Founder / Coffin Bone
We asked horse training expert Cheyanne West. More about Cheyanne

Question
Dear Cheyanne,
We have a beautiful Tennessee Walker gelding, 10 years old. This past winter he foundered on too rich hay. Our farrier caught it immediately, we sequestered the horse and put him on small amounts of rough hay. The "hump" in his neck disappeared within a week, his feet seemed to NOT be sore at all within a few days, the white line around his corona disappeared within a week.

Our farrier comes once a month to trim this horse's hooves and said last month, April, that he felt Spirit is still in "stage one" founder. He DID note, however, that the white line in the bottom (interior) of the hoof had increased from a thin white line in March to about double that size at the end of April. This horse does not wear shoes, as he lives on grass pasture. Spirit looks and acts TOTALLY healthy, has a gorgeous sheen to his coat, and a very healthy appetite. However, two days ago when we went to feed at dusk, he had a VERY obvious limp on his left front hoof. He readily offered me this hoof to clean, which I did, expecting to find a small stone stuck there. What I did find, though (no stone) was his frog protruding from his once-level foot. I am extremely concerned that his coffin bone has begun to turn and it poking his frog out.

Today, he is still limping badly and will NOT let me touch that hoof. What would be your immediate advice? Also, what, in your opinion, should be our next steps, and what do you see as a "future" for our horse. We use him strictly for pleasure riding on our farm.

Thank you for your response ASAP.
Sandi Hodson

Answer
Dear Sandi I am sorry to hear about this horse's condition. If you are familiar with homeopathy, I can suggest three remedies that all but stops rotation in its tracks. They are Homeopathic Ledum for when the horse hangs the foot - resting it on the toe, whether underneath him or extended forward. The second is a combination of Calendula and Ruta 30c in their water bucket daily. I have taken horses from a frozen position to normal walk within 3-4 days with these remedies. Also purchased some generic aspirin and made slits in apple slices and offered one aspirin per 100 pounds two times per day for the first 2-3 days.

As far as maintenance, try to maintain a normal to lighter weight, and keep him off pasture.

Cheyanne West - C-Hom