As September 2014 approached, Farletta had been out of the field at her boarding stable for a couple weeks. She was sound and comfortable over most surfaces aside from the occasional sharp rock. She no longer tried to drag me over to softer ground when we walked outside and she was once again readily giving me her feet where before she had been too painful to stand with one front hoof off the ground.
I think of how different our story could have been at this point. Many traditionally trained farriers and vets would have her in "magic" shoes and pads with stall rest (traditional laminitis treatment)...not only something completely unnecessary in this case but also a treatment method which does not address the true problem and therefore leaves the horse vulnerable to future episodes.
I think of how different our story could have been at this point. Many traditionally trained farriers and vets would have her in "magic" shoes and pads with stall rest (traditional laminitis treatment)...not only something completely unnecessary in this case but also a treatment method which does not address the true problem and therefore leaves the horse vulnerable to future episodes.
Is diet everything? No, but it may be the most important thing. Proper trimming is crucial as is lots of movement. Think of the horse in its natural environment and see how close you can get to that. At one time I would have looked at the picture above and thought: "Poor horses, nothing to eat." Now I feel jealousy and think to myself: those horses must have awesome feet! I wish I could give Farletta a place like this to live but here in Kentucky, that is not going to happen.
As I said previously, I felt Farletta's diet was under control. She wore a grazing muzzle when in the field, she ate only grass hays in her stall and she had never seen sweet feed a day in her life (at least not since I got her in 2006). While I think many things contributed to the lameness she was experiencing this past summer and the funky foot issues I'd been seeing for almost 2 years (save that for another post), changing her diet (removing grass almost entirely from her diet) certainly made the most significant improvement in her soundness.
As I said previously, I felt Farletta's diet was under control. She wore a grazing muzzle when in the field, she ate only grass hays in her stall and she had never seen sweet feed a day in her life (at least not since I got her in 2006). While I think many things contributed to the lameness she was experiencing this past summer and the funky foot issues I'd been seeing for almost 2 years (save that for another post), changing her diet (removing grass almost entirely from her diet) certainly made the most significant improvement in her soundness.
Unfortunately, taking up permanent residence in the dry lot at her current boarding stable was not really an option. It was a space reserved for ill or injured horses and was also quite small, had no shade and was not very near the other horses. |