Don't beat your self up too bad over solar
abscesses. My horses were always shod for competition until the end of the
2005 season in NATRC. My daughter's horse was badly bruised (developing
into a solar abscess) on the last ride and he was shod. Unfortunately,
when we move horses at anything more than a walk over rocky or uneven terrain we
open them ( and ourselves) up to injury. IMO the best we can hope for is
to do "the best" we can to keep both safe. AND, a recent personal experience has
taught me that you never know what "the best" is or isn't until you have 20/20
hindsight.
... took him to one ride where the ground
didn't appear to be any worse than other places we had gone, but he ended up
badly bruised in the first loop (I knew immediately when he hit that rock), and
it developed into a solar abscess, which took several months to heal. My
bad. And my horse had to suffer for it.
I won't be forgetting any
time soon how terrible I felt to see Doimas in such pain. Knowing I was
responsible made it worse, especially when this horse trusts me to keep him
safe.
