Country Time Acres Blog

When Cheyenne was diagnosed with Founder, I was offered an overload of information. Unfortunately, much of the information was based on hearsay and not facts. The problem with this condition is there really aren’t a lot of documented facts to help people. Because of this I went through 3 ferriers and 2 vets. I spent a lot of money looking for answers and each time was left more confused than the last time. I was told to take my horse off the grass,  no grain and keep her in a paddock. Then I was told she didn’t have Founder but, did need weight management. Then there is the issue of sugar in the grass, long grass, short grass, in the spring, in the fall, after a dew, during a drought, who really knows????  And worst of all was being told “Once they Founder they always have it.  How can that be?”  I’ would ask.

      Thank goodness I was able to find a book that seem to have the answers I was looking for!  Founder, Prevention & Cure the Natural Way by Jamie Jackson tells us about the horses natural diet,  living enviroment and how the hoof grows. After reading this book I no longer felt it was the end of the world for my beloved horse.  In the pages of this book I learned how nature takes care of the horse and I began to try to care for my horses in a more natural way. Every year I would seek the help of the professionals and seed, fertalize and pasture manage my 2 acre pasture. I always wondered why my horses were fat and my neighbors who did nothing to their pastures and fed mostly hay had healthy horses. I also vaccinated, wormed and spent hundreds of dollars in medical care. Recently I have asked to who benefited from this, my horses or the vets, the ferriers and the supply companies?  One of the most bold and powerful statements in this book says ” The natural healing ahead will depend on your preserverance and loyalty to the natural healing program and by not yeilding from ignorance or fear to the terrorism of bad science”. As one who has practiced alternative medicine and questioned medical science for years I have to agree with this statement. Every horse owner should have this book.  In conclusion I can say that Cheyenne is improving. We still struggle with her weight and diet. She  gets very  limited time in the grass and I have replaced grain with fresh fruits and vegatables every night. In fact, all of the horses get fresh fruit and veggies every night and love it. I have even noticed their manes are growing much longer than normal.  I was told Cheyenne would not be able to perform but, on October 16 she did the opening of my benefit show “Wild West Round-Up” and was amazing!  Did you visit?  Leave a comment!!!

We humans learn things on a need to know basis. Of all the health issues I have faced with my horses, Founder has been the most complicated to understand.  Having gone through 2 vets and 3 ferriers  it has also made it a very expensive experience as well. My story actually began last summer, although I didn’t know it. Cheyenne began limping at a performance and I thought she had pulled something after jumping a barrel. After some rest the problem seemed to go away. However, I did notice that she was gaining weight and was eating like “there was no tomorrow”. When I asked the vet about it I was told that it is common for mini’s to be obese. It was suggested that she be taken off the grass. During the winter she did loose weight and I vowed to keep it off her. All seemed to be going well and then one day I noticed that she seemed to be walking a little soft on her front foot. I began soaking it thinking it might be an abscess.  During a visit from my ferrier I was told she had Founder and that she needed to be removed from the grass, no grain and keep her confined to her paddock. I felt as if my horse had just been given a death sentence. I normally am pretty good about handling these things but, I was feeling so guilty that I really couldn’t think straight. Founder, also called Laminitis  is a metabolic and vascular diease that involves the inner sensitive structure of the feet.  The most common cause of acute founder is the rapid consumption of excess quantities of carbohydrates similar to diabetes in humans. Symptoms include high fever, chills, sweating, diarrhea, fast pulse and rapid breathing. They also have a stance, where the horse is in so much pain it stands in a way to take pressure off the hoof. Cheyenne had none of these symptoms. By the fourth day of confinement my horse was out of control, bucking, kicking and biting. I thought, there is no way this horse is sick. On the eighth day I took her to the vet and requested an x-ray to see if she had any rotation of the coffin bone. After he examined Cheyenne, he told me the x-ray was a waste of money and the horse was sound. So, out in the pasture she went.  A few weeks later the limping started again so I called my vet. She did a block, this is where they numb a certain area, beginning at the hoof, until they can locate the exact area where the pain is. This resulted in an x-ray of the hoof which showed Cheyenne did have a slight rotation of the coffin bone on her right front hoof. The treatment was  corrective trimmings and weight management.  During the trimming my ferrier took off most of the toe of the hoof and as much heel as possible. An x-ray was taken which showed the hoof was now at an angle that would take pressure off the hoof. I  was told my horse should be better in a few days but, 3 weeks later she was still limping.  By now I am feeling pretty hopeless and then I found a book on Amazon called  “Founder, Prevention & Cure the Natural Way”.  Now, my husband says anyone can write something in a book and that may be so but, this book explained the horses nature enviroment, diet and needs.  Finally, I felt there was some hope for Cheyenne.  Continued on the next post.  Did you visit?  Leave a comment!