Domino - 4 week update

Domino has now been here for 4 weeks - I can't believe how the time has flown - and its time for his 4 week update pics. As usual, I've posted photos of the same hoof at the same angle to get as close a comparison as possible. 

Here is his RF on day one - notice the position of the nail holes, because it gives you an idea of his growth rate in 4 weeks (below).  Its typical for most horses here that the nail holes have grown out completely within 6 weeks. 

Below is his heel shot - to my mind its always one of the most interesting angles to photograph a hoof from - particularly when the horse in question has a diagnosed problem which blocks to the palmar/caudal hoof.  Dom in shoes had basically nice feet with a reasonably healthy frog but even with extremely sympathetic shoeing the frog is not getting sufficient stimulus and is way off the ground.

This effectively means the hoof loads round the edge (peripherally) on hard ground; see what a contrast there is in the same frog 4 weeks later - more robust because it has been put back into ground contact, on surfaces which are supportive enough to ensure Dom is comfortable. 

Another comparison, this time of stance.  One of the tests that Dom's vet and owner decided they would use to check whether he was improving during rehab here was to assess whether his pointing had improved.   When he arrived, he could stand square in front for short periods but fidgeted, and once you asked him to pick up a back foot he shifted to stand like this.

Now, although he does still point he naturally stands square for much of the time. Its not yet 100% but he certainly seems to be heading in the right direction.

 Here is the sister shot to the caudal photo above - confirmation that even when the foot is on the ground, the frog is not in contact on a level surface.  In fact there is considerable clearance between the frog and the floor.

The same foot today - and I would be risking my fingers if I tried to get them under his frog now! 

Finally, his sole shot.  The proportions of his feet are also changing as his frog, heels and digital cushion become more robust. 

His heels are still out of balance, as you can see, but that will improve with time and work. Domino has a great attitude and really enjoys being back in work so putting the mileage on these hooves is no hardship for him.

He's already made great progress and I hope that when his owners come and see him next week there will be lots to show them.

Domino from Nic Barker on Vimeo.

Spring is here!

Sunshine, blue skies and the horses are loving it - and so are we!

Buster can't resist sticking his nose in...

Georgia in the shade of the trees - it really was that warm!

Bryan comes third in the "Who has the biggest tail?" competition

"So what? The contract says ad lib haylage."

Horse seeks rider...

I had an email earlier in the week, and after checking with the sender, it seemed like the most useful thing I could do was to share her post here.

"I am trying to find a barefoot home for my horse, photo attached. I have owned him since he was two, he is now nine, and he has never worn shoes - he is 15.1hh (he rides bigger) and is an American standard-bred.

For the last two years we have been doing NCRs with EGB South East group, plus all local sponsored rides. He will go at speed all day over any terrain without boots and never puts a foot wrong.


The problem is I have constant back problems and can no longer ride as much as I would like, which does not suit Merlin. He is a very active horse and needs regular work to keep him sane, although he has always been a responsive (but fast) ride with excellent brakes, he becomes very ADHD if he is not kept occupied! 


If he has plenty to do he is a dream horse that you can take anywhere and do anything with.


He is being advertised on the EGB website, but I think it would be such a shame if he went to someone who promptly put shoes on, which is why I was hoping you might know of someone looking for a horse to do endurance with, or at least very long hacks!


Finding him a home where he will be kept barefoot, used and enjoyed, is much more important than price."

I am sure you agree, he sounds like a little cracker, so if any of you can help and are seeking a barefoot endurance horse or fun all rounder, do get in touch with his owner, Antonia, directly: caligulaspony@hotmail.co.uk

I'd be tempted myself if I didn't already have a rock-crunching 15.1hh pocket rocket with a huge work ethic...I highly recommend them, by the way :-)

Trimming - essentials

I've put up a new blog page, called Hoofcare Essentials.  Its a collection of previous posts on feeding, hoof balance and movement.  Obviously each of these is a huge topic so the posts are just reminders of key points.

The one topic I haven't covered yet is trimming, so that's today's post - I am only covering bullet points but, as many of you know, I posted lots last year on the blog about trimming; you can find more detail on the "Key blog posts" page under the section called "Trimming and celery".  Here then are what, for me, should be the golden rules.

• Every horse should be treated as the ultimate expert on his own hooves.  There are lots of different theories about hooves and trimming and any number of professionals who will give you their opinion on how a hoof should be trimmed.  That's absolutely fine, as long as whoever is trimming listens to the horse first, last, and everywhere in between and modifies what they do according to the feedback they get from the horse (and owner).  

• No horse should be less comfortable after a trim than he was before. See rule 1 - improved soundness must be the objective so if a horse is less comfortable, something went wrong.  Listen to the horse - that trim should not be repeated. I must say that awareness of this seems to have improved a lot over the last year, both among trimmers and owners, which has to be a good thing. 

• Many horses who are in regular, consistent work on varied surfaces (including roadwork) will develop hooves which are self-maintaining and will rarely, if ever, need trimming. A good farrier or trimmer should recognise and encourage this. Horses - perhaps surprisingly - can manage their feet perfectly well without us, given the right workload, environment and nutrition :-)

• If you have a horse who is regularly trimmed and has never quite got to the stage of being perfectly happy on rough, uneven ground despite being on a good diet then it may be worth holding off trimming for a few cycles and seeing how that affects his performance.  Some sensitive horses seem to benefit from being allowed to grow asymmetric hooves and removing these  apparent "flares" at every trim can make them less capable on tough surfaces.  

• Finally, don't forget that trimming is only beneficial where there is excess which needs to be removed from a hoof - for instance where a horse has excessive hoof wall growth  due to lack of work.  If structures of the hoof are weak and need to be strengthened or developed, trimming is unlikely to be the best means of achieving this.  

In praise of Nancy Astor

There was an incredible programme on BBC Four last night - a collection of interviews dating back from the 50s to the 70s - it's a fascinating collection, and you can see it on the iPlayer here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/i/b01dy7pr/?t=34m58s

The piece that most interested me was this bit, where Nancy Astor is being interviewed about women in politics - she was the first female MP.  The interviewer's questions are incredibly dated but this was only filmed a few decades ago - it makes you realise how far we have moved on.

Buster does it better than bar shoes

Time for a Buster update - he has been here 5 weeks and its high time for new hoof photos.  When he arrived he was in bar shoes, which were intended to stabilise the weak back of his foot.

Bar shoes have their uses, perhaps, but if a foot is weak, it can only become stronger by developing internally.  Bar shoes stabilise, but they also effectively prevent frog function and any sort of shock absorption by the back of the hoof - both of which are essential for good hoof function. 

Proper rehabilitation does allow the foot to improve - starting with the frog, heels and bars.  This is the change over just 5 weeks...

Buester's toe is still too long and the back of his hoof will continue to improve, as will the wall separation - that's just the result of the nail holes and isn't really a worry. 

Look at his hoof from the palmar/caudal view...

...out of the bar shoe, critical frog and digital cushion development can now happen. 

From the lateral view, a shorter toe and lower heels are the key - again, lots more improvement to come.  Its not trimming which has done this, but developing and strengthening the hoof.

How feet affect the body

I took some new footage of Bailey Griffiths on a circle last week and its interesting to compare it to his footage from 4 weeks ago.

These are a couple of stills from the footage and its pretty clear that the changes in his feet have made bigger differences in his body.

Its common for horses with foot pain to have related pain in the shoulders and neck.  For Bailey, as you can see, this made him brace through his neck and hollow through his back.  Of course, correct ridden work while he is holding himself like this is also pretty impossible.

Although he is still at an early stage, better feet have allowed him better movement: he is now just beginning to relax and can stretch his neck and lift his back for short periods.

The nice thing about rehab is that horses "default" to correct movement once they are comfortable. In behavioural terms, it is self-reinforcing because horses find it easier and less stressful to move this way.  As a result, horses will usually naturally develop a better way of going once they have healthier hooves.

Its not comfortable for horses to continuously brace themselves and its usually a protection mechanism. If you have a horse (as I used to) who constantly goes hollow, head in the air and rushing, then (as well as looking at backs and saddles) its worth considering whether he is comfortable in his feet.