Wholesome Equine Nutrition, LLC

10/24/2025

My experience with flat soled horses is that there aren't very many "truly" flat soled horses. Not that I don't see very many to begin with, but after making the necessary changes...the concavity of almost every hoof can be improved.

Concavity=sole thickness, in most cases. Concavity must be built or developed over time, not carved out. There is a big difference between exfoliating dead sole material and removing valuable live sole. When you create the proper conditions the sole of the hoof thickens. I picture it raising the coffin bone off of the ground like the rim of a wheel when you pump up a tire. When you get the diet right...get the horse moving (especially on a clean 3-4" deep footing like sand, chat, or pea gravel) ..and keep the outer wall from making contact with the ground you will see the improvements almost immediately (sometimes literally overnight).

The horses coffin bone is naturally concave and the hoof capsule is produced from this bone. The sole is a reflection of the bottom of the bone. The problem is that the growth continues whether it's getting worn or trimmed away. The direction of growth is predominately forward so the hoof capsule will usually slough forward like a sock that's lost its elasticity and ends up bunched around your toes. Careful management can prevent, or correct, this situation so that hoof capsule is aligned with the coffin bone.

The tragedy is when this overgrown situation ensues for a long period of time... this changes the stride of the horse as well as the contact points of the hoof that were specifically designed for proper weight bearing. This breaks a horse down over time causing damage to the inner structures of the hoof as well as all the structures above the hair line. The upside is that the hoof is continually growing and you can use this constant supply of new material to fix the situation. Once you get the hoof wall perfectly aligned with the coffin bone you will see the concavity of the sole mimicking the concavity of the solar surface of the coffin bone. The only exception that I've seen to this is when the solar corium has been crushed for too long on a poorly conformed coffin bone and the bone has become flat or even convex. Even in some of these cases I've seen the horse restored to some level of comfort.

My goal is to educate horse owners to be able to detect hoof capsule deformation before it gets to the point of lameness and to take advantage of the healing abilities intrinsic to the hoof... to develop the best foot possible for the individual horse. “Bad” footed horses can improve and even good footed horses can be better.

(David Landreville, 2014)

08/28/2025

🔥MYTH🔥
Once a horse has had laminitis and/or rotation they will never have a normal foot.

Did you know it is entirely possible to have a healthy functional hoof after laminitis?
The hoof below suffered a bout of laminitis resulting in a small bit of rotation last season. So, how did we get back to a healthy hoof?

🔥How?🔥
Identify the causal factors in the first place.
Diet, Exercise, veterinary care, and hoof care all play a role getting your horse back on track. This is a team approach, everyone works together for the good of the horse.

- What dietary chages can you make for your horses health? chronically overweight horses and easy keepers are prone to metabolic issues. Look at your hay, pasture time, grain amounts, and treat in take to see what can be better managed on your end.

- Your veterinarian is your biggest asset!
Blood work to address insulin and acth levels.
Pain management medications to control inflammation within the foot and keep your horse as comfortable as possible. Radiographs to assess what damage has occurred inside the hoof capsule and help guide your farrier through the rehab process.

Hoof care! Finding a professional that is familiar with working on laminitic/ foundered horses. Do they have tools to help your horses comfort ? Are they willing work with your vet and have an open mind to trying new things? Are they skilled at reading radiographs? Do they understand the biomechanics of trimming a rotated hoof?
Is their way the ONLY way?!
💣several groups have proclaimed they have the secret to fixing these cases…. the magical recipe everyone wants….Do your homework, there are many ways to achieve results. Right handed farriers don’t cause rotation, leaving toes grow for months biomechanically doesn’t help your horse, and poor trimming is not the cause of every case of laminitis💣

Exercise?
Once you get to a comfortable state and have a healthy enough hoof movement/ exercise helps with metabolic issues and increases blood flow!

08/17/2025

Cool season grasses🌱 such as Timothy, Orchard and Rye because of the wet💦, cool climates where they are grown, cut, cured, and baled and alfalfa. Larger bales require lower baling moisture percentages; the risk of preservatives present in large square and round bales increases dramatically.

Grass hay grown in arid climates🌞 (mostly warm season grasses) rarely if ever are sprayed with preservatives; the expense is not necessary. The moisture content reduces at a rapid rate naturally. Feeding a combination of warm and cool season grasses is beneficial due to the diverse amino acid profiles and reducing the risk of preservatives in 100% of the hay fed.​

Unfortunately hay preservatives are necessary for farmers otherwise too many crops would be destroyed and the price of hay could skyrocket💸. To be as proactive as possible, ask your grower if they use preservatives. If so, what cuttings/loads/fields received the lowest concentrations and choose that hay. Inhalation is as much if not more of a health risk as ingestion.

Slow feeders may minimize inhalation of acid/chemical dust because they cannot bury their nose in the hay. Feeding from ground level allows the nasal passages to drain💧 effectively. If you experience skin or respiratory irritation handling hay, preservatives could be the cause. Whether these additives and preservatives are safe is debatable. If given the choice, I would rather not handle or feed hay treated with chemicals. Being well informed about the forage you are feeding is prudent and enables you to make educated choices on behalf of your beloved companions.

Preservatives in hay can have an adverse effect on you and your horse's health. Learn what hay types are likely to contain preservatives and what the 5 common ingredients are👉 https://www.thehaypillow.com/blogs/news/hay-preservatives-5-ingredients-you-need-to-know-about

08/13/2025

08/06/2025

Top - last day of steel shoes for a 10 year old Arab. I outlined the hairline in red to show the soft tissue atrophy and hairline distortion/degenerative displacement.

Bottom - same foot after 18 months on a 3-4 week simulated wear trim schedule. I outlined the current hairline in red, showing the regenerative improvements in the shape and position of the hairline. The green line outlines the future hairline position that the foot is revealing.

The space between the red line and the green line will fill in with hair as the digital cushion gains more depth and the hoof capsule regenerates in a lower relationship to the coronary band and coffin bone.

08/06/2025

🤙🏻TLDR
The grass will explode when the sun comes out again. Get ‘em off the grass.

Laminitis is a disease of prevention…

🌧️ Weird Weather

The last few days have been unseasonably cool and rainy. For those further out, it’s August in Georgia and it’s been raining nonstop and in the 60s… Like chili and scary movie weather. We love the relief from the 100s but what’s to come is in fact said scary movie.

GRASS

Photosynthesis is how grass converts sunlight to energy and food, aka sugar. Right now the sugars in the grass are low because of the consistent cloud coverage, as it significantly slows photosynthesis. Right now, it’s relatively safe for most horses. (Of course there are exceptions)

But this won’t last long…
In a few days Georgia will start to act like herself again and try to burn us all to a crisp. That’s when the grass will make up for lost time and will kick into hyperdrive. The sugars will be astronomical. Please be aware of this and plan accordingly.
👏🏻If you have a metabolic horse or a grass sensitive horse (yes, they can be grass sensitive with pristine labs), please consider ‼️muzzling, limiting grass turnout, dry lot, turnout in early morning, have boots on hand, etc. ‼️

Typically sugars are lowest in the grass in the morning. In a perfect world, turnout at the witching hour (2-3am) and back in about 10am. But that’s not real life. I have some turnout at dawn and back to dry lot at lunch with success. Just remember that the longer the grass cooks under the sun the higher the sugars. Late day and early evening can be dangerous.

Another factor is also the onset of abscesses. The ground has been quite hard up until we’ve had this weather system. With a few inches of rain the ground is soft and mushy. If your horse is going to abscess this is prime time.
Last week I ordered extra cloud boots and stocked up on diapers and baby powder. Hopefully none of which I have to use but I’m ready for it all.

Keep an eye on your horses and be proactive.

Laminitis is a disease of prevention…

07/21/2025

An important concept.
Support, suspension and direction of motion.

The DDFT trumps everything.
Too tight or too loose and problems start. Just right and all is good.

Think about the DDFT being too tight where will problems start?

Or too loose? Think caudal foot collapse.

Dr Redden has a lot to share about the DDFT.

Credit R Redden.

06/14/2025

06/05/2025

I recently posted about the dangers of trimming to parameters which create poor welfare states, and highlighted the positive changes in one hoof, over a 5 week period, especially how the hoof shifts further under the bony column during rehab focused on improving welfare parameters of the entire horse: https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1245134704256689&id=100062805141815

Here is another comparison of the same hoof, highlighting a similar positive change. Notice how the horse is better supported by the hoof, and how it is further under the bony column in the more recent hoof.
References and resources in the comments. If you check these out you will also realise these link top additional research and my conclusion is that there is a huge body evidence to suggest that a long toe, short, under run heel presentation is harmful and that a balanced hoof, with appropriate vertical depth and associated with positive welfare parameters promotes health, soundness, lasting resilience and longevity in horses.

If you enjoy or are in any way curious about the posts I share, I humbly invite you to 2 x inspiring and educational webinars this June:

If you would like to spend an hour or two with myself and Lindsey Field from as we answer FAQ’s on my integrative welfare focused hoof care approach, check out this live event on the 19th June at 7pm BST: https://www.holisticequine.co.uk/event-details/ask-the-experts-q-a-1-with-guest-lindsey-field-the-study-of-the-equine-hoof

If you are curious if you should be training or riding your horse, and you wish to learn practical advice from myself and Yasmin, please join us in this ground-breaking webinar - Monday 30th June at 7pm BST: https://www.yasminstuartequinephysio.com/webinar-should-i-be-riding-my-horse-right-now 🐴🥰

To work with me, online and in-person, and how to support the horses you love (whether barefoot, booted, or shod!) using objective and science backed welfare parameters, visit: https://www.holisticequine.co.uk/book-a-service

Www.holisticequine.co.uk - supporting and promoting compassionate equestrianism for the benefit of all 💚🙏🐴

05/24/2025

05/22/2025

04/13/2025

Spring has shown up in full swing over these last few weeks. The grass is coming in, lots of “April showers bring May flowers” rain, and big temperature swings to boot. While the Spring blooms may be beautiful, it does come at a cost – the potential for sore feet.
If your horse has been comfortable all winter, and now either mid-cycle or shortly after a trim, is becoming sore or showcasing changes in their gait, there is a high probability of grass sensitivity. And when I say grass, I mean the sugars in the grass. I promise you, if you’re working with a responsible and communicative hoof care provider, it’s not the trim. Talk to us. When the laminae is compromised (meaning even just a little inflamed or irritated from the sugars in the grass), just the vibrations from the swipes of the rasp can tip the scales to soreness. If you have a grass sensitive horse, here are some tips to save you emotional distress, and most importantly, your horse the discomfort of grass sensitivity.

1. Understanding photosynthesis: The grass converts sunshine to energy (i.e., sugar). The longer the grass cooks under the sun, the more sugar it accumulates. The safest time to turn out is a few hours after dark or early morning before sunrise and coming in early afternoon. (Generally speaking)

2. Stressed grass, or “there’s not much grass in that paddock”, is the highest in sugar. If you can avoid mowing or overgrazing a field, that’s usually a better option. When grass is stressed (i.e., mowing or overgrazing), it goes into survival mode and stores extra sugar. More info at https://www.safergrass.org/

3. Muzzling. While muzzling isn’t a fan favorite for owners, I promise you it’s a heck of a lot better than a sore or laminitic horse. Horses tolerate them quite well and adjust quickly. AND for your Houdini horses, there are a surplus of designs to minimize criminal muzzle removal. If you’re noticing an improvement in comfort a few days after muzzling or being off grass…. There ya go.

4. Monitor temperature swings and rain. If there is a 20–30-degree temperature change from the high to the low, the grass will go into hyperdrive and will have massive sugar spikes. The same goes for heavy rain. If you have a very sensitive horse, it is best to keep them off grass during these big swings and after heavy rains to avoid tempting fate.

5. Dry lot. If you have the option to dry lot your grass sensitive or metabolic horse, this is always the go-to option. Please be sure to provide them 24/7 access to hay and buddies during this time. If your horse is highly sensitive and is in the middle of an episode, it may be best to soak your hay. Though if your horse is episodic, please work with your veterinarian.
- PS If dry lotting, please make sure they have access to shade. In the depths of summer here in GA, dry lots can turn into frying pans.

6. Jiaogulan: https://madbarn.com/jiaogulan-benefits-for-horses/

7. Booting for protection, especially when we have dry spells and the ground turns to concrete.

8. If your horse is acutely uncomfortable, pathological posture/camping out, has trouble turning, etc., please call your veterinarian immediately. These are important things to look out for and can be time sensitive.

9. Speak with your veterinarian on the possibility of metabolic disease and appropriate testing. Early detection can save lives.

Let’s keep our horses safe and comfortable this season!