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[RC] Head dipping - Dream WeaverHi Sue - I would suspect a case of thrush. Thrush isn't always readily apparent and it can be quite painful for a horse making them flinchy and sore. And not always responsive to hoof testers so it can be hard to spot. My own horses were starting to head dip after they were wearing glued on boots for three weeks. This is something neither of them had EVER done before. But it wasn't just them, I've seen other horses doing it this year on rides so it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out how to avoid the problem. Off the boots came and they won't go back on for that long again! From now on it'll only be just for the duration of the event and I'll try to space it out so that the applications are few and far between. Chief got over it pretty quick, he's been barefoot longest and has the toughest feet while Bo took much longer - he had a deep case of thrush and in his case the flinching stopped when I put his regular Renny's on versus riding him barefoot.My suggestion would be to get some Durasole (Jeffers Equine has it) and apply it regularly - get an old toothbrush and get it deep into the crevices of the frog. Between doing that and cleaning the hoof daily it should clear up pretty quickly and the Durasaole will also at the same time work to toughen up the hoof. There are also lots of other products that you can use to treat thrush. Also be sure to keep an eye out for any signs of lameness after you ride and for any heat or swelling in the legs just in case it's something higher up than the hoof. Karen http://www.enduranceridestuff.com =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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