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Hi folks, Well, it’s been over six months since I started this “temporary” webpage, and it’s still here and going strong. Thanks for all the comments that I’ve received over the months and please keep them coming—I love the feedback! (aktill {at} telusplanet {dot} net) And for those who are just finding this for the first time...welcome! Fair warning—this webpage was built in Microsoft Publisher, so photos may not load properly in anything other then Microsoft Internet Explorer. Rebuilding the site with proper formatting has been on my list of things to do for a while, but I seem to keep getting more hooves to trim instead. ‘Fraid spending too much time on the computer isn’t high on my list of priorities! So, what’s the point of this page? It’s dedicated to all the people out there who just want to do the best they can for the wonderful horses in their care. While there are a few asides here and there, the vast majority of the information on this page is related to keeping horses without permanent footwear - a tradition passed on from previous generations which I have come to believe to be counterproductive to equine wellness. That isn’t to say that I believe that all horses can go without shoes—they can’t - but not because the horse isn’t able to do so. If an owner is unwilling to put in the time that barefooting a horse requires, to provide them with a lifestyle that’s conducive to the effort, and to temporarily give up on any competitive ambitions that “absolutely require shoes” (though you might be surprised what a barefoot horse can do), then their horses are probably better off the way they are. Giving up nailed on shoes it isn’t an easy choice, but I truly feel that it is the right one if you want a long-term partner in your horse. I encourage you to do enough research to see if this a possibility for your horse. Talk to your vet and farrier, and compare what they say with what is available from organizations like www.aanhcp.org and publications like The Horse’s Hoof. Listen to what everyone says, and then do what you feel is best for your horse. Always ask questions, and don’t be satisfied with dismissive or simplistic answers. While sometimes it can be difficult to keep an open mind, try not to burn any bridges in your journey, since incredible surprises are often waiting in the unlikeliest places. Just always remember to put your horses’ best interests first. I’ll say right off the bat that I’m no expert, but I wanted to put this information out there for people like me who just can’t stand to do something that they don’t understand completely. It’s easy to find people out there who will tell you what to do, but few of them are willing (and arguably able) to truly explain the whys behind their advice. For the few true teachers out there who are willing to take the time to share their knowledge, thank you very much, and I hope to one day do you justice. Best to you and yours, Adam "Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it" .......~Buddha
(Rehab Stress...it’s a tough life! Trimming Case Studies (More to come…that lack-of-time thing again) Marshall—16.3hh warmblood cross, caudal heel pain/navicular 16.3hh Warmblood, high heels, recently de-shod 16hh Appaloosa, excessive growth, large laminar wedge 13hh pony, laminitis and 15 degrees of founder rotation FL, 10 deg FR Conformation Exercises August 2005 January 14, 2005 February 2005 April 2006 Muscle Painting Photographs Marshall (Superficial Muscle Layers) Interesting Photographs Photograph overlaid onto X-ray Articles and Explanations 1) Explaining Broken Forward and Broken Backward Pastern Axis’ This little series was done to show exactly what a broken back/forward pastern axis actually means. Don’t try to force this alignment, but rather use it diagnostically to see whether things are improving over time. A misaligned pastern axis can lead to ringbone/sidebone and navicular issues, but trying to force the correction is addressing a symptom, not a problem. 2) Mandatory Reading—is your horse landing toe first? Please check to see if your horse is landing toe first...that’s such an incredibly bad thing that I strongly encourage anyone reading this page to please visit and read the following websites. Slow motion features, available with most modern video cameras and video editing packages, are a great way to train you eye to see this phenomenon. Your horse will thank you for your efforts, I assure you! Dr Rooney used proper scientific testing to prove that toe-first landings are a major contributor to navicular and tendon problems, and his work has been sadly under-acknowledged. http://www.edsshoofcare.com/education/articles/handouts/howformrelates2function.html http://www.barefoothorse.com/barefoot_Breakover.html Long toes have often been justified in the name of traction. I can see where people might think a pointy toe may supposedly be more able to dig into the turf, but in reality the feet are going to sink into just about any but the toughest terrain possible anyway. And more to the point, by having a long toe there is still force that is acting to pull the toe laminae away from the coffin bone. In an attempt to maintain hoof integrity, oftentimes that gap will fill in with lamellar wedge, making the job of growing the flare out to be that much more difficult. So, even if the sharp toe gives a touch more traction, it's at the expense of the health of the hoof. That doesn't sound like a good deal to me! When there's no flare or wedge, you're left with only a mustang roll. But why penalize the unhealthy foot in the mean time? Does that mean I should have only put a dainty mustang roll through the toe wall of the little pony with 10-15 degree rotations on the front feet, rather then relieving the mechanical lever from the toe? I don’t think so. The other related misconception floating around out there concerns the need for a rocker or bevel on hind hooves. If you truly understand the biomechanical differences and similarities between front and hind feet, it’s impossible to justify long toes on the hind feet. Look for a future article here on this subject. 4) Bars that are too long don’t help…(Graphic 1) ...but digging out bars and hoping they grow back straight isn’t much better. (Graphic 2) To continue the theme, be careful when working with the bars of the foot. Digging out a bent bar isn’t likely to help much if you don’t address the reason that they’re bent in the first place, and a “bent bar” may also be one that is simply reflecting a sunken internal structure. 5) Taping Instructions - applying hoof pads In case anyone every needs to apply taped-on hoof pads for any reason (founder, general footsoreness etc), here’s a nice way to tape the pads on so that they stay on. The numbered tape ends indicate the order in which the tabs should be pulled up onto the hoof wall. The pattern gets its strength from the connections between tape layers, rather then relying on the tape adhering to the hoof wall itself, so please do not skip any steps. Taped on pads are also a good way to check whether a horse can handle additional frog pressure, when deciding on where to leave heel heights prior to a setup or maintenance trim. 6) Toe Rockers—...and why there’s really no such thing as a toe rocker! There is a lot of advice floating around out there that seems to indicate that toe rockers can be applied in an offhand and arbitrary fashion. That just isn’t true, and irresponsible application of a rocker can damage the horse’s toe callus. There are some that say that there are instances where you may need to rasp into toe callus, if only a little bit. I say hogwash (unless you’re a veterinarian with a damn good reason to do so). In light of the fact that a stretched toe is actually not stretched sole, but lamellar wedge, I think I'm quite correct in saying that a rocker never reaches back into callus itself. The two materials may look the same, but they're very different in the context of function. SOLE AND TOE CALLUS GROWS FROM THE BOTTOM OF P3, NOT THE STRETCHED TOE WALL!!! There can be callused lamellar wedge that gets removed, but cutting into "toe callus" proper is never right. Learn to apply this technique correctly, or stick to a mustang roll. 7) Clicker Training - Be careful what you ask for! Those of you who know me know that I’m a big fan of clicker training, and use it almost every day. That said, I wanted to warn you about the things that you may have to deal with when you have a clicker savvy horse. After all, just look at this video clip: www.easphotography.com/Horses/Video/CarrotJun1106.wmv I mean, my horse won’t even take the full carrot that I’m holding out unless I tell him that he can! How annoying...do I have to do everything myself now?!? Seriously, this was just a little clip that I made to prove that clicker training using food rewards doesn’t have to result in a muggy horse. This is a great little exercise that was suggested by Alexandra Kurland as a means of building equine self-control, and it was a great one for Marshall (he can get a little nippy if he gets excited). Indiscriminate hand-feeding is bad, but having simply rules relating to food can make it a great training tool! 8) Basic Trimming, Part 1: Tools to Assess Where You’re Starting From This is the introductory section of a longer article that will be out sometime late 2006. As part of an exercise suggested in the latest issue of Dr. Deb Bennett’s Inner Horseman magazine, I spent a most-enjoyable couple of hours wandering through Marshall’s pasture, photographing the local plant life. I plan to identify the plants over the winter, when I get a bit more free time! 11) Bitless Riding—Modifying the Dr.Cook Bitless Bridle For some reason, this article doesn’t want to format properly. I’ll add it to the list of things to fix... |
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