That's what you get .....

when you keep a horse confined with plenty of good food and not enough exercise! ace was bucking again today. The first time was in protest at being asked to go down a stoney track that has hurt him in the past. He jumped up a two foot walled bank instead and then had a little buck or two to try and go home the short way (through a wire topped wall, so it wasn't going to happen anyway!). The second time was on top of the hill, after doing some good trot circles on uneven ground, when I asked for a walk to canter. FAR too exciting, that! I stopped him and took canter from trot and  he was fine on both reins. When I came down the hill again he was OK on the stones. Not good, not stonking along, picking his way but not obviously having a lot of trouble. I'll try him again in a week, this is our test patch. When he is fine on that, then he can start having grass again.

His current hoof quality is causing issues, I'm sure. I wish I had marked them when I got him. I am sure, though  I can't prove it, that the foot reaching the floor at the toe is still foot that was grown before I got him. I hope so, as it is appalling quality. In the hinds, he has great white lines. They just aren't attached to his hoof wall!! There is a clear lack of join between the hoof wall and the white line, and the hoof wearing surface is grainy in appearance with networks of fine cracks in it.

The fronts are worse. Frayed edges to the sole, frayed and crumbly black white line, hoof wall splitting and cracking off. They look a mess from the underside. They look quite smart from on top, but they aren't!

This obviously isn't going to help him cope with stones, so I am hoping that his growth, which is pretty slow for a barefoot horse, bucks up soon and gets some decent quality foot to the floor.

C