Update...& barefoot

Okay, so Chev has been at the new place for almost 2 weeks.  And she is finally starting to settle in.

Because of the spring grass, I only started leaving her out all night 2 days ago...and she seems much happier being outside all the time.

On Sunday, I had the farrier pull her shoes after a 2 hour walking trailride around the backroads.  She was well behaved for the ride, being a looky-loo the whole time but with no spooking--and she didn't care one bit about the cars.

So she has been barefoot for 3 days now.

I should probably add that she's been in shoes for about 3 years because of various hoof angle issues, the crummy Oregon soggy ground, and then her tenderfootedness.

I did try barefoot with her at the beginning of the winter, and lasted only a week because I couldn't bear to see her so uncomfortable.

So her shoes came off, and the first day she actually was doing really well--even trotting on her own.

Yesterday she was visibly sore, but it didn't stop her from choosing to go in the more gravely parts of the pasture area, and though she was stepping cautiously, she wasn't lame even at the trot.

Or, she was equally lame on both fronts.  You get the idea.

So here are some pictures I took of her feet yesterday after I cleaned them up with a rasp (and managed to rasp my knuckles a few times.  This rasping stuff is tricky!).  Naturally not 10 minutes after I turned her out from her trim with the farrier she had already managed to wreck the whole inside wall of her left front hoof...sigh.  I think the trim needed to be a lot more rounded than it was...but it is what it is.  I attempted to give her a more rounded, "mustang roll" to her front hooves, which should help with chipping and with breakover.

Front left, with the side missing!

Front right, which is a much better shaped hoof

Here's one that shows the hoof on the ground: 

The reason I've really wanted to get her barefoot is the damage to her frogs.  If you look at the pics that show the underside of the hoof, you can see how contracted her heels have become in the shoes.  I'm hoping the damage isn't permanent yet and can be turned around--but I guess only time will tell.

She'll go in and out of the stall now that she's not getting locked in at night!

This is how she stands most of the time--her heels might be a little sore which wouldn't surprise me

Old gelding in the background really likes her.

Hoofprints--her back hooves are definitely nicer than her fronts right now.

So I'm keeping an eye on things--I'm glad she's settled down a  little--maybe her feet are sore enough that she doesn't want to be pacing like a crazy thing.  But I think she's also getting used to the place.

A good face rub makes any day better!

  

ETA:  Tonight her frogs seem to have dropped somewhat and are SPRINGY!  Sort of.  Getting there, anyway.  For the first time in ages, I press on them and they move!  I think this is going to work out for her.