More questions from a newbie! HELP!!

[Michelle Bradford]

I don't know if anyone remembered my post about thrush, but I was having a terrible time with it, I finally got rid of it and then started freaking out because his frogs were falling off..then someone told me that they shed them. I see the frogs growing in underneath, but I'm concerned because the bottom of his hoof seems really caved in..not flat like it once was..it's deep and it's coming of in little chunks and looks white and chalky when I clean them. I have just about made myself sick and I'm praying this in normal.

My other question is my little mare still has a thick winter coat and it's 80 degrees..I curry and brush her everyday, but she's hardly shedding..it so hot and she is scared to death of clippers..can't she get too hot?? I am a nervous wreck!!

Michelle

 

[chandab]

Sounds like he's sloughing the dead sole tissue; absolutely normal, especially after a round of thrush and treatment. There should be some concavity to his hoof. If you are really concerned, ask your farrier the next time he is out.

It wouldn't look good, but if your mare is really afraid of clippers, you can always use scissors to remove some of the hair (well shorten it any way).

 

[HGFarm]

Horses feet are not totally flat- the dead sole will come out of their feet, leaving them slightly cupped. Unless it is really extreme I would not worry. If it is extreme then perhaps his feet need a good trimming as there is extra hoof there? Hard to tell without a pic.

 

[wingnut]

Agree with the previous posters about the "cupping" of the hoof and sloughing off of "tissue".

Do you have a shedding blade or slicker block? It helps to pull out the dead hair. I don't know what part of the country you're in but keep up the work trying to help get the dead hair off, makes sure she has lots of water available and some place to get out of the sun to keep cool. I did clip my smokey black girl the first year we had her and it was late June before she had finally shed all her winter woolies out. She did fine. Now I clip simply because I like the look better

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Yes, the shedding comb used for dogs works well to get out lots of dead hair. Just keep working with the clippers, introducing her to them.

The best person to ask about your horse's feet is your trimmer. Call him up and mention your concerns. Surely the next scheduled trim isn't far off...

 

[jandjmc]

I know you said that your mare is scared of the clippers, many times I think they freak out because we start the horse by trying to clip very sensitive places first-nose, ears, around the eyes, etc. This might be a good opportunity for you to start with your clipper training. This last week, I clipped all my horses on the underneath of the neck, down into the chest, just to allow them to shed some heat. The horses that I've been working or have super heavy coats, it also helps just to clip a few sections from heart girth to belly. Good luck!

 

[HGFarm]

I would not do any body clipping until it is good and warm in your area unless you are planning on blanketing at night. It has been running 75 to 80 here and we had a storm blow in and today our high is 44! The horses are not clipped but are not happy with the weather today.

 

[Windhaven]

Hello

I don't think you have anything to worry about with the feet. It sounds like they are just shedding the old sole and frog. The new is underneath and it will be fine. But ask your farrier the next time he/she is out. They will be glad to explain it to you.

As for your mare not shedding, have you wormed her lately? If they are wormery that will make them keep their hair longer. If it has been a month or so since you wormed her, you might want to do it again.

As for clipping you could do an under belly and chest clip. this will keep them much cooler but also keep them warm if the temperatures drop.

If you just make sure she has plenty of fresh water and shade she should be okay if you can't clip her.

 

[wildoak]

We get pretty hot here too, long before horses shed out. I've already started clipping but as mentioned, I start clipping belly, chest, neck - just to give them some areas to "vent" the body heat. Start in small areas away from her face and do just a little at a time. Give lots of praise & rewards for standing, then quit.

Work up to larger/longer clip times. If all else fails and you really need to get a horse clipped your vet can sedate her for you the first time, but it's kind of a last resort solution lol.

Jan

 

[Mareish Mom]

It's only March and even though it's unseasonably hot the horses aren't going to all shed out instantly. Shedding is a response to light, not heat. It'll be May or even June before they completely shed on their own. Plenty of water and shade and she'll be fine. Be great if you can clip her neck, I did my arab's this weekend and he appreciated it (he's still a wooly mammoth!), but I can't even brush my mini mare's butt yet without her being scared so no way is she ready for clipper training. She's sweaty but looks healthy and happy and on the plus side looks to be losing a little of her extra fat while she's sweating all day! But she's got lots of cool water, several large shade trees and a run-in. She spends the hottest part of the day under the cedar tree, which she's also been using as a giant shedding blade!

 

[R Whiteman]

Try putting a light in your barn that is controlled by a timer. Start out with 15 min of extra light in the morning and at night. Then increase by 30 to 40 min every few days. I not sure how many hours of daylight there are in the summer time in your area but if you can get the total time of light about the same in April as your summers, the hair will start coming off. People have already posted some great advice. Be patient .

 

[jyuukai]

The sole is normal, and a horses hoof should have a slightly cupped shape to it. Just be extra sure that you really get all of the crevices clean; as the hoof gets taller (and therefor deeper) before a trim it gets harder to keep the whole thing clean and then you have another case of thrush on your hands!

As for your horse being hot, I definitely know how you feel. I did a modified low trace clip on my mare (I've posted the pic in a couple other places so I'll spare everyone the horror of a bad clip job here

) which means that I clipped a bit under her neck, along her side, and around her hind quarters in a line. Because we've had a heat index as of high as 90ish recently I also was sure to clip behind her elbows and both in front of her udder and on the inside of her hind legs. She doesn't have a lot of shade in her pasture, but she does always have clean, cool water to help her. I agree that I wouldn't body clip fully this early.. even down here we had a big thunderstorm today and I was beyond thankful that my mare had the majority of her coat to keep her dry and warm!

If you google 'types of horse clips' or something along those lines you'll some ideas that may be good for you. One called the 'bib clip' or 'pony clip' is a good choice because it takes away some of the fur on the chest and leaves the rest for the horse to defend against the weather! I would have gone with that choice had I not been starting some harder work on my mare!

If you mare is really terrified of the clippers and you are having trouble acclimating her you can try to hose her down a bit during the hottest part of the day, but be careful to make sure she is entirely dry before the sun sets - you don't want her to catch a cold!