These Boots Are Made For Walking

After our recent hack adventure with 'Jane' I spent some time researching on matters of hooves.

For the time being, I was ruling out his back as main source of discomfort as it had been checked over by the Osteopath.

Now it was time to look at his feet.

I have to say, taking on a horse without any prior knowledge of horses and their health is one hell of a learning curve. You just don't know where to start! There you are, with a horse that is for better or worse dependent on your efforts to care for its well being. Countless hours have been spent reading up on various topics. It's quite easy to get yourselves lost and I had to make some kind of plan for myself, to look at each issue one by one rather than to work a little here and there.

Well, so far I knew he had discomfort in his rear area. He had been diagnosed with a 'dead' back - the lumbar joint but this has been addressed and is still being addressed also with massage etc.

It's time to look at his feet.

'Jane' has had a barefoot specialist look at 'Rose's feet (the other ex-racehorse that arrived with 'Mr F', also barefoot). 

She recommended something that I now call 'Cloud Walking'. How is it supposed to work? 

a) Get 4 'Solemates Pads' (26mm thick pads, very similar or may even be memory foam). 

b) Have the horse stand on each pad to get an imprint the cut out leaving some extra so the hoof doesn't slip over the pad. 

c) Attach the cut to shape pads to each hoof with duct tape (just to the hoof, not the skin!). It comes of easily. Alternatively: make boots that can hold the pad for each hoof, using old carpet. (that intrigued me!)

d) If you have successfully managed to complete a - c, the rest is easy: walk your horse for about 30 minutes each day wearing these pads.

This 'cloud walking' would help stimulate frog growth and also correct structural imbalance while they are worn.

Having seen 'Jane' trying to apply this to 'Rose', I decided to make some 'boots' out of old carpet for 'Mr F's back hooves. I wanted to know if it would make a difference and whether it would stop him from hogging the grass verges. 

To make the shoes, I needed some idea of 'Mr F's hoof size and shape. The easiest way was to make 'casts' out of paper by wrapping them around his foot and  sticky-tape them into shape. I then cut open each wrap so that I could make some form of 'flat projection' onto a piece of old carpet.

The paper 'casts' of 'Mr F's hooves. I made several straight cuts down the paper hoof wall so that I could transfer a flat projection of the shape onto a piece of old carpet.

Once the carpet versions are cut out, fold them back into shape and fix together with duct tape, lots of it. With 2 'boots' prepared, I went to try them on.

I am pleased that by now 'Mr F' is patiently letting me get on with whatever I want to do with him, in his usual patient yet inquisitive manner. Every now and then he would turn his head and look as if to say "What on earth are you doing now?!"

Our first hoof boot prototype ... carpet slippers ... 

It was time to test them out. I lead 'Mr F' up and down the drive several times to test the boots or as I called them: his slippers.

'Mr F' was not quite sure at first what just happened to his feet but when he realised that he now was able move on gravel and hard ground without feeling uncomfortable, he began to walk much better. 

For the first time we managed to achieve a speedy walk and even his turning was now quicker and easier for him. A result!

The stiffness in the back leg remains, albeit a little less leaving me with the hope that when his feet are in an improved condition his stiffness may lessen eventually as he hopefully will be able to move more freely without having sore feet. I like to add that he only has sore feet on stony ground. When I lead him up in the open fields behind 'Buttercup Farm' his walk is very different.