[tuffydoodle]

Tuffy has flat soles, too.

The shoer is trying to keep Tuffy's feet in a normal axis but he can't do it without cutting him too short, causing even more lameness. It's a no win situation. I'm going to get him back out and go with pour in pads. The vet says they provide a ton of cushion without the problems of something getting under them.

I do very little riding with Tuffy and it's a good thing. He wouldn't hold up under heavy riding like endurance, jumping, barrel racing, etc. I've taken him on 2 or 3 hour trail rides with no problems but they were easy rides, walk/trot only. He has a lovely smooth western pleasure jog and lope and it's what I like best about him. That and his funny personality.

[HairOfTheDog]

I sure hope he feels better soon.

Good morning.

[FrogInABlender]

I sure hope he gets better. I know how aggravating it can be to have a horse with problems. You don't really want to have to deal with it, but you love them so you have to. You can't let someone else have them because you know that they won't have the same history and commitment to the horse that you do and the horse will end up as dog food.

I'm currently in the midst of a real mess with Grace, one of my 2yr old fillies. She has Sweet Itch and this year it's the worst I've ever seen. I feel so sorry for her. She's just one big sore. She's rubbed out the top half of her tail and all of her mane and just scratches all the time. I've given her steroid shots and prednisone pills to no avail. It looks like she's destined to wear a midge-proof sheet for the rest of her life. If you want to read about what Sweet Itch is, this site is the best I've found...

http://www.sweet-itch.co.uk/symptoms.html