Nip tore about a quarter of his near side off fore, including the coronet band on a barbed wire fence (agistment I'm afraid and we found the piece of foot hanging there a couple of days later) around 1999-2000. The foot was cast for a couple of weeks I think and he was completely confined for a period of 1-2 months, no mean feat since he was in full work at the time of the accident.
After the plaster came off he was bandaged daily for some weeks and was shod not long after. I can dig out exact dates if you require but for the time being they remain in my box of paid bills and bad memories!
The new growth grew separately from the rest of the foot and at a really bad angle. There was always a crack that constantly abscessed and left him lame all the time. The new hoof growth constantly broke off and back to square one we went. If a shoe came loose or God forbid he lost one, I would go into a state of absolute panic. I had a couple of good farriers along the way but had to change since I moved location several times.
This made it really difficult as there was never any continuity and always new opinions to be dealt with. I even paid $150 at one stage to have a farrier of note from one of the big city tracks to come out and look at him and he never even picked up the foot, just looked at it, gave me his opinion and charged me the full fee. Nip had to be constantly shod at least on his front feet as the general consensus seemed to be that without a shoe Nip just would not be able to get around as he needed the support a shoe offered due to the lack of hoof wall.
So every shoe I would imagine appears in any farrier's handbook (if there is such a thing) was used - bar shoes, half bar shoes, Natural Balance shoes, even Eurethane pads between the sole and the shoe at $130 a pop. Still he always pulled up lame and the foot developed a concave appearance on the front wall and was extremely ugly (photos I sent you some months ago)!
My riding suffered as a consequence, there was no regularity and I was unable to go for trail rides, enter any competitions or attend even Adult Riding club on a regular basis. It has been the most frustrating years of my riding life I can tell you. My last conventional farrier had him going in normal shoes until April when he gave up the farrier game due to illness.
Not knowing what to do next since I was quite new to the area and on good local advice, I contacted Andrew who immediately removed his shoes (I remember wincing and having a silent internal panic attack when he (strongly) suggested it) but the results are now speaking for themselves only six months later. The changes I have noticed are as follows:
. The front hoof wall is straight with no concavity.
. Nipper is not exhibiting any signs of lameness.
. The foot has not broken away.
. He is far more relaxed and far less uptight than he ever was.
The most telling one I have found is that immediately following his shoes being removed, he had a deep dip in his pectoral muscle (muscle atrophy I think you call it but not 100% sure!) where he had been compensating for his sore foot.
This was spotted during several Myo Fascial therapy sessions he received, as well as from a physio early on in the barefoot piece. That hollow has now disappeared almost completely and his chest is now symmetrical again, so I believe he is walking a lot more squarely on his sore foot without favoring any longer which is a good sign.
Now the ground is hardening up I will resume riding again (sorry I have become a fair-weather girl in my old age) so that will be a good test of how things are progressing however, he is still 100% on what he was, the foot looks good (well as good as it's going to look) and even if I retire him fully, I'm certain he will be happier and healthier without shoes. I say this all within six months of having him barefoot so the prospects at this point in time certainly look good as I realise a year or so will probably be a better time span to see bigger changes.
My other horses are all also barefoot and I would imagine any others that arrive here in the future will be as well. I just cant see myself going back to shod horses. The results are currently speaking for themselves on a horse that was severely injured and my others are thriving without metal on their feet also. Prior to having Nip's shoes removed I was the ultimate skeptic with regard to the barefoot thing and couldn't possibly imagine it benefiting my injured TB.
I had resigned myself to endless above-average farriers' bills and ongoing vet bills, however proof for me is now running around my paddock like a nine year old, so I am now fully converted!
Things are always so rushed when he gets here to shoe the horses and the kids are running around that I never really get the time to tell him how grateful I am for what he's done. His passion and enthusiasm for what he does are commendable. In fact to date I have never seen a farrier so enthusiastic about his work. It's good to see and there ought to be a few more like him in the game. Just wish I had discovered you guys earlier in the piece.
Regards, Deb.
