Posted by John Barney on April 30, 2004 at 09:53:40:
In Reply to: Re: Barefoot Peruvian Paso with deep frogs picks up rocks posted by Dave Purves CF on April 28, 2004 at 17:12:56:
: : I bought a 17-year-old Peruvian Paso gelding a few months ago. He has VERY hard black hooves all around (called "Blue Stone"?). He has never worn shoes and was raised in the mountains a very rocky area. We mostly ride at a state park that is an old mining site. There are areas of crushed rock you have to cross, but most of the trails we ride are well-maintained, hard-packed dirt. The last two rides, he has picked up a piece of crushed rock that wedged into the deep frog of a hoof (different hoof each time). I don't see how shoeing him could help this problem and don't have any other ideas of what to do. Any suggestions?
: I would first ask if the frog was trimmed, not that you want to get rid of the frog but I always trim the sides of the frog and remove any flaps, I do this clear to the back of the foot, I like to leave a groove from the back of the foot to the front of the frog. This is a bit hard to explain. But this groove allows the foot to clean itself better and also makes it easier for the owner to get a hoofpick in there and clean things out. I don't think shoes would help either.
: good luck
: Dave
I agree with Dave. If the trim is not the problem, you might need a protective boot( if the area you ride is long enough to warrant it) otherwise carry a hoof pick and when you notice the gait change dismount, clean it and press on. Good luck.
JB