. As soon as I was in the saddle she started to walk away. I stopped her and asked her to stand still, gave her a cookie, and then let her walk away. I didn’t care where she went, I just wanted her to get confident carrying my weight and realize she was okay. We went about half way around the round pen and then I could see her getting a little worried. I asked her to turn and walk into the center, stopped and let her stand for a minute, then got off and rewarded her.
I didn’t ride Chance, as he was still slightly ouchy on that left front.
Nov 10th
Rode Chance in the front pasture. He was much more relaxed but still a little ouchy. I’m sure his sole was bruised from that lumpy bar. We stayed in the front pasture and did mostly trotting. He is still fussy with the bit and I have to find something more comfortable for him. He has just the smallest mouth (height not width). There is not room for much in there, his tongue seems to take up the whole space.
Rode Zola again. She is totally unconcerned with saddling, and pretty much there on mounting. She offered to walk off as soon as I got in the saddle (she does wait until my butt is in it), but I stopped her after a step. She should learn to stand still until asked to move off. She was much more confident in herself and we walked around the round pen a few times in each direction. Perhaps I should say wandered around the round pen. I only steer occasionally, mostly I let her walk on her own. We practiced stopping and then walking off.
Jumping Hackamore
We did some turns, but mostly I just want her to get comfortable with the whole thing, and become confident in her balance. Zola has yet to wear a bit. She is wearing a bridle with just a jumping hackamore. I just don’t have the heart to make her wear a bit yet. As you can see in the photo, it’s just a stiff, padded leather noseband. The reins attach to the big rings on the side, and the headstall attaches to the smaller rings at the top. I use it on my Paint mare Lucy, who will never be ridden with a bit.
Nov 11th
Rode Chance – out in the big pasture. I could tell at the walk that his foot is still bugging him, but it doesn’t affect his urge to go! We walked around our “track”, then we trotted around. I decided to make a couple changes to the layout before we do more than walk or trot. Two of the turns are on downhill slants. It’s always made it slightly scary, as I don’t want to go into them fast. Now that Chance is feeling so good, I’m not sure I’ll have fine speed control. Also, he is still unhappy with the bit. I think I’m going to order the Pee Wee bit and try that. Meanwhile I want to keep him going.
Nov 12th
Rode Zola. She’s improving at the walk. Walking more confidently and striding out more. I’ve been tapping her with the crop to get her used to it. She definitely has a mind of her own and though she is the sweetest horse she doesn’t like to be told what to do at times. On the lunge she will occasionally pin her ears and kick (not at me) if pressured when she doesn’t particularly want to be.
I adjusted the turns on the track and feel it will ride much better now. I was going to ride Chance when I was finished, but the whole herd got in an uproar and galloped off. Chance was wild! He bucked, farted, pranced, snorted, and galloped. Decided I would pass on the riding! He got more exercise than I would have given him anyway.
Nov 13th
Rode Zola. Nothing much different. We’re just working on consistency and I’m doing a little more steering.
LG Bridle
Rode Chance around the new track configuration. It definitely will be better. Chance’s foot appears fine. He walked over the rocky part without the slightest ouchiness. We went around the track twice, once at the walk and once at the trot, but he was really unhappy with the bit. I decided that tomorrow I will ride him with the LG Bridle. Another type of noseband, invented by a woman in Germany, Monika Lehmenkuehler. I’ve attached a photo to the right (not one of my horses). I am using the “shanks” that come with it (see photo below), as Chance has already shown himself hard to steer and slow down in the cross-under bitless bridle. Depending on where you attach either the reins (on the wheel) or the shanks, leverage is applied when you use rein pressure.
LG Bridle with shanks
When I use this on Huey (paint gelding) I put the reins on the wheel above the curb strap. That way there is virtually no leverage, it’s just like a sidepull. If Chance goes well in it, I may use this on Zola for a while.
For more info on the LG Bridle click here.
Chance is no better today
Since Chance is clearly not going to be racing for a while, I trimmed him today. I was surprised by how much dead sole came off. This may be due to the fact that we recently got rain after a very long dry spell. In fact, that could be what has brought on this problem.
I did find a very small abscess track at the tip of his toe on the sore foot. I could also see a little bit of blood in the white lines of both front feet from his minor bout of laminitis (the reason he is in the round pen during the day) My guess is that he still has an abscess in there. He is at the point where the very last of the “old” foot is at the very bottom and I do know that Zola had terrible abscesses just at that point in her trimming. It could also just be a stone bruise. That is one of the hazards of allowing a horse to be a horse. The field has rocks in it, and some of them are sharp. Chance could easily have stepped on one while his feet were softened from the rain.
I don’t feel this is serious, but certainly it is very inconvenient!
Chance appears to have a sore foot
As I let Chance out of the round pen a little while ago, I noticed that he appeared off on the right front. What a sickening feeling. As he walked away instead of trotting to be with his friends on the far side of the field, I could see a head bob. Well, I thought, we won’t be racing Sat or Sun, or perhaps never again.
I took a hoof pick and went over to look at his foot, as it did appear to me it was the foot. I pressed all around his knee, tendon, and ankle, and couldn’t see any reaction whatsoever. No heat, no swelling. And it has now been 72 hours since he raced. Since he wasn’t on any medication I imagined a problem would have shown up before now. But you never know. I took some dirt out of his foot and the hoof pick caught on his bar – which is surprising since I trimmed him only 4 days ago (Sat). I pulled off a small chunk of the bar with my hoof pick, then went to get my knife.
Amazingly, there was a little more bar to come off, along with some sole – both on the lateral side. Click here to see a photo of his left front foot taken in August, where you can see his bars were not long. Anyway, after I took off that sole and bar I asked him to walk off. He walked just fine. When asked to trot, however, there was still a slight head bob.
Could be a bruise, could be an abscess brewing. Could be neither, I suppose. But I do definitely feel it’s the foot since it improved immediately upon trimming. Will see how it is tomorrow. Meanwhile, I have canceled my vet appointment tomorrow (need a health cert dated within 72 hours of arrival at Turfway to race), and will probably not go to the TB center as planned.
Update to follow.
Forgot to mention a very important part of yesterday’s trip
I forgot to mention that we are okayed to race barefoot. I was very pleasantly surprised to find that it was incredibly easy. I had been told by someone on the Yahoo group, Backyardracehorse, that all you had to do in Kentucky is tell the stewards you intend to run without shoes. When I was in the Racing Secretary’s office I said that I needed to see the stewards. It turned out one of them was right there and asked what I needed. I said that I wanted to let them know I intended to race barefoot. He never batted an eye, and said that was fine. So after all my worry – it was no big deal at all.
Money Talkin’s trim Aug 23
Trimmed Chance this morning.
His last trim was August 5th. That’s only 18 days ago, yet his feet have grown almost 1/2 inch. That shows what exercise will do for the feet. Below is a comparison of the left front between Aug 5th and today. The end of the separation is now almost right on the ground. Almost completely gone. The amount of growth can be measured by the deep line in the center – it’s very visible in the photo on the right, and can be seen higher up on the photo to the left.
Anterior comparison of left front Aug 5 to Aug 23
Below is a sole comparison of the left front from Aug 5 to today.The photo on the left (the 5th) is post trim and the one on the right (today) is pre-trim. There was virtually nothing to trim last time. This time, the wall is harder and thicker and didn’t break off as much on its own. In addition, I used the pre-trim photo from today to show how the ridge of sole that was along the frog on the 5th is now gone, the bars are in better position, and though the sole is still pretty flat, it has more concavity than it did 18 days ago.
To see more post trim photos click here.
LF sole comparison Aug 5 to Aug 23
- View from the driveway January 25, 2012
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