Note- uncalloused sole where bar was overgrown and pressing on seat of corn area. affected heel buttress and frog also
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
PICS-LF on Day 12- compensation?
Looking for clues here.. wall angle from heel view, asymmetry of hairlines at heels, asymmetry of solar view, fetlock to hoof angle leaning... where is the compensation coming from... chiropractic and balancing contine! note to self: keep toe rockered- dorsal flaring in lower half.PICS-New hoof pics taken on day 12 RF- doing great
Right Front a day after balance 
- standing on soft ground. She is more comfortable on this foot than the LF.
Chlorine Dioxide soaks are coming next (deep frog sulcus). I am pleased with the frog's response to the pads in boots. It's beefing up and spreading nicely. Not sure how much lower I want the heels yet. She is heel first in boots with this hoof.
Solar view shows bruising around tip of frog (corium bruising under P3--- excess sole?) bruising in medial-lateral quarter- suspect overgrown bar squeezing this area. Note-bar has been tapered more this balance.
Happy and comfy in her Renegades :) They are a size O, and I suspect OO would be better, though for turnout with pads in place, they do stay put.
- standing on soft ground. She is more comfortable on this foot than the LF.
Chlorine Dioxide soaks are coming next (deep frog sulcus). I am pleased with the frog's response to the pads in boots. It's beefing up and spreading nicely. Not sure how much lower I want the heels yet. She is heel first in boots with this hoof.
Solar view shows bruising around tip of frog (corium bruising under P3--- excess sole?) bruising in medial-lateral quarter- suspect overgrown bar squeezing this area. Note-bar has been tapered more this balance.
Happy and comfy in her Renegades :) They are a size O, and I suspect OO would be better, though for turnout with pads in place, they do stay put.Sunday, June 6, 2010
Day 11- balance trim and ground work
Without boots overnight, Taffy's hooves were cool this morning. Yesterday they had been a bit warm, albeit later in the day.
Time to lower heels, as de-contraction is in progress. Time to refresh breakover.
Started with RH. In taking bar off sole, small abcess (?) found. Consistent with the goo that leaked out when I scraped at her feet in early May (during pre-purchase evaluation). Also, heel on that side had a horizontal crack. Glad I took the grinder to those bars.
Shaped bars on all hooves, removed lateral flaring and refreshed mustang roll on hinds, lowered heels on fores, relieved quarters on fores, esp. LF lateral, and refreshed breakover, backing it up a little more. Sub- bar bruising present in medial lateral seat of corn on RF. Sub P3 bruising on same foot. Suspect bar pressure. Bars relieved, excess ahead of apex of frog removed.
Soles under P3 left alone, Frogs left alone, sulcus protrusions smoothed off. Active points of contact- heels, toe pillars.
Some lick and chew, some weight shifting while standing. Once moving, breakover much improved, toe flip beginning, and heel first landing evident at walk. Tenderness over individual gravel pieces, but none over consistent terrain.
Groundwork: get back! she did. Follow winshield wiper carrot stick- no problem. Stick and string desensitizing- accepted all over. Porcupine game- Huh? she turns her head and looks at it- "ok, that's interesting,,,, does it mean something? I'm wondering!" I love how willing to please she is. Last exercise: Ferris wheel stick and string with ground smack- left side- hmmm, I'm supposed to move, right? No? ok, I'll just lower my head and relax. right side- ho hummm.. lick chew... lots of verbal reassurance, and forehead rubbing with hand or loop end of stick. Drop head on cue- oh yeah, that means food is somewhere near....
New bale of hay has wild oats in it- Taffy chows into it and then coughs. Honey mare same thing. Time to make some more slow feeders :)
Time to add to diet: Horse Tech Arizona regional mix (flax base), salt, a cup of soaked beet pulp, a half cup of diatomaceous earth, and a quarter cup of rice bran once daily. Amounts vary slightly, but this is a starting place. Taffy has some fat deposits on her neck, and at sides of tailhead, so no need for extra calories. Other horses will get black oil sunflower seed also.
Photos of newly balanced hooves on next post
Time to lower heels, as de-contraction is in progress. Time to refresh breakover.
Started with RH. In taking bar off sole, small abcess (?) found. Consistent with the goo that leaked out when I scraped at her feet in early May (during pre-purchase evaluation). Also, heel on that side had a horizontal crack. Glad I took the grinder to those bars.
Shaped bars on all hooves, removed lateral flaring and refreshed mustang roll on hinds, lowered heels on fores, relieved quarters on fores, esp. LF lateral, and refreshed breakover, backing it up a little more. Sub- bar bruising present in medial lateral seat of corn on RF. Sub P3 bruising on same foot. Suspect bar pressure. Bars relieved, excess ahead of apex of frog removed.
Soles under P3 left alone, Frogs left alone, sulcus protrusions smoothed off. Active points of contact- heels, toe pillars.
Some lick and chew, some weight shifting while standing. Once moving, breakover much improved, toe flip beginning, and heel first landing evident at walk. Tenderness over individual gravel pieces, but none over consistent terrain.
Groundwork: get back! she did. Follow winshield wiper carrot stick- no problem. Stick and string desensitizing- accepted all over. Porcupine game- Huh? she turns her head and looks at it- "ok, that's interesting,,,, does it mean something? I'm wondering!" I love how willing to please she is. Last exercise: Ferris wheel stick and string with ground smack- left side- hmmm, I'm supposed to move, right? No? ok, I'll just lower my head and relax. right side- ho hummm.. lick chew... lots of verbal reassurance, and forehead rubbing with hand or loop end of stick. Drop head on cue- oh yeah, that means food is somewhere near....
New bale of hay has wild oats in it- Taffy chows into it and then coughs. Honey mare same thing. Time to make some more slow feeders :)
Time to add to diet: Horse Tech Arizona regional mix (flax base), salt, a cup of soaked beet pulp, a half cup of diatomaceous earth, and a quarter cup of rice bran once daily. Amounts vary slightly, but this is a starting place. Taffy has some fat deposits on her neck, and at sides of tailhead, so no need for extra calories. Other horses will get black oil sunflower seed also.
Photos of newly balanced hooves on next post
Day 10- first trail ride
This evening, once the temp dipped below 95, Jenny, Melissa and I went riding. Taffy was confident and did not choose to follow any other horse. I should have expected this, a characteristic of a Left Brain Extrovert (ref- Parelli Horsenality grid).
I rode with boots and frog pads installed, french link snaffle bit, Western saddle, "CorrecTor" pad. I was seeing mostly flat landings before riding, and no gimpiness.
In the saddle, I felt some vibration in the fores, left more than right.
While riding on dirt roads, her strides were shorter. Once we were in the deep gravel wash, she moved with lovely impulsion. She was unsure about the cement ramp into the wash, flaring the nostrils- so I led her down, and through the tunnel underpass. She followed willingly.
In the wash, we walked, and Taffy champed the bit. She offered to trot, so we worked on one rein stops and serpentines. She is much more flexible in the neck after the chiropractic adjustment. After about half an hour she offered to flex the poll and lower her head, much more relaxed. I let her move out in a bit of trot, not alot, just to stretch out. I got the feeling she would love to trot to the moon!
On the way home she seemed slightly off on the LF. When I removed the boots I found a half inch rock in the groove of that hoof. Glad it was that easy to "fix"...
Ride #2... success. sidepass and back buttons are easier to find.
I rode with boots and frog pads installed, french link snaffle bit, Western saddle, "CorrecTor" pad. I was seeing mostly flat landings before riding, and no gimpiness.
In the saddle, I felt some vibration in the fores, left more than right.
While riding on dirt roads, her strides were shorter. Once we were in the deep gravel wash, she moved with lovely impulsion. She was unsure about the cement ramp into the wash, flaring the nostrils- so I led her down, and through the tunnel underpass. She followed willingly.
In the wash, we walked, and Taffy champed the bit. She offered to trot, so we worked on one rein stops and serpentines. She is much more flexible in the neck after the chiropractic adjustment. After about half an hour she offered to flex the poll and lower her head, much more relaxed. I let her move out in a bit of trot, not alot, just to stretch out. I got the feeling she would love to trot to the moon!
On the way home she seemed slightly off on the LF. When I removed the boots I found a half inch rock in the groove of that hoof. Glad it was that easy to "fix"...
Ride #2... success. sidepass and back buttons are easier to find.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Day 6 a day off
Taffy will have a few days off now, with boots and pads in place. Hoping her spine will settle well. Slight toe-first this morning, mostly flat landings. Hinds are doing great.
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