Charlie is a Welsh pony cross. He is a children's mount and
at about 10 yrs of age, has very healthy natural feet. He lives in the Ozarks of Arkansas, and the rocky pasture he lives
in helps to keep his feet tough and able to tackle just about anything. The pictures I have here are from the first trim I
gave him. He had not been trimmed in months and was just moved to his current home and new owners. His feet are now completely
thrush free. I want mention how he's not foundered, even in an area where fescue is the most common grass in pastures.
Luckily, even if his last owners didn't have him trimmed on a regular basis, they didn't feed him grain, either. He
lives on pasture and hay, with a supplement to fill in what the hay lacks in minerals.
In the pictures,
please note that I had just taken off about 6-8 months of growth, and there is some room for improvement visible.
It does take time to correct things that come from neglect. So you will see some thrush in the sole view, a bit of flare at
the toe in the lateral (side) angle, and the heels are a tad long looking in the oblique (side and sole visible) angle. These
are examples of what begins to happen if you don't keep your horse's feet trimmed. This pony is sound, and the thrush has
gone away, as has the flared toe. This was short term neglect, but has a very happy ending. Charlie is now ready to ride anywhere.
