Date
1 - 8 of 8
WAS: Update on GP dressage horse with founder Now: Equicasts
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I'm all for barefoot when at all possible. Sometimes, it's just not.
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Or it makes sense to use another method for a period of time. Abby's experience with the pony and the 11 year old is a case where it was handled appropriately and a healthy pony is moving forward. My 30-year old wearing snow shoes for three months to minimize ice accidents is another. Even Dr Bowker will point to times when a peripheral loading device might be needed for a period of time. It should be noted that when this Equicast discussion came up on another group, a fairly well known barefoot pro reported she plans on using the Equicasts for severely foundered horses that she sees. She also reported that several of her colleagues were enthusiastic about the product as well. They were using it successfully and the horses responded in the same way as Lorna described Drummer did. Lorna....do you remember who it was or any more of the conversation? Nancy C and Beau and Gabe in NH
Not every horse needs these, but there are some where they provide a
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Ute <ute@...>
I am curious, how is your 30 year old prone to ice
accidents?
BALANCED STEP
Ute Miethe - LMT/LAMT NCTMB Nationally Certified Massage Therapist & Natural Performance Barefoot Trimmer
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briarskingstonnet <briars@...>
It should be noted that when this Equicast discussion came up onSorry,Nancy,I think I missed that. I think we have to listen to our horses you know.If they react the way Drummer did,and Carol's Blue,to name just 2,I'd be silly not to pay attention. I had a long talk with the inventor of the casts .He spoke of 2 horses he had seen recently who were in slings. Slings! The casts were applied and those horses both walked away.He said they were not sound.But they were walking on their own.I don't know the rest of the story. There has to be something that the horses know that we don't . I can see that for some horses,just as with anything else,casts may not be the solution. But I can't see what there is to lose,either from the horse's point of view,or the financial one. I don't know why my attention never found itself to the casts over the last 5 years.I sure could have saved Drummer(and my pocket book) a lot of discomfort trying to find boots for him. Lorna Kingston
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Ute -
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He is not prone to ice accidents. I live in the northeast and it is a precaution. I am willing to choose three months of shoes for the winter over the possibility of a fall at his age. He is barefoot the rest of the year. Again, that would be consistent with an approach to shoes that I have heard Dr Bowker speak to many, many times. Nancy C and Beau and Gabe in NH
--- In ECHoof@yahoogroups.com, "Ute" <ute@...> wrote:
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Ute wrote:
I am curious, how is your 30 year old prone to ice accidents? Had to laugh at this. This time of year anything with legs is prone to "ice accidents" in New England!!! -A -- ************************** Abby Bloxsom www.advantedgeconsulting.com
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briarskingstonnet wrote:
I don't know why my attention never found itself to the casts over the last 5 years.I sure could have saved Drummer(and my pocket book) a lot of discomfort trying to find boots for him.Dave's only really had them on the market about a year and a half. I sat on the information for a year before I really felt confident that I had a clear protocol that was working well on laminitic/rotated feet so I could share it with the list. I knew this kind of thing was going to happen and I wanted to be sure I had my ducks in a row before I shared it. REALLY glad now that I did. -A -- ************************** Abby Bloxsom www.advantedgeconsulting.com
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Ute <ute@...>
Horses generally have superior traction on slippery
surfaces barefoot, plus they will not pack snow, as the hove and naturally flex
and expand. Shoes without caulks of course would slip more while shoes with
caulks can cause excessive torque that may not be good for the musculo
skeletal system. My horses whole hindend alignment changed after he was
taken barefoot. I always thought he was slightly sickle hocked - he was not. He
assumed this stance to compensate for the instability his shoes created. I have
pictures to proof it. Can you imagine what musculo-skeletal compensation your
horse's shoes might actually create? Often we do not see the direct link because
no studies are done in this respect. Perhaps many arthritic changes that we
simply attribute to age actually stem from musculo-skeletal compensation thanks
to shoes. I really hope that some day, we will have actual research to support
my concerns.
Have you ever tried him bare in the winter and
found it to be a problem?
BALANCED STEP
Ute Miethe - LMT/LAMT NCTMB Nationally Certified Massage Therapist & Natural Performance Barefoot Trimmer
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aptly_asked <aptly_asked@...>
Ute wrote:
Excuse me??? You're contradicting yourself. Shoes with caulks are best for traction, personally I prefer borium arc-tacked onto the shoe if the horse is shod, not really a caulk, more a trick of chemistry and ice's compressive nature. On sheer ice ONLY a caulked shoe is going to get traction. I have to wear my own icers in those conditions, and these conditions are frequent. Climate must be different where you are. I've seen horses ball up with bare feet quite frequently, depending on temperature of snow, hoof heat, and water content in snow. Of course I've also seen horses in shoes not ball up with snow/ice, again same thing. It's to do with the cohesion of snow which has more to do with temperature differential, co-efficient of friction of the bonding surface, and water content of snow. If your horse changed his alignment barefoot from being shod, then the shod foot was not properly balanced and he wasn't properly trimmed to begin with. I've seen farriers tack on shoes, have the horse jog out or walk out, reset, and do the same thing again and again, until it's right. Arthritic changes come a lot from prior injury or simple wear and tear. You're demonizing shoes on a horse, when work circumstances require them. Would you expect a carriage horse or other road use horse to be barefoot? Until we have research to support your concerns, they are just that ... concerns and theory. Until they are proof they are not fact, just opinion. Don't get the two mixed up please. Paul.
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