I guess Freedom likes his glue on shoes. Today, after months of carefully growing out his badly chipped front feet, he was going to get regular shoes. It was a milestone and financially welcome.
Yesterday, he managed to shed one of his expensive glue ons and totally destry the hoof wall. I found the shoe thoughtfully deposited in front of the gate, where I couldn’t miss it when I fed last night.
While some horses manage quite fine with the hooves they were born with — Zelda has lovely feet, even after hunting her a few times this spring, there are no chips, no cracks and no bruising. She is my reward for supporting Freedom’s fragile thoroughbred feet for the last 16 years. Many horses do okay with a lost shoe, especially if it’s caught early on.
Not Freedom. Even in a soft pasture (we’ve had rain recently), Freedom managed to totally destroy that naked hoof. It will be months and months before I can even think of nailing a regular shoe onto it. He must be wanting to keep the Sigafoo company in business. Or maybe he just enjoys have the special shoes. I guess I should be greatful that at least it’s an easy fix. In another day or two, he’ll have his new ruby slippers and will be happy as ever.
OH NO. I am so sorry. It must be a Thoroughbred thing. My ex husbands Appaloosa/TB cross had ONE foot (almost all white, I must say) that would never hold a shoe. Raven (half TB and half Trakehner) ‘s back feet took two years of judicious trimming to get to the point where they are actually HOOVES. We don’t shoe the hind feet, but then, we don’t hunt on him either or do cross country.
What helped at least grow decent hoof wall was a daily supplement of Trifecta. It is NOT CHEAP but it has done wonders. That, and Sue puts Ricket’s formula on the hind feet, just to keep that %#%&$! white line away.
Sometimes we wish things for our horses that, in retrospect, will never happen. I wish we could get Raven to collect better, but he has a long back, so he’s always on the forehand. I wish we could count on his hind feet not chipping…but at least they’re solid, now. So……….put Freedom’s ruby slippers back on. Maybe you can even paint them ruby red….
and please, I do feel your exasperation and frustration. It’s just …his feet is what they is.
Sigh. His hoof is so damaged (the shoe took some wall with it) that I have him in a hoof boot, poultice and pads while we try to get him off the sole. I’ll try the Trifecta. Thank goodness Zelda has great feet and can be barefoot.
Again, I am so sorry. Sigh. Wellllllll, if it makes you feel any better, at least it happened during the summer. I cringe thinking of a horse with a foot like that moving around in the mud, wet, rain and snow of winter. All those bacterial nasties just waiting for an opportunity to take hold. Not to mention it’s a lot easier to doctor a hoof without having to wear six layers, clumsy gloves and dealing with freezing temps.