Tree-felling, planting and fencing

...have taken up most of the last few days, with Andy and Alan doing the lion's share of the work.  Our big tractor had a complete cardiac arrest a couple of weeks ago but after being taken to pieces and rebuilt with a new clutch is now operational again, so we should be able to get on with rolling the fields if it stays dry for a few more days.   It's really felt like the beginning of spring so Rockley has moved into a mild frenzy of activity and we've even planted a hundred ash saplings.

Meanwhile some conifers in our wood had to come down, as did the fence on part of the track and Alan and a selection of chainsaws swung into action.

The horses were confined to the barn and one yard for a day, but it was worth it - the new fence which Andy and Alan put up is far superior to the old one :-)

With some trees gone and more light coming into the firs, its now a favourite sunbathing spot for the horses and today they had the bonus of a grandstand view of the foxhounds who came screaming through Rockley on their way to far-flung parts.  Luckily Felix and I were with them, as I couldn't get out on Saturday, and we had a belter of a day, including amazing a visitor who was following us up and down miles and miles of roads and gnarly tracks, incredulous that he was doing it all without shoes!

Updates on the rehabs are on their way, I promise :-)

Feel good updates for Monday morning

There seems to be so much to put on the blog at the moment that I am running out of days of the week...So today's updates came in at the end of last week but had to wait till now...Still, a bit of good news never goes amiss on a Monday!

First off, Dillon  - formerly known as Dillon with the wedges - who has been home for about 8 months and is feeling very pleased with himself.  Nicky sent this fun footage of him being lunged by a friend of hers who didn't really expect him to be quite so forward-going!



Bit of an improvement, given he used to have feet like this...

Secondly, but equally importantly, Paddy - aka The Colic Surgery Kid - who went home last month having come sound  but then having developed a bizarre new lameness while on box rest following the surgery.  I hoped and expected it to improve as his foot started to grow down again but Debbie's work programme for him was interrupted by snow and ice, just to make things more difficult.

I have been keeping everything crossed for Paddy and Debbie has now been able to get him back in consistent work and I'm delighted to say that everything is coming together again - in Debbie's words:

"I know that Paddy is still on his journey with his feet but it really feels like a progressive week - with his one horse display on the front lawn and the lesson I had on Saturday.  Jenny, my Instructor was very impressed.  We had a lesson just before he went to Rockley and this was the first one since he returned.

She was amazed at the improvements - not only to his balance, soundness and forwarding going but also his whole demeanour.  He seemed really happy and had a new willingness.  Generally he is prone to shuffling in the school but he actually seemed to be enjoying himself! and was stepping under with his back feet much more freely - especially with his sticky back right foot.  He was a real pleasure to ride!

On my part I am never going to be the most confident rider, although Devon riding has helped I have no doubt.  The biggest thing I have realised is what I could have lost and the regrets I would have had if I had lost him.  Which makes we realise that I have to make the most of him.  So that does not mean that we are going to do a load of scary stuff, but we are going to do more.  I am going to trust him more and enjoy the moment!

One friend at the yard said something really sweet - she said that Paddy and I had changed since we came back - that we seemed more connected, which is really nice."

And as a reminder, Paddy's feet used to look like this...

And to finish, here is my favourite photo of Paddy and Dillon - 2 very special boys :-)

Updates on Bryan and Georgia, who've now been here 4 weeks - where has the time gone? - to follow...

Nico - charting a changing hoof

Nico went home last Tuesday, but I've only managed to put his comparison photos up today.

He arrived in half shoes and pads, which his owner felt had started to improve his caudal hoof - certainly I've seen a lot worse hooves on arrival, but he was landing toe first and worse on his RF.

For me there are 2 big differences between his hooves on arrival and when he left  - the shorter toe angle and the less underrun heel - and of course they are linked.  The line halfway down his hoof (above) gives a clue as to how fast his hoof has grown, but he still has another 3-4 months before his new hoof capsule has fully grown in at the correct angle. 

Again, Nico's hooves haven't needed as much radical change as some but the toe is shortening, the heel is strengthening and the whole hoof if more robust, business-like and balanced than it was.

This is borne out by his movement, which has improved in front, particularly on his RF.

These shots are for anyone who thinks hooves do better loading peripherally...

Nico and his compadres beg to disagree :-)  Look at the digitial cushion if you are in doubt as to how hooves with caudal hoof problems are happier loading!

Frogs are the key...

If you have a  horse with a caudal/palmar hoof problem - and that includes any horse diagnosed with navicular, DDFT damge, collateral ligament damage or just generalised caudal hoof pain - then the key to improving soundness is getting that area stronger, fitter and functioning properly again.  

This part of the hoof is designed to be loaded and worked hard.  Its supposed to be a shock absorber, to flex and expand and to give the horse detailed neural feedback about the surfaces he is moving over. 

Critical to all that is the frog.  Without a healthy frog, the whole caudal hoof is weak and vulnerable.  Remedial shoes, like those Buster arrived in (above) are designed to stabilise the damaged area, which is fine as far as it goes, but they don't allow this area to do its job, so don't allow for rehabilitation.

 Look what happens to the same foot when you start to give the frog appropriate stimulation and begin to send it back to work.  Buster still isn't landing as well as he should be, but you can see that he is well on the way to a much healthier hoof and one which will be strong enough to allow him to land heel first.

Here is the same phenomenon happening with his other foot as well, and these photos were only taken 3 weeks apart.

The sole shot tells a similar story from a different angle - here too you can see the heels and frogs beefing up as they begin to do their job again.

This foot has a long way to go before its as good as it will be,  but Buster isn't hanging about.  As always, I'm amazed at how fast hooves can change!

Exciting news! The laminitis app

This is a REALLY exciting post, which I have had to sit on for several weeks - its nearly killed me :-)

Its exciting because I've been allowed to trial an iPhone app which could be a huge help in dealing with one of the biggest problems to face horse-owners in the UK - managing grazing.

The app was the brilliant idea of Steve Leigh of Natures Way who is a hoofcare practitioner and Phil Hunter at VIZAR who has developed the technology.  Like all brilliant ideas, it is simple but effective.

The app detects where you are and uses local weather station data to assess growing patterns and the rise and fall of non-structural carbohydrates in grass.

In practice this means you can check the app daily and it will predict whether the sugar levels in your grass could lead to an increased risk of laminitis.  More than that, for a barefoot horse it can give you a hint of when conditions are going to trigger sole sensitivity or footiness.

Obviously, its no substitute for good management and correct feeding but it can give you prior warning of dangerous growing conditions which can occur at unexpected times.  Its also a clear way to demonstrate to others (eg yard owners) who may not see grass as a problem exactly what is happening and why turnout at certain times is hazardous but the same field at a different time can be safe. 

For instance, at the end of the recent cold snap, the risk profile was low with us - we had cold but cloudy weather and the temperatures were continually low.  To the east of us, where there were bright skies, frosty morning and rapidly rising daytime temperatures, the risk profile was high, which you might not have expected in February. 

Its easy to use, clear and very effective.  You can download the app from this website:  www.laminitis-risk.com or find it here on iTunes - its simply called "Laminitis" - its not expensive and I highly recommend it :-)  Thanks to Charlotte for the iTunes link!

PS: Currently it is only for iPhones but Vizar are planning to develop the app for Blackberry and Android too :-)

Matt's afternoon delight

Here's one as requested by Matt :-)  He asked what was going on this afternoon - well today, it looks like this...

Winston's had a busy morning helping exercise horses...

Knightley and Bailey are watching a digger at the opposite farm...

Felix, Charlie and Georgia are sunbathing...

Dom's making sure the haylage doesn't run out...

I'm doing emails then having a foray with Andy, Alan and Edward onto the barn roof to see if we can mend it in case this is the last dry spell we get for another 6 months... :-)

How long to change a hoof? How long to change a mind?

I promised Bailey G's owners an update but even I was surprised at the difference in his hooves, as he has only been here for 2 weeks.  

Bailey had been on box-rest for several months before that and though remedial farriery had improved his medio-lateral balance, there were problems as the back of his hoof seemed to be weakening. 

This is the same hoof, 2 weeks apart.  Bailey is now out of shoes and moving on the tracks but has not started in-hand or ridden work yet.  Still, there are initial changes obvious, particularly with the frog. The other interesting change is the length of the hoof wall - the capsule is shortening and seems less distorted so let's hope that rebalancing continues.

Here is the RF, to give you the whole picture. Again, the frog is key to the hoof changing but contrast the sole texture as well. It will be interesting to see how the changing medio-lateral balance is reflected in future sole shots. 

Of course, photos, as ever, can only give hints - everything is encouraging so far, but the proof of the pudding will be if we can improve Bailey's soundness.  I'm hopeful, but that will have to wait for future updates. 

It takes a lot longer to change peoples' minds, usually, but I had an incredible piece of news from Wiola yesterday, via Facebook:

"More news from Poland...I am told that after receiving your book as a gift from Anna Stępkowska's publishing company, Malgorzata Morsztyn, Polish international dressage rider and trainer (http://www.morsztyn.com/) pulled shoes off all of her horses...

Her achievements include: 

- 7-time medalist Polish Senior Championships - Dressage,

- Polish Champion (2000),

- World Cup finalist (2001)

- Professional cooperation - Johann Riegler (Chief Instructor for the Spanish Riding School, since 2006)

- Collaboration with Dr. Gerd Heuschmannem (2011)

I guess it's not just for happy hackers and endurance...

:)"

Astonishing and fantastic in equal measure - and its less than a year since "Feet First" was launched in Poland, though the interest and enthusiasm of the horseowners when we visited for a 2 day seminar was very impressive :-)

Meanwhile, there is a VERY important blog post up tomorrow - I've been waiting weeks to tell you about it, so don't miss it ;-)