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> Here is where I need your help! Has anyone had sucess with returning a
> horse like the above to endurance riding???? Or shall I just lease him
> for one dollar a year to one of the local 4-H youngsters?? Please be
> frank!
My husband's horse foundered (laminitis) about 7 years ago, now. He
ended with a 3 degree and a 5 degree rotation of P3 (coffin bone) by the
end of the episode. We were very discouraged, to say the least.
We employed the best farrier we could find. With the vet's input, the
exterior of the hoof was reshaped to remove delaminating toe and he was
ultimately shod in keg shoes that are reset every 5-6 weeks.
The horse is "stoic" - it really has to bother him to complain. That
being said, he is competing on a semi-regular basis in limited distance
& carefully chosen 50 milers. On even (read no rocks) terrain, he goes
beautifully in plain keg shoes. If the ride is to be rocky, we pad him
with Shock Tamer pads which are built like a running shoe with different
densities of plastic. They have been a godsend. Don't even bother with
other pads! We have considered using easyboots over his regular shoes
for the occasional rocky ride, but we've yet to try it.
We xray yearly to check for change in rotation. This year the xray says
we've moved to a 1 and 2 degree rotation - no good explanation why.
If I'd leased the horse out, I'd have concerns over whether the family
would be able to afford the vet & farrier bills involved with keeping
him functional.
Good luck. I sorry to hear that your horse is going through this.
Linda Flemmer
Blue Wolf Ranch
Bruceton Mills, WV
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