Barefoot Horse Blog

Spreading the Love :-) ... Think Global - Act Local

2012-01-11T20:52:00.000Z

My beloved OH has a wardrobe full of catchphrases one of which is 'spreading the love' which is how he describes my tootling round the South East of England facilitating people in their efforts to achieve healthy, happy and sound barefoot performance horses.

Or maybe he is just referring to the Snogmeister who has now (cross fingers) found a new barefooting home.

Anyway back to 'Thinking Global'. Got this in my inbox - made me smile all day - thank you!

"i am a caretaker of a throughbreed for the last two years this past summer he threw six shoes in five weeks his feet went from poor to horrible ! i found your web site and did alot of resarch and found [name of trimmer] **** came in auguest and removed orion shoes his feet were vert badley chip and one hoof side wall was blown out terrible frogs low hells well its been five months and his feet are just so improved we do lots of trail riding and he does not stumble and he does not go toe first he is so much happyier and movies great. i wish i took picks but you were right on that throughbreeds can go barefoot ! we live in mass. usa thanks ***** and orion"

Note names have been replaced with **** for confidentiality purposes

So it would seem that the myth that TB's can't go barefoot (as we all know) is just that :-)

Laminitis - what is going on inside?

2011-12-31T19:27:00.000Z

Treating symptoms and getting a good trim won't fix laminitis - but while you are finding and eliminating the causal factor (overweight, toxic overload, Cushings, Insulin Resistance or ?) you can really help your horse by making sure her feet are well cared for/trimmed. Have a look at the pictures below:

1. Very laminitic hoof - external side view note very high heel
and almost horizontal hair line

2. Same hoof as 1. - internal side view (foot balance same)
note how you can see how outer hoof wall has been heavily
rasped. Note position and angle of pedal bone

3. Due to be PTS on professional advice - 9 months box rest
whilst shod - still lame (deshod a few days in photo)
Note height of heel and angle of hair line and compare to 1.
Event lines have been rasped out. (hind foot)

4. Front foot of horse in 3. Again note heel height and hair line

5. Same horse as 3 and 4 - see how much excess height in heel

6. Compare with 4 note change in overall height

7. Compare with 3 - note change in heel height
and change in angle of hair line

The horse in pictures 3-7 had been on box rest, shod and lame for c. 9 months. His owner had done everything instructed and was finally told by her farrier to put the horse down as nothing more could be done.

So they tried one more thing - the barefoot approach. The shoes were removed, the heels brought down and the diet modified. Within two weeks the horse was sound enough to be racing around a track system.

The longer term recovery has been a learning curve for the owner as they learnt that no their horse can't eat haylage or a handful of pony nuts. But a year later and the horse is still sound and still bouncing around like a lamb and is now well enough to take a much more active role in life.

Long may this last.

I will leave you to draw your own conclusions about where the internal structures where in his hoof when the heels were so high. We can't proved anything as we don't have x-rays, but we do know that when the heels came down the horse came sound.

What did Christmas bring?

2011-12-30T18:59:00.000Z

Besides dislocating my thumb about 3 times? Well these (only to nurture, the horse attached is not mine, but he is lovely lovely, lovely.)

Shoes on too long, toe has shot forward, heel collapsing
and not under leg

Weak heel

Angle incorrect, too long, proportions out

Shelly hoof wall - lacks quality horn and is soft

Long toe, heel forward not under leg, shoe on too long

Thrushy, contracted, skinny weak frog

As above - the stink was really bad

With shoe off this frog was ridiculously
skinny, full of thrush and really squishy

All horse owners should come to learn that heels like this
are unacceptable

Not one good foot on this horse, but they will be

Currently with sore feet, sore back and a very weak hind end this horse is another which has been dismissed for 'attitude'.

To be honest with feet like that (and the knock on consequences) I think any of us would be quite justified in having 'attitude'. But you know this guy was lovely to deshoe - I didn't get any negative feedback down the leg at all. He just stood there like a proper trooper and within 20 minutes post deshoe went from looking really sad to beaming from ear to ear. (IYKWIM)

His new owner (who got me in to deshoe within days of acquiring him) reports that he has in 24 hours post deshoe started to move better and become much more cuddly.

I'll post updates of his hoof progress as I get them - but so far so good :-)

Post Script - the sad thing is that many horse owners would think that these feet were fine - even good.

Corns

2011-12-02T22:18:00.000Z

There are corns and corns. Grace had multiple corns, only found when she was deshod. But none of them were quite as deep as this one.

LF April 2010

If you compare the two photos below you can see how this foot has come along. Not only is the corn now just a memory, but the heel bulbs have bulked up nicely, the digital cushion has plumped up and the whole foot is more solid. Since the corn the horse has worked through the Endurance ranks and is now competing at Advanced level.

LF April 2010

LF Sept 2011

Home grown and trimming in the dark the Snogmeister excels

2011-11-30T21:38:00.000Z

LHSR March 2011

LHSR Nov 2011

Snogmeister standing loose to have his manicure,
in the dark, with his pals walking past :-)

Yes that is the same foot. Nothing fancy done, just facilitated nature rather than trying to dictate. So this is a Snogmeister special - all home grown........ Not really surprising he was having problems before he got to choose the shape of his foot when you consider how different the man made (shoe made) version was. What you might not be able to see is the dramatic increase in concavity.

And look at him - standing so quietly in the dark to have his toes done. What you can't see (because of the flash from the camera) is how the foot is floodlit but the rest is more or less in the pitch dark. What a good lad! :-)

Maiden voyage of the naked hoof!

2011-11-28T14:46:00.000Z

was the title of an email from a client this morning....... and with their permission here is the body:-

I rode him for the first time in 12 weeks due to his virus and he did not put a hoof out of line. We went on a short loop which took us along the road and round the corner of a field - not a ride I would have even considered in his 'sugar days' as the field and hedge would have been far too spooky especially after 12 weeks off!

Yesterday we went down the road and back up a stubble field (all walk) again Mr relaxed.

This morning we did another short ride and had a little trot along the grass.

And yes I am still grinning like a lunatic!

This very dedicated owner, who is a real example to us all, has struggled for years (14 to be precise) with a horse that had to have shoes and pads in front and was extremely unpredictable to handle.

When deshod he had pretty bad nail bind - but one of the major turning points for this lovely gelding was reducing the sugar/starch in his diet.

I am so happy for them both. It took 14 years, but the horse has found his feet and the owner has rediscovered the horse she thought she had. I hope they enjoy the rest of the time they have.

Big hugs :-)

Of house bricks and more cheese

2011-11-27T06:52:00.000Z

Got contacted by a client via Facebook last night. Said client was being trolled by a farrier for following the barefoot 'fad'.

Well I've been a barefooter for more than 15 years...........

And I only took up this route because the standard of farriery in my area is so poor. If my then farrier hadn't proposed putting my unbroken two year old in pads and shoes it might never have crossed my mind. If the answer to every question by his replacement hadn't been 'Well you can always put shoes on.' I might never have sought to learn to trim myself. (Seriously - I asked about natural solar exfolation - you know when it goes chalky and flakes off - and the answer was to shoe.)

And as far as I can tell my ex shoddie clients are making the same decision for very frequently the same reasons.

For example; last client of the day yesterday. Wonderful lady, knew something wasn't right but was getting no joy from her current hoof care provider. Apparently everything was 'ok' and 'normal'.

Since when has it been normal for a horse to have feet shaped like house bricks? With hooves twice as long toe to heel as wide and shoes covering a good inch of white line stretch? (And the farrier had said nothing about the stretch or what the owner should do to resolve it.)

This is why horse owners are looking for alternatives - because they know that all is not well and their current providers are unable or unwilling to help them.

Trolling people via Facebook or other social forums is not the answer. Learning how to treat clients with respect and answering sensible intelligent questions with well informed and helpful responses just might be.

And learning how to recognise and manage laminitis might be another.

Who stole my cheese?

2011-11-23T15:36:00.000Z

Is the title of one of those grim little books you get thrust upon you when working in corporate land. But there is a message in there for the would be luddites and the flat earthers in the horse world.

And although I am paraphrasing the message is: 'Move with the market or starve.'

My journey to barefoot is probably more gentle than most. It became inevitable that I kept my old grey mare bare because my then farrier's suggestions about her feet were at best misinformed. But many have barefoot thrust upon them because of recurrent lameness not helped or maybe even made worse by traditional techniques.

And so it is with livery. Many of my clients requirements of livery do a 180 when they take their horse barefoot. No longer do they want jewel green fields, swept concrete, rows of neat boxes and nets full of haylage. Instead they come to envy those with rubble and weed strewn turnout and rough (but clean) hay. The desire for a Premier Inn equivalent stable for their horse is replaced with a deep seated wish for a patch of pea gravel. And a fibre sand school is but nothing compared with miles of safe hacking over varied and even difficult terrain.

And a number of clients, at yards where the concrete is practically polished but the horses get mud fever from standing in shit are voting with their feet (or hooves!). There is a growing market for livery where the horses genuine biological needs are put first, over and above the human desire for pretty pretty. And these yards can be more efficient and economical to run.

More later - got some hooves to do!

Boing... boing... boing.. boing..................

2011-11-16T11:15:00.000Z

That's me hopping round the stable while mucking out.........

Following an early am phone call from the carer of this horse saying that not only is he staying sound, but he is now jumping (cross poles nothing fancy) and staying sound.

Whoopee!

If any horse deserved to get his feet back, it's this one.

Congrats to carer for putting in the time and effort and giving this guy the chance he needed.

Spaced out on 'crack'

2011-11-15T20:44:00.001Z

I've not particularly counted, but a fair few of my client horses get edgey when on too much sugar/starch or if the diet is just not right somewhere. Probably somewhere around 25% or more. I use the term 'edgey' somewhat loosely as the behaviours expressed can be anything from vague, distracted, incommunicado to quite aggressive kicking and biting. Inbetween are all the stereotypies including box walking, inability to stand still etc etc.

My own mare Grace got into deep trouble (prior to our partnership) probably largely due to her own sensitivities to sugar/starch. The pictures below show her after her previous carer spent four months trying to put weight on her in the traditional fashion. I acquired a horse that couldn't stand still when tied, couldn't concentrate, had trouble with canter and was extremely tricky to brush. (The list is endless, but this will give you an idea.)

Also note the terrible colour in the above photos.

Below - this is what she looks like when on her low sugar/starch diet with a decent supplement. And a year later, Grace can happily stand tied for ages, relaxed calm and happy. Check out the colour too!

Grace has no trouble cantering either! :-)

I often think that the horses which are really suffering remind me of people coming down from drugs. But they have a choice, our horses do not. And far too many horses get admonished for bad behaviour when the answer lies in our hands - in what we feed them.

Note it took me weeks to wean Grace off her addiction to all things sweet. There were tears (mine) and tantrums (hers). But I think you will agree it was worth it.

Now I have a horse that people comment openly on how well behaved and sweet she is - an angel no less.

Navicular and metabolic - the next instalment

2011-11-13T20:48:00.002Z

It's amazing what you find when you have a tidy up.......

We looked at this case earlier this year but having reorganised my files I have found an old photo which you might find interesting, especially when you compare it with the end of October shot.

This case particularly highlights how shoes mask deep seated problems. The horse was diagnosed with navicular, but no one mentioned the multiple event lines, stretched white line, collapsed sole and forward running foot and what these might mean. Except that the horse was "genetically flat footed" ...........

Thought you might like a few quotes from this horse's carer (with their permission so thank you to them :-) )

"Someone watching me pick xxxx's feet out today said 'You are lucky with her, she has great feet' I actually stood up in shock and said are you talking to me??!! "

"She really is stomping along on her feet. I actually forget no shoes at times :) "

"When I started this process I did not think her feet would get smaller, that I would be able to rug her up without being bitten and kicked, I could hack without shoes, that her flat feet weren't genetic :) So much learned!"

22 06 11 recently deshod

31 10 11 post 'hiccup' - see end

22 06 11 recently deshod

08 11 11

Hiccup - this horse is so sensitive that a few handfuls of the 'wrong sort' of hay can make her lame and grumpy and it shows in the structure of her feet too.

To protect your barefoot horse take up a new career - turn sleuth......

2011-11-12T13:20:00.000Z

Almost daily I come across confusion and mayhem. Partly caused by miscommunication, partly by misleading information from forums and quite a bit from ear mites.

There is one thing we can all do to help ourselves.

Read the packaging - And if the information is not there or is incomplete then don't buy.

This especially applies to wormers and feeds.

and below two case studies from just yesterday which underscore the need

No brand names mentioned, but one company makes a tapeworm only wormer. Active ingredient 1mg/1kg body weight. In combination with another wormer (for an all in one) the dose is 2.5mg/1kg body weight. The active ingredient may cause a problem for some horses with particular health problems. The manufacturer has stated doses on the packet, but the vet, advising on which wormers to use seems unaware of the different drug amounts.

Regarding feeds - a respiratory aid is more or less a solid block of molasses. Owner of lami pony advised it is safe to feed to laminitics,

I rest my case.

By special request - picture of the 'snog meister' :-)

2011-11-09T20:46:00.000Z

If I had the resources I'd have this one myself, just for the snuffles :-)

It's not always about the fronts and some heavy petting :-)

2011-11-07T16:57:00.000Z

I get very fond of all the horses I do, but I have to be honest there are some that are a bit special. This post features one of those.

I don't think I have ever deshod a horse that was in as much pain as this guy. His face was literally wrung out with it. We just got on with it, gave him a tiny bit of very gentle hand walking to help get his circulation back and then put him to bed.

The next time I did him was one of those moments I will remember for the rest of my life. I can't say he was sound, that would be an over stretch, but he was so much more comfortable. But the remarkable bit was his behaviour. He was all over me like a rash. The 'snog' had all the enthusiasm and intensity of a brand new puppy meeting friends.

During his trim, any time he could reach he spent with his lips in my hair wufferling and snuffling and generally making up. Talk about heart breaker! :-)

Then came the tougher times. A stitch was found in his shoulder and the vet upon removing it pronounced he would always be lame and that the owner would have to get him remedially shod and put him on daily bute.
Any time he backed up he had trouble with his hinds and he just couldn't 'come through'.

His owner - a genuine horse woman who always puts her horses interests first - decided that in the light of previous experience (she had had similar diagnoses on previous horses which came sound bare) and the fact that he had been so lame in his natural balance shoes that she would keep him bare and give him the time he needed.

Wind forward 9 months or so and he is sound in walk and trot on hard surfaces. He's not been cantered on the road............ he can back up as well :-)

A lot of the time, the focus is on the front feet as these are often the bigger problem. But for this guy, although his fronts weren't brilliant, his hinds have undergone the bigger change.

These feet may seem 'odd' when compared to the parameters that some schools of thought set. But the final test is 'sound or lame'. And he was very lame and now he is sound. So I'm figuring this guy is happy with that.

And as always congrats and big hugs for the carer for putting the horse's welfare first.

Oh and can you see the changes? Note that he was shod in NB shoes which were a little more than 1.5 inches apart at the heel.

LFS March

LFS June

LFS Aug

LFSR March

LFSR June

LFSR Aug

LHS March

LHS June

LHS Aug

LHSR March

LHSR June

LHSR Aug

Post script to the last

2011-11-01T06:15:00.000Z

and while I think about it .........

More bouncing is required for the carer (you know who you are), who in the past few months has deshod three horses all at the same time, moved yards and then built the horses a track of their very own.

Recently trotted up for vets post a weighing session all three horses were reported as being 'very sound' and were also the closest to their ideal weight of any horses the vets have weighed.

The herd includes a warmblood, a TB and a pony. Congrats to the carer! :-)

Time for a little bounce......

2011-11-01T05:58:00.000Z

Of pure joy.

The latest 'navicular' is hacking out bootless, sound on grass and is improving over hard ground. And has stopped biting their carer. Main lifestyle changes? Yes - treated like a lami and moved yards.

Very lami shetland - had literally gone through the bottom of his feet is apparently doing some bouncing of his own during his regular 'parades'. Main lifestyle changes? Yes - dirt paddock and daily heart beat raising walks. Although the carer reports that the term 'walk' is misleading because he is prancing about and tows her along and has turned into a 'naughty little ********' but I think they are quite happy about that :-) And he comes to call which is really nice because he must be enjoying his jaunts.

Both are on DIY livery.

Does your overweight horse have hooves that are 'starving'?

2011-10-30T07:07:00.001Z

Lower half free access to grazing and overweight,
upper half same grazing but muzzled and correct weight

Hard to see, but hoof has 'dessicated' texture,
horse overweight

Dessicated hoof has split (outer hoof wall only).
New growth - horse correct weight is coming in much
healthier

Solar view of split hoof above, pre trim,
you can see crack is outer hoof only

I freely admit some uses of the English language freak me out a little. One of which is 'you need to get after him' - more of which in a future post, and another is: 'I don't feed any supplements in the summer, he is out on the grass.' This latter phrase, in tandem with the to my mind somewhat romantic notion that horses (in the UK) can get what they need from their environment can lead to problems.

The hooves above are attached to horses belonging to the very best type of carers. Dedicated to the welfare of their companions and prepared to research and investigate how to optimise their health. Both horses are 'metabolically challenged' - so are more difficult than the average horse to look after. So all credit to the carers for putting in the extra effort it takes to look after them.

Unfortunately both horses got a bit on the round side. It happens. Most of the time the results are no more than a bit of porkiness and a shortness of breath. But with horses there are times when the outcome is a bit more unfortunate.

As you know long term overweight in a horse can lead to Insulin Resistance and Laminitis (2/3 lami cases are linked to obesity). But what doesn't seem to be recorded in any data I have found is any material on the fat but 'starving' horse.

There is growing awareness, but it is still low, that in the UK our forage tends to be short of copper, zinc and magnesium. So if your porker is reliant on forage alone they may well be short of these vital minerals.

The hooves above have succumbed to fungal infections which have damaged the outer hoof walls. This happened when they were overweight and reliant on grazing alone. Put on a diet and given a modest amount of supplementation and you can see the hooves are improving.

It's early days for one of the hooves, but although it will take a few months for the cracks to grow out, the quality of the new horn is good.

So keep an eye on the texture of your horse's hooves. Dry and crumbly or dessicated coconut hooves don't really need hoof dressings*, but they probably do need 'feeding', with a correct mineral balance not more sugar.

*Which unless carefully chosen can make the type of fungal infections seen in these hooves worse

Thoroughbreds, barefoot, concrete and dressage

2011-10-25T13:16:00.000+01:00

So pretty :-)

You've met this chap before see here - well his hooves at least. He now happily hacks on concrete, no boots required. (His old boots have been helping another horse to rehabilitate and will shortly be moving onto their third customer).

But just to show his brain is as good as his feet he has been strutting his stuff in dressage. And to my mind he is looking just great. :-)

Big hugs to his people for doing such a good job :-)

Teaching a horse to wear a grazing muzzle

2011-10-22T12:19:00.000+01:00

This protocol is not entirely mine, I've adapted it from one I found on a nutrition site, but it seems quite sensible. So if any of you are contemplating using a muzzle to restrict your horse's grazing you might want to try this and let me know how you get on.

Allow yourself and your horse plenty of time for this - several days or a week or more

Start with the muzzle and put some food into the bottom
Allow your horse to put her head into the muzzle themselves, don't force it on. Give her time to figure out that if she puts her head into the muzzle she will get some food.
When your horse has sussed this bit put the muzzle on and put some food through the hole at the bottom.
Then at the next session you can take your horse to the grass area and place the muzzle on the horse. Pick some grass and put it up into the hole at the bottom a few times.
Then begin to ask your horse to follow this down to the grass but still put some grass into the hole for her. Do this a couple of days.
Your horse should start to to put her head down to get the grass you are putting through the bottom.
If the above has gone well she should then start to try to get her own grass as you let her search for what you have been putting up into the muzzle.

Don't think the horse can figure it all out by themselves - some will but many will need the help of the above protocol.

Happy tails............. 5 weeks barefoot diet and now comfy on stones

2011-10-18T11:35:00.000+01:00

I am sure last night's phone caller won't mind me sharing the anonymised and paraphrased content of our conversation and some of the relevant background. Just to give everyone a bit of inspiration and some food for thought maybe.

Caller started the 'barefoot diet' just five weeks ago and to her complete joy (and much excitement) her horse can now manage a tricky concrete and stones track that he has always had trouble negotiating before he started the diet.

The background is this:- Met caller some five weeks ago. Horse had been shod for some five years. First shoeing was on vet recommendation because the horse had gone footy in the late spring/early summer. (Yes I know what you are thinking!)

Owner not terribly chuffed as had been determined to keep horse barefoot, but was persuaded that this was the best and only option. No mention of diet or low grade lamintis was made.

So five years on and some unfortunately damaged hooves and the horse is still not comfortable over stones. Just five weeks on the 'barefoot diet' and he is transformed.

Go figure.

The good news is that now the owner knows what is needed and can manage her horse accordingly. It only took five weeks to transform this horse, but it might take a little longer for the frustration of the 'wasted years' ( owners words not mine), to ebb away.

Big hugs to them both.

Oh and to misquote Dr Kellon, 'Halfway measures lead to halfway results." This owner has followed instructions to the letter, including instituting an exercise programme to help manage the horse's weight.

Thought for the day

2011-10-04T16:55:00.000+01:00

I think I am going to stop using the word 'transition' when discussing how to transform a sickly shod foot to a high performance barefooter; I've come to the conclusion that it creates false impressions and expectations in a lot of people's minds.

Almost as though the process is no more challenging than moving from train station to airport lounge, when actually there is usually the need for a tremendous amount of hoof structure development which takes a lot of time and application. Often many months of daily grind.

Which leads me to success factors.

What really counts? Time and consistent delivery of the things a healthy hoof needs; decent diet and appropriate exercise. Not money or lots of facilities. Just quiet determination and the ability to read your horse and act accordingly.

The very best hooves on my books are attached to horses that frequently live out 24/7, often in less than ideal environments, one particularly so, but they are fed properly and work their butts off.

Note: they work their butts off - a hoof needs to work, one that doesn't will lose function and performance even if it is outwardly 'pretty' and tough.

Those on full livery seem to do the least well. And it's not because the owner lacks dedication or makes no effort. But 'things' have a way of happening that throw a proper spanner in the works. From unhelpful turnout situations/timings; to equally unhelpful feeding practices and time/cost pressures on livery staff.

More than one horse on my books has had it's health transformed by moving from human 'ideal' livery to something far less luxurious. Not sure the same can be said for their carers though.......... (only kidding - the carers seem to cope just fine!)

I personally found the same with previous horses. Moved them from very nice stables etc etc to a muddy field with a track, no rugs, no electricity or school. They did just great, so did my bank balance.

And oddly I ended up doing much more riding - with no yard to sweep or stables to muck out I had more time. And the feet working so much harder were so much fitter - and so was I :-)

Home grown...

2011-10-03T22:24:00.000+01:00

Just deshod

11 weeks later

Very 'metabolic' horse, to the extent that a couple of handfuls of the wrong sort of hay will have a negative impact on legs, feet and behaviour (swelling, footiness and grumpy). Not an easy one for anyone; so hats off everyone to the owner of this horse for doing such a grand job in very difficult circumstances.

Note:
Overall shape change
Bulking up of frog
Reduction in thrush
Development of heel buttresses
Thickening and toughening of sole
Decontraction
Extra bulk in heel bulbs

Hoof Reading 3

2011-09-22T11:00:00.001+01:00

Because the shod horse doesn't feel it's feet so well, in the UK we have become conditioned to seeing severe cases of thrush and thinking of them as normal and of little consequence. And if a thrushy, shod horse trips over a stone or goes a bit hoppy on a limestone track we blame the stones rather than our hoof care.

But it's not the stones at fault. Evolution (or God if you prefer) has given the horse feet that are capable of negotiating some of the toughest terrain on earth. When they are healthy. If your horse struggles with stones the very painful truth is that your horse is not in optimal health.

So apart from soreness over stones and the disgusting smell, why does thrush matter?

In very simple terms; a horse in pain from thrush won't use the back of their foot properly. The suspensory/concussion absorption mechanisms come out of use and the horse will become more prone to injury. The heel will start to contract and if this goes on long enough the horse may well get a diagnosis of 'navicular' in any one of it's many flavours.

Thrush is serious and it must be effectively treated.

The hooves in this blog

Hooves 1-3 as you can see have severe thrush, no. 4 isn't too clever but it's not as bad.

The hooves have been freshly trimmed (not by me) and the owner is concerned that the hooves may not be properly balanced. Although photos can be misleading, I have to agree that there are areas of concern.

Q What do you think of the hooves in these pictures?

Soaking hay - does it make that much difference?

2011-09-19T23:46:00.000+01:00

Just briefly because it is 23.38 and I have to be up tomorrow at 05.00 .....

Grace has her hay soaked for a minimum of 12 hours and more usually 24, and post soak the hay is thoroughly rinsed under running water.

A kindly soul looked into her big brown eyes, was totally hypnotised and lobbed some unsoaked hay over her door. And yes Grace did go lame and yes she also tied up. (Grace has EPSM).

Yet Grace can go out overnight into a huge field and come in just fine. Our unsoaked hay is more detrimental to her than nightime turnout. - Note she goes out at dusk and comes in at dawn.

This wouldn't necessarily be true with different hay and turnout in a different field or the same conditions but different horse. So it is important to really know your horse and their hooves. One 'size' does not fit all.

You are what you eat......

2011-09-15T22:56:00.000+01:00

'House' reckons 'everybody lies'. Me I think that is a little harsh, most of the people I meet are decent, honest folk doing their very best. Sometimes in very difficult circumstances.

But sometimes people tell you what they think you want to hear. And sometimes they think that a little white lie won't hurt. Only with horses and their food, it often does.

Most, if not all of the horses I have been kicked, bitten or otherwise bashed by have been having 'dietary issues'. Usually sugar - once you have unpicked all the things going on - that is what it boils down to.

Take for example the horse that recently bit my head. Yes my whole head, crocodile style. The carer assured me the horse was on a low sugar diet. I accepted that, but I should have trusted the hooves which were not doing very well, and the behaviour which showed clear symptoms of dietary issues.

More about behaviour and sugar in a future post

.

Deadly white powder, often cut with other substances

2011-09-12T10:47:00.001+01:00

Some will swear it is ok in moderation, many can eat a fair bit and be absolutely fine, for others even a small amount is not so good.

Yes folks, today's post is about sugar :-)

The chemical formula for almost all sugars is CnH2nOn (n is between 3 and 7). The last time I checked this holds true for organic sugar too.......... and yes organic sugar has the same number of calories and the same potential to rot your teeth and in excess upset the balance of your horse's hind gut.

As you know, horses have evolved to eat lots of low sugar, high fibre forage. They are so good at it that they can survive in areas too harsh for cows and sheep. Yes, get that, horses are tougher than cows or sheep.

In future posts I may get into more of the biology of why too much sugar is bad for our horses, but for now can I urge you to read the small print of what you are feeding your treasured friends.

As an example; - a feed shop near me is selling grass seed advertised as 'Suitable for low sugar pony paddocks.' Well I read the label, it is over 70% Rye grass (seed) and when I checked out the varieties of Rye included (yes I am a geek), they average over 18% sugar in the growing season. Now bearing in mind we are aiming for less than 10% - how the ? is that low sugar? It certainly isn't suitable for horses or ponies.

Ditto various products marketed as safe for laminitics or 'low sugar'. Don't read the marketing guff on the side of the bag (in the UK) look for the white label that should be stitched on (it often falls off). This will detail how much sugar is in the bag, as well as listing the ingredients. And don't be fooled; many molasses free products aren't, instead they contain a modified form of molasses which has had a tiny bit of the sugar taken out. But it is still sweet and sugary!

Some will argue that a bit of sugar never did any harm. Well the owners of the horses with behavioural problems; that on a low sugar diet have transformed into paragons of good behaviour, but when slipped the odd carrot or bit of grass and turn into 'monsters' will argue otherwise :-) Guys you know who you are! :-)

And let's not forget the LGL's sound on well soaked hay, but footy when not.

Hoof Reading 2

2011-09-06T20:30:00.000+01:00

The owner of this horse told me that they were reassured when the attending farrier told them that the horse did not have laminitis.

Only a vet is allowed to diagnose, but like you, I think the horse is a strongly laminitic case, particularly as part of the back story is that it has presented in founder stance.

Only vets are allowed to diagnose though and when a farrier says 'no laminitis' who can blame a less experienced owner for believing them?

Certainly not me, I spent years believing all sorts of things I now realise were completely and utterly wrong and worse.

Sadly I don't know what is going to happen to this horse, I just hope and pray he will get the help he needs.

On a separate note, I haven't commented on the individual photos, but there are some interesting points. Anyone care to have a stab?

Hoof reading

2011-08-31T09:34:00.000+01:00

I'm giving you just one photo. Tell me what you see. There is a huge amount of background to this with more photos, but first I want your views. So if you want more photos of this case you need to work a little for it! :-)

Sweet dreams - who said WBs can't go barefoot?

2011-08-20T22:16:00.000+01:00

Wow! look at them go :-)

Tracks don't have to be over complicated

Someone (the local 'expert') confidently told me that warmbloods can't go barefoot. Fortunately these guys don't suffer ear mites.

Three warmbloods (only two shown) all barefoot, all confident over a variety of surfaces and having a blast now they can hack out without slipping. Their carer has been brilliant, an example to us all of how to do it. Lots of observation, an open mind and the horses' health always a priority.

And what a great track! Lucky lucky them, but for those without this blessing - these guys got good barefoot before they got the track. It can be done and you know what - I tend to find WB's make excellent barefooters. But just don't feed them 'junk' - it messes with their heads as well as their feet.

Hoof shape and shoes

2011-08-19T21:15:00.000+01:00

Same hoof as previous; but solar view. Note how the widest part of the foot is moving towards the heel. You might find it hard to see, but the sole is increasing (slowly) in thickness and concavity. Also note how the frog has quickly widened and how it was somewhat cramped by the shoe.

30 05 11

24 07 11

11 08 11

Navicular and 'metabolic' - 10 weeks 3 days

2011-08-19T14:35:00.000+01:00

By kind and generous permission of the carer.

Vets have given a 'Navicular' diagnosis. Horse on presentation has very thin soles, fronts are running forward, heels are collapsed, bulbs pointy rather than full, toe wall has been rasped out in places, frog is squishy (but not rotten, just unused), digital cushion is undeveloped (on palpation) and there is some red in the white line.

Subsequent trial and error shows the horse is sensitive to grass, probably oats and haylage. Does better on night time turnout with soaked hay in the day. Horse is on/off footy depending on circumstances but is generally improving. Progress would probably be faster if 24/7 turnout on a grass free track could be provided. But this carer has chosen to learn how to manage a tricky case, at livery, because long term they want to know how to provide for this horse. Even so, and even with some set backs they are making progress.

In the photo array the first picture (top left) was taken 30/05/11, the last (bottom right) 11/08/11. Can you see the differences?

No miracles here

2011-07-18T22:00:00.000+01:00

Regular readers probably know that I write this blog (more accurately, sweat, bleed and salt the air - seeing as how I am not that IT literate) to provide some inspiration for people with more challenging horses and barefoot newbies. Yeah and there is a bit of personal satisfaction too, let's not forget that. I am only human and a pretty flawed one.

But I don't do it to parade 'miracles'. All the horses on this blog are cared for either in livery or at home, with the exception of the odd rehab I had before I ever went pro.

And that is the point really, because it is the care that they receive that transforms these horses. Not my trimming, not some super special feed or supplement, but a general holistic, horse centric care approach.

True, the tall horses need the length adjusted etc, but without proper care all I could achieve would be some pretty basic adjustments. Some horses need a long period of rehabiliation and the carer may need advice on how to rehabiliate a hoof, but they should take the credit for any success because they are the ones who have delivered the care.

And yes, sometimes progress is a little slower than it could be because the owner is learning, but you know equally it is sometimes really really fast. And previous horse experience is not really any kind of guide. What does count is putting the horse first and learning to 'read' them and respond appropriately.

So what I am trying to say is, when trawling the net and this blog in particular, as you peruse the before and after photos, just remember the only miracle at play is the miracle of mother nature.

More tall walls

2011-07-15T14:33:00.000+01:00

Another day, another horse, another set of overly tall feet.

This one came as a perpetual tripper. I have never seen such an enormous jumpers bump (not pictured) on a medium heavy cob (and no he doesn't do any jumping). Also camped under. I suspect that this guy, being 20, is going to have more problems with reeducating his muscles than he will have with his new feet.

That's not to say the 'new' feet won't be noticed. His heels will widen, the frog will come into use, breakover will come back, the proportions will change, the walls will get denser as will the sole. How could all these changes not have an impact and not be felt? Sometimes I wish the horses could talk to us - other times I am quite glad they can't.

Frog is tiny and not touching ground, heels are very tall

Heel is contracted, bars bent inwards,
foot is 50/50 rather than 2/3 and 1/3

Wall much taller at quarters than toe

Height on opposite quarter

Comparison between shod and unshod height

2011-07-15T08:18:00.000+01:00

This hoof has just been deshod. Although there has been a significant shortening of the whole hoof capsule, over time it will get shorter still - and all to the good.

Before and after deshoeing, same day, same hoof

There are two ways in the above photos of comparing the differences between the before and after shots. The horizontal amber lines give an overall comparison of the height of the hoof before and after.

The pairs of coloured lines show more detail. Each colour pair is the same length and angle in both the before and after shots. So the red line which marks the toe length, by being the same length and angle shows the difference in the hoof toe before and after. The green line shows the change in height of the heel. The blue line joins the red to the green, showing their relationship to each other is the same in each photo.

And where did the extra height on the shod horse come from?

Not just the shoe but a lot of untrimmed hoof wall too.

Hoof wall is longer in toe than heel, tipping foot backwards

Well where do I start?

2011-07-14T21:50:00.003+01:00

Apologies for lack of posts! So much to blog about I don't know where to start.

Thought you might find these interesting. Older horse, started tripping, shod 7 weeks ago. Clenches not risen at all.

1 Frog not touching ground,
foot clearly peripheral loading

2 Note inverted 'V' of back of foot/heel bulbs &
detrius under toe of shoe

3 Note height of foot and nail holes in
relation to ground

4 Note narrowness of heels, and tiny frog

5 Compare with 1

6 Inverted 'V' very noticeable, heel too tall and contracted

7 Compare with 3 note excessive height

8 Compare with 4

9 Post trim, compare with 1 and 5

10 Post trim, compare with 4 and
7, note nail holes, multiple event lines and
change in angle

11 Post trim and short road walk
compare with 4 and 8, note dip in toe

This horse has quite hard feet, not bad at all for such a long time shod. But they are quite contracted, the frog hasn't been in contact with the ground for ages and there appears to be some dietary issues.

There have been lameness and tripping issues. Some related to the feet, but others ? Whatever happens, this guy is going to be able to move more comfortably now he is not on stilettos. I am expecting him to have a few good and a few bad days though as he gets used to his new feet, as they decontract and while we figure out what regime is going to suit him, especially as he has many of the symptoms of Insulin Resistance.

His owner is considering setting up a track and we may fit boots in order to be able to step up his exercise a little more sharply than we would otherwise.

Just 3 weeks later

2011-06-21T11:32:00.000+01:00

And another 80km (50 miles old money), only this time all in one day. (see hooves from one year ago and 3 weeks ago here. And post the one day 80km ride the hooves look like this:

LFSR post Rufus 50m 2011

LHSR post Rufus 50m 2011

RFSR - post Rufus 50m 2011

RHSR - post Rufus 50m 2011

Ride conditions were wet and muddy. For those who worry about slipping/traction and the need for studs. This horse had minor slips, unlike the shod horse they rode with who slid down one bank on its bottom.

I think the effort that the owner has put into preparing this horse is really paying off. Confident on her feet, the work over varied terrain to build the hooves has also conditioned her body - both body and hooves look great, good structure and strength.

Seedy toe, abscess and 'false' sole ...........

2011-06-14T15:53:00.001+01:00

Do you remember the somewhat spectacular toe crack? Well the path to hoof heaven is never a straight one and living in the UK makes it exceptionally wet and muddy too.

Mud and seedy toe can lead to abscess and so it did in this case. But every cloud has a silver lining .........

The foot abscessed during the very wet muddy spell we had mid winter and we were dealing with the consequences. The foot had gone somewhat backwards. The last 3 photos in this array are June 2011, the rest are May 2011.

And the warmest of thanks to the owner for letting me share these photos.

Oh and yes, the horse is sound and apparently rather 'forward going' - not bad for a girl in her 20's! :-)

Long toe scooting forwards

Toe crack has extended

NB semi circular solar split just

above frog apex

'False' sole lifted from solar toe area

Cleaned back to bars

Note wall height now 'false' sole exfoliated. New sole is hard

Oblique view of partial clean

Cleaned and rolled

06 11 - Side view compare with 1st photo.
Note abscess hole

06 11 - Front view post trim, note reduction in toe crack,
compare with photo 2

06 11 - Solar view post trim

And my (old) vet said

2011-05-28T17:19:00.000+01:00

LF April 10 - corn, sole thin at toe, weak heels,
spoon shaped

LH April 10

RF April 10

RH April 10 - apologies for poo!

LF - May 11, 5 days post GH, more
concavity, sole thicker, heel bulbs
developed, wider at heel

LH - May 11 5 days post GH

RF - May 11 5 days post GH

RH - May 11, 5 days post GH

........... "Horses can do everything barefoot except Endurance."

The May 11 hooves are 5 days post the Golden Horseshoe. 80km in two days over a stoney moor*. Although the owner reports it is not as stoney as their regular training ground. Horse vetted sound with a Silver, missing Gold by one heart beat. The icing on the cake was the compliments from the vet on the hooves! :-)

Maybe if my original vet were still practicing today he would change his mind? He was pretty open minded and pragmatic so I like to think so.

* I took this horse on as a client April 10. Previously always ridden out in boots as always a bit footy. Diet change and a few modifications to hoof care and what a difference a year makes. Owner is incredibly dedicated and it wouldn't work without their ability to manage their horse. Horse lives out 24/7, until recently in regular grass livery. Now on a grass track.

Flare

2011-05-21T16:06:00.000+01:00

There seems to be a hell of a lot of confusion about flare. Certainly conversations with my clients makes me realise it has become a dangerous term to use unless both parties are absolutely certain they are discussing the same thing. So for the purpose of this post I am going to try to be more specific.

Many of the horses I deal with suffer from white line stretch. This largely occurs because the lamellar bonds have been weakened, generally but not always from dietary disturbance. I'll cover this in more detail in a future post. For now stick with the idea that the lamellar bonds are compromised and a visual clue is that the white line is now wider than the edge of a credit card.

Other horses, in squaring off their toes create a hoof wall which has an uneven thickness. The solar view may show a thicker hoof wall at '10am' and '2pm'. For horses that don't move perfectly straight this might be '9am' and '1pm' or '11am' and '3pm' but you get the general idea. The hoof wall in between has been worn thinner, creating 'corners' at either end of the thin section.

Much more rarely and I don't really see this in the South East, although I have seen it on my travels, the hoof wall grows at significantly variable thicknesses.

And then there is what looks like 'flare' from the outside but is actually nothing of the kind. An update on this hoof is here. Let's call this a 'deviation'.

On various occasions I have heard each of these scenarios described as 'flare'. As each needs a different approach I think it is important to label/understand them more clearly to ensure the correct techniques are adopted.

Starting with the last scenario first - a deviated hoof. More than one person has suggested that this foot should be tackled by rasping the outer hoof wall. But check out the solar view - can you see what would happen if this were done? The hoof wall would be substantially weakened, possibly badly compromised and the deviation would still be there. Only with a weakened hoof wall the hoof would be less able to continue with the (fairly substantial) work load the horse currently enjoys - completely boot free over all sorts of surfaces.

Continuing my backwards theme....... the uneven thickness of hoof wall (which I don't see much of these days). If this is significant and likely to cause problems as it grows out then this can be dressed out, but extreme care needs to be taken as over enthusiasm can leave the hoof wall compromised. Less is more.

Squared off toes. I see this most often in horses that do a lot of straight line work on more abrasive surfaces and those that are seeking to bring their breakover back. If the 'corners' are left they can break off leaving a ragged and unsightly edge. Usually this causes the humans more problem than the horses. Sometimes, especially if the horn quality is very plastic, a nasty tear can result. If the hooves are very tough and the corners don't snap off then they can interfere with the horse's ability to move efficiently. Corners are dealt with as part of the normal roll process. The hoof should not need dressing higher up as there is no uneven wall thickness, just uneven wear.

White line stretch. Now bear in mind you are dealing with a horse that has compromised feet. Sometimes substantially compromised. Along with the white line stretch there may be quite poor hoof quality, depending on how long the horse has been in distress. I have seen some real shockers where the whole capsule reminds me of one of those chicken eggs with a weak shell. Dealing with this by rasping the outer hoof wall is unhelpful at best.

There are but two things to do. Remove the causal factor which is usually but not always diet related. Grow down a tightly bonded hoof capsule (see posts on healing angle). And trim the hoof according to AANHCP guidelines, removing only what nature would have done given the chance.

Help my horse has gone footy

2011-05-14T20:11:00.000+01:00

Footiness is a mixed blessing. Now don't get me wrong, we would all rather our horses never got footy. But with the barefoot horse it's a really useful early indicator of something going wrong. And this is something that I think a lot of people don't quite grasp.

Footiness is a symptom of less than perfect health. Sometimes only minor, sometimes something more. But less than perfect health nevertheless.

This is a quick list of things to consider:

too much grass
impact on grass of change in environment (rain after drought, several days of frost, fertilizer)
too much sugary/starchy feed
sugary hay (for cool season grasses)
other non specific dietary upset
course of antibiotics
thrush
bruise
corn
abscess brewing
sole been thinned by inappropriate trimming
foot overdue for trimming

Generally speaking if you can remove the causal factor the footiness will resolve within days, although some will take a couple of weeks. If in doubt always consult with your vet.

But please don't be tempted to shoe until you know what the problem is - you may resolve the footy symptom, but you won't resolve the cause and without the footiness to guide you, you won't know if your horse has been restored to better health.

If you are determined to shoe (and of course I'd counsel against) then only shoe a sound horse.

Heels

2011-05-13T21:35:00.000+01:00

Aug 10 - slightly contracted - note lack of substance and the
groove between bulbs

Aug 10 solar view of above - note weak butresses and
deep central sulcus

Oct 10 - heels decontracted - note how groove has disappeared

Oct 10 solar view of above - note changes to buttresses,
central sulcus, sole and frog generally

Note weight bearing section of heel is towards middle of foot
Note weak structure, poor horn quality, excessive wall rasping

Slowly weight bearing section moving back to where it should
be - toe still really long, quality improving a little

Heel in suspension, lami rings, excessive wall rasping

Contracted, infected, sore and weak

Few weeks later, decontracting, infection cleared, not sore

later still, note heel bulb position and shape

Of all the structures most abused in the horses hoof, my current bug bear is heels. Remember 'Fred'? Tall heels, contracted heels, infected heels and underrun heels. None of these are normal or healthy and with appropriate care, diet and exercise they can all be improved. A good heel is vital to a horse and sentiment aside, a horse with a well formed hoof is going to stay sound longer.

Oh and for those debating shoes/boots - if you need to put something on your horse's foot, boot everytime. I have yet to deshoe a horse that had a good heel, but they can usually grow/build one pretty quick once that shoe gets taken off.

NB - building good heels doesn't happen by magic or overnight - a good diet and an appropriate management regime are important. And even horses living in less than ideal conditions can have a good foot/heel if they work hard enough

Sharing the love and my lunch

2011-04-12T13:19:00.000+01:00

The former on purpose and willingly; the latter not so much.

Lesson learned - even on a really hot day don't leave your car window open - the YO dog will jump in, eat your lunch and an entire family packet of plain choclate digestives - leaving you with nothing but a seat full of crumbs and wrappers, an apple and a can of Fanta. Poor dog - I hope he wasn't too ill afterwards.

It was a day full of blessings, starting with the gift of a sun hat and an ice lolly. Finishing with meeting a truly wonderful family who have just taken on two young ponies. Both total sweethearts. Great feet.

I started at 4am - didn't get home til 9.30 pm - but arrived floating on cloud 9. You know, I am the luckiest girl ever - my clients are brilliant! :-)

Who to trust?

2011-04-08T21:04:00.000+01:00

Well your horse of course.

Sad but true, in these days of a market driven economy you have to be very careful. We are all aware of various horse oriented products which don't quite live up to the big print on the front of the packet.

My own horse Grace was compromised big time when on the recommendation of another trimmer I tried a 'lami safe' feed. Mmm - not for her nor for a few other horses I've heard about either. Grace did react spectacularly badly - not only did she get very foot sore, but she also had extended EPSM issues and it made her really grumpy.

So listen to your horse, if something makes them footsore they are not faking it. If they do well on a product celebrate - but don't expect it to work for the horse in the stall next door.

Even scientific research has to be questioned. I was brought up to think 'scientifically' and I've had a job editing and publishing research - and I benefit from that experience probably every day. Does make me a big time cynic though.

At present there is debate among the scientific community about the role of fructan as a causal factor of laminitis in horses. While the process of debate is interesting, it can be unhelpful if it only serves to confuse or bemuse people struggling with managing their lami prone horse.

Most of us barefooters are more than aware that grass can be a big time problem and we don't need scientific research to tell us that - especially when different sources contradict each other. What would be helpful is greater awareness of the impact of inappropriate diet on hooves beyond the barefoot community and more useful and reliable information on how we can manage our horses in a way which benefits them but also fits with our available resources.

Most regular readers of this blog will be aware of the Jamie Jackson material on feral horses and paddock paradise systems - and I am sure many of us long to be able to provide our horses with these types of facilities.

However in the meantime we have to find ways to make the best of what we have. So how do you know that what you are doing is working? Listen to your horse and trust what they are telling you. They don't have an agenda or a product to sell.

Listen to your horse, not to the feed rep, the barn owner or the man next door :-) Sound or lame that is the question.

Slightly gruesome - don't view if you are squeamish

2011-04-07T21:24:00.000+01:00

Shod - hoof wall rasped 'moderately'

Note how foot is running forward, heels are collapsed
and are forward of the back of the foot which is in suspension

Shod solar view note overlaid bars,
position of shoe against frog

Deshod view of above

Cleaned up view of above

Detail of above

Reminder - 'ideal' nail placement -
oriented on water line

Nail on pair of above

Detail of above

Very thin sole

I don't know what killed this horse. I do know it had the most enormous abscess - pus was blowing out through the frog in huge quantities - so I have my suspicions.

I chose this foot for this post, because you see feet like it on every yard. Probably the majority of shod feet I see look something like this.

The hooves are running forward, the heels are collapsed and the sole is thin. In an attempt to reduce the duck bill impersonation the hoof wall gets rasped - further weakening the foot. This leaves little space for the farrier to place the nail and mistakes happen.

My question is - you can see the issues the foot has, you know how to fix them (diet, exercise, natural living as much as possible) - what contribution to foot health did the shoe make for this horse...

Never buy a shod horse

2011-04-07T11:22:00.000+01:00

Based on recent (and past) experiences - of my own and my clients.

Too many people are buying problems in blissful ignorance. Even with horses that have been vetted.

Shoes are being used to cover up a range of problems from footiness to twisted limbs.

Don't set yourself up for heartache and a financial black hole.

If you want to buy a horse - buy a sound barefoot horse.

Toe Cracks and an excess of Acronyms

2011-03-31T16:26:00.000+01:00

Three things to investigate with toe cracks.

1) Is the crack in the outer wall only or does it include the white line?
2) Has the hoof wall been thinned or had any kind of oil/hoof dressing applied
3) Trimming

Five broad categories

Stretched white line - The bulk of toe cracks I deal with are an end symptom of a stretched white line which of course is a symptom of damaged laminae which is of course a symptom of hind gut issues of some sort.

When the white line is compromised opportunistic bacteria invade, (it's lovely and moist and bacteria friendly in there, especially under shoes. They chomp away and eventually the whole lot becomes compromised sufficiently for the hoof to split. This can be fixed. It takes time - because you have to grow the crack out and a bit of hard work, because you need to ensure the foot has the stimulation it needs to put out the growth and you may need to treat the bacterial infection.

Hoof wall length - LOTD (lack of trimming disease). The hooves have simply got too long and the cracking, splitting and chipping is the hoof trying to self trim.

Hoof dressings - CED - (I'll let you work that out), where OTC (over the counter) products available at any feed store have damaged the hoof wall - chemically or by disturbing the moisture balance, either over drying the wall or keeping it so moist that bacteria set up home and break down the keratin and it starts to crumble.

Trimming - Less than perfect mustang roll - if your horse tends to develop 'corners' and these are left too long (both in time and length of the 'pointy' section) the leverage can create a stress crack - usually mid way between the two corners Doesn't always happen. These close up nicely when the stress is removed.

Or it could be that your hoof care provider is getting too handy with the rasp and has been thinning the hoof wall. This damages it - ask them not to do it and if they insist find yourself another trimmer. Usually this is done when the hoof is scooting forwards and the trimmer doesn't know how to deal with it any other way.

Horn quality - If you have a perpetual short crack in the toe which is hard to resolve, but doesn't seem to penetrate to the white line you may have an issue with horn quality. Usually cutting right back on sugars/simple starches and checking mineral balances is enough. The horse may also have long term low level undiagnosed hind gut issues. Try probiotics such as Yea Sacc 1026 and/or charcoal*

*I am not a charcoal expert, but be careful of your source - there is some CED going on and poor quality charcoal is being sold to the unsuspecting. You want a hardwood charcoal that has been properly treated.

For peeps in the UK check out Fine Fettle Feeds. So far they haven't managed to make the UGP (Universal Guinea Pig) ill which is a start - I've only just started the test on Grace so I'll let you know how it goes in due course.

Hoof Dressings

2011-03-27T21:50:00.000+01:00

Hooves have evolved to manage their own moisture balance. Feed the horse well, exercise appropriately, facilitate as natural a lifestyle as you can manage.

Don't waste your money on hoof dressings. Spend the cash saved on hoof boots if your horse needs them, or setting up your facilities so they can live more naturally.

In drier climates you might want to create a natural watering spot, so your horse can wet their feet as they drink, but don't dress hooves with oils, polishes or other products which can destroy the natural moisture balance in the hoof. I have actually seen the outer hoof wall break down from these moisturising treatments.

If your horse gets thrush, then by all means treat it, but don't use anything which you wouldn't put on your own skin. Another horror story - I've seen a horse with chemical burns from a thrush treatment.

Keep your horse healthy, work them hard, let them live naturally, get the hooves trimmed regularly, avoid hoof dressings - you won't go far wrong and you will save a lot of money!

With love from Grace - yummy herbs

2011-03-26T19:20:00.002Z

Herbs on food before mixing

Grace's herb 'muesli'

Grace is EPSM and prone to laminitis. So the poor love is on a very low sugar, low starch diet and it can get pretty bland at times. A long way from the 70+ species she has evolved to eat.

So we have a bit of fun with herbs - both for pure pleasure and also to add to her feed.

Grace's current favourite is a blend that makes her dinner smell like lemon meringue pie. I have to say I feel quite guilty when I feed her because as many humans as horses end up drooling at the smell and they don't get to have any!

Grace's herb list - we mix and match

Chamomile
Lemon Balm
Vervain
Scullcap
Lime Flowers
Poppy Petals
Roses
Rose leaves
Rose hips
Raspberry Leaves
Chamomile
Vervain
St John’s Wort
Chaste Tree Berries
Nettle
Rosehip
Garlic Granules
Celery Seed
Burdock Root
Dandelion Leaves
Devil's Claw Root
Comfrey Leaf
Aniseed
Coltsfoot
Hyssop
Bramble leaves
Hawthorn leaves
Burdock leaves
Cow Parsley
Willow
Hazel
Cinnamon

Remember this is Grace's own personal list and it may not be suitable for all horses. I tend to offer her things, find out what she likes and then research each item carefully before deciding if it is safe to feed and what sort of quantity. Some of these things can be gathered from the hedges in the UK, other bits I buy in dried.

Have fun!

Recently deshod and chipping

2011-03-26T05:51:00.000Z

Photo 1

Photo 2

Photo 3

Photo 4

Photo 5

Photo 6

I was reviewing my photos and I found I do have some chipped hooves - but only ones that have recently been deshod. So by photo number.

1 Hoof wall heavily rasped, (you can't see it but the heel is stacked too). Standard farrier approach to a hoof that is scooting forward. Weakened wall chips and breaks as nail holes grow out.

2-4 This is the hoof used in 'bull nose' (you might spot a trend developing here). Again hoof wall has been heavily rasped (note that it's a hind so has bull nosed rather than flared from metabolic problem) and nail holes are breaking even while still shod. In photo 4 you can see that nail free the hoof is just dandy but the horse has also been weaned off her pony nuts and put on a lower sugar diet.

5-6 Cardboard hoof - horse has metabolic issues big time. Very sensible farrier refused to shoe any more because of poor quality (hurrah!). In 6 you can see the hoof has grown out nicely and quality is restored.

I do have one horse that has some chips in it's bare feet - they have been left too long between trims and I am working on getting Grace to chip hers................

Hoof quality and treating

2011-03-25T20:58:00.000Z

Some horses like some people can eat junk food and get away with it. Others are ok for a while until it all catches up with them and some (like my Grace) have to watch what they eat 24/7/365.

It's not just about being overweight, there are at least two other common things to watch out for, before we even think about the heritable metabolic issues such as HYPP and EPSM.

Hind gut acidosis
Blood sugar/insulin spikes

If you over feed sugar and/or simple starches you risk your horse getting hind gut acidosis. This is the first step to all sorts of other problems, one of which is laminitis. Others are lack of performance, tiredness, lack of thrift and behavioural problems.

As to treats, it is easy to assume that because the overall diet is low in sugar the odd carrot or mint doesn't matter. And for some horses it doesn't. But if you have a sensitive one then you could be causing the blood sugar to spike, which of course has a negative impact on the other side. And of course if the diet is already a bit high in sugar then too many carrots can tip a horse over the edge.

Plus sometimes I think it just isn't fair. For example, my own Grace has to have a very low sugar/starch diet - sugary treats just set up the cravings all over again - it took me many weeks to wean her off sugar, why would I want to put us both through that again?

But I do use treats, but instead of sugary carrots and apples I feed herbs. I try different things with her and she loves to get to choose. Current favourite is lemon balm, but she likes a lot of things and it means she gets variety, low sugar and a positive contribution to her diet.

Herbs are fun!

Thoroughbreds and barefoot

2011-03-25T05:33:00.001Z

For successful barefoot performance does the breed of horse matter? Yes and no. Yes because there is so much prejudice about certain breeds that it can make it harder for the carer to get the support they need. No, because any breed of horse can and does go bare successfully.

There are common issues no matter what the breed:

Inappropriate diet
Not enough movement
Stress (usually not noticed)
Inadequate/unhelpful hoof care

Unfortunately all of the above are especially prevalent among Thoroughbreds. They are fed cr*p from a very young age, frequently confined, subject to far too much far too young and are shod as babies.

So in terms of hoof health, a lot of TB's start on the bottom or near bottom rung - which of course makes their barefoot transition that bit more challenging. Doesn't mean it can't be done, does mean it takes more commitment, knowledge, patience and time to do it.

We do have some shining examples in the UK - Simon Earle manages all his racehorses barefoot and the Apsley End Polo Team are bare too.

But probably the best examples are the ones we never get to hear about - the private individuals who quietly just get on with it for the sake of their horse. And here is just one - the transition process has just started (about Jan 2011) after many false dawns and multiple set backs. (Otherwise known as grass.... and an abscess.) This horse has a way to go, but as the video shows, he is sound on concrete! (bare not booted).

And big hugs and much appreciation to the owner of this lad and the supporting crew for allowing these photos and video to be published. I know their journey has been a long and hard one and all credit to them for sticking with it despite all the negative 'ear mites' they have had to suffer.

Fore Aug 2010

Fore March 2011

Hind Aug 2010

Hind March 2011

Hoof chipping

2011-03-24T05:42:00.000Z

Sadly (I suppose in a good way) I don't have many photos of hoof chips. I did try to get Grace to chip her hooves for me, but even though I marched her across some builders rubble she was having none of it!

But I see hooves chipping mostly for three reasons:-

Newly deshod hoof is growing out nail holes/damage and/or breakover is moving back
Poor horn quality
Neglect and/or poor trimming

Newly deshod cobs seem to chip the most, but that is just on my patch, it is not necessarily universal. Cobs also seem to be shod in some of the most 'interesting' ways, considering how good their feet can be with very little effort. The two things are often linked as the breakover is often very far forward of where it needs to be and the hoof wall has often been rasped extremely heavily.

Poor horn quality needs to be addressed by fixing the diet (KISS)* and introducing a carefully planned and well executed work programme to stimulate the foot into producing more high quality growth. Any decent trimmer should be able to advise you on your particular.

Neglect :-( and poor trimming :-( are often cited as reasons why a horse can't go barefoot (the foot chips). Sorry but these are inexcusable. I can understand why people struggle with diet, the advice/general knowledge on offer is often a bit out of date, but neglect is never acceptable and there are some damn fine trimmers out there and the AANHCP network is growing daily. I do understand that in some countries it can be hard to find a trimmer in the locality, but always try contacting the AANHCP because they are generally very helpful. I've even known members to get on a plane to organise workshops in countries where there are no qualified local trimmers.

Ok promo over! If you are worried about hoof chips - usually you don't need to be - put the chip in context and if you are unsure contact your trimmer.

Put it this way the first horse in this post lost their quarter (old abscess hole growing out) - but was never a day lame and she works 6+ days a week and for hours at a time on all sorts of surfaces including roads and stones.

The second horse (same post) was never lame from the chunk missing from their hoof either (the laminitis was another matter!)

*My new version of this is Keep It Simple and Sugarfree! Or you could go for Keep It Starch and Sugarfree.....

Sound isn't always pretty

2011-03-23T21:08:00.000Z

This horse had been lame for many months and was deteriorating when the carer decided to have the shoes removed and try barefoot. X-rays showed an eroded 'ski tip' pedal bone. Laminitis had obviously been a problem for a considerable time, disguised by the shoes. Despite veterinary intervention, no one had offered dietary advice other than that the horse needed to lose weight. This was true, but for a classic fatty the question was how?

It took a while for the carers to make the emotional adjustments required (it was hard for them to stop feeding sugary treats) - but they really applied themselves and 8 weeks 6 days later, on a diet consistently mostly of soaked hay the horse came sound.

The horse is now in full work and has beautiful movement. The hooves? well they have deteriorated a little this past February (it's caught a lot of people out) so the grazing muzzle is going back on. The horse though is still sound.

Note, although the feet aren't as good as they could be, they are a major improvement on the recently deshod version.

Just deshod

March 2010

Concavity and footiness

2011-03-21T21:22:00.000Z

Too many forums can be too much of a very unreliable information source. It's easy to get hooked up on the latest hot topic. And with forums you can't always know whether the poster is a newbie, keen to share what they are learning (and maybe not quite getting it yet), someone who is very experienced or a troll.

There are a couple of topics that raise their heads every spring in the UK, these are 'Concavity' and 'Footiness'.

I am starting to realise that 'Concavity' has been raised to such lofty heights that some horses are expected to sport a replica of the inside of St Pauls Dome on the underside of their hooves.

Bu you know not all horses sport inverted 'D cups' under their feet* - just as not all humans feet have exactly the same amount of arch.

If you are worried if your horse has 'enough' talk to your hoof care professional - if they are worth their salt they should be able to advise you. If they can't - swop to someone who can.

Ditto footiness. There is no doubt that the onset of spring grass causes many (maybe the majority) of cases of footiness - but not all.

One of the things I am aware of is that as horses are brought into work post winter blues and the rust gets dusted off, lameness which may not be noticeable in the paddock and stable suddenly gets lit in glowing neon the minute a hack across any harder/stonier surface happens. A good proportion of the time it is because the horse has thrush, sometimes pretty severely. It hurts. Especially if the sensitive structures of the frog have been exposed because half of it has rotted away.

For new clients taken on in spring I find all sorts - from brewing abscesses, badly contracted heels, poor trim jobs, corns - all of which contribute to lameness.

Some be fixed with my nippers (but none with shoes, which mask symptoms but fail to cure the cause). What is usually needed is a programme of appropriate exercise, a decent diet and maybe for a spell, boots.

*A foot that has a modest amount of concavity can still be very sound over stones etc, but just like all hooves, you need a decent amount of quality sole and no inflammation of the solar corium. Grace has 'A cup' soles but as she proved this evening - can be very sound over rubble and stones, so long as I look after her properly.

Hard working feet can still get better

2011-03-19T15:38:00.000Z

RF Mid May 10

RF Mid March 11

LF Mid May 10

LF Mid March 11

I first met this horse May 2010. Never shod, but largely ridden out in boots because of footiness. It was clear that the horse had some degree of LGL because of the soup sinking event lines on her hooves. There were a few structural issues too, massive corn and feet that were spoon shaped in front (narrow, contracted heel and flaring toe).

Now 10 months later the hooves (finally!) are decontracting, they are shorter, with just as much depth to the sole. These hooves also remind us that they respond to the going they are familiar with - a sudden 1000% fold increase in road work has worn the March 11 hooves a bit too much. But the carer/rider is aware that if they are consistent with the road work they will be fine.

And the mystery foot belonged to .....

2011-03-18T05:32:00.000Z

Fred!

Fred mid Oct 10

Fred end Feb 11

This horse has gone from strength to strength. No more tripping and he looks years younger.

Bull nosed hooves

2011-03-08T22:06:00.000Z

Relatively subtle bull nose

Lovely example, note HA, pair to next photo

Pair to previous

Hoof from 3rd photo note bull has dropped out. Very clear HA

Getting there

What is a bull nosed hoof? Most (but not all) bull nosed hooves are found on the hinds. They are how the hind feet express deficiencies in diet and trimming that are normally (but not always) seen as flaring in the fronts.

The first photo shows a distinct but subtle bull nose. The remaining photos show the journey from a recently deshod (and pretty sick) hoof to a straighter healthier hoof. There is still a way to go, but I think you will agree, the difference is noticeable.

Healing angle

2011-03-06T23:38:00.000Z

Red line traces healing angle to ground

Immature, weak foot scooting forward

Hard working hoof maintains HA

Some hooves are so compromised it is hard to find the healing angle. For most of us we can check approx' 1cm below the hairline to find it. Sometimes it is easier to use touch. Don't let yourself get confused by the rubbery bit of the coronary band - go below that.

This angle should be maintained all the way to the ground. However if you sight the hoof from the side or gently run your fingers down the toe wall of the hoof you may be able to see and/or feel divergence away from the healing angle.

The first two photos show feet that are scooting forwards, but in a hind foot you more likely to find a bull nose effect. They are equally incorrect.

When your horse can maintain a healing angle to the ground you are doing something right! If you are transitioning a horse and you can see/feel that healing angle getting closer to the ground you know you are making progress. If the healing angle never gets much further down the hoof than the top 1.5cm or so then you know something somewhere isn't working for your horse.

A long toe delays breakover and compromises function of the hoof. This will inevitably have a negative impact on the limb and rest of the horse. Achieving and maintaining the HA to the ground is all about function - it's a useful and important measure

Transition - how long?

2011-03-06T13:43:00.000Z

How long does transition take? To measure this we need to ask: -

'When does transition start?'

and

'When does transition end?'

And I am going to take these in reverse.

'When does transition end?
You know your horse's hooves are reaching optimum when the healing angle has reached the ground and there are no more divergent toe angles.

But on top of this, for me, a horse has successfully transitioned from shod to barefoot when she can:

'Travel a reasonable distance, comfortably, over most surfaces, including tarmac, concrete and gravel car parks.'

Why these surfaces? - because they are what most of my clients face in their daily grind and because a feral horse, living wild, faces similarly abrasive surfaces every day. 'Reasonable distance' is anything up to 20 miles per day because this is what horses have evolved to do.

Remember it doesn't matter if your horse's hooves don't conform to a human ideal of 'pretty', what is important is that they can perform.

When does transition start?
Current thinking is that 'transition' starts when the shoes come off. I want to refine that a little. Some of us need sign posts that show us we are making progress, especially if we have a metabolic horse.

I need a sign post - with really big writing please!
There are two big signs of progress which you will be able to note long before you have a perfect, fully functioning hoof.

Big sign posts

Healing angle* progresses beyond 1.5cm (approx) down the hoof and is maintained as hoof grows
Horse becomes more capable over hard and/or stoney surfaces**

* I will elaborate on healing angles in a future post.

Deviation

2011-03-04T09:01:00.000Z

Shifts lateral to medial

Works hard, functions well

Collapsed along medial wall - 12 05 10

Straighter - good example of event lines 01 09 10

I love deviated hooves, sorry, probably not the right thing to say, but I find them fascinating. Generally terribly easy to deal with, if you know what you are doing.

Sad then, that so many people are advised that they have to shoe a horse with a deviated hoof. I really don't know why, especially as I have seen the problems shoeing this type of foot causes; including for some, quite severe long term lameness.

A deviation is often, but not always a reflection of something going on higher up the horse. Maybe a conformation defect or some long term soreness. Other times the foot has just been inappropriately managed/trimmed.

The hoof in the top two photos belongs to a portly traditional hunting print type cob. Her original farrier said she would never be able to go barefoot because of the deviation - the outer hoof wall would wear to nothing. In fact she works very hard barefoot including lots of work on roads and stoney tracks and she still needs maintenance trimming. Far from the outside wall wearing too much, we find the medial side doesn't wear enough. Her carer has learnt how to deal with this in between formal trim sessions. Yes it grows that much!

The third and fourth photos belong to an endurance horse that has always been bare. We know she has had some upper body issues, plus she needed more regular trimming of the overly long wall which was tipping her foot over. The hoof is now straight - because it 'wants' to be straight, not because it has been forced to be. This is an example of a true performance barefooter just quietly getting on with it.

Shining a light on laminitis?

2011-03-02T11:17:00.000Z

First trim 2 weeks deshod 25 11 10

3rd trim 09 02 11

To give a little light and hope to all you horses and your carers who are suffering the misery of laminitis.

The horse attached to this hoof had been very lame with laminitis and had been on box rest for many months.

His 'Mum' had done everything as prescribed by vet and his award winning farrier except PTS. He had one last option, which was to take his shoes off and try the barefoot approach.

There are 11 weeks between the first and second photos; note how the sole has gone from flat (it was actually bulging) to the beginnings of concavity. The white line stretch is growing out and the heel buttresses are starting to bulk up and widen.

Just a few weeks post deshoeing and this little guy was leading the herd in a mad canter around a track system (aka Paddock Paradise).

Now he is daily towing his Mum on hoof building walks out and about, every day for 20-30 minutes plus. He could easily do more.

It doesn't bear thinking about what would have happened to this horse if his owner didn't have the courage to defy the vet and farrier and try something else for him. Big hugs to them all.

And huge thank you's I know, from many who are thankful to these two for giving them hope and inspiration.

So who does this foot belong to?

2011-03-01T16:59:00.001Z

So - somewhere in 2010 posts there are the 'originals' of this hoof. Do you know who it is? Comments are temporarily open for this one. One point for accurately identifying the hoof, two if you can identify the original post. Score 3+ if you can spot the differences.

Who do I belong to?

Hoof cracks - update

2011-02-22T05:14:00.000Z

31 05 10

06 02 11

This horse is in their early 20's. Written off several years ago unsound. May 2010 unsound. Now sound, rather lively and being ridden and has been since last summer (not sure of precise date).

Regular rolling has allowed the crack on this hoof to grow out. Trim intervals were initially 4 weeks, these have now been extended to 5. Any longer and the crack starts to lever open. The horse lives out 24/7 on very wet ground.

Hoof cracks do not necessarily need to be a cause for major concern, or shoeing, filling or otherwise high octane intervention.

They are my babies too..........

2011-02-17T08:58:00.000Z

Client asked me the other day if I get attached to the horses I 'do'.

'Ooh' thought I 'Now there's a highly charged question!'

It's a fine line to tread - 100% putting out for the horse, their welfare, physically and mentally, but still staying removed enough so as not to tread on the carer's toes.

I am not so sure I do that very well. So apologies to all my clients for when my enthusiasm gets the better of me.

Because you see, I do get attached to the horses. All of them. Even the little darlings that kick me every time I so much as look at them. They are my babies too.

And the hardest part of the job is when you have to walk away. Because you can't trim a horse sound and healthy if there is something else going wrong in their life which can't/won't be fixed. From inappropriate diet, unnatural living and perhaps the hardest of all (to discuss with carer anyway) riding technique. And while I could keep pitching up and doing my 'thing'; in my heart and soul I just can't.

But there are huge compensations - I was just thinking back over just the last few months and you know what, without even trying I can think of half a dozen horses that were chronically lame, some written off, which are now sound and working. And that is in less than a year.

Most of them, with changes in lifestyle and diet come sound in just a couple of months. Some of them will need boots periodically. But you know, boots is better than dead.

Yes they are my babies too and I love them all, nearly as much as my own.

Best time of year to transition

2011-02-16T23:42:00.000Z

I have come to the conclusion that there isn't really a 'best' time. It all depends on the horse, the carer and the circumstances.

If you have a 'metabolic' horse, when the shoes come off you may find a stretched white line, maybe a thin sole and a fair bit of thrush. If you were previously unaware of these issues it can be a bit of a shock and it takes time to absorb the information and then adjust to managing the consequences. It is easier to transition metabolic horses when there are the least amount of triggers around. High summer or mid winter maybe.

Thin soles can struggle over hard, rutted or stony ground until they are restored to greater health, thickness and function. But equally a horse prone to thrush is going to struggle with fetlock deep mud 24/7. Not that it wouldn't be a problem with shoes on, it would, but it is more noticeable when the shoes are off.

These are just two of the reasons that your trimmer might recommend boots for the transition period. So that you can keep a horse with compromised feet working, while you work on getting them better. And as movement helps a lot, then it helps to fit boots if necessary to keep the movement going. It is no good working a horse that is miserable. You want to work your horse within their comfort zone.

Then think about you too, when you do your first barefoot transition it helps if you are mentally and practically prepared. For some, the hostility encountered from well intentioned traditionalists is surprising and a bit hard to take. So do your research and make sure you have some support from somewhere. You will be taking your horse bare for good reasons which you have thought through carefully, so write your reasons down somewhere, so you can remind yourself if the going gets tough.

Probably not a good idea to embark on the transition process just before competition season though. Unless like me you gave up competing years ago (I so hate dressing up). Transitioning your horse doesn't mean you have to necessarily give up riding, but your horse may need boots and she may need her work programme tailored for hoof building purposes. Boots go down like lead balloons in competition, so get your horse transitioned well in advance of any competitive activities. Then you can proudly do your lap of honour 'naked' and not have to worry about losing a shoe the day before.

And remember, I tend to talk 'worst case' scenarios, some horses have their shoes off and barely notice. Some skip, buck and grin with joy. One got very 'fresh' - mistaking the foot care for foot fetish........ :-)

Movement

2011-01-20T21:43:00.000Z

Often overlooked, frequently misunderstood; movement is very important to building good, sound hooves.* Ideally that movement should be as natural as possible, and when the hoof is healthy enough, as much as possible. Endless circles on the lunge or around the menage in isolation won't cut it.

Hooves have evolved to support a heavy animal; at speed, over long distances, and in the performance of a variety of balletic and/or warring manoeuvres, every day . It's a two way street, the movement builds the capability of the hooves and the hooves with healthy robustness, permit that movement to take place.

Lose one and you can lose the other; grow one with TLC and you will be rewarded by growing the other too.

In the good old days of Yore :-) the rule was always 6 weeks of road walking before anything else happened. This wouldn't be a bad place to start with a transitional hoof, but your horse may need to wear boots while her hooves get into gear growth wise, build sole and generally develop.

More importantly the carer/exerciser needs to learn to listen to, observe and respect the feedback they are getting from their horse. If she needs to go on softer ground, let her, if she says 'actually those stones are really ouchy' then use boots until she has the foot to cope without.

I can't give you a 'prescription' even though I know that is what many of us would love. Every horse and her hooves are individual and so require their own movement plan. What I can say is that consistency is pretty important. The hooves I see struggling are often short on consistency of movement.

Often there is a flurry of activity for a week or two and the hooves gear themselves up for more, only to be let down with a month or two of not very much, followed by another flurry. This, sadly is not helpful. Unless the horse is really really lucky, her hooves won't respond terribly well to this regime. They need to work, they need to have an idea of what work is coming so they can grow sufficient quality and quantity of horn to cope.

If you can't provide consistency, then make sure you provide boots, just in case.

I've gone over my books (other people watch telly, play with the kids, have a life, I look at hoof porn), and time after time, it is the hardest working hooves that survive and thrive.

In the UK we have an expression 'on your bike', well for barefoot maybe it should be 'get that hoof moving!'
* In conversation with farrier this week, we were on the same page with this; very interesting discussion.

Thin soles - where there is a will.......

2011-01-18T21:37:00.000Z

Austen, hope you don't mind, but this one is inspired by you and is for everyone out there who is banging their heads in frustration when their horse has thin soles.

Just bear in mind that one of the horses in the sole thickness post had incredibly compromised hooves, but even without boots we had the horse ready for work in just one summer. It can be done. With a bit of patience and ear muffs (to ward off the mites.....).

Let's go back to DETECT.

Diet - every horse is an individual. There are some basic principles which will set you on the right road, but you will need to figure out some of the specific twists and turns of your own horse. Read the posts:

http://barefoothorseblog.blogspot.com/2010/10/managing-your-microbes-or-how-to.html
http://barefoothorseblog.blogspot.com/2010/11/hind-gut-acidosis-learn-to-love-your.html

Health food won't hurt your horse, so cut the sugar, molasses, alfalfa, haylage and the wheatfeed. Soak and rinse your hay if you have to. A thin sole is a warning. Ignore it at your horse's peril. Especially if it goes in tandem with a stretched white line.

Some view supplements as the work of the devil, I guess some are. I have to supplement because in the UK our grazing and forage is typically short of copper, zinc and magnesium to name but three. Not all supplements are equal and not all horses do well on the same one. Give it some time, read the labels.

Exercise - a hoof needs to move. Not just plonking about a pasture/paddock/dry lot/stall. But really move. Think about what it has evolved for - 20 miles a day plus all the gymnastics involved in horsey family life.

Many newly deshod hooves just can't cope with real movement to start with. They have been crippled. You know how a broken leg loses muscle tone in a cast? You get the idea. So start with a graduated programme. Boot for exercise if you need to.

Make use of any surfaces you have to test progress, but be respectful and if your horse says no, then no it is. I generally find that thin soled horses do well on very smooth tarmac (black top). Even 20 minutes walking 3 X week will help build sole. If you don't have access to this, then concrete can be substituted, but tends to be more challenging, so it will take more sessions of shorter, gentler walks. Don't trot until your horse can step on stones on the tarmac in walk without flinching.

Need to canter jump and let rip? By all means, if your horse can otherwise cope, but do your canter work in boots, or in the school. I am not convinced thin soled horses should be jumping and I am not convinced it is totally safe to jump in boots unless they are a good brand well fitted.

Time - to build a healthy hoof takes time. Some take longer than others. Footiness post dietary problems can be resolved within days/weeks. Thin soles take a bit more work to grow the material required and work it into a tough, dense structure. It also takes time to figure out the right diet for your horse. It takes time for the hoof to respond to the change in diet and work load. Give it that time. Take photos weekly, you will be surprised by the results, I can't promise they will always be happy surprises.

Environment - a hoof is responsive to the environment in which it lives. But that doesn't have to be a completely limiting factor. I used to keep my gang on a field which was very wet (complete with spring and marsh grass). But they got out most days to do road work and responded very well to this. I have clients whose horses are living in very 'unhelpful' environments, but again they thrive if they get to do the work. The ones that don't do so well usually have dietary issues. Diet and exercise count for more in my book, although a great environment is really really helpful, a not so good one doesn't have to be the end of the world.

Communication - a two way process. Unfortunately the BHS, parelli and others seem intent on making it one way. I have been very firmly taught by a succession of incredibly bright horses that I will get on much better if I listen to them (which includes observation) and respect what they are trying to tell me. It is not easy, I am a numpty, but my girls are patient and keep on trying so long as they feel I am trying. In my mind there is nothing so sad as the horse with the blank/far away look; they have given up because no one listens. A bit like the kid who doesn't bother crying any more.

Sometimes the communication is very subtle. Grace started off with just a tiny tiny lip wrinkle. Now we have a full range, but it took a while. Also observe posture, ears, hoof signs, etc etc, it all adds up. They can have some sort of pain from their guts without it being full blown colic and all you will see is a swishy tail maybe, or resistance to saddling or frequent wood chewing. Horses are co-operative by nature, if your horse isn't then find the reason why.

And if your horse is footy, find out why; check diet, but don't forget the obvious (like stones stuck in the foot).

Trim - boy are there some bad ones out there, but unless really dramatically awful, or regularly repeated, the damage can usually be grown out. The best trim in the world won't 'cure' a thin sole, at least not overnight. But a good trimmer can faciliate the hoof on its way to health and they should be able to advise you how you can help, without resorting to iron.

Whole hoof health, thin sole, contraction?

2011-01-18T20:32:00.000Z

Ok, third post in 24 hours, can you tell I am supposed to be doing my tax return?

In response to query, how to spot contraction? I find this easier to show in pictures http://danceswithgrace.blogspot.com/2009/10/hooves-are-dynamic.html and Grace was and continues to be an excellent study.

Again remember hooves can go both ways. If I shod Grace or didn't manage her according to her needs they could go the other way just as easily.

Regarding thin soles; I hate to be boring, to sound like a nag or for anyone to feel exasperated/frustrated or worse, but it really is all about Diet and Exercise and a half way decent trim. Unfortunately shoes tend to exacerbate (and often cause) the problem. Partly from loss of circulation, partly from preventing the hoof mechanism working properly, sometimes because of how the farrier chooses which shoe to set and how it is set. And of course they mask a lot of problems without addressing cause. And any well trained, experienced hoof care professional will tell you the same.

Word of warning, because shoes mask problems and numb the feet a shod horse with a thin sole can be more at risk not less. I know it is then popular to pad, but this is literally swopping one problem with another and generating more expense, whilst doing nothing at all to fix the cause.

Thin soles can be nightmareish, especially for some people in some areas, but if you stick to the AANHCP guidelines, shut out the Ear Mites and take a deep breath they can be fixed really quite quickly. And if you are really struggling then boot, don't shoe. Because boots won't restrict the circulation and you can take them off and put them on as needed, which allows the hoof to develop and grow during 'off' time.

Diet wise thin soles can be a reflection of inflammation caused by diet and/or other toxic overload. And a hoof which is never worked and kept permanently on soft surfaces never gets the chance to build up a good solid, dense layer.

I can't show it pictorially, but density is important. As the (bare) hoof works over firmer surfaces the solar material compacts. I often think of felting as an analogy but then peeps tell me they don't know how that works. Others refer to 'callousing' but that doesn't really describe it either because that suggests hard places and soft places; whereas a properly worked hoof is hard and dense across the whole horny solar surface.
You could try thinking of hard plastic as opposed to bubble wrap?

This post http://barefoothorseblog.blogspot.com/2010/10/tripping.html shows a horse with a spectacularly contracted foot. In the solar view (with shoe) it is hard to tell just how thick the sole is (very with lots of chalk).

I am not sure this helps? Let me know

Thin sole, thick sole?

2011-01-18T13:25:00.001Z

In response to a request. How to judge solar depth? Without the training it can be hard to gauge sole depth and it is jolly difficult to do by photo. Trust me, there are some horse care professionals who can't do it even with hoof in hand.

And solar thickness in isolation is not 'the answer'. The hoof health has to be taken as a whole. That said a thin sole is problematic. Here are a few of the hooves I have worked on at various stages in their journey.

A random selection with a host of issues. I make no comment on white line stretch, bruising, abscesses etc.

Some of the hooves were declared 'genetically' flat/thin. You might be pleased to learn these got just as thick as the 'genetically' better ones, once the diet, exercise and so forth were improved.

Thought you might find the pictures interesting. All hooves featured have thickened up. Please note that hooves can go in the other direction just as fast. If you are not sure how to judge depth, get an AANHCP trimmer to help you.

1 Decontracting, sole thickening

2 Oblique view of previous

3 Getting depth, lacks concavity

4 Recent deshod, flat, almost convex, quite thin, contracted

5 Thin, flexes under pressure

6 Thin, flexes under pressure, infected

7 Thick enough, getting concavity, decontracting

8 Very thin, very flexible, newly deshod

9 Very thin, very flexible, newly deshod

10 As previous

11 Thin, no concavity

12 Getting thicker, building concavity

13 Previous v.thin/flexy getting thicker & concavity, decontracting

14 As previous

15 As previous

16 Hind from earlier, thicker, some concavity, infection/splits gone

17 Previous, alternate view

18 Don't let overall shape mislead, thick enough

19 Thick enough, watch for false sole

20 Previous pancake flat getting thicker & developing concavity

21 As previous

22 Earlier hoof, thickening, more concave, no more flexing

23 Oblique view previous

24 Heel view previous

25 Thick enough, getting ready to exfoliate

26 Previous - layers of sole clearly visible

27 Previous - another view

28 Previous, stripes from boot, sole flaking naturally

29 Thick enough, flat, works mostly on road

30 Previously thin, getting thicker

31 Heel view previous

32 Gaining concavity, thickness, frog torn in accident, new frog underneath

33 Getting there, still contracted

34 Heel view previous

35 Very thin, very flexible, deshod day before

36 As previous

37 Progress of previous, a way to go yet

38 Getting there

39 Classic, traditional 'looks ok' but is actually quite thin

40 Classic, traditional 'looks ok' but is actually quite thin,
but thicker than it was

You are not a bad barefoot 'parent' and 'Ear Mites'

2011-01-18T11:09:00.000Z

People who know me well, will realise I think Supernanny Jo Frost rocks. So much of what she says applies very well in the horse world.

If you make a mistake this doesn't make you a bad 'parent' (horse carer). Even if you make the same mistake twice. Going barefoot is easy for some, not so much for others, it is not a straight or rock free path to follow.

Feel guilty if you don't learn from your mistakes, or if you blame the horse for them. In time you will learn to read the map (your horse's hooves) and avoid the really big rocks (really bad advice from some people).

And learn to ignore the 'Ear Mites'. Those well intentioned (or not) individuals who don't understand your choices, maybe feel threatened by them and/or completely disrespect your point of view and are at pains to make you feel bad for trying to do the best for your horse.

Or you could do what I do............

And point to all the previously PTS sentenced horses that are now sound and working. And if you don't know of any personally then there are one or two featured on this blog. But you know, Houston Mounted Police Force does it for me. Anyone who can argue with that result - well, what can I say! (it sure isn't printable!) :-)

The law of unintended consequences :-) which are the popular posts?

2011-01-12T22:56:00.001Z

I have a habit of putting up titles for my posts that feel nice when said, or maybe are a reference to popular culture.

I also study my stats*.

So guess my surprise at some of popular posts:-

Madam's feet
Madam goes jumpies
Great legs and gorgeous feet

And then it dawned on me (actually took a while)....... oh how disappointed some people must be..... :-)

* Yes I know where some of my readers come from (more or less), you are not all completely anonymous! And you thought you only had to worry about Big Brother (BB) - well now you have to worry about the BT (Barefoot Trimmer) too :-)

Posting comments - professional standards

2011-01-12T22:37:00.000Z

Regular readers of this blog will know that I tend only to comment on things I have experienced personally. I am also do my best to be up front, (whilst respecting the privacy of my horse owners) and post warts and all. I often don't post on the very worst cases, it is too painful for the owners (and me sometimes).

Now I have just had a comment from someone who wishes to remain anonymous, who is questioning whether shoes hurt horses. I don't mind the question, but I reserve the right to not publish posts which may throw doubt on the professional standards of the poster, are offensive, are anon' and/ or possibly damaging to horse welfare.

However to paraphase the (unpublished) post and respond. Yes I do believe it is unacceptable to put shoes on horses in general, but particularly when the standard of workmanship is not up to scratch. I don't understand the need to defend shoddy workmanship?

Do I believe poor farriery hurts horses? Yes, but I also believe that poor trimming, poor horsemanship, poor nutrition also hurts horses. I see the evidence almost every day, in lame horses that come sound when these issues are addressed. It is not rocket science and there is little room for debate. Sound or lame? That is the question.

Thermography - Blood supply - shod v unshod

2011-01-12T11:51:00.001Z

Somewhat shamedfaced I have half inched this image from a fellow AANHCP facebook page. Their text is spanish(?) or I would have just done a straight link. Mind you I think the pictures speak for themselves. Shod to the left, newly deshod to the right.

Speed of growth - how fast is fast enough, matching wear to growth

2011-01-10T21:42:00.000Z

Rule of thumb, 1cm every four weeks. Horses with compromised hooves may grow slower. Some can grow a lot faster.

Photos below are six weeks apart. Due to adverse weather horse has had virtually no exercise and limited turnout.

Note the event line on the side views and note the decontraction in the solar view.

Left hind 04 12 10

Left hind 09 01 11

Left hind 04 12 10

Left hind 09 01 11

Update on Fred - 12 weeks post deshoeing

2011-01-08T20:44:00.001Z

Right Fore Medial View - nail damage Oct 10

Left Hind Toe Oct 11

Left Hind Toe Jan 11

Left Hind Solar Oct 10

Left Hind Solar Jan 11

Fred was heading for 16hh thanks to his very tall feet and shoes. Now back down to somewhere nearer 15.2hh. No longer tripping and looking several years younger. Chronic thrush is slowing down his decontraction, but it is still happening.

Have a good look at the before and after photos and make your own mind up. I know which I would rather have.

Note: Previously shod by an award winning farrier; now barefoot trimmed according to AANHCP guidelines.

Stretched white line and tales of the unexpected

2011-01-05T22:43:00.000Z

Well yesterday was weird but kind of wonderful.

Here is a snapshot of the highlights:

Key note: Soaking hay - a pain, but not as much as when it can't be done, the happy sound lamis become unhappy footy lamis on the dry stuff. This is very noticeable on the rounds today.

Deshod one horse, must have been in agony because most of the nails (6 per foot) were through the white line. Horse was a total gent throughout. Oddly his fronts had been 'scalped' (toe wall rasped to white line and sole taken down to the quick) but his backs were mile high with chalk and excess wall. Can't think of any justification for that. I have to be honest the shoeing was pretty bad. Big chap but the gap between the heels was left at not much more than an inch. No surprise his feet are massively contracted.

Big time lami still sound despite problems with hay, but the foot is showing the signs - not a lot to take off volume wise, but very important to keep on top of balance and roll for this one.

New horse (a) - badly stretched white line with loads of blood. Lameness not immediately obvious because equally short on all four. I didn't plan it, but while I am talking the owner through the feet and what I am seeing, I find myself getting pretty tough. Probably tougher than usual. I worry I have over done it and when I get a call today I am expecting a telling off. Instead owner tells me they are onboard and are overhauling diet. Haylage yet again is the key suspect. Very pleased for horse; total gent, the sort that gets kissy when they know you are trying to help and always does their best no matter how poorly they are. Owner is great for taking hard news on the chin and putting her horse first.

New horse (b) - simple consult - as above; makes me wonder why existing hoof care provider for this horse hasn't said anything?

Regular client (RC1) - sore legs; getting better thanks to dedicated owner. Still have to trim without touching his legs at all (trust me it's really tricky!) but we have reached an agreement - I will avoid touching his legs and he will do his best not to kick me. It takes a while but he gets done and we both walk away sound :-)

RC2 - Big teaching session - ambition to get horse more or less self maintaining. Horse is slightly tricky, but the owner is very capable and the right person for the job.

RC3 - Also teaching session - not just hooves, but lots to explore on diet. Horse is in trouble, but hides it well before reaching a point where it is all just too much. I see a lot of horses like this. Unfortunately too many get blamed and then 'lumped' for what is really human error. This owner is too smart for that kind of nonsense and is using her brain to help her horse, rather than a stick to beat it. Gold stars for this one - we will get there. Smashing horse, smashing owner *

Newbie - horse never known to be sound, walks like a clown. Not really surprising, the poor thing is on stilts. Horse is nervous but co-operative, doesn't have the muscle tone to handle too much, so we do enough to restore balance without being prissy. Makes my (and the owner's) day when the horse walks off like a dead posh expensive show horse. Get a text this morning reporting that horse is still smiling and is being very, very affectionate. R-E-S-U-L-T :-)

* The wonderful thing about today - lots of tricky horses, but every owner/carer is determined to work in their horse's best interests, even if it means putting their own ambitions to one side for a while. Big hugs and gold stars to all of them.

And why weird; ah well, I have to have some secrets :-)

Problems with 'plumbing'

2011-01-02T23:14:00.000Z

The recent freeze has been unhelpful. Frozen water pipes made getting enough water for the horses to drink was hard enough. Sufficient water for soaking hay was not practicable. In any case the soaking nets were emerging from their baths as popsicles.

So as poor old Grace is something of a lab rat, I thought now was my chance to test out a branded haylage product which has the Lamintis Trust seal of approval and comes in at 3% sugar or less.

Well that was a total bust. The lami (an unofficial, but unavoidable second test subject) definitely went down hill (as reported by a third party) and POG was distinctly unwell, in three areas; her hind gut was so sore I couldn't touch that side at all, she lost effective locomotion in her iffy hind leg (the one that shows signs of tying up first) and her feet have 'gone'.

Another symptom was that although her droppings were of perfect consistency they smelt really odd. If you have ever had a dog that has had extreme gastroenteritis (where they are squitting jelly and in need of antibiotics) - well you won't forget the smell - and Grace's droppings smelt just like that. This and the pain were both clear indications that her 'plumbing' was not coping with the haylage. I suspect it is the acidity. Which is another reason why we don't recommend feeding haylage, no matter how low the sugar, to laminitics.

Further proof of this particular pudding is how much better both guinea pigs are 48 hours after the last haylage 'dose'.

Grace was on probiotics throughout, otherwise I suspect she might have fared far worse. And I have yet to figure out how we are going to cope if the water pipes freeze again.

Otherwise I love the snow, it is great for barefeet and where many other horses were skating all over the place Grace coped with the ice very well, even with her iffy leg and upset tummy.

Do horse shoes hurt horses?

2010-12-19T12:20:00.000Z

The answer has to be yes.

Both in the short term because of badly fitted shoes and in the long term because of damage to structure.

We have looked at the cadaver photo before. It shows a nail which has been placed under veterinary supervision into a hoof. You can see how it is slipped between the inner (water line) and outer walls.

Often when hoof is not healthy and is not maintaining the healing angle to the ground, the toe starts to become more sloping and creeps forward. Farriers are taught that hooves need to be maintained within certain angles. And they do this using largely by thinning the hoof wall and jacking up the heels.

Again looking at the cadaver hoof, you can see how if the outer wall is thinned, this precludes the 'ideal' nail placement. So where does the nail then go? We can see this from the second photo.

Nail placement

In the second photo the hoof wall has been thinned and the farrier has been left with no wall to nail into. As a consequence the nails have gone through the white line (ouch) or worse through the body of the foot (double ouch). Look again at the cadaver nail - you can see for yourself what this means.

Note also on the second photo how the white line is stretched and there is evidence of blood.

This has happened in at least half of the horses I deshoe.

Has it happened to a horse near you?

A quick anecdote. Had my last horse from 19 months of age. At two the farrier said I should take her back because she had terrible feet. We had a lengthy conversation and one of the things that I remember was the farrier telling me that 'All horses feet creep forwards and the only way to deal with them is to rasp the toes back.' and that 'All wild horses are dead by about 5 because there is no one to take care of their feet.'. He also told me that 'We had bred the feet off horses.' and that 'Modern horses feet were too small.'.

I am happy to report the horse didn't have terrible feet, at least not genetically. Upto that point we had been making a complete hash of looking after them. But we got better and in later years she was happy to cover all sorts of terrain for many miles completely barefoot.

But boy did I have a lot to learn to get them that way. (mostly cut the sugar and expensive bagged rubbish and let her move naturally and a lot)

Wet wet wet..........

2010-12-10T21:45:00.000Z

Just back from soggy land, otherwise more usually known as Inverness. It was wet. Very wet. Knee deep in slush. Slush and assorted animal droppings. But cold enough that my water bottle froze completely solid and refused to defrost, even after a several hours inside.

Thought you might like to know how the hooves were doing?

Well this time I only saw hooves that were on a low sugar, well balanced, organic, no junk diet. And putting aside the mud fever and a bit of thrush they were great. Forage was hay and oat straw.

Nice hard hooves and very solid soles. No white line infections, soggy soles or other dramas.

I would have taken photos, but trust me, there was no way I was taking my gloves off :-)

Which one has laminitis?

2010-12-07T01:16:00.000Z

Yes it's the cob at the front, previously confined to a box for many months. Now deshod, AANHCP trimmed and barefoot diet.

Long may it last and woe betide this little guy if he injures himself........ cross your fingers please

Let there be light part two - laminitic cob hind foot

2010-12-03T14:40:00.000Z

Left = Before/Right = After

Before trim

Partly cleaned

Wall height

Trimmed

Heel view post trim

This is the foot from 'Are you being kept in the dark?' If you look at the Before picture you will see that it looks like 1'000s of other cob feet across the globe. Only this one is attached to a horse that has been in a box for 9+ months with laminitis which has not resolved. Advice has included PTS. Upon shoe removal the owner was advised that the feet could not be trimmed because there was nothing to take off.

In the partly cleaned photo the chalk has been scraped (not cut) from the sole and the bars have been started. Wall height shows just how high the walls have become. That is a standard hoof pick for comparison purposes. Walls should not be the sole weight bearing mechanism for a horse, it causes all sorts of problems. You can see that prior to trimming this horse had no option but to largely walk on his walls. With laminitis, that was probably quite painful and not at all helpful for the healing process.

The trimmed view (solar) shows a rather different foot. Longer than wide, the stretched white line at the toe is now clearly visible. The quarters which had looked flared, now look quite tight and much of the gunk in the walls and around the frog and on the sole has gone.

The final view across the back of the foot shows a frog which can now be properly engaged. It is slightly prominant but it will flatten and toughen quite quickly. The hoof is no longer peripheral loading and the true state of the sole can be seen.

This foot has been trimmed to the AANHCP guidelines, which seek to facilitate nature rather than work against it.

This horse now has limited turnout onto a nettle patch, which he loves and will shortly be going out onto a track. Photos when we have them.

Barefoot Fred - loses his stilettos and turns back the clock

2010-12-02T16:36:00.000Z

LH - left 14/10/10; right 01/12/10

This is Fred, first met in October. He used to trip, a lot!. The hoof care professional looking after him was unwilling to remove any hoof height 'couldn't be done'.

So to start with on 14/10/10 (left hand picture) we removed his shoes. He stopped tripping after his first post deshoeing trim. Since then he has been hacking mostly on the road, but also on some softer field and woodland surfaces.

With two further trims and his own efforts you can see the foot is much shorter.

Buff/orange line - to help me line up coronary bands
Red lines (both the same length) - to check I've sized the pictures properly
Red circle - nail holes
Blue lines (both the same length) - shows the difference in toe length of hoof

His 'Mum' commented yesterday that he is in overall better health, seems younger, happier and more comfortable (to ride) and in himself. And he is standing so much better too - and he is 'smiling' :-)

We still have to work on decontraction and somewhat dodgy frogs, but not bad for under 7 weeks :-)

Let there be light...... part one

2010-12-01T20:37:00.000Z

Pre cleaning heel/sole view

Partly cleaned heel/sole view

Partly cleaned oblique view

Remember the previous hoof care professional wouldn't trim this horse because 'there was nothing to take off'.

A different foot to the previous one, bur suitably grotty.......

Can you see how just be cleaning the chalk from the sole that there is a better view of just how much excess hoof wall there is? For newbies - chalk is dead 'chalky' sole which if the hoof was working hard enough in the right environment would have worn away naturally. Many domestic horses just don't work hard enough on abrasive enough terrain, so the job of the trimmer is to remove (only) what nature would have taken given the chance.

Pictures post trim to follow.

Hind foot shape change

2010-11-30T23:17:00.000Z

Just deshod Beg Sep 09

End Nov 10

Apologies for the different views. I just happened to grab the second picture on my phone this evening and thought it worth sharing.

I actually took it because just 20 days ago Grace lost a huge chunk of frog in a field accident.

Note how the same hoof has different shapes in each photo.

Sep 09 is sporting blood in the toe. The toe is oddly square - showing how shoes can change the natural shape of the hoof. And there is a big chunk missing from the quarter. The bars are overlaid, the sole completely flat and the heels are contracted.

Nov 10 - no blood and the toe is naturally rounded. There is natural concavity (grown not cut), the heel is no longer contracted. This hoof could benefit from working on rougher surfaces or a modest trim, the frog has been shredded by a field accident, but is otherwise very firm, solid and healthy.

Are you being kept in the dark?

2010-11-25T22:06:00.001Z

Reason I ask - couple of conversations recently made me realise that with shoes covering up our horses feet we really have little idea of what is going on underneath and often during the shoeing process we are not always encouraged to have a good look or ask questions.

So just to get the thought process flowing - have a look at the two pictures above. Recently deshod, not trimmed because the hoof carer was concerned there was nothing to take off.

Your thoughts please - no wrong answers as such. I will post more on this in a few days.

If I kiss this frog will I find my prince?

2010-11-22T23:06:00.000Z

Frog of left hind 21 11 10

Right hind 11 11 10

Frog right hind 21 11 10

Detail frog apex 11 11 10

Detail frog apex 21 11 10

Usually when you see a tattered frog it has been ravaged by thrush. In this case the frog has been sliced through by a chunk of tarmac/ashphalt (black top). Twice.

So as an example of how quickly things can progress we have two sets of photos just 10 days apart.

The first photo shows the frog on the other hind. The sliced one looked like this too, before Grace decided to play reining pony.

The frog in photo two was down to the 'quick' at the apex and very squidgy to the touch and if I pressed I think it hurt a bit. Ten days later, photo three and the new apex can be seen sticking up a little black snout. The whole frog is very solid, hard rubber to the touch and even hefty probing provokes no pain.

Photos four and five show the apex in more detail.

The horse has been sound throughout.

Hind gut acidosis - learn to love your microbes

2010-11-21T00:05:00.001Z

And you thought that all you had to worry about was your horse?

They might not be fluffy and cuddly and have super cute silvery moustaches, but the microbes in your horses gut deserve your love...... :-) if only because keeping them healthy helps keep your horse healthy too.

You'd be forgiven for thinking I've given microbes quite enough attention in this earlier post. I certainly did, but some recent conversations with various horsey peeps including experienced professionals made me realise just how little is known about hind gut acidosis (where the hind gut becomes too acidic).

The symptoms of hind gut acidosis can range from mild short term 'not quite right' to reduced appetite, mild colic symptoms, diarrhoea, development of repetative behaviours such as wood chewing, weaving, and box walking,weight loss, reduced performance and according to some sources eventually laminitis. The first thing you may notice is sour smelling, loose droppings.

Techy Stuff

The equine digestive system alters ph along its length; the stomach is acidic, the cecum is relatively neutral and the colon is alkaline.

The beneficial fibre digesting bacteria in the cecum such as Ruminococcus albus and Fibrobacter succinogenes are sensitive to decreases in pH. For optimal performance, these bacteria prefer an environment with a pH between 6.5 and 7.0. When pH drops below 6.0, which is often the case with subclinical acidosis, fibre digesting bacteria become less efficient and begin to die off.

In contrast, lactate-producing and lactate-utilizing bacteria thrive in an environment with a low pH. Certain microorganisms such as Streptococcus bovis actually shift their metabolism and produce lactic acid rather than VFA (volatile fatty acids) when exposed to acidic conditions, serving only to compound the problem.

Some research uses ph testing of droppings to test for cecal acidosis, but this doesn't appear to be a widespread, general practice. Certainly a number of vets I have spoken to were not that familiar with the practice, but I can't help but think I might try it, just to see what I get.

Hind gut acidosis is usually triggered by over ingestion of sugars/starches. There is some anecdotal evidence that other factors, such as stress or over use of antibiotics may also be implicated.

If you suspect your horse has hind gut acidosis, and you know you are not over feeding sugars/starches, then please speak to your vet about potential causes and how to manage them. Acidosis is not trivial and shouldn't be ignored.

Personal note
My own horse Grace arrived with sour smelling droppings and had them for ages, months even. At first I just dismissed it as 'normal for her'. Now I know it is not normal and I can help her by feeding a 'proper' good quality probiotic. (As well as watching her diet etc).

Grace also makes me think about causes, her diet could not practically be any lower in sugar/starch, but she still on occasion gets rancid droppings. I pretty much have these incidents tied into stressful episodes. So as I can not predict when Grace will stress out, I now feed probiotics routinely. A little expensive, but better than her being ill.