Posted by Rick Burten on July 17, 2003 at 20:00:10:
In Reply to: Re: What about turnout? posted by Michelle on July 17, 2003 at 13:53:59:
: : : My horse recently had a quarter crack repair done by means of screws/wires and acrylic. He was also placed in a heart bar shoe along with Equipak. By my request I asked the farrier to use everything in his arsenal to make the horse comfortable. I gave the horse 1 week of stall rest with hand walking on straight lines each day and hand grazing. As of today he is 100% sound. My question is this, is he ok to go back to doing very low level dressage? I assume you should not jump but for how long? Do I need to wait until the crack grows out completely before jumping? I am a very cautious owner and have the luxury of keeping him at home and another horse to compete on. I want what is best for his long term health, but if it is ok to start riding again I would love to. Opinions?
: : I suggest to my clients that they wait until there is a minimum of 3/8" of new, uncracked hoof grown down from the coronary band before they start riding. Of course, the cause(s) must be discovered and eliminated too. IMNTBCHO, jumping should wait until the crack is completely healed.
: : Rick
: What about turnout? Do you wait until 3/8 has grown before turnout too? About how long does it take to get 3/8" of growth? I know every horse is different, but what is the average?
If upon turnout the horse remains relatively quiet and is not pounding around the paddock, then yes, turn out is fine with me. A caveat: if the ground is wet and really muddy, then on those days, I don't recommend turnout.
If the hoof is now "in balance" and there are no longer the force vectors present that initiated the problem, then, you are looking at 60 - 90 days, more or less. If the "triggers" are still present, then it will take until those triggers are removed, plus 60 - 90 days minimum.
Rick