Annie Rose EP - Barefoot Equine Podiatrist

02/01/2026

🚨❄️ Weather Warnings ⚠️

Lots of freezing weather paired with beautiful sunny spells poses a risk to grass sensitive horses. So if your horse goes foot sore or has laminitic events in line with grass changes, they are susceptible to react at this time of year as well.

Remember, if you can't keep your horse off the grass (stabled, grassless track system or in a menage / arena), you can continue with other restrictions such as grazing muzzles, track system and reduced sugar forage.

Keep up their exercises to keep them moving and using up that energy. Don't forget a frosted morning doesn't have to be boring, you can do enrichment in the stable; grooming, stretches, forage toys and cognitive games.

If your horse is struggling, seek advice from your trusted team of experts; your vet, hoofcare professional, nutritionist, equine land management service etc.

31/12/2025

🎆🎉 YEAR OF THE HORSE! 🐴🐎
...and I have my eye on this guy.... 🧐 He's really going to feel like it's his year at this rate! 🙏🏼✨🐎 Boy do I hope it is! 🙌🏼

4th October to 21st December 2025 this special chap has made a massive improvement in just 4 trim visits over 3 months.

Credit to the owner on this one sticking to recommendations and providing him the environment, nutrition and care he needs now she has him. 🙌🏼

He had practically no frog - it had separated off and needed removing and I found that underneath it was a very soft depressionable, fluid-like sack of a "frog".... 🧐 A vet check later with no concern for anything sinister going on inside it (I've never felt a frog like it) 🤔 he had white line separation, a little seedy toe, compensatory false sole build up, severely forward running collapsed heels and bars, a very sore frog; couldn't stand for the trim very well despite his gorgeous temperament (he was trying so hard). He was trembling even with the foam mat padding I put down to trim him on. 🥺 And when I trimmed this foot he did the sweetest thing putting his pretty head through his legs to watch what I was doing, obviously extremely cautious, letting me know it was a hard one for him 💖 my heart, honestly!

Fast forward to his latest trim - he's developing his frog and digital cushion, seedy toe and white line separation gone, his heels and bars have come back, he's doing so much better. He's getting his personality back, he's relaxed to my trimming, he's cantering around the field socialising with his herd-mates, he's celebrating each little victory of progress in his feet despite still having a very long way to go with them.

What an incredible example of a horse he is! 🙌🏼

This coming year, I too am going to adopt his mentality; celebrate the small victories, trust the process, remain persistent, calm and hopeful... And most of all, look after myself like this client has looked after him, because a holistic approach makes a difference and I need to do that for myself too. 💪🏼😊🎉

It's time we really listen to what horses have to say and maybe even take a leaf out of their book for ourselves! 📖🔖

Happy New Year! X

18/12/2025

⚠️ I was told it's sedation for him if I couldn't help bring him around and the owner didn't want that life for him. All I gave him was patience, I listened to his behaviour and provided a calming, stable energy - which every trimmer should.... but the ones before me, didn't and that's also where it went wrong. 🥺✨💖

I am so incredibly proud of this horse and his owner for his progression - his feet have come along so well over the last year but due to his start (trim-specific fear), I have no initial photos to these to show a comparison. He had overgrowth cracks, minor event lines, long toes, contracted underrun heels with thrushy frogs, deep central sulcus, overlaid bars and deteriorating areas of his white line but generally had good thickness in his feet and nice concavity.

When I first met this boy, I couldn't go near him with equipment on. I merely said hello, discussed with the owner his history, saw him move and gave him a fuss. We then went through my kit to find his trigger - pretty simple as it was the most common culprit... the rasp. We spent time just allowing him to be around the rasp, allowed him to become comfortable with it as an item not used for trimming. I gave my old rasp to the owner to use in her daily grooming kit, to just have present whilst around him but not use it.

I got the owner in touch with a local behaviourist as he struggled to allow his feet to be held.

The owner was quiet, patient and spent the time needed to get his trust in the rasp and to have humans handling his feet again. It was a long process, foot by foot with particular difficulty trying to trim his right hind (likely the one he had the incident with the rasp on).

He still has his moments when he's not so sure about letting me have the feet for longer, typically in new environments, if the yard is busy or the weather is quite extreme - but I reinforce that he isn't trapped, he gets his feet back when he asks and we get calm and collected before trying again and it's usually enough to trim him well.

If you're thinking sedation; get your trimmer, a behaviourist and vet together for a plan and advice. Sedation might be it, but it also might not. 🥰

07/12/2025

🗓️ Trim cycles = Welfare 🐎

Going over your regular trim cycle puts your horse at risk of complications by delaying corrections of overgrowth and wear patterns, which cause;

🤹🏼‍♀️ Imbalances
💢 Strain
😫 Weakening
❤️‍🩹 Compromised hoof structures

It also contributes to missed chances of pathology detection 🧐🔎

🥵 Your trimmer then works twice as hard to get the foot back on track and correct a compromise resulting from delayed trimming. It often doesn't take just 1 trim to fully correct a compromise, especially as trimmers more often than not are in a process of correcting already compromised feet and "chasing" rather than fully on top of hooves from horses being at their limit in terms of appropriate trim cycle length (we understand balancing money and time is very hard ⚖️💰⌚).

Cycles can shorten and lengthen over periods of time - it all depends on the individual horses hoof; how they're growing, wearing and coping considering all elements of horse health, care and management - which constantly changes.

🗓️ Trim cycles = Welfare 🐎

07/12/2025

✨ IMPORTANT WELFARE TOPIC ✨

How do you stay on top of your horses welfare when you're sick / have an emergency and you're missing your regular trim cycles? Honestly, 1 person can make all the difference.

+ Have an emergency back-up person; whether that's an immediate family member, friend, trusted neighbour or yard mate who you can teach and then trust to hold your horse for the trim.

I'm currently sat with a whole day of 0 work due to a full day of cancellations today.... This isn't the first time this has happened and it's really difficult to manage. 0 work = 0 income = 0 business = 0 impact to horse welfare 🐴🐎💖

I've had a significant amount the last month and I understand it's that time of year where sickness rates are high, weather is more aggressive and festivities cause time constraints.

However, don't be ashamed to ask for help with your horse. You can prepare for events like these to make it easier on yourself so you know you've got it covered.

You can't help being ill, but you can help prepare to prevent cancelling in the event you're unwell.

Get well soon everyone! I think most people I know are sick at the moment! 😷 ❤️‍🩹

X

29/11/2025

It's mud season! 🍂

You can see where the mud goes when you simply lift up the hoof. Those are the places I encourage thorough cleaning, drying and then packing with hoof clays such as Red Horse Artimud, Horse Leads Hoof Clay and for deeper crevices like stone holes, seedy toe/white line or wall cavities, deep central sulcus then the more fibrous paste like Red Horse Hoof Stuff or the waxy Keratex Hoof Putty (needs to be pre-warmed) can help lock that muck out! 🚫✋🏼

Whichever you can get your hands on. Keep them clean. Keep them healthy. 😊👍🏼

23/11/2025

Kingsbridge/Dartmouth based?

I cover your area 🙌🏼

And isn't it beautiful?! 😍❤️

22/11/2025

☔🌦️Are you giving your horse the best chance this winter?🌱🌿 Familiar with a soaking wet day? 👀 Read on...

A strong and nutritionally healthy hoof wall is nearly impermeable, meaning it's naturally water repellent with only a minor rate of absorption. It's designed to maintain moisture levels of between 20-30% (the inner wall being the highest moisture content). However, prolonged exposure to a boggy / waterlogged environment, paired with nutritional deficiencies that co-occur in winter pasture from these conditions, lead to a compromised hoof wall and leave the hoof susceptible to oversaturation, damage and infection.

What can you do?

🌱 Diet - Get a good winter vitamin and mineral balancer and check it against the nutritional content of the rest of the forage you provide your horse during winter to ensure the nutritional balance is correct. Check out Forage Plus's Winter Balancers (Use code AnnieRose10 for 10% off Forage Plus orders - I love this company because they're science backed 🧪🧬🌿 are open to talk about your individual horses needs and also offer analytical services for accuracy of balancing your horses forage). Talk to them or a highly reputable nutritionist about your pasture situation, what symptoms your horse is experiencing and what will best suit your horse.

☔ Environment - Provide your horse with dry areas to allow the hooves to fully dry off. A shelter such as time in a stable or barn where they can dry their feet (a deep shavings bed is highly absorbent) for a few hours a day if not stabled overnight is a big benefit to their hoof health and integrity in winter.

🐎 Trim Cycle - Your hoof care provider will be able to tell if the hoof is being compromised and will be able to advise on appropriate measures to prevent a hoof condition worsening. An appropriate barefoot trim cycle (average 4 weeks) will allow the hoof care practitioner to keep an eye on the hoof quality, progress or maintain hoof health and allow timely adjustments to their recommendations for the best outcome for your horse.

02/11/2025

🥰 On the road again 🚗♥️

The wet weather can't be avoided but with the ground now turning to bog, you can make a huge difference to my day! ☺️

I understand some situations can't be avoided and most of the time I'm fine picking out (because I'll be down there anyway 🤷🏼‍♀️) 😅 but it does make a huge difference to my day if I show up to freshly cleaned off feet and limbs with the horse on hard standing or simply an area that's at least clean e.g. horse can be stood on mats or carpet in their field whilst I trim.

This helps me with the accuracy of my trim, accuracy of records (I don't typically take pictures of feet with mud smeared over them because it skews how you read the picture/what you think you can see), helps me avoid excessive wear on my tools - their lifespan is shortened in winter despite the WD40 because mud is so abrasive! It also keeps me and my car a bit more decent 😉 haha. 😅

Your extra effort will be greatly appreciated. ☺️

X

27/10/2025

Keeping to more regular trim cycles really does make a difference. 🐴

"🦶 At this time of year we also see an increase in number of foot abscesses and foot related emergency problems. Having regular visits by a qualified farrier or foot trimmer makes the likelihood of needing to see us for a foot emergency much less, if you have concerns about your horse, pony or donkeys foot then speak to them at these visits - ask them what can you do as the owner to help the health of the foot?

If you are at all worried about your horse, donkey or pony, we are only on the end of the phone and are always more than happy to have a chat and provide advice 🐴🐎🏇"

How to... avoid an emergency! 🐴📞🚑

Following on from our 'when is an emergency an emergency post'... here is how to avoid an emergency!

Sometimes an emergency call out can't be avoided such as a freak accident, however there are sometimes incidences which could be avoided or at least the risk decreased by following some basic steps.

The key way of avoiding emergencies is by keeping up to date with routine care such as teeth, worming and regular farrier visits. This may sound obvious but a proportion of the call outs we go to could have been prevented by keeping up to date with routine care.

Any type of change can also cause an emergency to happen, this may be in the form of management changes such as feed which can cause colic or even turning different horses out together which can cause wounds. Often 'change' is something we try to prevent with our horses as we know they are creatures of habit! We have even seen colic due to changes in owner behaviour such as feeding slightly later, this can really upset some horses and in turn cause stomach discomfort.

🦷 Missed routine dentistry care can contribute to horses not wanting to or being unable to eat which can increase the risk of colic. A dental exam should be done at least every 12 months and then rasping of the teeth done if needed. Not eating normally or grinding fibre properly can also contribute to choke.

💩 Inappropriate worming programs can contribute to the incidence of colic occurring or other parasite related problems such as weight loss and diarrhea. We can advise clients on appropriate worming plans and incorporating faecal worm egg counts - just give us a ring on the office number!

🌱 One of the most common emergencies we see now all year round is laminitis so using the winter to help bring weight under control and using appropriate grazing can really help prevent these laminitic episodes occurring.

🐴 At this time of year another very common emergency we are called out to is the older horse stuck down in a field not able to get up. This can be for various reasons but often is due to arthritis pain. Older horses do have different needs so having a health check with us to discuss this and make sure they are comfy can be really useful.

🦶 At this time of year we also see an increase in number of foot abscesses and foot related emergency problems. Having regular visits by a qualified farrier or foot trimmer makes the likelihood of needing to see us for a foot emergency much less, if you have concerns about your horse, pony or donkeys foot then speak to them at these visits - ask them what can you do as the owner to help the health of the foot?

If you are at all worried about your horse, donkey or pony, we are only on the end of the phone and are always more than happy to have a chat and provide advice 🐴🐎🏇

25/10/2025

Quickfire causes 💥 and triggers ⚠️ of Laminitis - always ask your equine veterinarian if you're concerned or want to learn more.

💥 Endocrinopathy - underlying hormonal and metabolic dysregulation such as PPID and EMS, resulting in compromised nutrient processing. ⚠️ Diet & Illness
💥 Infection - resulting in sepsis/toxemia or systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) from recent viral, bacterial or fungal infected horses such as those who have suffered influenza, pneumonia, strangles, epizootic lymphangitis, colitis and more. ⚠️ Illness
💥 Trauma - resulting in sepsis/toxemia or systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) from injuries. ⚠️ Injury
💥 Toxins - such as from plants, mycotoxins in feed, acidosis and KPU leading to build up of toxic nutrients. ⚠️ Diet
💥 Mechanical Overload - favouring one limb over others due to compensation or simply preference, or even frequent/excessive amounts of time on hard standing such as concrete ⚠️ Illness, Injury & Environment.

Laminitis can occur in the forefeet and hindfeet though often most prevalent in the fores.

The Signs:

Seek a vet immediately if you have any of the following-

❤️‍🩹'The Lami Stance' - the horse leans back when stood to avoid loading the toe area, also known as standing 'camped out'.
❤️‍🩹Lameness / Resistance to move.
❤️‍🩹Excessive heel first gait.
❤️‍🩹Heat in the affected hooves and raised digital pulses - with or without swelling.
❤️‍🩹Prominent or frequent event lines.
❤️‍🩹A stretching of the white line.
❤️‍🩹Blood/bruising in the white line.
❤️‍🩹Bruising and/or build up of sole under the tip of P3.

23/10/2025

👈🏼 See my previous post for a great podcast relating to this ☺️