Dynamic Hoofcare

29/06/2025

23/04/2025

01/06/2024

Erna, eine liebe 2 jährige Border-Dalmatiner Weibchen sucht wegen Trennung ein neues Zuhause. Sie ist Kinder gewöhnt und schmust gerne. Bei Interesse bitten PN

04/01/2024

28/05/2023

Thrush.

My last post showed you an image of a slice through the horse’s foot at the area by the bulbs. You could see that the slice through the digital cushion had light showing through the “slit” meaning it was not dense healthy frog tissue. That part sticking up is called the frog spine or frog stay. It should be a thick strong structure that bisects the digital cushion, and looks a bit like a shark fin. It’s important because it helps to stabilise the back of the foot and helps to resist the shear forces that can occur between the heels. It also has numerous micro cartilage strands attached to it, and they attach to the collateral cartilages. They help to keep the cushion strong, resist tearing and resist it being stretched outside its allowable stretch.

Photo 1 shows the effect of thrush. It’s affect can be hidden to horse owners unless they investigate the slit in the centre of the frog, towards the back to the foot. A slit is not healthy and needs investigation. Thrush actually eats away at the frog tissue, destroying it, and making it fragile.

Photo 2 shows a foot with a nice healthy frog spine. It’s not in exactly the same plane as photo 1 but it demonstrates well what we should be seeing. The frog spine consists of dense frog tissue and it is robust and thick. Look carefully at the white strands in the digital cushion, they are the fibrocartilage strands that I mentioned above. Many of you asked me to show you a healthy foot to compare.

If you can sink your hoof pick into the frog then there is trouble. Trouble that needs your help.

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26/10/2022

30/08/2022

https://scootboots.com/blogs/blog/new-research-on-why-barefoot-horses-remain-sounder-than-shod-horses?fbclid=IwAR0vZyFPk8yBX_3UnZWtxd1T13kOdqkjiqUKlvJ2fxx_hiaRGjLdrftvdI0

The barefoot movement is growing amongst top professional riders worldwide, and finally a comprehensive Swedish research project is to determine exactly why there are so many benefits from ditching your horse’s iron shoes and going barefoot instead. By Helle Maigaard Erhardsen Since the Olympic Go...

24/08/2022

Nicht länger als 20 Minuten longenarbeit

Lungeing sessions should not last longer than 20 minutes. Here’s why:

• Horses did not evolve to move in circles.
• Lungeing is hard work on the horse’s joints, tendons and muscles.
• Overwork on the lunge (or any situation) can cause pain, injury, discomfort and fatigue.

According to Australian researchers, ‘In an 18-m diameter round-pen, approximately 20 circuits equal 1 km. In just 20 minutes of lunging or round-pen work, a horse may cover around 5 km in distance which, as we postulate, poses musculoskeletal risks due to the constant circular track. Therefore, round-pen/lunging sessions exceeding 20 minutes should be avoided’ (https://tinyurl.com/CuttingTheChase).

For more recommendations about lungeing for horse welfare and rider safety, download Pony Club Australia’s NEW Lungeing Guidelines https://tinyurl.com/lungeing

25/07/2022

** edit to add**
(In reading some of the responses to my post, I think some are assuming that this is a barefoot vs shod post. It is not. If you read my full post you will see that. I am just pondering why it has taken so long for this shift to happen. I am all about working together with the common goal being to help the horse. That's really all I care about in the end.) ☮️

Bracy Clark published this in 1809. That's right, over 2 hundred years ago. I remember reading about Bracy Clark when I first started studying the hoof. I was stunned to see that a veterinarian had published about the damage that shoeing was doing to the hoof way back then and still, nothing changed. Thankfully, I am now starting to see a shift. More people are starting to prioritize their horse's well being. Owners are educating themselves and seeking out better hoofcare. Hallelujah. I see advancements in shoeing practice and I see more clinics focusing on getting a proper trim under the shoe and shorter shoeing cycles. This is progress. 💪 Keep advocating for your horse and choose your farrier wisely. There are farriers out there who take soundness seriously and continue to learn and better themselves. Seek out these professionals or, better yet, become one yourself.