11/17/2025
When It’s Not Just the Feet
Sometimes, as we are going on our hoof rehab journey, we realize that maybe the feet aren’t the main issue.
As a hoofcare pro, it’s easy to get caught up in looking at the hooves. We see all the ways the feet need work.. we can see underrun heels, or long toes, or weak digital cushions and frogs, or even thin soles. We can notice broken back HPA or bullnosed hooves that likely have low or negative palmar/plantar angles. We see all these little clues, and we start working on ways to help the feet.
It’s easy to hyperfocus on a specific trim, or some kind of shoeing package, or even a fancy boot and pad set up. And some of us that have an extra interest in things like nutrition and biomechanics may harp on the perfect diet for healthier hooves, or the ideal turn out set up and footing considerations.
And some horses don’t seem to improve in all the ways we expected despite all these carefully modified care plans.
The truth is- there’s an entire body attached to those feet we are so obsessed with, and a horse with a history of movement patterns, old injuries, handling different riders, enduring all kinds of training approaches, dealing with various tack options, and a million other things that can affect their upper body. Their upper body often needs just as much attention as we put into their feet!
I am so fortunate to have Becca Upham-Davis of Elite Equine Massage, LLC who comes regularly and works on all the rehab cases here at the farm. A few days ago, she had her first appointment with one of our more recent rehab cases here. This sweet little gelding has fairly uncomplicated feet, but still struggles with stiff movement and topline development.
At the beginning of the appointment, Becca noticed the height imbalance of the front carpus/knees. Although this gelding was standing square and does not have high/low hooves, his right knee appeared to be sitting quite a bit higher than his left.
Becca worked on him for about an hour, assessing each part of his body. She found he had a good amount of tightness in the muscles around his right shoulder, and spent time working through it with both massage as well as stretches and targeted exercises to relax that side of his body.
Once the massage was done, not only did he walk out better, with a longer stride on his right front, but his knees were nearly instantly level.
We sometimes forget that the muscles and fascia are also holding these bodies together, and working on them can make a difference. We have spent a few months chasing our tails a bit just looking at this guy’s hooves, and our focus needs to shift a bit to making sure the upper body is getting the care it needs too! I am excited to see his progress as we continue to peel back layers of the rehab onion.
A huge thank you to Becca / Elite Equine Massage for being part of the team to get these horses more sound and comfortable!!!
