Life transpired as it generally does and I didn’t get a chance to hop back on Cruze until last night. I’ll write that up when I have time to fully process the ride. He is sound which is great. He wasn’t very fun which is not. More later when I figure out where my head space is.
For now I’d like to show his hooves after four months of growing out complete with keratex applied twice weekly and a daily feed through hoof supplement. Keep in mind that the Farrier has not touched him since the second week of May.
His right front shows the most change in both the angle of new hoof growth and the level of chipping that keeps occurring.
The blue line shows the end of the new growth and if you look at the toe you can see joe scooped up it looks. The new angle is coming in very steep comparatively and in person it makes his foot look elf shaped.
The yellow shows an abscess he formed six weeks ago and the arrow points to where it began. This is also useful to me to see how much the hoof is growing. And it is growing. Quite quickly and nicely. The issue is all that chipping that even keratex isn’t preventing and that makes it impossible to safely shoe.
That is the underside of his right hoof. What I like is that he has finally formed sulcuses beside and at the rear of the frog and while the hoof is still not long enough to even trim, he is finally growing something.
His front left isn’t as dramatic but still shows good downward growth.
The hinds went bare 3 weeks prior to the fronts and the line of growth is nearly all the way out already.
Not too much longer and he will have a new hoof on both hinds. I’m waiting to shoe the hinds until the fronts are good to go.
The goal here isn’t to keep him barefoot long term. I doubt he would hold up sound to anything outside the pasture or fluffy arena and I plan to get him on trails and hunter paces hopefully this fall but definitely winter and spring. What I want is a healthier hoof to shoe and I’m waiting as patiently as possible for those front hooves to grow all the way out with a theoretically stronger hoof wall that will accept and keep a shoe more reliably.
Based on current growth I’d say I’m looking at the beginning of the new year at the earliest perhaps not until daylight savings time begins next spring which I’m fine with as he is sound and able to work now as long as I’m careful about the footing.
He is happy, healthy and sound at the moment and I have a farrier I trust moving forward with him. The future, at least with his feet, is looking bright.
The Roaming Rider 
Ugh. Been there. Done that. Have the t-shirt. It definitely is the RIGHT way to go, to just give the hoof time to grow out properly. I gave May a white lightning treatment and then Durasole to get ride of any funk in the white line, and so far, we haven’t had issues with chipping. (Her feet chip from microbes getting up in the white line more-so than from my general wear.)
At least you’re seeing some significant progress!
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I have Thrush buster and will start using that to see if it helps. His hooves are weak in general. Hoping the new one grows stronger
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I like Emily’s idea of putting treatment on them to help with the chipping. I’m glad that he’s progressing but sorry that the ride was not better. Horses!
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Horses are both the best and the worst thing ever
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That’s really good to see that he’s growing a lot of hoof! I’m glad he’s sound – I bet you’re relieved with that!
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Yes!! It’s hard to be patient when he isn’t getting better. Thankfully he has remained sound so I can rest easier
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I do see progress! So this is good! 🙂
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Progress is very good. Slow but sure. We will see what Flo dumps on us in the next week and if his hooves hold up to the deluge
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That hind foot and frog look really good! That front one looks like it’s coming in kind of clubby which is weird, but I’m also not a farrier or a vet lol
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He has high right low left front hooves and you are right it does look a bit steep and clubby. I’m not too worried as we can help that along later with proper trims but it’s good to note. His conformation is pretty terrible in general
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At least there’s progress! Sorry you had a not-so-great ride on him, that’s a bummer 😦
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It’s just his first 10 minutes must suck shenanigans. The last 30 minutes were great.
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lots of great progress happening!!! as george morris would say, everything with horses is like water on stone. it just plain old takes time….. seems like your plan is working tho!!
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