Weak tendons in foals...

[MtnShadowsFarm]

With foaling season in full swing, some little ones will be born with lax tendons to varying degrees. My little filly has weak hind leg tendons effecting her hocks mostly, and I'm trying (on my vet's advice) to help her by taping wood shims to her little feet to keep her from rocking back. My vet says weak tendons are quite common and most foals tendons and muscles become stronger and "normal" very quickly.

What about supplimenting with joint suppliments? Are they too young as newborns?

Please share your experiences and remedies.

 

[bevann]

Exercise helps a lot.I had 1 colt who was so bad he walked on his fetlocks.After 3 months he wasn't improving much so I had the farrier use a product called Equiloc(sp?) which is much like the stuff used for womens nails.It hardens just like a hoof.He built it up so the foot was in a normal position.It can be trimmed&rasped just like a hoof.Great stuff_I think Jeffers sells it.By the time it grew out the little guy was normal.Good luck with your baby

 

[Russ]

Felicia, I just bumped a post up by Marnie on foal legs. Charlotte and Becky gave some good info on supplements/vitamins in that post to consider. As did all the other forum members gave good info.

Hope this helps.

 

[Miniv]

Felicia,

Please....please remove the tape to her legs.......trust me trust me, this will make her even MORE lax! (I'm jumping up and down here and assuming(?) the tape is ON her legs?)

We have dealt with lax tendons MANY times and learned both from experience and from the advice of our performance equine vet (ie, a "leg" specialist). Constricting the legs that have lax tendons will make them worse. It's when you WANT to relax the tendons that you tape the legs.

The best thing we've found to do is trim the foal's toes weekly and give them plenty of excersize. Plus, if you are in a low selenium region, give them the necessary selenium/E shot. If the problem is VERY severe and/or not corrected after the foal is a couple of weeks old, there are "magic shoes" you can apply which do not require any wrapping up onto the leg itself.

Would love to see a photo of your vet's "shims" on your foal. Sorry if I'm jumping to conclusions. Please correct me if I am wrong with I'm visualizing.

MA

 

[MtnShadowsFarm]

Felicia,

Please....please remove the tape to her legs.......trust me trust me, this will make her even MORE lax! (I'm jumping up and down here and assuming(?) the tape is ON her legs?)

We have dealt with lax tendons MANY times and learned both from experience and from the advice of our performance equine vet (ie, a "leg" specialist). Constricting the legs that have lax tendons will make them worse. It's when you WANT to relax the tendons that you tape the legs.

The best thing we've found to do is trim the foal's toes weekly and give them plenty of excersize. Plus, if you are in a low selenium region, give them the necessary selenium/E shot. If the problem is VERY severe and/or not corrected after the foal is a couple of weeks old, there are "magic shoes" you can apply which do not require any wrapping up onto the leg itself.

Would love to see a photo of your vet's "shims" on your foal. Sorry if I'm jumping to conclusions. Please correct me if I am wrong with I'm visualizing.

MA

RELAX MA!! THERE ARE NO SHIMS OR TAPE ON HER LEGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I said there are shims (read popcicle sticks!) taped to the sole of her HOOF to help keep her from rocking back on her pasterns..that's IT! Her legs are NOT restricted at all!!!!!!!!!!!

Her toes were born LONG and almost neglected looking with slightly curled toes! She was WAY past due to be born and looks like she needed a hoof trim :bgrin I've trimmed her toes and leveled her soles as they were cuppy too. She's improving greatly, just wonder if there is more I can do for her AND thought this would be good general info to share as breeders!

Thanks for your concern !!!!!!!

Felicia

 

[Marty]

Feicia, if my vets new associate had their way my Timmy would have been splinted and in special shoes...... I absolutely did not want that and refused it.

Instead I used the advice of a forum member that told me it was a selinum deficiency in our neck of the woods. My mare was not getting enough. She was in the dry lot all summer and it kept raining on her salt/mineral blocks melting them and her Purina 12 12 Free choice minerals were swimming in water daily so not thinking it would hurt, I removed them. BIG MISTAKE.

When Timmy was born on his fetlocks I put out the blocks and minerals and the both went to town on them. We also trimmed his feet once a week. With that, he popped right up on them. I kept him out as much as possible and he got stronger on them by the minute. Your filly will not rock back as long as you rasp her hoofs a little bit at a time. Someone else has to explain exactly how to do it because I don't want to tell you the wrong way. Jerry does it so I don't screw it up.

I thought I was ready for this year's selinium deficiency as best I could and kept all these things available to Angel 24-7. Knight Star's legs were born nearly perfect. He was slightly down on one hind foot barely noticable, just ever so slightly and he's already fine with a hoof rasping. I also started to top dress his little feed with it too since he is eating out of his own dish now very well.

Next year I will be giving the bred mares a selinium shot one month before foaling date and put them also on Purina Born to Win as well as see to it that they get enough salt/ mineral blocks and free choice minerals to cover my bases more completely.

 

[MtnShadowsFarm]

I don't believe it's a Selinium definency. I do feed Orchard Hay from Oregon...a Selinium deficient area, however..I've feed HORSE GUARD for a long time now and it has a strong organic Selinium pack.

I've trimmed my own horses and others professionally for nearly 10 years. I feel comfortable doing corrective trimming and she has already had her first good (corrective) trim..the next to come in a few days.

I'm mostly concerned with her hocks and the tendons supporting them. They are getting stronger, just want to know if there is more I can/should do...

Thanks everyone!

Felicia

 

[wildoak]

I've had a lot less of this since I got more agressive about feeding minerals through pregnancy. We had a filly a couple of years ago like yours, and did exactly what you have done with popsicles sticks. Kept her toes trimmed, and she did come up just fine with a little time. The composite stuff that Bevann posted about sounds like an easier way to go, we had trouble sometimes keeping the popsicle sticks from sliding out.

Jan

 

[Dorrie & Frank]

I learned from Margie Wood at MarJac to give Clovite to the mare for a month or two before day 300 -after that it may cause too much foal weight so it is stopped - now that your foal is on the ground I would start the mare on it (and in foals feed to the extent that foal is eating). Our foals, even early ones, are born up on their hooves. The vitamins in the Clovite feed the cartiledge and help it become bone and helps those tendons grow strong. Good farrier work will make a huge difference as well. We had a very early premie that spent the first year of life in hospitals until her bones and tendons matured - a vitamin and protein rich diet helped a lot. Sunshine (vitamin D in light) is important for turning calcium into bone and in strengthening tendons. Ours had a front hoof problem that resulted in a ground breaking surgery with a tendon transplant done with the oversight of a human orthopedic surgeon. She has since done well - but has to have excellent farrier work. We wish you the very best!

 

[Miniv]

:lol: Thanks Felicia!

Sorry if my post POPPED out your Computer Monitor. :new_shocked: LOL!

We're in Oregon and obviously feed Oregon hay as well, which explains a lot to you, I'm sure.

We also supplement with selenium, provide a selenium/mineral salt block, AND give our foals the selenium shot. And we STILL occasionally get a foal with lax tendons.

Just by following our vet's advice of rasping the foal's toes every few days and allowing the foal day time exersize we saw amazing results in the foal's first couple of weeks.

There's also been a couple of foals that required a second selenium shot a couple of weeks later before we started seeing a real improvement.

Thanks for understanding my aggressive previous post........whew.......

MA

 

[Tony]

I have done it all, tapeing, splints, and on and on, but have learned that the best thing, at least for me is to let them be and let nature take it's course. I guess it is time to post my "annual leg pictures". NOTHING was done to this colt except to let him run and be a horse!

And as a two year old:

And pictures for his permanent papers:

 

[Hosscrazy]

My new little guy (still no name!) is also down in his hind legs and after a week of turn out and play, he's already looking much better! I've seen it numerous times at my business parner's ranch - the foals outgrow it with time and lots of free exercise.

Best wishes,

Liz R.