Problem feet maybe??

[cathys]

Hello everyone,
This is my first post here, hope someone can enlighten me on this...
I bought a mare at the sale barn Friday night, she is about 15/16 years old. She is a paint about 14 hands high. Very well broke, I have a 14 year old son that has been afraid to ride since he got dumped off a pony with an attitude, but he is riding this mare like he has riden all his life. I believe I found the right one this time!
Anyway she walks, trots and canters just fine, no limping at all.
But when she stands still she rotates holding her front feet up, Her hoofs are just a bit long, contacted the ferrior (spell?) already, I don't see any sores anywhere and she dosen't mind having her hoofs cleaned out.
Anyone ever seen this or have any idea what this about??
Thanks for looking and I am going to spend alot of time on this board!!!
Cathy

 

[Alan]

Anyway she walks, trots and canters just fine, no limping at all. But when she stands still she rotates holding her front feet up, Her hoofs are just a bit long

Hi Cathy,

Congrats on what,sounds like a good horse for your boy. I'm not understanding what she is doing when she is standing still. Rotates while holding front feet up? I just can't get a picture in my mind to what she is doing, maybe you can explain further.

Thanks,
Alan

 

[cathys]

Sorry...
While she stands still she lifts one front foot off the ground and holds it up (as if she is waiting to get her hoof trimmed) for a about 1 minute and then puts it down and does the same with the other, then back and forth like that. It is really strange looking. But as I said before she is not limping at all.

 

[Alan]

Sounds like a good chance something is bugging her feet, but I have 2 horses that switch picking up front feet when they are eating grain..... Kind of a happy thing.

My suggestions; Have a vet check her or get some bute and give her the correct amount of bute for weight and see if she does the foot thing in a couple of hours, while she is on bute. If she has a dose of bute and stops picking up her front feet then I would say she has something hurting. If she has a dose of bute and still picks up her feet then it's a habit. OR you can do nothing and just watch her for lamness while your son is riding.

A good equine vet will also guess her age pretty close, if she is high teens or 20's could just be old bones... like I get every morning.

If it was me I would try bute.

Good luck,

JMO
Alan

 

[cathys]

Alan
it is funny you said that about your 2 horses because it was while she was eating her grain that I noticed it and she kept tipping her head back and forth like she was really enjoying the grain, I figured it was just because she was thin and packed with poop and mud when I got her and she was not used to having grain (we are starting with small amounts at a time morning and evening) or any attention, we have been brushing her a little at a time to try to remove the poop balls (she reminds me of beef cattle that have been locked in a feed lot when all the snow melts...) I will be having the vet out for shots within the next week so I will have her checked out then. She has come to a good home and will get alot of love and attention now and spoiled rotten!
Thanks for the info and as I said before I will be on here alot.
Cathy

 

[Just_a_girl]

cathys,
don't forget to have the vet check your mare's teeth.


Good luck with your horse. ;-)

 

[msscamp]

She has come to a good home and will get alot of love and attention now and spoiled rotten!

Cathy

I don't mean to rain on your parade, but you might want to be careful on the 'spoiling' part. It sounds like you might be somewhat inexperienced with horses, so I will say there is spoiling and then there is spoiling and it's sometimes hard to tell the difference between the two. ;-)

 

[cathys]

[I don't mean to rain on your parade, but you might want to be careful on the 'spoiling' part. It sounds like you might be somewhat inexperienced with horses, so I will say there is spoiling and then there is spoiling and it's sometimes hard to tell the difference between the two.]

I may be "somewhat inexperienced with horses" but I am not stupid. When I say spoiled I mean with love and attention and the proper food and water and vet attention and foot care unlike what she was getting where she came from. I know the difference between a healthy animal and a sick animal, I know that this is a smooth mouth horse and she is old and because of that we may only have a few years with her, (I rescued a 22 year old gelding last fall from diar straights and gave him a great home with love and attention and vet care and special diet for the last 6 months of his life before having the vet come and put him to sleep) I have raised 5 healthy beautiful children and I have a farm full of animals, I may be a beginner here on this board but I am far from being a beginner when it comes to animals.

Just_a_girl,
I plan to have the vet check and see if her teeth need to be floated, thanks Cathy[/quote]

 

[DrumRunner728]

cathys, bravo! I have a 26 year old Quarter Horse stallion (great grandson of King - Doc Bar on the top side, King on the bottom side) that my husband and I rescued 3 years ago from near starvation. Our third foal by this stallion was born 2 weeks ago and we have another mare due any day now. There isn't enough spoiling in the world for that amazing animal who deserves all the good things he can get between now and the end of his time.

By the way, I also have a Thoroughbred mare who does the same thing with her front feet when she eats. I don't consider it to be any big deal. She's sound as a dollar (probably not a good comparison these days!) otherwise.

 

[msscamp]

[I don't mean to rain on your parade, but you might want to be careful on the 'spoiling' part. It sounds like you might be somewhat inexperienced with horses, so I will say there is spoiling and then there is spoiling and it's sometimes hard to tell the difference between the two.]

I may be "somewhat inexperienced with horses" but I am not stupid.

[/quote]

I don't recall saying - or even suggesting - you were. I will bow out now, and leave you to your horses.

 

[peg4x4]

cathys,don't be so prickely --we all love horses,but I've seen too many spoiled by well meaning owners--Not to say that you would,but It's hard to judge experence thro written word. Koudos to you for rescueing those horses-wish I could do it again..

 

[cathys]

msscamp
I apoligize for blowing a gasket, I took that the wrong way evadently..I should not have gotten so "prickley" as peg4x4 put it. I do appreciate the help/advise you guys all give here and I promise to look at things with a different point of view from now on.

 

[msscamp]

msscamp
I apoligize for blowing a gasket, I took that the wrong way evadently..I should not have gotten so "prickley" as peg4x4 put it. I do appreciate the help/advise you guys all give here and I promise to look at things with a different point of view from now on.

Apology accepted. I truly meant no offense, its just that I've seen a lot of good horses spoiled by well-intentioned owners who didn't realize what they were doing until they had a problem. I've done it and I've been around horses most of my life!

 

[Alice]

I had the farrier out the other day. He told me that he had worked on some mustangs that the owners had gotten thru the BLM. When he'd asked the owners if they were tame enough to be worked on he was assured they were...they'd given them horsey treats to tame them. :shock:

He bowed out of that gig and gave them the name of someone that was able to sedate horses to work on them.

Msscamp, btw, we now have 2 horses that we ride...this horse thing is addictive, isn't it. We still have one of the rescues (the other one had to go back after his hoof missed my head by inches). The old red horse's tumor has begun to spread and the vet seems to think it's only a matter of time until he'll need to be put down. But until then, that wonderful old guy is still enjoying life...and we're enjoying loving on him. :heart:

Alice

 

[chippie]

The best thing would be to have your vet check her especially since you bought her at an auction. There is no way anyone on a bulletin board can tell you what is going on with her when no one can see her.

She could have pain in both front feet, even though she doesn't appear lame. She may have been given something to make her go sound. Who knows?

I hope that she keeps the good dispostion. A friend at another board bought a horse at auction and it was super at the sale. A week later it was a completely different horse. It had been sedated with a long acting drug

Good luck with her.

 

[Alice]

Well, like the ding dong I am, I posted on the wrong thread.

Sorry about that...

Alice

 

[cathys]

chippie,
been there and done that one, the mare I sold at the last auction I had bought at an auction, in the ring she was as calm as could be, great riding big big beautiful horse. Got home and out of trailer a few hours later and couldn't get her to move. Took her out a few weeks ago and she stood up on her back legs like she was a human, Had a family friend come over to ride her (they break horses for people) and she rode her and said she didn't want anything to do with her, when I sold her I stated she was green broke and NOT for child or inexperienced rider.
So far my new one is doing great, she is loosing her winter coat with daily brushing and lone behold under the white hair she is a beautiful almost gold shiney with white paint markings and a tri colored main and tail.
Cathy

 

[chippie]

What did you find out about her feet?

 

[DrumRunner728]

I'd be interested in hearing what you found out about the mare's feet, too. Our thoroughbred mare that picks her feet up when she eats, and only when she eats, has two babies (a two year old and a yearling) that do the very same thing when they eat. We assume it to be a habit they learned from mama while suckling because none of the other horses on the farm do it.

 

[cathys]

Ferrior will be here tonight, I am going to ask him about it. She is still doing it but only when she eats her grain, shows no sign of lameness, or anything else. Will see what he has to say tonight and get back to you.
Cathy