# Self Sufficiency/Living off the Land or Off the Grid > Livestock and Animal Husbandry >  hoof absess

## wareagle69

so i was picking out the mares hoof this am when it just exploded with blood pouring out , i know this was a hematoma on its was to an absess, so i am glad i was able to brst it ahead of time, but she is prone to these at least 3 or 4 a year, have had the vet x-ray here foot but cannot see a problem.
does anyone esle suffer from these as frequently? what are you doing to help or prevent these?
i have her foot soaking in iodine right now in a hoof boot, normally when i see her go lame i put a poultice on and it usually draws it out in a couple of days, stall rest and shes good to go.

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## equus

WE what is she running in?  Like what does her pasture like rough terrain?

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## wareagle69

smooth pasture, lots of clay under the grass although there are alot more bare spots now that there are the 4 of them the front of the barn is usually muddy as it is the most often turned up area, high traffic and wet summer makes for muddy area, but it has been dry for the last several weeks so it aint the mud, gotta be something with that hoof, the person i got her from 4 yrs ago only had her a short time so the history behind her is sketchy

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## equus

I am on another forum and there are a few people that deal with this a lot during the year so I am asking them of their input.

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## equus

WE is there a way that you can post pics of her foot.  Also what kind of feed do you feed her?  How often is her feet trimmed?  They think that she might not be getting something in her diet perhaps.  Can you give me some more details about her.  Her age, and if she is the bottom of the pecking order.  Bruising could cause it to I think.

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## equus

How long has this been going on?  Do you do your own trimming?

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## wareagle69

can't post pic dottie
she is 14 yr old t-bred, middle of the order, the gelding t-bred bottom then her and the quarter horse gelding, with the mare standard bred being the boss.
she gets abour 2lbs of beet pulp a day plus 15 lbs of the finest timothy hay around and a couple of pound of grain, winter is more obviously.
her hooves are done every 6 weeks and she goes barefoot, very hard to get her hind feet standing up right very flat footed and shallow clefts in her sole so not much crap can get packed in there.
winter she doesn't absess only about the other 6 months, she just got over an absess about 4 weeks ago and was on her way to another, did the x-ray thing.
always the same off side hind hoof, i think it is genetic in some way but i am going to contact the guelph university equine dept as they are the best in canada and get some iinfo from them as well.
hope things are well with you and mel and you family

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## Pocomoonskyeyes3

It COULD be due to the amount of Moisture WE. In winter with the snow it could keep her hooves moist and supple. Have you tried coating her hooves with a Moisturizer/Protectant like Pine tar? Also due to the many generations of selective breeding of TB's they tend to have lots of leg problems, from the shoulder down. Does she tend to stomp or paw more than the others?

Good to see you around again! Mostly I just lurk anymore...... However today I'm feeling rather "Talkative"! LOL

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## Rick

I think I just threw up a little.

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## crashdive123

Because Poco is feeling talkative?

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## Rick

The whole pop the bleeding thingie and gross stuff ran out.....I'll be right bac

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## equus

WE have you tried keeping shoes on her.  Her feet may be sore from the clay.  It is worth a shot I think to see if it makes a difference.

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## wareagle69

there are several things that i have come across that make sense.
one is her feet. Her hind feet are very hard to get to stand up, she is very flat footed and her hoof that is flayed out is the one that is prone to problems, have been reading that uneven hooves are one cause.
possible second problem is also nutrition, now i pride myself on good quality feed, but i also realize she has hip problems and a grade 3 heart mimour, hard to keep weight on her, which can also lead to this problem, may try adding biotin to her diet.
there is allot of info in the hoof out there, which is good as the saying goes, no feet no horse.

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## vernon mcnemar

i have heard to soak it in epsome salt with really warm water for two or three days

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## rebel_chick

If she is abcessing that much, it is more than likely due to her diet. How much access to fresh grass does she have? And what kind of grain is she getting? is there molasses in her beet pulp? 

Now how is her body condition, does she have fat pockets on her neck or between her hind legs? 

Do some research on insulin resistant horses and Cushings disease. And have a blood panel done to confirm. She will probably need to be pulled off pasture, and have her grain changed to a low starch, no sugar, no corn diet. Check out the triple crown low starch.

Since we can't see her or see how she lives.. Nor are we vets or nutritionists, it's best to get a professional opinion. But I'm gunna say that it isn't normal to have abscesses happen like that.

Good luck!

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## rebel_chick

And on the topic of flat and uneven hooves. It very well could be her hips... Out of place hips can cause poor feet condition, and vise versa. So, you could have a body worker come out and put her in place right after a knowledgeable natural hoof care trimmer does her feet.

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## Highhawk1948

Seems like one of my horses will have an absess every couple of years.  Do the same thing you do, stall, epsom salts, and poultice  twice a day for 3 to 4 days.  It comes to a head, drains, usually at the cornet band and we are all good to go.  I think you are on the right track getting a profestional opinion.  If your horse has been barefoot it should have conditioned feet and should not get absesses so often.  Good luck with that.  Horses are noble animals and deserve the best of care.  I am so fortunate that I get to live with horses.  It is amazing what they can teach you.

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## wareagle69

I pretty much forgot about this thread,as far as i can recall, that was the last time she did have an absess, can't say i really changed anything, maybe the farrier was able to get a better handle on her hoof, tho not that i can really see, she has always had a sharp angle, even after 5 yrs it has been a challenge to get better angle on her hooves, but ya what a honour to been around these criiters all the time if i could afford a dozen of them i would have them, but i will take the 4 i have and enjoy that

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## Tootsiepop254

> ... if i could afford a dozen of them i would have them...


 Ugh. At one point I had 13 - Never again.  3 stallions, 2 geldings 6 mares and 2 foals.  WAY too time consuming.  All my time was spent doing chores and not enough bonding time with each animal.

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## BornthatWay

I love horses they are the most loving and gentle creatures as long as you treat them right. But they are so beautiful why would anyone not treat them well. I have horses and ponies and I loved then all. Every hore or pony we owned once they arrived they had a home until the day they died. Muy dad gave me a pny for Christmas when I was 9 and she died when I was a freshman in college. They did not tell me until I came home because they knew that I would just go to pieces. When I got home I met my grandmother in the yard and we wrapped our arms around each other and cried like babies.

Apparently my pony had a hear attack because she walked down through her field and just fell over against the fence. My grandmother saw this and immediatly drove to where my dad was to come and see what they could do for her but she had died as she git the fence and so there was nothing to do but give her a nice burial in the horse graveyard on the farm

Sorry about the story but I just want you to know how much I love horses. We now have to work horses that iwe use around the farm. They are great big sweeties.

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## jfeatherjohn

When I was a kid, we had a Morgan who suffered from this very frequently. The vet told us to shoe her, and we did, and it worked.

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