Full Potential-Equine Sports Therapy & Barefoot Trimming

12/24/2025

* Winter Laminitis *
As winter weather sets in, closely monitor your horses with metabolic issues or a past history of laminitis or founder. They could develop winter laminitis, which can appear suddenly, without typical warning signs.

While spring and fall laminitis are typically linked to insulin dysregulation, winter laminitis has a different trigger: cold stress when temperatures drop, which leads to limited perfusion throughout the limb.

Arteriovenous (AV) shunts are special blood vessels in the horse’s hoof that act like shortcuts for blood flow. Instead of moving through tiny capillaries that feed the sensitive laminae, blood can be redirected straight from arteries to veins. In a healthy hoof, these shunts help control temperature by opening in cold weather to conserve heat, and closing in warm weather so blood flows through the capillaries to deliver oxygen and nutrients to the laminae.

During a laminitis or founder episode, inflammation within the laminar tissues weakens the cellular bonds between the epidermal and dermal laminae, causing the white line to stretch. Their blood flow is restricted, which can lead to permanent damage of the hoof lamellar connection - the laminae rarely returns to its original strength. In founder cases, the laminae failure allows the coffin bone to rotate, and/or distally descend in the hoof capsule, also known as sinking, and can sometimes lead to the coffin bone penetrating the sole.

Even well-managed horses with a history of laminitis may have thin soles, reduced shock absorption, weaker hoof-lamellar connections, and ongoing low-grade inflammation, making them less tolerant of trimming errors, long cycles, diet or environmental changes, and metabolic stress. A horse can appear sound yet still have permanently compromised laminae, which increases the risk of relapse and often requires lifelong management, especially when a metabolic disease is involved.

If your horse is actively experiencing winter laminitis:

* Contact and consult with your veterinarian immediately.

* Ensure proper pergolide dosing with your vet’s help (if PPID/Cushings).

*Prioritize warmth: use blankets, layering if necessary. Wool socks, shipping boots, or leg wraps can all help provide extra warmth and protection - just make sure they’re not fitted too tight! Make sure your horse has adequate shelter to support temperature regulation.

* Reduce mechanical leverage and stress on the hoof capsule by staying on a short, consistent cycle with your hoof care provider. Providing hoof support with boots and pads can help keep your horse comfortable.

* Monitor weight and watch for fat deposits (commonly seen around the neck, ribs, tailhead, above the eyes).

* Re-evaluate diet and aim for consistent tested hay year-round, feeding a truly low-NSC (non-structural carbohydrate) diet. Don’t rely solely on “low sugar” or “low starch” labels - use evidence-based resources like the ECIR Group or Mad Barn for guidance. Consider metabolic support supplements if appropriate.

Wishing everyone - and their equines - warmth and good health this winter!

12/01/2025

11/25/2025

Two recent papers in the EVE Journal were punlished on the effects of corticosteroid injection sin joints. They were meta-analysis, meaning they took information from over 600 papers about this topic into account. This means the outcome of a meta-analysis is more reliable as an "overall opinion of scientists" than a single paper. Both papers show clearly that 1 injection in a joint (when needed, because acute joint inflammation is present) might be beneficial, but that more than 1 injection in the same joint will cause cartilage damage and degeneration of the joint. Think about that when you do "regular joint maintainance" or inject multiple joints without a clear indication.

Your vet should know this information!

11/19/2025

There has been confirmed exposure to EHV-1/EHM to horses that attended the WPRA Finals in Waco, Texas. Also, case confirmed in Oklahoma. If you have attended an event where there have been exposed horses, it is of extreme importance to quarantine your horse for a minimum of 14 days. This is a good time to keep your horses home entirely! If you have recently travelled, your farrier or trimmer would very much appreciate you sharing this information prior to appointment, so appropriate biosecurity measures can be taken or appointment can be rescheduled if considered high-risk.

EHV spreads through nose to nose contact, shared buckets or tack, contaminated trailers, airborne droplets from coughing or snorting, and from people who handle exposed horses.

Symptoms
- Fever
- Nasal discharge
- Lethargy
- Hind end weakness or wobbliness
- Loss of tail tone or urine dribbling

Many horses will not show symptoms!

Some cases progress to the neurological form, EHM, which is a medical emergency. Take temperatures twice daily and monitor closely. Practice strict biosecurity protocols; do not share tack/equipment/water sources, disinfect high contact areas with bleach and most importantly do not move horses on or off the property!

AAEP Resources
https://aaep.org/resource/aaep-infectious-disease-guidelines-equine-herpesvirus-1-4/e y

Equine herpesviruses are very common DNA viruses in horse populations worldwide. The two most significant are EHV-1, which causes respiratory disease, abortion, and neurologic disease; and EHV-4, which primarily causes respiratory disease and only occasionally causes abortion or neurologic disease.....

10/23/2025

There is a very dangerous and misleading statement being made on the internet.

Quote
“Laminitis is not caused by diet”

I urge you to use caution if you choose to believe this.

I am a student of the hoof for the past 10 years and I am mentored by Prof Chris Pollitt, the pioneer who discovered the insulin relationship to laminitis. I beg you to be very careful with what you hear out there being touted by lay people.

Horses will die unnecessary painful excruciating deaths if you follow this misinformation.

By ignoring the well understood relationship between high insulin and laminitis you may be inclined to turn out your ponies onto the rich grass. Apparently it’s said that a balanced trim is the key- which I do not totally agree with.

Once the genie is out of the bottle and the laminae are failing due to high insulin stretching and snapping the laminar attachments of bone to inner hoof wall then good luck getting it back.

Is it worth the risk?

Have you seen laminitis appear in the spring when the grass starts to grow. Or after a long hot summer, when the rains start, and boom, laminitis rears its head. Why is that?

Why do many horses suffer laminitis after getting into the grain shed and gourged themselves? Is it the grain or the trim?

Trimming is important, but you cannot trim your way into preventing or treating laminitis without looking far deeper into the cause. Diet and insulin go hand in hand.

Do you think that these lay people that come up with such crazy and dangerous statements that are said as if they are fact have actually been in the lab and done any research?

These are frightening times my friends.

Anyone can say anything and mislead us.

Maybe it is intentional, it just feeds the algorithm and everyone comments and argues and shouts and the ones dropping bombshell dangerous statements just rub their hands in glee at the carnage.

It’s sick.
It’s dangerous
I follow the science.

This is my position statement.

10/22/2025

Salt is a very important part of our diet and the diet of our horses!

But please, feed loose salt. Salt and mineral blocks are truly inadequate for our horses.

We don’t often link electrolytes and in particular salt, as important for muscle function. For muscles to contract and relax correctly during work, it is vital that our horses have sufficient electrolytes in their systems to help maintain hydration and ensuring that nerve impulses fire correctly giving the signal for muscle fibres to contract and relax.

Working with Hayley from EquiTone-ETT, it is interesting to hear how the muscles respond differently to the Transeva treatments when salt is or isn’t included in the diet of the horses she works with. As Hayley puts it - “Muscle contractions feel smoother, as though the muscle fibres glide better” when the horses are fed salt compared to those who aren’t.

Salt provides sodium and chloride the two most deficient electrolytes in the diets I work with and can easily be added to your horse’s meals to ensure overall hydration and proper muscle responses.

10/11/2025

Pay attention!

Insulin dysregulation in sport horses might be underrecognized because these horses don’t always look like your obvious metabolic cases. In a new study, researchers assessed the prevalence of ID and subclinical laminitis in sport horses. ⁣
⁣
One in seven sport horses in the study had multiple radiographic markers of laminitis, highlighting the importance of routine balance films. ⁣

Read more: https://equimanagement.com/research-medical/metabolic/researchers-assess-prevalence-of-id-and-subclinical-laminitis-in-sport-horses/

10/04/2025

Some great research.

06/30/2025

05/10/2025

Attention Horse Owners: please don’t blame your farriers for cost increases as they trickle down, I guarantee they hate this as much as you do 😔

04/25/2025

Worth the read!

A 2017 study found that racehorses receiving corticosteroid injections were FOUR TIMES more likely to suffer musculoskeletal injuries. These weren’t minor lamenesses, they led to long layups, early retirements, and in some cases, catastrophic breakdowns. That stopped me in my tracks. When we inject a horse to keep them “sound,” are we treating the injury, or are we simply hiding the pain?

Corticosteroids are powerful anti-inflammatories. They offer quick relief, especially for sore joints, but repeated use has a risky side. Over time, corticosteroids can accelerate cartilage breakdown and damage the very structures we’re trying to protect. That’s not just theory, it’s been proven in multiple studies. One 2022 review published in Equine Veterinary Education warned that long-term use of corticosteroids, even in low doses, can lead to irreversible joint degeneration.

And it’s not just steroids. Treatments like IRAP (interleukin-1 receptor antagonist protein) and PRP (platelet-rich plasma) are widely used, but the science behind them is still emerging. A recent meta-analysis found highly inconsistent outcomes with some horses showing improvement, and others none at all. These therapies show promise, but they are not miracle fixes. Their long-term benefits and risks remain unclear, especially when used repeatedly without a comprehensive rehab plan.

Even alternatives like Adequan and Polyglycan come with caveats. Adequan (polysulfated glycosaminoglycan) can help reduce inflammation and protect cartilage in the short term, but does not show lasting curative effects without rest or additional therapy. Polyglycan, often marketed as a joint lubricant, has been linked to increased bone proliferation and osteophyte formation. That means while it might make your horse feel better in the short term, it could be quietly encouraging abnormal bone growth that worsens arthritis and limits joint mobility over time.

It seems that most injections don’t fix the problem, they just silence the alarm bell. And when we quiet that bell without solving what caused it, we set the horse up for further breakdown. They keep working through masked pain, compensating, and eventually injuring something else. What seems like a solution quickly becomes a cycle of damage.

So, what does responsible use look like? It starts with intent. Injections should never be used as routine “maintenance” or as a preventative measure in otherwise healthy joints. There is no such thing as a preventative joint injection. Every time you inject a joint, you’re altering its natural chemistry and potentially weakening its future integrity. Instead, injections should be used after thorough diagnostics: imaging, flexions, lameness exams, and only as part of a comprehensive plan. That means rest. That means thoughtful rehab. That means time to retrain healthier movement patterns so the horse can come back stronger and more balanced, not just numbed. Injections can open a door to recovery, but they are not the recovery itself.

Responsible use also means reevaluating the workload. If a horse needs regular injections to keep doing the job, then maybe it’s the job that needs adjusting. I’m not saying injections are evil. They’ve done wonderful things for horses I’ve known and I’m not saying we should all stop injections forever. But if Beauty’s hocks need to be injected three times a year just to keep her jumping the 1.20s, maybe the 1.20s are no longer where she belongs. Maybe it's time to listen to what her body is telling us.

I’m not a vet. I don’t have a medical degree. I’m just someone who enjoys research and writing, and I would still argue that we need more research to ultimately determine what is "safe" for our horses. However, I do think it's important to be aware of what the science currently says, and having hard conversations about if the potential risk is worth the reward.

Your vet is your best friend in this process. Don’t change your horse’s care plan because someone on Facebook shared a study about joint injections being questionable…or because someone else said they’re harmless. Talk to your vet. Ask hard questions. Understand exactly what these drugs do, how long they last, and what they mean for your horse’s future soundness. Your vet knows your horse better than I ever could, and they want to help you make the best choices, not just the most convenient ones.

Studies used:

Johnson, B. J., et al. (2017). "Association between corticosteroid administration and musculoskeletal injury in Thoroughbred racehorses." Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 250(3), 296–302.

Textor, J. A., & Tablin, F. (2012). "Platelet-rich plasma in equine musculoskeletal therapy." Canadian Veterinary Journal, 53(8), 841–849.

Frisbie, D. D., & McIlwraith, C. W. (2014). "Evaluation of autologous conditioned serum and platelet-rich plasma for treatment of musculoskeletal injuries in horses." Equine Veterinary Education, 26(12), 572–578.

McIlwraith, C. W., et al. (2012). "Effects of intra-articular administration of sodium hyaluronate and polysulfated glycosaminoglycan on osteoarthritis in horses." EquiManagement Clinical Research Reports.

Burba, D. J., et al. (2011). "Evaluation of pentosan polysulfate sodium in equine osteoarthritis." Equine Veterinary Journal, 43(5), 549–555.

Garbin, L. C., Lopez, C., & Carmona, J. U. (2021). A Critical Overview of the Use of Platelet-Rich Plasma in Equine Medicine Over the Last Decade. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 8, 641818.

Boorman, S., McMaster, M. A., Groover, E., & Caldwell, F. (2022). Review of glucocorticoid therapy in horses: Intra-articular corticosteroids. Equine Veterinary Education, 35(6), 327–336.

Nedergaard, M. W., et al. (2024). Evidence of the clinical effect of commonly used intra-articular treatments of equine osteoarthritis. Equine Veterinary Education.

04/22/2025

Well, it feels good to remove this enormous wedge of abscess tracks. Cleaned up a bit more before the sedation wore off, packed and wrapped up for a few days. Now, let’s see if this offers some important relief, while antibiotics work hard to do their job internally…

🙏🏻