Naturally something's got to come around and crush that hope. That just appears to be the way life works. On Tuesday, I finally let myself believe and get excited over the fact that Cadence's sale was actually going to go through. Up until this point, I'd tried to stay as emotionally detached as possible because I knew that there was a good chance the sale wouldn't go through. When the vet check went reasonably well, I finally let myself hope and really get excited about everything. Bad decision. While she wasn't perfect, my plan was to have the farrier work on Cadence's feet over the winter, then get a natural barefoot trimmer to take care of her feet from there. I've been a fan of barefoot trimming since I saw how much healthier Artie's feet were than a lot of shod horses. The angle of Cadence's hoof (As seen from the outside) is different than that of her pastern. That's the main reason I believe that her bone alignment could be fixed with some good farrier work. That said, there's no guarantee to that. In addition, she has a little inflammation where a tendon or something connects to the small pastern bone. That is probably just caused by the poor farrier work, but you can never be 100% sure. What if we find out in five months or 10 months that proper hoof care can't in fact fixed her bone alignment? Then we're stuck with a horse that at any point in time could go lame. However, what if I don't get her, and a couple good trims fixes the whole issue? I don't want to wind up with a horse that'll be lame forever, but at the same time I don't want to pass up an amazing opportunity. She's a talented jumper, and even the vet agrees that she's a very nice mover. I don't know... I suppose its a gamble either way.
I am so thrilled to hear you talking about natural balance trimmers <3 I don't think I'd go for her. Navicular is likely to end her jumping career sooner rather than later. If you wanted her for trail riding or dressage, I'd be less inclined to poo poo it, but the jumping thing worries me. I'll be rooting for you one way or the other.
ReplyDeleteI think I probably ought to explain the Navicular thing better. Being half WB, she's almost guaranteed to have some. The vet said (to paraphrase) "A lot of vets wouldn't even point it out, because its very minimal, but I thought you should know it was there. If it were a TB, I'd be worried but because of her roots it's to be expected."
ReplyDeleteMmm... to be expected and 'ok' are not the same. You can EXPECT a Cushings horse to founder, but you should still do everything to prevent it. Standardbreds, for example, are more prone to EPM than other breeds, but you still shouldn't ride them.
ReplyDeleteIn this part of the country, high altitude and hard ground, many vets say that many, if not most, horses that jump for a living will get navicular. With very minor changes I would be inclined to go with a horse that I liked in every other way with one caveat... you might not be able to keep her barefoot. GOOD trimming, shoes and isoxiprine will keep horses with even moderate navicular changes sound. Correct trimming and correct angles do not require a barefoot trimmer. A farrier who understands structure and trims and shoes for the foot and not one that makes the feet pretty and slaps shoes on is what you need. My farrier trims each foot for balance, the shoes are just additional protection. Good farriers do not do 4 pretty matched perfect feet, they trim for balance and correct alignment and weight bearing. Sorry, I get carried away. I think barefoot is great but some people seem to think that farriers can't trim a foot correctly. Back to the subject....
ReplyDeleteWe do vet checks, not because the perfect horse is out there somewhere, but to ascertain what wear and tear there is and help us determine if the maintenance required for this particular horse is worthwhile, something that we are willing to do and within our means to do it correctly. It's a personal decision. And it is always a hard one because they all have issues depending on age and work history. If your gut says 'no' ... there are always other horses.