tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-932439930694780998.post2288214062935329734..comments2024-03-26T17:31:58.290-07:00Comments on 'Fraidy Cat Eventing: gettin' high.... maintenance emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05686949099663199382noreply@blogger.comBlogger51125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-932439930694780998.post-85407673631957497892017-06-12T17:32:31.234-07:002017-06-12T17:32:31.234-07:00Yea, not a big change on the fungus on my end eith...Yea, not a big change on the fungus on my end either (though I started using Zephyr's fungus spray on his cannons) -- but man did he get slick and shiny!Niamhhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12445287419135378606noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-932439930694780998.post-24505164832657026742017-06-12T10:34:48.407-07:002017-06-12T10:34:48.407-07:00Mae had those super flat OTTB hooves and we were a...Mae had those super flat OTTB hooves and we were all nervous that they'd be awful, etc etc. Turns out it was the ulcers which we didn't see coming at all. We have her on Farrier's Formula, which has accelerated her hoof growth and the farrier says to keep her on it for a few more months. Otherwise, her feet have been looking better and better and fingers' crossed, no typical OTTB hoof problems!roothhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09670446457829193892noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-932439930694780998.post-12696041012862639842017-06-08T08:44:34.340-07:002017-06-08T08:44:34.340-07:00I really like looooow maintenance which is why I h...I really like looooow maintenance which is why I have 4 horse with fly sensitivities or allergies! Haha.<br /><br />This would make a good blog post but I definitely believe there's nothing wrong with supplements. I take them and feel better and I see results in my horses when I get them theirs.<br /><br />Some things I think are a little excessive. Like giving Ben Cosequin instead of just going with MSM & Chondroitin. <br />Other things I find are absolutely necessary, like Probios for all or flax seed oil and allergy therapy for Aria.<br /><br />Feet are super important to me so I actually use a guy who works with vets to correct hoof and leg problems even though I keep my guys barefoot at the moment and don't really need specialty work. He's monitoring Catalina's legs though and that's really important to me as she grows.<br /><br />I'm all on board the body work train though. I don't do any of it for myself but if my horses are going to pack my ass around, they're going to get a little extra. Chrio if needed and I'm looking into someone who can do massage.<br /><br />I try to be logical when doing the 'extra' stuff and if I'd do it for myself or if I actually do it myself then I think it's important that they get the same care because they obviously work way harder than we do! haha. SpanishWalkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10003578056572686242noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-932439930694780998.post-33784993683743732622017-06-08T05:34:27.355-07:002017-06-08T05:34:27.355-07:00I approach Fiction's health the same way I app...I approach Fiction's health the same way I approach my own health - would I fix it if I was experiencing the problem? This helps me pick and choose what to spend money on. Like right now the soles of his front feet are causing him soreness, so he gets pour pads. He has similar feet to Charlie, and I've found a lot of farriers dismiss horses with thin walls and thin soles as problem horses. I finally got a farrier who really understands the Thoroughbred and has no qualms with nailing some nails in deeper. This has led to much healthier feet with a lot less cracking. Unfortunately, I'll be losing this farrier in two months, so I need to talk to the new farrier about following a similar method.<br /><br />I only do basic supplements - joint & stomach - when possible. However, Fiction does experience seasonal allergies, so right now he's on even more supplements to combat them.<br /><br />As for chiro and massage - those are on hold right now. I understand their importance, but when it comes to hoof health and respiratory health, chiro/massage take a backseat. I simply can't afford everything together.Hawkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05303236534507171227noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-932439930694780998.post-16730492429671253362017-06-08T04:13:12.115-07:002017-06-08T04:13:12.115-07:00"I feel like at a certain point, every horse ..."I feel like at a certain point, every horse has something, ya know?"<br />Haha. Hahahaha! I have Arwen. Arwen wins. The only difficulty we ever had was in finding a saddle that would fit on her majestic roundness.<br />Honestly, if I could, I would have every type of bodywork conceivable done on mine as often as possible. I can always feel the difference after a chiro session, whether it's mine or a horse's. Unfortunately, money is a thing. So we do regular maintenance in terms of dentist, saddle fitter and chiro, but probably not as regular as is ideal for horses of their workload.<br />There are two things we never ever skimp on. One is feed and the other is feet. No hoof no horse and all that. I try and save on other things - like supplements; I've neve found one, except one joint formula, that makes an active difference in what I'm seeing. That said, Magic is on about a thousand of them. Just because, well, you know.Firnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07805076661186739474noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-932439930694780998.post-65786577520653535462017-06-07T14:00:12.275-07:002017-06-07T14:00:12.275-07:00yea charlie wouldn't be able to go without his...yea charlie wouldn't be able to go without his shoes either, i don't think. like mayyyyyybe his hinds, maybe. but def not the fronts. at least he doesn't manage to take his shoes off quite like Annie can tho! also re: massage i definitely really like keeping charlie on a pretty frequent schedule - actually almost monthly. he's still got so much to work through from track life, it really helps himemmahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05686949099663199382noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-932439930694780998.post-8383015420606775582017-06-07T13:38:10.692-07:002017-06-07T13:38:10.692-07:00Annie is the only one of mine currently in shoes a...Annie is the only one of mine currently in shoes and unfortunately her feet don't seem to be capable of holding up without. She actually had gel pads for a bit because of some sole issues we were having. She was on a 4 week schedule and now it has been more like 5/6. I am sure it will go back here and there but I am really happy with the farrier we use. <br /><br />I have tried to kick back a lot of the supplements I used to feed and now Annie is the only one of my horses getting a supplement and she only gets TriAmino (Uckele) and electrolytes. So far I haven't noticed a difference for Houston and with Luna she will only get what she needs to be a happy healthy baby right now. <br /><br />Splurge wise massage has been the biggest one for me lately. Need to book one for Annie soon actually! Hope the rim pads help Sir Charlie. Hillary (equestrian at hart)https://www.blogger.com/profile/04096685013946390911noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-932439930694780998.post-16917750740890518082017-06-07T13:19:34.239-07:002017-06-07T13:19:34.239-07:00ha part of me thinks charlie would do perfectly we...ha part of me thinks charlie would do perfectly well kicked out into a field and ignored for a little while. actually many horses (tho omg definitely not all) would. as it is, charlie's been so sheltered and coddled his whole life. as evidenced by his wimpy immune system, sensitive skin, and fragile sense of delicacy. charlie would DEFINITELY feel the pea under 50 mattresses! <br /><br />anyway tho good luck with helping murray to decide that feeling good is actually kinda a good thing! i like watching my horses get acupuncture a lot, actually. it's very interesting!emmahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05686949099663199382noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-932439930694780998.post-49937804260076745152017-06-07T13:05:37.704-07:002017-06-07T13:05:37.704-07:00After Murray retired from the track he went and li...After Murray retired from the track he went and lived on a ranch in Oregon for almost two years, totally barefoot, cracking around with some haflinger pals and cows. And I credit a lot of his foot strength to that time, because he got to walk a lot on his soles and develop well-shaped feet on his own moving up and down hills and over varied surfaces. I think it makes managing his feet now MUCH easier.<br /><br />Anyway, I tend to err on the side of low-maintenance, but I'm willing to pony up if I have good evidence that it will work. I'm a little interested in exploring some more massage/acupuncture for pony this year. Murray hasn't really responded well to massage in the past, because he doesn't like feeling good, but it would be very interesting to see if we can use some massage and acupuncture to help him feel good!Nicolehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13834098473974912416noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-932439930694780998.post-76876608684023180412017-06-07T12:31:52.785-07:002017-06-07T12:31:52.785-07:00yea certain breeds definitely have it better in th...yea certain breeds definitely have it better in the hoof department - arab Izzy was the same way! alas my heart wanted an ottb... even with the accompanying crap feet. emmahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05686949099663199382noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-932439930694780998.post-66252187215823301022017-06-07T12:31:15.249-07:002017-06-07T12:31:15.249-07:00definitely agreed on the pleasure of keeping the h...definitely agreed on the pleasure of keeping the horse outweighing the expense!! that's basically my exact philosophy. also i kinda appreciate how you're already seeing down the road with how things will eventually go with Whiskey. cuz that's kinda always the way, right? they never really seem to stay the same for very long...emmahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05686949099663199382noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-932439930694780998.post-39889979349383339562017-06-07T12:30:13.121-07:002017-06-07T12:30:13.121-07:00ugh yea soft tissue susceptibility definitely scar...ugh yea soft tissue susceptibility definitely scares me too!! charlie has some old stuff but i'm banking on the fact that he stayed sound on it racing so he'll probably be fine for my purposes.... theoreticallyemmahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05686949099663199382noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-932439930694780998.post-11903199764256995602017-06-07T12:29:24.350-07:002017-06-07T12:29:24.350-07:00gotta love it when they only need a little here or...gotta love it when they only need a little here or there! nice that you can do your own massage too. i spend a lot of time grooming and trying to work the muscles, and we do carrot stretches and whatnot... but i never really feel like it's the same. emmahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05686949099663199382noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-932439930694780998.post-50282326120380344092017-06-07T12:28:05.952-07:002017-06-07T12:28:05.952-07:00ugh it's definitely frustrating when a 'pr...ugh it's definitely frustrating when a 'professional' has their own agenda, or somehow has the same prescription for every single horse. we used a saddle fitter like that, and it took me a while to figure out just how wrong she was. she put every single horse in a narrow tree, every horse. no matter what. she had all these reasons and explanations and whatnot that made sense and sounded good.... but now my former mare has permanent scar tissue so... yea. emmahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05686949099663199382noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-932439930694780998.post-64092965677357149022017-06-07T12:26:29.330-07:002017-06-07T12:26:29.330-07:00definitely agreed in appreciating professionals wh...definitely agreed in appreciating professionals who can explain their methods and reasoning and whatnot with me. i'm always pretty eager to learn more! also interesting about cycling around where the clips are.... the clips are definitely right up on charlie's problem area, tho isabel's feet never had similar issues with clips. so strange, these unique individuals.emmahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05686949099663199382noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-932439930694780998.post-67542713492394020162017-06-07T12:25:13.881-07:002017-06-07T12:25:13.881-07:00i haven't noticed much difference with charlie...i haven't noticed much difference with charlie's usual bucket-o-fungus status by adding cocosoya, but he's super shiny and soft!!! hopefully you like it too! emmahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05686949099663199382noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-932439930694780998.post-7515398505203949162017-06-07T11:00:37.985-07:002017-06-07T11:00:37.985-07:00I'm pretty happy not having to do expensive fo...I'm pretty happy not having to do expensive foot maintenance. Mustangs generally have hardy feet and mules too. Unfortunately, Eugene has decided he'd like weekly Chiropractic appointments, which really isn't in our budget.Olivia @ DIY Horse Ownershiphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16138490796669110523noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-932439930694780998.post-68188224116502930572017-06-07T10:50:12.082-07:002017-06-07T10:50:12.082-07:00Archie, just in general, has turned into a greater...Archie, just in general, has turned into a greater pain in the ass than I ever anticipated. Fancy shoes, fancy injectibles, fancy supplements. The pleasure of keeping him comfortable outweighs the cost, though.<br /><br />Whiskey, on the other hand, is an easy keeper with no shoes. But I immediately put him on electrolytes and the ColiCare program, because neurotic. I'll actually probably start Keratexing his bare feet, too... until I succumb to an oral supplement and finally front shoes.Beka Burkehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11510058677533021975noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-932439930694780998.post-15688543279981242822017-06-07T10:35:53.865-07:002017-06-07T10:35:53.865-07:00Farrier's Formula is the way forwards! Worked ...Farrier's Formula is the way forwards! Worked miracles for us! Basse's 'thing' will always be his back and his hooves (lol, not much!) and Vallu's will always be his shitty ligaments and tendons in his legs, so lots to worry about and lots to keep on top of! Roosa's Horsey Lifehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04827410009484558113noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-932439930694780998.post-61017858571955094932017-06-07T10:13:14.845-07:002017-06-07T10:13:14.845-07:00I'm pretty lucky - Amber is pretty low mainten...I'm pretty lucky - Amber is pretty low maintenance. She gets tender front feet after shoeing, and sometimes her hind feet crack pretty badly, so 4 shoes always but she never loses a shoe. I do all of her massages myself - it works really well that a certified equine massage therapist taught me so I can spot check Amber whenever I need to. But she does get quite a few supplements, and I am super willing to "splurge" on that since she has had an injury. And now that she's gotten an injection, I'm fully prepared for that. Anything to help her be comfortable and sound. But thankfully, she doesn't cost me too much else in the $$$ department! I just like to treat myself to things and then tell her "look at what I just bought you!" and she just stares at me like "srsly...." lolMandyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14485570296592298816noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-932439930694780998.post-47132198804420879402017-06-07T08:52:54.038-07:002017-06-07T08:52:54.038-07:00I trust my vet and do whatever she recommends. I r...I trust my vet and do whatever she recommends. I really struggle though with the fact that body workers, farriers, equine dentists, saddle fitters etc. are not well regulated and don't have standardized training. I think some of these people are awesome, but others will absolutely tell you that your horse needs x, y and z whether or not that is accurate. I've been burned a couple times in the past so I am wary to start, and try and listen as much as possible to what my horse is telling me rather than what someone else is saying. I also try and do my own research from reputable sources. <br />When it comes to feet I am very lucky, Kachina has great feet and does well barefoot with a 7-8 week trimming cycle. If she needed more I would absolutely do more, but I pray she doesn't need shoes because my trimmer is a barefoot trimmer and I would need to haul a two hour round trip to get to the nearest farrier I trust. <br />I'm currently experimenting with body work and supplements and my judgement is still out on those. AutonomousDressagehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10326654414307652910noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-932439930694780998.post-26684523115680788142017-06-07T08:21:12.816-07:002017-06-07T08:21:12.816-07:00Carlos had expensive manicures as we got to the en...Carlos had expensive manicures as we got to the end there - its great having a horse professional who will actually life a foot and show you the what and whys of what they are doing and why it will help and what the next steps are. My old farrier was like that and I loved it. He also would entertain any research I had read and would actually discuss why or why not we should consider new things. We would actually rotate a couple cycles back and forth between side and toe clips because that shit can eat away at their feet as much as anything. Sounds like you got a good one (farrier that is)L.Williamshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05052638724440787772noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-932439930694780998.post-58365747295100501412017-06-07T08:19:49.913-07:002017-06-07T08:19:49.913-07:00I'm all for the rim pads for extra support whi...I'm all for the rim pads for extra support while new hoof grows in! Scout was in them for the first two cycles and gave him some much needed support so he wasn't walking on legos barefoot (as I like to think of it) -- as far as splurge items, I like supplements for certain things. For hoof care definitely... Farrier's Formula (and I've seen it really work, ahem Riley), I just added Cocosoya for skin and hair as he tends to be a little fungus-y. I also use Farrier's Oil as often as I can to help the outer structure of his hoof walls. I'm definitely on the less is more side of things regarding specialty treatment, but I'm willing to try anything to keep my horse happy and sound:)Niamhhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12445287419135378606noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-932439930694780998.post-66541656114010261082017-06-07T08:12:05.355-07:002017-06-07T08:12:05.355-07:00ha i think that's awesome tho! and sometimes i...ha i think that's awesome tho! and sometimes i legitimately wonder how much of that is self fulfilling vs actual necessity, ya know? like, how much of the support i give to my horses is from a truly demanding need, vs me thinking it'd be nice to do? <br /><br />izzy lived out 24/7 with free choice hay, a daily scoop of ration balancer, and just front shoes when i met her. to my knowledge, she continues that way to this very day. while we were working hard at training and competing tho? she bumped up to twice daily feedings of something much more substantial, added alfalfa, various supplements, gastric support... etc etc etc. and still occasionally did not thrive. so idk. maybe it's all changeable anyway. emmahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05686949099663199382noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-932439930694780998.post-83226999826847737732017-06-07T08:09:17.725-07:002017-06-07T08:09:17.725-07:00i'm like 99.7% positive that horses always fin...i'm like 99.7% positive that horses always find a way to make up for lost time. like, 'oh you thought you were getting a deal? getting off easy?? hahaha just you wait and see!' emmahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05686949099663199382noreply@blogger.com