I am currently fittening and muscling Kia up for no reason other than hacking and the odd pleasure ride. We have been hacking for an hour up to three times a week mostly on the roads with a little off road action.
He has been fine if a little stiff behind after pretty much doing nothing all winter and has arthritis in his hocks, has done since he was 15. He is on fibre and oil as cereal intolerant and barefoot, sound over most surfaces, the odd ouchie on a sharp stone as expected. He is due a trim to bring his deviations back into line, being honest he is trimmed four times a year due to the amount of road work we do.
The last twice I had ridden him he has had the odd few steps unsound on a straight line and when I rode him in the grass riding area ( we have no menage at the yard) he was putting in the odd step on the corners as well.
He has some stretch on the white line as I have picked out some rather large bits of stone and gravel, I didn't pick out before I rode as I rarely have to. I picked his feet out carefully today before lunging and we had some stones in there but nothing big, I then lunged and he was sound in all gaits.
So my question is do people think it's the gravel? The deviations needing trimmed or perhaps something else going on? He is usually stiff behind for he first ten mins of warmup then after that he is over tracking quite happily usually but nearly a full hoof length.
Open to thoughts as I'm packing field paste into his feet after picking it and letting it set whilst he is eating his tea nightly then turning him back out. Our grazing isn't in anyway great as its the same field that has been grazed all year, been harrowed and rolled but not lush or rich by any stretch of the imagination.
If required I can get pics tomorrow.
He has been fine if a little stiff behind after pretty much doing nothing all winter and has arthritis in his hocks, has done since he was 15. He is on fibre and oil as cereal intolerant and barefoot, sound over most surfaces, the odd ouchie on a sharp stone as expected. He is due a trim to bring his deviations back into line, being honest he is trimmed four times a year due to the amount of road work we do.
The last twice I had ridden him he has had the odd few steps unsound on a straight line and when I rode him in the grass riding area ( we have no menage at the yard) he was putting in the odd step on the corners as well.
He has some stretch on the white line as I have picked out some rather large bits of stone and gravel, I didn't pick out before I rode as I rarely have to. I picked his feet out carefully today before lunging and we had some stones in there but nothing big, I then lunged and he was sound in all gaits.
So my question is do people think it's the gravel? The deviations needing trimmed or perhaps something else going on? He is usually stiff behind for he first ten mins of warmup then after that he is over tracking quite happily usually but nearly a full hoof length.
Open to thoughts as I'm packing field paste into his feet after picking it and letting it set whilst he is eating his tea nightly then turning him back out. Our grazing isn't in anyway great as its the same field that has been grazed all year, been harrowed and rolled but not lush or rich by any stretch of the imagination.
If required I can get pics tomorrow.
