TCJpart61 ...Feet

FOR WANT OF A SHOE,
THE BATTLE WAS LOST:

Keeping your horses' feet in tip-top condition means a careful combination of management techniques, the right feed with the correct nutrients in it, a great farrier, and a keen eye to notice any changes in the hoof, however subtle.

This time of year, when the ground has gone from totally wet and saturated to rock solid hard and dry back to soggy again in a matter of weeks, it's the time we need to be vigilant with our horses' feet.  As the hoof repeatedly becomes saturated then dries out it can crack causing problems due to the expansion and contraction of the hoof wall.  All this movement in the horn causes clenches to become loose, and shoes start coming off as a consequence...as Henry's is about to do. 

Keep you farrier on speed-dial, and keep your eye out for any signs of change.

There are of course topical treatments you can apply to your horses' hoof wall to moisturise, but Steve contests that an animal with the correct diet and management shouldn't need any of these things....having said that I buy a very costly hoof-supplement and I don't tell him, because I know he wouldn't approve, but it makes me feel better as I have an insurance against nutrition-based hoof problems.

For want of a nail the shoe was lost.
For want of a shoe the horse was lost.
For want of a horse the rider was lost.

For want of a rider the message was lost.
For want of a message the battle was lost.
For want of a battle the kingdom was lost.
And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.

 


My obsession with my horses’ feet began with my pony Brandy, he was old and developed Cushings disease.  In itself not a problem, but it meant my poor Brandy suffered prolonged and almost continuous laminitis.  



I learned a lot about feet over that time and developed a greater respect for my farrier, who’s job it was ultimately to help Brandy live a pain-free life.

 

Tom & Henry have never had laminitis.  I am very careful with what I feed them and make sure their fields aren’t too lush, by grazing them appropriately and cutting them when necessary.  But, just because they don't suffer with Laminitis, that doesn't mean I don't buy products that are suitable for horses that do. 

Look for the Hoof Kind stamp and the Laminitis Trust stamp of approval on feeds.  if like me you buy these, you can guarantee you're doing all you can to keep the sugar they consume to the bare minimum.

 

Horses are designed to roam free over hundreds of acres of scrubby land, with little nutritious tufts of grass available, but a greater selection of edible herbs and grasses than they get now.  The bulk of their natural diet should be low-calorie forage.

So I keep my land well and truly grazed on, short and never over fertilised – once every three years only.

 
Their dinner is simple and forage based BUT I do buy a costly hoof supplement to top up any possible gap in the nutrition where hooves are concerned. It is my thing.

I deliberately buy hoof-kind products – those with  laminitis approved stamp.

Tom & Henry get shod every 5 weeks, on the front only.  I would prefer to have them barefoot but they have quite shallow feet, meaning their frogs are shallow, and with all the stones and gravel around our village, they would be foot-sore all the time and I just couldn’t bear it. 

It's difficult to decide what to do with so much contradictory advice, I wouldn't consider any changes to Tom & Henry's management without first discussing it with Steve.  Your own farrier knows your horses' feet, he will be able to give you a steer if you have any questions.

Of course, one day Steve will retire, then Tom & Henry might go barefoot...that'll give me a few years to get used to the idea!

Sun&Rain:

WEATHER WARNING:

The grass is growing faster than is usual for this time of year.  The rain and warm weather combination is perfect conditions for the green stuff to flourish!! But it's not all good news although your horse might dissagree...beware all the extra sugar your horse now has access to, too much can be bad for him, and I don't just mean his waistline!

Be careful out there people - your horse will have lots of grass to eat and you might want to restrict how much grazing he actually gets.

Please remember Laminitis can strike any horse at any time of year, whatever age, whatever breed - please be careful.  Regularly check his waistline and call your vet if you suspect he may have it, his hooves will feel very warm and his pulse will be elevated if he does and immediate treatment from your vet might prevent the need for prolonged care and more importantly, stop his pain.

You can check the rate of grass growth using your lawn as a guide!!

Stay safe and healthy.

TCJpart60 Grooming

THE BRUSH-OFF: photography by John C Brown
                                           OTHERWISE KNOW AS 'SPARE BUTLER'.

Giving your horse a great groom not only makes him all shiny and clean, but gives you the opportunity to scrutinise every inch of his body checking for abnormalities, cuts & scrapes etc.  And as if that wasn't enough to convince you, spending time with your horse just working around him, without asking for anything in return is a great way to bond with him...

...and gives you great upper-body workout into the bargain...so what are you waiting for?

 

 

 

I groom Tom & Henry very frequently, even if I plan to ride or not, just spending time with them is what I love doing the most. Keeping them looking so gorgeous is my favourite job.

I brush them in the yard whilst they're eating hay at their haybars, they are relaxed and happy doing something they like, so they don't mind at all me moving swiftly around them, working from ear to tail with a variety of equipment.

I also brush them in their fields, I just wander up the them whilst they're grazing and slowly and quietly brush them all over.  They just carry on grazing and moving about as they usually do, with me following them around with the brush I keep deliberately in the field.

Just spending this special time with them is so rewarding, it's like I become a member of their herd, as I just move about with those large horses at liberty, from one spot of grazing to another.

I call this a hairbrush, and it's a perfect tool for gently removing dried mud.  great for tails and manes too and easy to weild because of it's handle like a hairbrush.

Gentle around the bony bits...

First I begin with a hairbrush: a handled piece of kit with rubber tipped bristles.  This is great for all-over the body, I am very gentle on their faces and don't go near their eyes with it, it's just too hard, instead I pick mud off with my fingers.  It's brilliant for manes and tails, much easier than a dandy or comb because it has a handle (combs  tear out too much hair - I don't use these at all).  I flick around the fetlocks to remove the mud, brushing through the hair as I work my way around their bodies.

oh, yeah!

  

Part of the grooming process, if the boys have an itch that needs scratching, I'll offer myself for a head rub.  I usually have to hold onto something because they're strong!!  They so enjoy it and so do I?




Finding their itchy spots is a great way to do a nice thing for your horse and he will reward you with what John & I call the 'tapier' face.  A head up, top lip twisted and extended with a look of pure pleasure.  It's priceless.

Then, the dandy brush.  I prefer a small one so it fits neatly in my hand, I frisk them allover with this, getting right under their fetlocks to remove all the mud.

Then I have a soft body brush, this I use to flick all scurf and dust from their bodies the dandy has brought to the surface.  I 'clean' it on my hand regularly to remove the dust from the bristles too.  I would use a metal curry, but my hand is handier!

Then I have a red finishing brush, I bought this for Tom.  He has a very fine coat and a sensitive skin, and the bristles on this special brush are so soft you could brush your face!.  I can brush them all over and they just shine.  Henry particularly loves this brush around his face, he pushes his head into my hand!

I  then use a brush in each hand, I call it 'dual-wielding'  to give them a brisk finishing off, then wipe their eyes and nose, sheath and under their tails with a variety of damp clean flannels.

 Pick their feet, but never put any topical application to their hoofs, Steve wouldn't approve!

Finished, the boys are sparkling and I am filthy and need a bath!

I enjoy every moment I spend with Tom & Henry, grooming them is so rewarding, I just love being with them, they are very funny and don't mid at all when I cuddle them xx

TCJpart59 Amusing Toys & Treats

HOW TO KEEP YOUR HORSE AMUSED:

There are lots of horse toys on the market, but what does your horse really like to play with?

Tom & Henry have never suffered prolonged box-rest thank goodness, so the toys they have are there purely for random amusement. 

The first 'toys' they had were sections of a tree for us to sit on in the yard whilst having a nice cuppa.  These quickly became a source of much amusement and activity, as the boys kicked them around their yard, and thus inventing: 'hoof-log'.  Also great for chewing and biting.

Make sure you know which tree yours comes from, remember some could be poisonous.

Then I bought them some 'footballs' because they obviously like using their feet to move things about.  These are strong plastic purple giant pill-shaped balls with a central cavity to fill with herbal horse-treats. You can see them in the corner of my yard. Of course the boys love anything that dishes out food, so naturally these became their favourite. I only fill them up a couple of times a year, remember their waistlines!

Spending time indoors can be rough on horses, and Tom & Henry are no exception to getting bored.  They only spend a few hours a night, in bad weather during the coldest winter months, from late evening to early morning in their stables.

But I do a few things my 2 like you might want to try with your own horse:

T&H have haybars in their stables, but during the winter I'll hang a small haynet outside their stables, alternating sides each night, so they can leisurely munch whilst looking outside, and of course they can see each other and have a chat.

Inside they also have Himalayan Rock Salt Lick hanging, Tom loves his.

Also outside we bought some rubber toys designed for large dogs, because Tom loves chewing things., and Henry joins in.  They are small tires, totally safe to chew, with some rubber rings, which they hold in their teeth, one horse at each end and play tug of war with!!!  I kid you not.  And we hung them outside their doors in cotton lead ropes, coiled around itself like we were taught to store them at Pony Club.  So they can reach them when their doors are shut, and also when they're just hanging around in their yard.

Food is always a great amuser.  I bought them some sugar-free Jimmy's Hanging Balls, and the boys love them!!  They don't stand licking and biting them until their gone either, they nibble then go, so a couple of balls, I always put them up 2 at a time, last at least a month.  Again, these aren't always available to them, so it's a nice surprise when they are.

They're either making a love heart or a model of the Isle of Wight!!?

These balls come in several flavours, I prefer the sugar free ones, horses aren't designed to eat refined sugar and neither should their teeth be subjected to a sugary assault.

Tom & Henry love their hanging treats, and spend ages licking them.

John bought them a yoga ball, hilarious, a giant silver inflatable ball, very strong.  I was certain they'd hate and avoid at all costs.....wrong!  the boys went straight up to it, Tom tried to get his teeth round it, and Henry put his foot on it.  Suffice it to say, it did not survive very long, it was deflated within a month, whether chewed or stamped on we will never know, but one day I will buy them another, because the amusement it gave them was priceless, they kicked that thing all round their fields from one to another.  I never found it the next day in the same field as the last.

Jumps:  John has built a tiny rustic cross country jump for their field. It stands on blocks with a shallow scoop where the log pole sits.  The boys kick the pole off the blocks, roll it on the blocks walk over the jump, chew the jump and generally love to play with it.

Try to add some fun into your field, just a simple heavy log will do.  Make sure it can't hurt them and of course make certain it's not poisonous because your horse will chew it I guarantee it.  If it's very heavy make certain they can't roll it this might cause injury - I prefer a log similar in weight and size to a show-jump pole, so when the move it about, it can do no harm.

Be inventive, your horse will love it, randomly add things and take them away for a while, this'll get them used to strange things appearing, and eventually they wont care about strange, hopefully this will help you out riding too.