It was finally time to get caught up on all the trims that have been put off during the really bad weather. I was able to finish 4 of them a couple of days ago and today I made a trip out to see my 28 year old "retired" mare, who lives at our neighbor's place with two geldings, one who is older than my horse.
Rose, a red roan appaloosa, was my first horse. I found her in an ad in a local "Nickel" newspaper over 20 years ago. Her owner was leasing her, asking that whoever was willing to take on the responsibility, would pay for her board and feed and foot care, as well as insure her for loss, in case of death or injury. Little did I know that it wouldn't be long before I was to be part of her first injury in my care. I was what horse people call "green" with horses, knowing little more than that they had 4 legs, the front end was for food and that you were guaranteed to spend most of your time cleaning what came out of the other end.
The first day with Rose, I went out to the stables to acquaint myself with her and began by removing her blanket. Apparently her owner had told me how to crosstie her when I was grooming, saddling or picking her feet, but had forgotten to mention how to correctly release the straps from her blanket before removing it. I guess I thought I'd unsnapped everything, but in reality, had forgotten one of the straps around her back leg.
Looking back, I'm sure that Rose was staring at me wide eyed, knowing I was a noobie, just waiting for me to screw up and put her in mortal danger. She didn't have to wait long. As I pulled the blanket from back to front, I knew immediately that something was wrong. I met with resistance and after giving it a bigger tug, the blanket would move no further. Rose, on the other hand, moved swiftly....straight up. In what was probably seconds, but seemed liked minutes, I watched Rose raise her entire front end up in the air, striking the large fluorescent bulbs above her, breaking one just above her left eye. The crossties did not release her and she pulled back to avoid hitting the post next to her. I don't remember what happened after that, except that once I backed away from Rose and she stopped moving, I could see the blood coming from her scalp. Oh my God....what have I done!!!! I'm not sure whose pulse was racing faster-mine or Rose. True to her patient and generally forgiving nature, she remained still while I finished removing her blanket. It was not an impressive beginning. But, then there was no where to go but up (meaning my progress with horses, NOT Rose's front end).
Within 2 weeks of our first incident, Rose began showing signs of significant agitation while I was riding her. She kept lifting her back leg and striking at the air and touching her side with her nose everytime I put my leg on her. More out of fear for my own safety than concern for Rose's condition, I got off of her. I called in someone from the stables who had been helping me and she watched Rose as she wandered loose in the arena, no longer carrying me or the saddle. She began dropping to the ground and rolling and at one point did not get up, instead looking at her sides and shaking her head. Rose was collicking. It was my first experience with the condition and my first encounter with a veterinarian who cared for large animals. An hour later, after being "tubed" and given banamine, Rose was walking the arena at the end of the lead rope and I was $100 poorer. By this time I was thinking, "This horse ownership isn't just about riding is it?"
Part of my financial responsibility in leasing Rose was to pay for her foot care, which at the time included shoes. The farrier, highly recommended, introduced me to the condition in horses, known as "navicular". This refers to the bone in the foot of the horse and a corresponding tendon, that was apparently responsible for heel pain in horses that becomes chronic, leading to not only shoes, but pads and eventually crippling pain and possible early demise. Rose,was originally trained for cutting, a sport that involves running, sliding, quick turning and side to side movements while keeping a cow in front of her as part of an activity originally used by cattleman to move the cows and keep them together. This put a significant physical strain on her body, especially the legs and feet. She was good at it and so had been used in competition for several years before I met her.
Rose, only eight years old, had been wearing shoes since she was just over 2 years old. My farrier told me, that she was already showing signs of lameness, but that he would continue to take care of her. I figured that as long as he was keeping her in shoes that she'd be fine. Everyone knew more than me at this point, so I just listened and nodded. Little did I know that years later, I would discover that not only was it the shoes that CAUSED the condition of "navicular syndrome", but that by removing them and trimming her properly, she would completely recover. Horses who develop navicular syndrome begin standing with their front legs out in front of them to take the weight off their heels, where the pain is severe. They walk toe first and their trot and canter shows distinct shifts of weight that reflect the discomfort of putting weight on their front heels. The rear feet usually have no problem. (If you want to seriously delve into this, I highly recommend going to Pete Ramey's site http://www.hoofrehab.com/ and search through his articles) So much misinformation about this condition has been circulated that to this day, farriers will tell you that there is a genetic predisposition or that it is because of damage to the navicular bone and associated tendon and that it responds to severing of the nerve in the heel, but will eventually require putting the horse down, usually at an early age.
Well, I'm here to tell you-this is not true. Now three years from having her shoes AND pads removed, Rose stands up straight in the front, walks heel first and is running in the pasture with her 30 year old buddy Tetley and his younger male counterpart Salty. Rose's condition was caused by placing shoes on a horse whose "digital cushion" had not fully developed. As a foal, the digital cushion consists of a soft fatty material which works well for a horse that weighs no more than 250 lbs. But with continued heel first landings, the digital cushion and the sensitive nerves in the heel, become matured and a thickened protective area of the frog develops that allows the horse to run on the surface that they will live and work the rest of their life. Rose's digital cushion never really developed and so with each year that went by, the pain of carrying her weight on her soft, mushy heels, increased. Each time the shoe and pad were placed over the soft area, she was denied a chance to thicken and toughen the area, creating a vicious cycle that led to lameness and significant discomfort with every step.
When I trimmed Rose today, she stood for me with very little discomfort other than what she feels from the pain in her right shoulder. All the years of running with shoes and pads which are very harmful to the joints due to the concussive force of metal to ground that runs up the leg to the shoulder and back, matched by the unnatural toe first landings she had to make to avoid pain at her heels, gave Rose arthritis. Giving her just one bute a day, along with the trimming that has corrected her "navicular syndrome", has made all the difference. Rose's heels now grow quite long to protect the area of her frog that is still less than adequate for an adult horse. After 28 years, she cannot completely reproduce nature's early growth of the digital cushion, but her foot has adapted to the terrain and she is very happy.
She waited a long time for me to get it right for her. But she is a patient and forgiving creature. And like that first day 20 years ago, she let me make mistakes without giving up on me. Now I hug and kiss on her and let her know that she has taught me more than she'll ever know....My old friend Rose!
Rose, a red roan appaloosa, was my first horse. I found her in an ad in a local "Nickel" newspaper over 20 years ago. Her owner was leasing her, asking that whoever was willing to take on the responsibility, would pay for her board and feed and foot care, as well as insure her for loss, in case of death or injury. Little did I know that it wouldn't be long before I was to be part of her first injury in my care. I was what horse people call "green" with horses, knowing little more than that they had 4 legs, the front end was for food and that you were guaranteed to spend most of your time cleaning what came out of the other end.
The first day with Rose, I went out to the stables to acquaint myself with her and began by removing her blanket. Apparently her owner had told me how to crosstie her when I was grooming, saddling or picking her feet, but had forgotten to mention how to correctly release the straps from her blanket before removing it. I guess I thought I'd unsnapped everything, but in reality, had forgotten one of the straps around her back leg.
Looking back, I'm sure that Rose was staring at me wide eyed, knowing I was a noobie, just waiting for me to screw up and put her in mortal danger. She didn't have to wait long. As I pulled the blanket from back to front, I knew immediately that something was wrong. I met with resistance and after giving it a bigger tug, the blanket would move no further. Rose, on the other hand, moved swiftly....straight up. In what was probably seconds, but seemed liked minutes, I watched Rose raise her entire front end up in the air, striking the large fluorescent bulbs above her, breaking one just above her left eye. The crossties did not release her and she pulled back to avoid hitting the post next to her. I don't remember what happened after that, except that once I backed away from Rose and she stopped moving, I could see the blood coming from her scalp. Oh my God....what have I done!!!! I'm not sure whose pulse was racing faster-mine or Rose. True to her patient and generally forgiving nature, she remained still while I finished removing her blanket. It was not an impressive beginning. But, then there was no where to go but up (meaning my progress with horses, NOT Rose's front end).
Within 2 weeks of our first incident, Rose began showing signs of significant agitation while I was riding her. She kept lifting her back leg and striking at the air and touching her side with her nose everytime I put my leg on her. More out of fear for my own safety than concern for Rose's condition, I got off of her. I called in someone from the stables who had been helping me and she watched Rose as she wandered loose in the arena, no longer carrying me or the saddle. She began dropping to the ground and rolling and at one point did not get up, instead looking at her sides and shaking her head. Rose was collicking. It was my first experience with the condition and my first encounter with a veterinarian who cared for large animals. An hour later, after being "tubed" and given banamine, Rose was walking the arena at the end of the lead rope and I was $100 poorer. By this time I was thinking, "This horse ownership isn't just about riding is it?"
Part of my financial responsibility in leasing Rose was to pay for her foot care, which at the time included shoes. The farrier, highly recommended, introduced me to the condition in horses, known as "navicular". This refers to the bone in the foot of the horse and a corresponding tendon, that was apparently responsible for heel pain in horses that becomes chronic, leading to not only shoes, but pads and eventually crippling pain and possible early demise. Rose,was originally trained for cutting, a sport that involves running, sliding, quick turning and side to side movements while keeping a cow in front of her as part of an activity originally used by cattleman to move the cows and keep them together. This put a significant physical strain on her body, especially the legs and feet. She was good at it and so had been used in competition for several years before I met her.
Rose, only eight years old, had been wearing shoes since she was just over 2 years old. My farrier told me, that she was already showing signs of lameness, but that he would continue to take care of her. I figured that as long as he was keeping her in shoes that she'd be fine. Everyone knew more than me at this point, so I just listened and nodded. Little did I know that years later, I would discover that not only was it the shoes that CAUSED the condition of "navicular syndrome", but that by removing them and trimming her properly, she would completely recover. Horses who develop navicular syndrome begin standing with their front legs out in front of them to take the weight off their heels, where the pain is severe. They walk toe first and their trot and canter shows distinct shifts of weight that reflect the discomfort of putting weight on their front heels. The rear feet usually have no problem. (If you want to seriously delve into this, I highly recommend going to Pete Ramey's site http://www.hoofrehab.com/ and search through his articles) So much misinformation about this condition has been circulated that to this day, farriers will tell you that there is a genetic predisposition or that it is because of damage to the navicular bone and associated tendon and that it responds to severing of the nerve in the heel, but will eventually require putting the horse down, usually at an early age.
Well, I'm here to tell you-this is not true. Now three years from having her shoes AND pads removed, Rose stands up straight in the front, walks heel first and is running in the pasture with her 30 year old buddy Tetley and his younger male counterpart Salty. Rose's condition was caused by placing shoes on a horse whose "digital cushion" had not fully developed. As a foal, the digital cushion consists of a soft fatty material which works well for a horse that weighs no more than 250 lbs. But with continued heel first landings, the digital cushion and the sensitive nerves in the heel, become matured and a thickened protective area of the frog develops that allows the horse to run on the surface that they will live and work the rest of their life. Rose's digital cushion never really developed and so with each year that went by, the pain of carrying her weight on her soft, mushy heels, increased. Each time the shoe and pad were placed over the soft area, she was denied a chance to thicken and toughen the area, creating a vicious cycle that led to lameness and significant discomfort with every step.
When I trimmed Rose today, she stood for me with very little discomfort other than what she feels from the pain in her right shoulder. All the years of running with shoes and pads which are very harmful to the joints due to the concussive force of metal to ground that runs up the leg to the shoulder and back, matched by the unnatural toe first landings she had to make to avoid pain at her heels, gave Rose arthritis. Giving her just one bute a day, along with the trimming that has corrected her "navicular syndrome", has made all the difference. Rose's heels now grow quite long to protect the area of her frog that is still less than adequate for an adult horse. After 28 years, she cannot completely reproduce nature's early growth of the digital cushion, but her foot has adapted to the terrain and she is very happy.
She waited a long time for me to get it right for her. But she is a patient and forgiving creature. And like that first day 20 years ago, she let me make mistakes without giving up on me. Now I hug and kiss on her and let her know that she has taught me more than she'll ever know....My old friend Rose!
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