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Home > Articles > Farran's Success Story
Farran's Success Story
by Capri Winser
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Background: Farran is a 17-year-old trakehner gelding, used for
dressage, shod all of his working life as far as I know. I've had him
for 5 1/2 years. In May '01, he came up lame warming up for a show,
and was off-and-on lame on the right front hoof for the rest of the year.
Every time I would start working him again, he would go off again.
The diagnosis was not certain... Perhaps a bone spur in the coffin
joint, perhaps pedal osteitis. He was boarded and turned out about 12
hours a day or more, stabled the rest of the time.
The Transition: Attended a Martha Olivo clinic and practiced trimming
on cadaver hooves. Moved Farran home March 3, 2002, to 24-hour
turnout, bought a young horse to be his buddy, pulled his shoes and
had him trimmed by a farrier who is a big barefoot advocate in
Virginia. (Just before this, had him vet-checked, he was off on the
RF.) Did hand walking at first, then riding, mostly at the walk until
he began volunteering more. Got Horsneakers for his front feet.
Got Davis soaking boots and started soaking daily for 30-60 minutes
in 1/4 Apple Cider Vinegar, 3/4 water. We had bouts of soreness whenever I tried
riding too much, too soon. Never had abscessing.
Current status: Have returned him to regular dressage work including
weekly lessons (doing 2nd/3rd level work) in the last 4-5 weeks, and
he is sound and happy! He gets a long trail ride about once a week.
Doesn't need the boots in the dressage arena. He is going better than
he ever has. His horn quality looks great. I still soak daily, have
taken over his trimming myself (with my farrier's supervision and
approval). Last night I took a tracing of his front hooves and
compared to tracings from 3/31/02, and found that his heels on both
front feet have expanded by 1/2 inch!
His right fore hoof has always been larger than the left fore (since I've had him),
and he has had a tendency to point the right fore, or a strong preference to
put that foot forward when grazing or eating. I've been careful to
keep his toes dubbed back to reduce leverage on the toe hoof wall,
which had some white line separation. Now the two hooves are much
closer in size, and just in the last week or two, since my last trim,
I've caught him grazing several times with either his 2 front feet
square, or even with the right fore back and the left fore forward. His concavity in
both front feet is suddenly increasing, too.
A side benefit of the 24 hour turnout is that I don't use any joint
supplements or injections now. He doesn't need them right now.
I am very encouraged at how he is doing! I'm going to ride him in a
schooling show Sunday, our first show in more than a year. He had
done very well in recognized shows in the past, and I'm hoping to
return him to competition in the fall.
UPDATE: Farran returned to the show ring for the first time since
going barefoot this past Sunday, 9/22/2002. He did Third Level, Test 1. Yay!
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