The current rehab horses have been here 4 weeks this weekend so its time for a proper assessment of how they have got on so far and what progress they have made. I'm starting with Billy as he had the most problematic feet when he arrived.
The other horses had all been out of shoes for weeks (or in some cases months) before they arrived but Billy came in bar shoes and pads. Initially therefore he had a bigger adjustment than the other horses as he had to go from a sole and frog which were completely covered by a thick pad to bare, and from taking all his weight on the periphery of his feet to loading more centrally.
This meant that he took longer than the other horses to become comfortable on tough surfaces. As his palmar hoof was particularly weak he has also taken longer to go from landing toe first out of shoes. his landing is flatter now than it was initially but he is not yet heel first (he had an exaggerated heel first landing in his bar shoes).
However, he has made some good progress over 4 weeks and I am particularly pleased with how his comfort levels have improved over the last 10 days or so. He has grown out his nail holes and the new hoof growth is looking stronger and more supportive.
He has also started to grow a more robust frog and his toe is beginning to shorten as well. His heels are still under-run but as he can now move more correctly on good surfaces his palmar hoof should strengthen fairly quickly.
Billy's footage shows that he is getting close to a better landing - he has it on a good surface but is not quite there yet on a hard surface: https://vimeo.com/327427793
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