07518 370 151
Louie - unfinished
Name: Louie
Livery Type: Rehabilitation
Arrival Date: August 2022
Age: 13
Breed: Irish Draught x Thoroughbred
Height: 16.2hh
Medical Issues: Arthritis and grass affected
Rehabilitation: Shod to barefoot, hoof rehabilitation, heel pain, issues with his back end and explosive behaviour (grass affected)
Day of arrival:
Louie is here with us to undergo some rehabilitation regarding his 'grass-affected' related behavioural issues, specifically surrounding being explosive under the saddle and issues with his back end. His owner also had his shoes removed 2 weeks prior to his arrival so he could be rehabilitated with us.
It's clear Louie is very tight through his back end, SI and hamstrings and stands with his legs quite tucked under him. We should also see an improvement with this with an improvement in his hoofs, particularly the hind.
16th of August, 2022 - before first trim:
We have discovered that Louie has some deep sulcus thrush in his one back hoof and is experiencing some heel pain caused by his contracted heels. Due to a combination of issues including said heel pain, he is experiencing some stiffness, soreness and tightness through his back end. His movement is quite short and tight because of this and his strides are very choppy.
Louie's digital cushion and contracted heels should improve with increased movement and a natural trim. Once his sub-clinical Laminitis has grown out, we should see a tight white line too.
Front left, before trim -
Front right, before trim -
Back left, before trim -
Back right, before trim -
14th of September, 2022 - second trim:
Front left -
Front right -
15th October, 2022 - third trim:
Louie is making great progress with his hoof transformation and we are now starting to see some really positive changes. From the side view pictures we can see Louie is starting to build some heel and his digital cushion is also starting to improve, which appears more rounded and less pointy looking. From the sole pictures we can see just how much his heels have widened in a month, in addition to his water line becoming more predominant and the Lamini beginning to tighten.
Louie is also being given Calm Healthy Horses GrazeEzy and Alleviate C whilst he goes through his detoxing period to help with the grass affected issues we have been seeing. We have noticed this has also helped with his tightness, as SI issues can often be exasperated by grass affected issues.
Front left -
28th February, 2023 - Update:
We are seeing some great changes in Louie's feet with every trim and he is finding moving around the track progressively easier. We originally noticed Louie struggled to roll upon arrival, which we have seen massive improvement with. He is much more supple and softer behind and is having no issues cantering around the track whenever he fancies.
We hope to begin the next step of his rehabilitation after a few more trims, which involves starting some in-hand work and getting him back to being safe to ride.
Front left, after trim -
June/July 2023 Update:
Louie's owner has started some slight ground work and straightness training to begin exercising him. However, with increased handling, it has become apparent that Louie has a massive amount of anxiety around being ridden or worked, which is most likely due to associating previous pain or discomfort when ridden. This is something his owner needs to work through with him at a very slow and gentle pace. It's incredibly important to listen to what they're saying and to not force anything that they're not ready for when tackling issues like this.
Last Trim 2023:
Louie will be leaving us to move closer to home next month, after a year in our care for rehabilitation. He has a long way to go with overcoming his anxiety around being ridden but we are pleased with the progress he has made with his grass affected issues and hoof health.
Louie struggled with heel pain, particularly in his hind feet, which largely contributed to his tightness and pain behind. His heels have widened nicely and we no longer have a deep central sulcus for thrush to thrive in. His digital cushion has also improved and overall, he has a much healthier, balanced hoof to support his body. Additionally, you can see on his sole photos that his white line has tightened and he is no longer suffering from sub-clinical Laminitis.
