Road Founder - Horse Forums - Horse Forum Topics & Answers - Horse Training & Trainers

*Red* · 03-14-2007,

I was wondering what peoples general exoerience has been with a horse that has road foundered. The horse is not mine , but is under the care of a vet and an excellant farrier.
I jsut want to know generally speakingis it something horses recover from and can go back to a life of trail riding after.

Just a little back ground , and I dont know every detail. The horse had an 18 degree rotation of the coffin bone, was considerably lame on the right front, x-rays then and now show some improvement , he is moving better . I dont really know all the details but dont have any experience with founder of any sort .

Any insight or personal experiences are welcome.

I look forward to learning something.

Red

*FancyHorse* · 03-14-2007,

We had a racehorse gelding who came to us with founder. He is still in re-rab and has been for the last year.

Founder has 3 different levels of severity. If you catch founder in the 1st stage, which is the "Acute" stage, it is very treatable and horses can come back 100%, but that is before the coffin bone starts to rotate.

My gelding was in stage 3, which is "Cronic" and his coffin bone rotated and then penitrate thorough the sole.

Some warning signs are, consistant heat and pulse in the feet (no lameness will be noticed in the early stages), frequent absess, and some clubbing of the hoof. If you notice any of these things, I'd recomend an x-ray.

Many vets/farriers have different ways to treating this, but you need to go by what is making the horse improve.

First off, cut all protein out of his diet. That means no grain, sweet feed, alflafa etc. Bute will also help with the pain.

Second, with a valid xray to see how much rotation the coffin bone is at, will be determined and how you trim the foot. The point is to try and trim the foot, so the coffin bone lines up with the hoof. Some farriers believe in no shoes, while others believe in bar shoes. Neither is wrong and the horse will show you what is working and what isn't.

If the coffin bone has already rotated, the horse may never become 100% sound, although in some cases the coffin bone does rotate back almost completely. By what you posted, it sounds as if the horse has a decent chance, but it will take a lot of time and also the horse is at risk of re-foundering later in life and also might come up lame here and there.

Good luck!!!!!!

*Red* · 03-14-2007,

Thanks Sarah. I appreciate you answering. He is not my horse , but I am trying to learn from the experience. He is in bar shoes and has been since it happened. He is showing signs of improvement , although he is not back to the trails yet. It will be a year come June.

He is a nice horse and I do wish her well , I am worried though because she has used the word "cured" several times and from what I have been able to read so far , there is nor "cure" for a foundered horse.

Time will tell. Thanks for the reply.

*P8ntCrazy* · 03-14-2007,

WOW! If that vet uses the same measurement system as we do 18 degrees rotation is extremely severe. The horses recovery will be long and hard and will probably always have mild flare ups. The 3 phases of laminitis are as follows the developmental (exposure), the acute (1st signs), and the chronic (sore longer than 48hrs &/or rotation). It will be a long hard road probably with set backs. Laminitis (founder) is very unpredictable, and what works for one horse doesn't always work for another. The current treatment can work for a while and then stop and they will have to change what they are doing. But definately the horse should be on a bermuda or coastal type hay and no grain. Horses coffin bones do not derotate. A good farrier will be able to over time reshape the hoof capsule putting the coffin bone in a better position. Making it look on xrays that it derotated. My inlaws have a horse that rotated 13 degrees in each foot about 2 years ago. He still has mild flare ups when he is due for his custom shoes and just after being done. So he is put on Bute 24 hours prior and 48 hours after a visit from the farrier. He is riden very lightly now only in the pasture. The hard ground makes him sore. I had another client whose horse was 13 degrees in one and 14 degrees in the other, she was plagued with chronic abcesses. It has been 4 years and they are only able to ride her in soft footing. Another horse actually sunk did not rotate through the bottom of the sole. He had to be put to sleep. All three horses had different causes but once you have laminitis with or without rotation the treatments are all realitivly the same. Xrays periodicly to check progress, the use of bute and or banamine, foot bandages, proper farrier work, proper bedding (6-8 inches of sand), the use of drugs to help with blood flow and circulation to the foot. Most of all is to maintain the horses comfort if you are unable to do that you have to do what is best for the horse.

*Red* · 03-15-2007,

Thank you for your reply. As I said this is not my horse just one I know of and it sparked me to learn more about the whole deal.

Thanks for your insight. Keep it coming.

*IdahoSpud* · 03-17-2007,

I took a piece from that Myself thanks for the replies I will have to learn a little more on the subject.

Here is a article from this site that mentions founder in it also.

http://www.horsechitchat.com/equinea...tis/Page1.html

There are alot of good articles in there.