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What ‘went wrong?’
The initial consultation covered many areas effecting horse/hoof. Ronnie had a long way to go to become a confident barefoot horse so every care was taken not to push him beyond his comfort zone and the capability of his hooves. He had infection in his frogs, contracted/under run heals and poor sole depth.
Nutrition was covered in detail. Recommendations were made to remove the mollassed chop and mollassed course mix and replace it with an effective supplement and feed without additives, preservatives and bulking agents. This was needed to produce strong healthy hooves and fight the constant frog infections. We have seen a lot of evidence that these changes are often needed to make improvements in hoof quality and performance.
Nutritional recommendations were not followed. The hoof was never able to grow down a strong connection to P3 because of compromised laminae. Frog infections were always present despite topical treatments. A lack of essential minerals combined with a high sugar diet can open the body to fungal/bacterial invasion. This meant he could not load his feet confidently and develop healthy structure within the foot. Viscous circle with no way out.
Another important factor was the significance of grass. Unrestricted grazing was potentially another issue. Being able to make an assessment at how significant the grass was in itself could never be reached because no dietary changes were considered.
Ronnie’s performance varied. Seasonal changes at times hampered the progress. When his hooves regained more health; the heals more upright and not under run, heals decontracted, hoof walls thicker and stronger, then it was decided to use shoes again because it was a better option for Ronnie.
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