July 8th....6 weeks out of shoes- amazing progress

Taffy has worn her Renegades 24 hrs a day the last few days, and the last two days without frog pads (not in the plan-just ran out of time). The duct tape I had put over her heels to avoid abrasion (boots are slightly too big so they rub a little), was off too.

I pulled off the boots last night, to check on the feet. Some warmth in the hooves. But significantly less tenderness au naturel! I left the boots off overnight, since the LF had some rubbing on the medial hairline at the heel.

This morning she was still moving without tenderness, no limp!! Landing flat, not heel first, but comfortable, nevertheless. Woo hoo!

Our corral is fairly firm clay type dirt- with various sizes of gravel strewn about (came with the property). All the horses stumble over the larger gravel now and then, when they step on a single chunk. Taffy only slightly did so this morning!

July 3- Morning exercise- WOW

I ponied Taffy out early (front boots still on)- she was 'rarin' to go! There is some stiffness in the L F shoulder, but no head bob or limp at the walk, jog, trot, extended trot, and she even volunteered to canter. What a happy camper, what a happy mama.
I will continue with boots and frog pads 24x7 for now- they make it comfortable for her to move freely- which in turn will foster increased blood flow and development of the digital cushion and lateral cartilages. This week I plan to pony her to the mountains again, perhaps even take her out under saddle. Guess I'll have to get some OO renegades for riding. the Os are really too big.

woo hooo. Thank you God!

Honey was funny in heat- wuffling at Taffy during our ride- as if she was hoping Taff was a boy...First time I've seen her do that. She quit when I took her away from nose to nose- good girl.

Hooray hooray

Taffy has her "tude" back... that means she's feeling better! I put the frog pads under her boots this morning and by this afternoon she was cheerfully trotting away from me and my evil fly spray bottle. Her limp is barely noticeable at the walk- LF, still. RF is steady again. I'm stoked! (Even if she was naughty about the fly spray). There were some nasty biting flies in town today, and I got the spray on just a few hours too late. All 3 in the corral have welts :(
Hopefully they won't get all nasty and make their fur fall out (happened a couple years ago to Honey- her belly and chest lost lots of fur from insect bites)

Might pony Taffy out in the morning... Pete Ramey (hoof rehab dot com) says the pads are magic. Boots are good, but to really see a difference, pad up. Just padding her frogs she is FAR more comfy. I think she'll feel well enough for a good long walk.

VIDEOS @4 weeks-bare vs. booted

Here are the June 25 comparisons- first- barefoot

And now with the boots on

thoughts on progress

I was considering a few things today, as I had Taffy standing in mud to eat her morning snack of beet pulp, sunflower seeds, rice bran, diatomaceous earth, salt, and AZ Regional mix supplement from HorseTech...
1- Taffy stands firmly- no pastern wobble or knee buckling. She shows discomfort in the last half of the stride, and when turning. No more hitch in the pasterns on landing. She does move- but no hurrying, seems relaxed (perhaps just not feeling good enough to be cheerful?)
2- lateral cartilages and digital cushion don't have much room yet. There is evidence in the hoof wall just forward of the heel bulbs that a wider caudal region is growing in. She really doesn't have much there yet.
3- without shoes she's just 14.3 hh. I kinda like getting off closer to the ground. Not so hard getting on either!
4-Taffy's food agression has subsided substantially. Spreading the hay out in many piles seems to help. She's #2 in the herd now. I feed snack buckets in order of herd dominance- wow does that make things easier! Boss mare gets hers first, Taffy next, Glory last (and by herself since she's a slow poke eater).
5- Taffy's forequarter musculature looks different- the hoof balance and chiropractic is showing results all over.
6- I'm going to put the frog pads back on- at least 12 hrs a day.
7- that's a good number to stop on.... I am stewing up an improved plan for the "track" aka "paddock paradise"

5 weeks Almost!

The good- the medial wall on the LF looks much straighter- nearly vertical now.
The bad- Taffy is sore on the RF (this had been her "good" side), when on uneven ground
The best- She's moving better on the LF than she has in 3 wks.

The boots have rubbed some on her heels. I took them off for the night. One size down would be better, I think, so they wouldn't move around. I am hoping she'll grow a larger hoof and end up needing this size! Next time I put them on I will add Gold Bond to help avoid chafing.

She is comfy on soft ground :)

Pix and vids coming soon

Hoofprint ring adjustment

Sunday morning- I still see Taffy tender on LF. I decide to try a little mapping to see if maybe I've overlooked something. Using the hoofprint ring as a guide, I discover the hoof is stretched forward, and if I bring back the toe just about to the white line on both fores, there should be no lever force on the toe wall, and increased comfort. She is barely 3.5 inches. Such teeny tootsies.
RF- I use a vertical nipper cut to take a crescent of wall off the toe. She licks and chews her Thanks. The appearance is pleasing, and the bony column is vertical.
LF-Repeat but a narrower and shorter crescent.

I rasped a slight breakover on both toes with the fine side, but stopped after two or three strokes when I saw red in the white line. UH OH. What have I DONE?! I KNOW better than to mess with toe callus. Taffy does not seem any the worse for it, but I quit and round off the nipper cuts.

Her stride is moved back much now. Feels ok in boots. She will be booted 24 hrs a day for 3 days. I'll be back on Wednesday.