lameness

[Grand Chaser]

My horse is almost always lame. He isn't shoed but he dose get his feet trimmed when there getting to long and he is always lame in his front right foot. I don't know how this horse keeps doing it but he has an abcess almost all the time in that foot. Everytime one gets better an new one starts in the foot... i don't know what to do and no-one will buy him because he's always lame and not many people down here will buy a 13 yr old buckskin gelding thats lame. theres a pic of him below
Dose anyone have any sujestions so my dad doan't sell him to the glue factory...

If you can help me please do...
and i'm not over there alot and no one over there will work with any of the horses so if anyone ever dose it's me...

and yes he is standing in the creek... theres a little bit of a drought right now.

Thanks
Tori

 

[milkmaid]

Have you treated it? --antibiotics - keep it clean - and depending on how severe, it may need to be flushed with iodine and wrapped on a daily basis. It probably needs a full 14 days of treatment and possibly banamine or Bute too.

 

[Miss Daisy]

I aint no pro but heres what i got: My mare has very sensitive feet. My shoer suggeseted supplementing her diet with biotin. It has worked well so far. It helps build a firmer wall. You may need a vet to drain the abcess and instruct you on how to prevent another, depending on the type of abcess. Marshy grounds can affect the feet and make the hoof very soft, more succeptable to injuries. Hope you get it done.

 

[Alan]

First I would call a good farrier to put some shoes on him to help keep the sole of his foot off the ground.

Second is, I would get him on a diet, I don't know how tall his is but if he is 15 or 15.1 I would take 100lbs off him.

Biotein (sp) is a good idea also. A good farrier is the key, just because someone can trim feet doesn't make them good.

JMO,
Alan

 

[Miss Daisy]

If you do decide to shoe him, I recommend spending the extra few dollars to put pads on his front feet. It may seem a waste, but it really adds the extra protection that may be needed on that hoof.

 

[Bez?]

First I would call a good farrier to put some shoes on him to help keep the sole of his foot off the ground.

Second is, I would get him on a diet, I don't know how tall his is but if he is 15 or 15.1 I would take 100lbs off him.

Biotein (sp) is a good idea also. A good farrier is the key, just because someone can trim feet doesn't make them good.

JMO,
Alan

Plus - take some weight off this animal. It certainly is not hurting for groceries from the look of it.

Bez?

 

[msscamp]

That horse needs to be put on a diet, and soon - any extra pounds will add stress when it comes to his feet. Secondly, as this seems to be an ongoing thing based on your post, I would forget the farrier because he/she doesn't appear able to clear it up, find a very good equine vet who understands abcesses and see what he/she has to say. It sounds to me like one of 2 things may be happening - either the original abcess has not been fully resolved and keep recurring, or there is something in the pasture that the horse keeps injuring his foot on. I'm more inclined to go with number 1 as the possibility of him stepping on something with the same foot is a bit far fetched. Shoes will help relieve the pressure, but will not do a thing as far as clearing up the abcess. What are you doing to clear it up? Antibiotics, soaking with Epsom Salts? Just my thoughts.

 

[Alan]

That horse needs to be put on a diet, and soon - any extra pounds will add stress when it comes to his feet. Secondly, as this seems to be an ongoing thing based on your post, I would forget the farrier because he/she doesn't appear able to clear it up, find a very good equine vet who understands abcesses and see what he/she has to say. It sounds to me like one of 2 things may be happening - either the original abcess has not been fully resolved and keep recurring, or there is something in the pasture that the horse keeps injuring his foot on. I'm more inclined to go with number 1 as the possibility of him stepping on something with the same foot is a bit far fetched. Shoes will help relieve the pressure, but will not do a thing as far as clearing up the abcess. What are you doing to clear it up? Antibiotics, soaking with Epsom Salts? Just my thoughts.

While I agree with ms, if your farrier is triming too close they may be causing the abscess. All horses have different size feet, meaning the sole of the foot may be longer on one foot then the other, just like or two feet are slightly different sizes, so if they're trimming the feet the same length they could be triming the one to close. And could be the reason the same foot always comes up with an abscess. Just like someone always breaking a finger nail until it bleeds, always hurts.

Hey Flaboy.... what color is this horses feet? 8)

JMO,
Alan

 

[msscamp]

That horse needs to be put on a diet, and soon - any extra pounds will add stress when it comes to his feet. Secondly, as this seems to be an ongoing thing based on your post, I would forget the farrier because he/she doesn't appear able to clear it up, find a very good equine vet who understands abcesses and see what he/she has to say. It sounds to me like one of 2 things may be happening - either the original abcess has not been fully resolved and keep recurring, or there is something in the pasture that the horse keeps injuring his foot on. I'm more inclined to go with number 1 as the possibility of him stepping on something with the same foot is a bit far fetched. Shoes will help relieve the pressure, but will not do a thing as far as clearing up the abcess. What are you doing to clear it up? Antibiotics, soaking with Epsom Salts? Just my thoughts.

While I agree with ms, if your farrier is triming too close they may be causing the abscess. All horses have different size feet, meaning the sole of the foot may be longer on one foot then the other, just like or two feet are slightly different sizes, so if they're trimming the feet the same length they could be triming the one to close. And could be the reason the same foot always comes up with an abscess. Just like someone always breaking a finger nail until it bleeds, always hurts.

Hey Flaboy.... what color is this horses feet? 8)

JMO,
Alan

Alan, I understand how trimming to short can cause lameness, but I don't understand how trimming to short can cause an abcess unless it's so short it compromises the sole or frog and allows bacteria to enter the foot. Help? Thanks!

 

[hayray]

My horse is almost always lame. He isn't shoed but he dose get his feet trimmed when there getting to long and he is always lame in his front right foot. I don't know how this horse keeps doing it but he has an abcess almost all the time in that foot. Everytime one gets better an new one starts in the foot... i don't know what to do and no-one will buy him because he's always lame and not many people down here will buy a 13 yr old buckskin gelding thats lame. theres a pic of him below
Dose anyone have any sujestions so my dad doan't sell him to the glue factory...

If you can help me please do...
and i'm not over there alot and no one over there will work with any of the horses so if anyone ever dose it's me...

and yes he is standing in the creek... theres a little bit of a drought right now.

Thanks
Tori

I would suggest putting shoes on him and maybe even getting another reputable farrier to do the job, this could eliminate that it is a farrier problem, if he is still lame with the new shoes and farrier than it is not a farrier issue. It is real common that if he is getting re-occuring abscess than it is likely from trimming too close. Are his front feet even or is he clubby on one and low angled on the other?

Ray

 

[hayray]

That horse needs to be put on a diet, and soon - any extra pounds will add stress when it comes to his feet. Secondly, as this seems to be an ongoing thing based on your post, I would forget the farrier because he/she doesn't appear able to clear it up, find a very good equine vet who understands abcesses and see what he/she has to say. It sounds to me like one of 2 things may be happening - either the original abcess has not been fully resolved and keep recurring, or there is something in the pasture that the horse keeps injuring his foot on. I'm more inclined to go with number 1 as the possibility of him stepping on something with the same foot is a bit far fetched. Shoes will help relieve the pressure, but will not do a thing as far as clearing up the abcess. What are you doing to clear it up? Antibiotics, soaking with Epsom Salts? Just my thoughts.

While I agree with ms, if your farrier is triming too close they may be causing the abscess. All horses have different size feet, meaning the sole of the foot may be longer on one foot then the other, just like or two feet are slightly different sizes, so if they're trimming the feet the same length they could be triming the one to close. And could be the reason the same foot always comes up with an abscess. Just like someone always breaking a finger nail until it bleeds, always hurts.

Hey Flaboy.... what color is this horses feet? 8)

JMO,
Alan

Alan, I understand how trimming to short can cause lameness, but I don't understand how trimming to short can cause an abcess unless it's so short it compromises the sole or frog and allows bacteria to enter the foot. Help? Thanks!

The abscess is not always from foreign material entering the hoof and causing infection, a lot of time it is from brusing and forming puss pockets and are isolated and build up pressure. I went to one of those clinics once where a natural bare foot only farrier was there and everything he trimmed ended up with abscesses and swollen flexor tendon sheaths, and the same happened to anything I trimmed like he suggested - I figured it was obvious problem of taking way too much foot off, which he was doing. But I am wondering if this only happens on one foot if the feet are un-even and need to be trimmed differently?

 

[hayray]

That horse needs to be put on a diet, and soon - any extra pounds will add stress when it comes to his feet. Secondly, as this seems to be an ongoing thing based on your post, I would forget the farrier because he/she doesn't appear able to clear it up, find a very good equine vet who understands abcesses and see what he/she has to say. It sounds to me like one of 2 things may be happening - either the original abcess has not been fully resolved and keep recurring, or there is something in the pasture that the horse keeps injuring his foot on. I'm more inclined to go with number 1 as the possibility of him stepping on something with the same foot is a bit far fetched. Shoes will help relieve the pressure, but will not do a thing as far as clearing up the abcess. What are you doing to clear it up? Antibiotics, soaking with Epsom Salts? Just my thoughts.

While I agree with ms, if your farrier is triming too close they may be causing the abscess. All horses have different size feet, meaning the sole of the foot may be longer on one foot then the other, just like or two feet are slightly different sizes, so if they're trimming the feet the same length they could be triming the one to close. And could be the reason the same foot always comes up with an abscess. Just like someone always breaking a finger nail until it bleeds, always hurts.

Hey Flaboy.... what color is this horses feet? 8)

JMO,
Alan

Alan,

I was thining that same thing, like the horse having a low angled flat soled foot on one foot and a higher angled club type foot on the other.

Ray

 

[milkmaid]

Alan, I understand how trimming to short can cause lameness, but I don't understand how trimming to short can cause an abcess unless it's so short it compromises the sole or frog and allows bacteria to enter the foot. Help? Thanks!

The abscess is not always from foreign material entering the hoof and causing infection, a lot of time it is from brusing and forming puss pockets and are isolated and build up pressure. I went to one of those clinics once where a natural bare foot only farrier was there and everything he trimmed ended up with abscesses and swollen flexor tendon sheaths, and the same happened to anything I trimmed like he suggested - I figured it was obvious problem of taking way too much foot off, which he was doing. But I am wondering if this only happens on one foot if the feet are un-even and need to be trimmed differently?

Good explanation hayray. The area I live in is very rocky, and the only abcesses my horses have had started as a stone bruise. If the horse is trimmed too flat it makes the soft, newly-trimmed sole very susceptible to damage, in turn creating an abcess.

I'd suspect more that the horse's abcess was never cleared up, than that particular hoof being more at risk than the others. I've seen cows with mild, untreated abcesses, go for years with it. Abcesses don't usually vanish on their own.

A friend of mine has dealt with many more abcesses than I have - and worse ones, too - but both of us have found the sulfa (SMZ/TMP 800/160) tablets to work excellently. I believe the dose on horses is about 1 to 1.5 tablets per 100lbs. Some of the ones she's dealt with were severe, and the abcess had to be cleaned twice a day, flushed with hydrogen peroxide and iodine, and wrapped to keep dirt out. In addition to antibiotic treatment. Your horse's abcess might need that type of care too, GC, especially since it's chronic.

 

[msscamp]

That horse needs to be put on a diet, and soon - any extra pounds will add stress when it comes to his feet. Secondly, as this seems to be an ongoing thing based on your post, I would forget the farrier because he/she doesn't appear able to clear it up, find a very good equine vet who understands abcesses and see what he/she has to say. It sounds to me like one of 2 things may be happening - either the original abcess has not been fully resolved and keep recurring, or there is something in the pasture that the horse keeps injuring his foot on. I'm more inclined to go with number 1 as the possibility of him stepping on something with the same foot is a bit far fetched. Shoes will help relieve the pressure, but will not do a thing as far as clearing up the abcess. What are you doing to clear it up? Antibiotics, soaking with Epsom Salts? Just my thoughts.

While I agree with ms, if your farrier is triming too close they may be causing the abscess. All horses have different size feet, meaning the sole of the foot may be longer on one foot then the other, just like or two feet are slightly different sizes, so if they're trimming the feet the same length they could be triming the one to close. And could be the reason the same foot always comes up with an abscess. Just like someone always breaking a finger nail until it bleeds, always hurts.

Hey Flaboy.... what color is this horses feet? 8)

JMO,
Alan

Alan, I understand how trimming to short can cause lameness, but I don't understand how trimming to short can cause an abcess unless it's so short it compromises the sole or frog and allows bacteria to enter the foot. Help? Thanks!

The abscess is not always from foreign material entering the hoof and causing infection, a lot of time it is from brusing and forming puss pockets and are isolated and build up pressure. I went to one of those clinics once where a natural bare foot only farrier was there and everything he trimmed ended up with abscesses and swollen flexor tendon sheaths, and the same happened to anything I trimmed like he suggested - I figured it was obvious problem of taking way too much foot off, which he was doing. But I am wondering if this only happens on one foot if the feet are un-even and need to be trimmed differently?

Thank you very much, hayray! I did not realize that bruising could lead to abscesses.

 

[Grand Chaser]

Well i have asked my Dad and Grandpa both if we could shoe him... both said no he isn't worth it and i'm not over there alot actualy i'm over there on wendsdays and every other weekend because my parents are divorced and my mother got custody.

My father and Grandpa will not work with any of our horses. I think they call them around form the back pasture 20 times a year... So there inlies another problem if i did wrap it and soak it when i was there they wouldn't keep it up for me even if i asked.

I do agree he dose need to be put on a diet... but like i said i'm not over there to see to it. His diet right now is pasture all the time... they never get feed. We have bahaya(i think thats how you spell it) grass and thats what they get.

The ferrier that we use we have used him since i was born. He has always done an ecelent job and we have never had problems with him.

I would go over alot but when i do my Grandpa always puts me to work fixing fence with him or checking the cow wells and i never get time to mess with Bucky(my horse). By the time i get done with all of the work he gives me its dark.

So there are many problems with this whole situation. Oh and there is no arguing... at all. So i can't argue my point with any of them.

I've tried and tried to get my dad out and look at a couple of horses that were perfect but he always found something wrong with them. (Hes cheap as all get out)

So there are the rest of the facts to go along with the horse.

Thank you for all of your help so far!! i really apreciate it.
(i'm a horrible speller so sorry if anythings spelt wrong!)

Tori

 

[Pooog1]

Boy I am sorry for your situation! It has to be a tough one. I faced some of the same problems when I was growing up. We always had so much work to do that we didn't get to spend the time we wanted with our horses. They were mostly used for the cattle (moving to and from pasture) and very little pleasure. One thing that helped was that I would incorporate the horses into more of our day-to-day activities like checking the cows in the pastures and such. Do you think you can make the horse more valuable with your time by incorporating him into your time when you're at home? You could even go fencing with him to some extent. Just an idea. Good luck to you!

 

[Grand Chaser]

There inlies another problem our pasture is about 30 minutes away. so its not to close to home. and my grandpa won't let me take the horse he says its a waste of time on his par t and gas. but i did get to ride him yesterday... he's improving little by little. but he goes in and out of his leads like i had him on his left lead in a lope and slowed him to a walk so we didn't spook the cows. but then i went to get him back into a lope and he was going at two difrent leads at once :?: it was wierd he was on his left lead for his front legs an his right for his back legs i thought i wa riding a fat duck! but then he settled back into a left lead. and he refuses to go into a right lead at all.

i hope this all works out somehow....

 

[Alan]

Hey Tori,

Dad's can be a real pain, just ask any of my 4 kids. I would just have the farrier come out once every 12 weeks or so and when he trims him leave him long. As far as diet goes it's real hard to do if you're not there all the time. so do the best you can, other than weight he looks great!

Good luck,
Alan

 

[Alan]

There inlies another problem our pasture is about 30 minutes away. so its not to close to home. and my grandpa won't let me take the horse he says its a waste of time on his par t and gas. but i did get to ride him yesterday... he's improving little by little. but he goes in and out of his leads like i had him on his left lead in a lope and slowed him to a walk so we didn't spook the cows. but then i went to get him back into a lope and he was going at two difrent leads at once :?: it was wierd he was on his left lead for his front legs an his right for his back legs i thought i wa riding a fat duck! but then he settled back into a left lead. and he refuses to go into a right lead at all.

i hope this all works out somehow....

With age comes power.... good luck

Alan

 

[Pooog1]

When he takes one lead on the front and one on the back its called crossleading. I have a mare that did this quite often. I showed her for many years and it was somewhat difficult to get her out of. She is now 27yrs old and fully loving her retirement. I have found that when a horse refuses to take a lead or wants to use one for particular, this may be in part to the lameness issue or in part to how someone is riding and giving cues. He may have discomfort regarding the lead he refuses to take. Are you sure his lameness is in his foot? Have you had a hoof tester on his foot? Applied pressure to different areas to find a sore spot? Could it be the saddle not fitting properly and pinching something? Shoulder? How is his gate other than crossleading? You say he felt like you were riding a duck, we had a gelding once that had a problem with his shoulder. He was very rough because he didn't want to extend his leg. When the farrier comes does he see the bruising when he uses the knife? What does he tell you about the foot. Farriers can be a really good source of information because they have seen so much. If he cares at all about what he's doing, he may be able to help you out with some ideas.