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Hoofcare & Information for Barefoot Soundness

Linda Cowles Hoof Care - Serving the greater SF Bay Area and Northern California

Azure's Last Chance

October 5, 2006 - Azure's History & Getting Started
October 5, 2006 - The Trim
November 13, 2006 - Second Trim
January 29, 2007 Overview - Four Month Report
January 29 - Let's Dance!

Azure stood quietly while I examined his feet, even though the feet he was standing on on were painful.

I told the group that I was going to have to work fast because holding any one foot up for an extended period of time put a great deal of stress on the others. I was to discover that Azure's legs would come close to buckling if I didn't pay close attention... he wouldn't pull his leg back. He has some of the best manners I've ever encountered in a horse.

I gave him lots of breaks, watching and listening for his commentary on the changes I made in his feet. A horse will go out of its way to communicate with us if he knows we're listening, and even tries it when we're unresponsive. A horse that jerks its foot rhythmically when we're cleaning it often has something painful going on like Thrush or heel pain. A horse that smacks its lips, sighs and tries to groom us as we trim is letting us know that we're heading in the right direction.

When a horse feels I've done enough - or is afraid I'll do too much - it will try to take its foot away with authority.

All we have to do is listen actively and they'll try to communicate.

Thrush was one of Azure's problems, but it was a very mild case so I suggested my old stand-by, a Lysol dilution applied topically each day after his feet had been cleaned. I believe the secret to getting rid of a bad case of thrush is cleaning feet daily OR providing something like deep pea gravel that assists with cleaning.

Because Azure would need to wear boots 24x7 until his feet developed, I also suggested using Gold Bond medicated foot powder in the boots to control odor, moisture and bacteria. It worked great for him!

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Azure didn't have a lot of hoof wall to work with, so my trim consisted of pulling his toe back about 1/2 inch to within 1/16th inch of the toe callous, leveling his under-run heels slightly and giving him a good bevel and a very conservative "frog trim" to remove a few folds that hid the very superficial thrush.

He had some fungus in the white line of one heel, too, which some people confuse with White Line Disease, but this was a superficial problem related to flare, and the Lysol cleared it up immediately.

When I was working on his front feet, Azure was stoic and skeptical, keeping his ears back and his nose wrinkled. He was a gentleman, but he didn't bury his disdain for us very deep. He was very sure he'd end up being sore, but was willing to cooperate. When I'd ask how his foot felt when I let him try his first front foot, he'd give me a polite assent, lick once or twice, but wouldn't commit to it being a major improvement.

When I was almost done with the second front foot, I let him rest it a moment, then felt a sudden surge of relaxation, like tension draining rapidly from him, and he began to really lick and chew, and finally dropped his head down to touch my shoulder, encouraging me and letting me know he was pleased with what I'd done.

After the trim was done, we let him stand for a while and think about his feet. If a horse points a toe it usually means there is something going on with it; maybe it was taken too short, or has some imbalance. When a horse holds a foot to the inside or outside of its normal location, when a horse raises and lowers a foot, its usually an indication that something is not right. The better you listen, the more the horse will try to explain to you. My own horses are VERY literal, using their noses to point and making a big deal of making their feelings known. I listen, they communicate.

The pictures of Azure, below, speak volumes. The picture on the left was taken before we started trimming, and the last three were taken immediately after I finished.

The trim was a minor, but important, part of Azure's day. The most important work was to come. We walked him out to see how he moved, and while he walked better than before the trim and had a much longer stride, he was still careful. He was tracking straight, though, and using his heels albeit carefully.

I cut a frog wedge pad from a garden kneeling foam pad (taped to the EasyCare Comfort Pad in the Old Mac boot,below left) for each foot and taped them over his frogs temporarily, to see if he liked the added pressure or if it was uncomfortable.

Azure stood square with his ears perked forward, very interested in this process, so we took the frog pads off his feet and taped them in his boots. Valerie had spent a fortune on Azure's feet to this point, and we couldn't be certain that this would work for him, even though it was looking good.... he could still end up on the wrong side of the garden, pushing up daisies, so we conserved money where we could and used existing boots with new EasyCare Comfort Pads.

We used Old Mac G2's on the fronts, and because he had a slight rub from wearing the regular EasyBoots, we put a strip of duct tape over that area to protect it. If a horse has a lot of rubbing or an abrasion, I suggest cleaning the area with a medicated cleanser and drying it thoroughly, then applying a light coat of Gold Bond Medicated powder and dusting it off, then applying a strip of duct tape, which should adhere to the hair but not much of the skin.

Valerie had a pair of Simple Boots that rubbed the front feet but would work on the rear feet, so we added pads and he was ready to walk out.

He walked with a long, relaxed stride, tail swinging easily, ears forward and head in a lowered, relaxed position. Sighing several times, Azure returned to his stall. Comfortable!

Post Script....

The clinic attendees and I all grinned and celebrated the fact that the booting and trim had helped Azure out, because Valerie had seen him suffer too much to continue if there wasn't a glimmer of hope. I get choked up at times like this, so I was really grateful when Laura, our very efficient and gracious clinic host, got us moving to trim Judy's horse (she trims him herself and does a wonderful job!) then head for the cars and our next clinic location, Heidi's house.

Valerie and Judy stayed behind to close up the barn before joining us. About an hour later, they showed up at the clinic, and Judy, laughing, had a story to tell.

Azure used to love to sneak out of the barn and graze in front, but because he's been so sore lately, they'd gotten in the habit of leaving his stall door open while they did chores and fed, and would close him up when they were done. With his poor sore feet, he wouldn't move to the door, much less leave his stall.

So after we left, they returned him to his stall and were in the tack room when they heard hoof steps coming down the isle. Poking their heads out the door, they caught Azure doing a prancy-tip-toe, trying to sneak by the door and out of the barn for a bit of browse. Welcoming the return of Valerie's Big Bad Boy, they laughed, waved their arms and scolded him with a 'SO where do you think you're going?!!!' . Azure spread his front legs and dropped his forequarters like a cow horse, flipped his head so that his mane sang through the air, spun on his heels and trotted back into his stall. There will be a next time!

I got updates as the weeks passed, and posted them on his November page. Azure is going to make it, at least for now! He's doing just fine with Comfort pads, frog pads, boots & a good trim.