Barefoot trimming for abscesses?

[kunuma]

OK - now I keep reading all about this barefoot trimming, and although I thought that was what I had been doing for years anyway, ie riding unshod and just having them trimmed, it appears that it does involve a whole new way of trimming.
For the umpteenth time yesterday my little rescue has come up with an abscess, and this is despite 4 weekly trimming, which admittedly has not stopped her having distinctly differently shaped feet all round at the moment!
Does barefoot trimming help to prevent abscesses? (in her case caused by years of neglect hence she has WLD etc)

[haffyfan]

Does your farrier have experience of remedial work and is he supportive of barefoot management? I ask because this matters a lot in my experience.

No offense intended but some of the (usually older generation but not all) are a bit set in their ways and opposed to barefoot management and also not up on remedial stuff either in a lot of cases. saying that my farrier is currently treating a mechanical lami case caused basically by bad shoeing.....a young but fully qualified farrier's charge too - very scarey thought indeed!!

At the same time I would never use any one who wasn't a qualified farrier...mine is very supportive and specialises in corrective/remedial work which accounts for about 70% maybe more of his client base. He was happy to treat Murph barefoot for lami and continues to now despite him also suffering abcesses afterwards, degeneration of white line and cracks etc caused by constant digging out of gravel tracks to avoid abcesses. Murph has had 2 holes for over a year now as he won't let them heal up as he is not confident we won't trap something in there so digs them out each time as he see's fit. Murph hasn't been lame due to his feet (touchwood) for 3 years now so it's clearly working.

Does your farrier let the holes cover after initial digging out/soundness comes back? If so maybe he is trapping dirt/muck in there unknowlingly which is then causeing a problem weeks later?

[kunuma]

The farrier doesn't think much of this barefoot lark!!

I have been increasingly bothered that the normal trimming she gets is not really improving her feet, this feeling was enhanced somewhat when the vet came out for her last abscess, and started telling me I should get her feet trimmed regularly, then looked gobsmacked when I said she was done every 6 weeks at the longest, and had just been done two weeks before his visit!!

Now in all honesty I look at her front feet, and they are totally different in appearance to each other, the angle of the hoof is different, one is much steeper and the other foot more flared out, and the flared foot is bigger in size!
If having a proper barefoot trim did a better job of shaping the feet, I wondered if in turn it would leave less space for abscesses!

[Becca]

If you are looking to improve her feet i really would reccommend an EP or DEAP. Bern had an EP and she helped inpove his flare and rotation where he was walking wonky. She also helped my friends mare grow some heel.

If you prefer to use a registed farrier I would look for one who does remedial work, like haff said, "old school" farriers in particular tend to charge less for a trim and therefore rush through and hack away the long stuff to get on to shoe a horse.

[joandlad]

You just need someone who is going to do a good job with a barefoot foot. That could be a farrier or a barefoot specialist as long as they are good at what they do. I'm a DAEP (Degreed Applied Equine Podiatrist) and I believe the main difference between a DAEP and a good farrier is that a DAEP will look at the whole horse and its environment and help you sort things so the horse has the best feet possible.

Sounds like the current hoofcare programme isn't working too well if she's abscessing and has WLD. So I think it's worth trying a different approach. Whether you ask around for farrier recommendations or try a DAEP is up to you. If you want to go down the DAEP route take a look at:

www.equinepodiatry.net/locate.html#UK

Jo

[kunuma]

Thanks - so is a DAEP the proper name for a barefoot trimmer? I'd better get it all sorted out - mind you I still can't remember not to call the farrier a blacksmith!
The official opinion now is that she will never be sound, so I suppose this is just me thinking that there must be something else to try. Certainly if normal footcare was going to sort her out, she has now had two years of it, and her present abscess is the worst one yet. She never has any frogs to speak of, and very low soles. She has had really nicely shaped feet at times, but at other times they are dreadful.
She isn't mine, so I am going to have to do this off my own bat, and because it may cause dissension, I am trying to suss out whether it is worth trying it or not!
OR, am I being overly optimistic and looking for a miracle?
There is a DEAP near me - would they mind having their brains picked do you think?

[joandlad]

There are 3 main types of barefoot trimmers:

I'm a DAEP - Degreed Applied Equine Podiatrist. DAEPs train and qualify with KC La Pierre and are up to date with continued professional development and members of Institute of Applied Equine Podiatry.
www.equinepodiatry.net

EP - Equine Podiatrist. At present all current EPs qualified with KC La Pierre. Then there was a split where some DAEPs formed their own association, EPAUK (Equine Podiatry Association UK). They are now running their own training courses but do not yet have any EPs who have qualified through their training courses. www.epauk.org

UKNHCP (UK Natural Hoofcare Practitioner). Sorry don't know much about them other than they base their trim on the wild horse model. www.uknhcp.org

Any one of the above should be more than willing to speak to you. We love nothing more than talking feet and love it when we find someone who is really interested in what we have to say. ;D Most of the DAEPs will do a free initial consultation where they come and assess the horse, the owner (in the nicest possible way!) and the environment the horse is kept in. Without seeing the horse it's impossible to say whether the situation can be improved. As a DAEP I work alongside a vet where I think necessary. With a long term condition it is usual to get the horse x-rayed so we have a clear understanding of what is going on inside. This may or may not be necessary, again without seeing the horse it's impossible to say.

Send me a PM if you need any more info.

Jo