Barefoot Equine Services

28/12/2022

And that’s a wrap!

Today I trimmed my final two horses under the Barefoot Equine Services name and it is sad to see this part of my life finish after 5 years, but I am excited for the new chapters ahead.

I would like to thank absolutely everybody that has been along this journey with me and would like wish everyone well on their horse and hoof journey from here on out. I will miss each and every one of you.

Thanks,

Jacinta

03/12/2022

Please be patient with me as I try and respond to messages, my messenger has looked like this for the last 5 days with the odd luck being able to duck through to reply to a message before it’s gone again.

15/10/2022

To my valued clients,

As some of you already know, as of January 2023 I will no longer be trimming within the Mackay district. I will be informing everyone else in person that I haven’t seen since making this decision at our next appointment and will continue to try fit everyone in for appointments up until I finish up, but I have organised with a fellow trimmer to take over as many as my clients as she can.

10/08/2022

To those interested in trimming their own horses, Melissa has shared this workshop running in a few weeks. Please use the contacts on the flyer if interested.

18/05/2022

This is explained perfectly.

There are a million things I think about when considering a trim for a horse.

Their movement, diet, posture, environment, conformation, past injuries, internal pathology, metabolic issues, their comfort level, their job expectations, hoof wear patterns, what their hoof distortion/pathology is suggesting, etc.

My focus when assessing these becomes giving the horse the best trim possible based on all those factors. Sometimes that means putting the foot down for a second look mid-trim, seeing how they adjust their stance and weightbearing, letting the foot "settle' under weightbearing before making a small change, or watching them move again to see changes in biomechanics or loading, the list goes on.

I can't stress this enough: when horses stand well - meaning they willingly pick their feet up, and hold them up comfortably for extended periods of time - it makes my job exponentially easier.. but not only that, the horse receives a more considerate trim.

If we are spending most of the hoofcare appointment focusing on how the horse stands - or isn't standing - to have its feet done, our focus shifts away from the minute details of the hoof and body and movement that might affect our trim, and instead is centered on keeping ourselves safe and the horse comfortable enough just to finish the trim.

There is a marked difference between giving the best trim possible for that horse's situation, and "making sure we just finish the trim."

Sometimes, for a horse that is unable to stand well, all it takes to make hoofcare appointments easier is the owner working in between trims, picking up the feet and holding them up comfortably. Sometimes, professional training help may be needed. And of course, there's always the possibility of a pain factor that requires some veterinary diagnostics and intervention.

If you're wondering if your hoofcare provider is giving your horse the best trim possible, one question to add into the mix is - is your horse standing as comfortably and willingly as possible? If not, then some work on that might make a drastic difference in the trim outcome.

For those who might need more help with how their horses stand for the farrier, I have two podcast episodes on this topic:

Making Hoofcare Appointments a Positive Experience with Adele Shaw:
https://thehumblehoof.libsyn.com/making-hoofcare-a-positive-experience-with-adele-shaw

Farrier Friendly with Kristin Thornberry:
https://thehumblehoof.libsyn.com/farrier-friendly-how-to-support-your-horse-to-stand-well-for-the-farrier-with-kristin-thornberry

Pictured is a horse who stands immaculately for her trim 🥰

28/03/2022

Just a reminder to clients that I take very few bookings during the school holidays due to having my daughter at home with me, and with the holidays coming up in a week I am currently completely booked until the 20th of April.

06/12/2021

22/11/2021

10 handy facts about lameness

1. A forelimb lameness is identified by looking for the head nod. The head will go up when the lame limb hits the ground and down when the sound limb hits the ground. It is easier to notice the 'head nod', therefore when the head nods, it is the opposite leg that is lame.

2. Check for heat and a pulse. Inflammation brings blood to the area.

3. A horse with arthritic wear and tear (common in older horses), will often get better as he goes, which is known as 'warming out of it'. The lameness will usually be less obvious after a few minutes. Additionally he will often be worse on hard ground (tarmac) in comparison to the ménage. This is due to more concussion on his joints.

4. A horse with soft tissue damage will often get worse as he goes and is often lamer on a soft surface (ménage), as the tissue such as an affected tendon or ligament is being stretched more than it would be on a hard surface with no give.

5. A horse with bilateral forelimb lameness will be harder to detect as the head nod will now be apparent when both limbs hit the ground. However he will show a shorter cranial phase (his forelimbs will not come out very far from underneath him resulting in a 'choppy' gait).

6. If you are struggling to detect lameness get the Slo-Pro app for your mobile phone and record your horse. This will slow everything down until you train your eye into detecting lameness.

7. A hind limb lameness is more difficult to detect. If you watch the horse trotting away from you, the lame leg usually has more movement at the hip. It helps to attach white sticky tape to both hip bones to make this more obvious to the eye.

8. Putting a horse on a circle (lungeing), often shows up a forelimb and hindlimb lameness more easily.

9. If the horse looks lame on one limb, but has a stronger pulse in the opposite limb, it is usually because the sound limb has taken more weight to allow pressure relief of the affected limb.

10. A horse can look completely sound without a rider, and then almost three legged once someone is on board. Therefore if your getting a feeling that something just isn't quite right, do not just jog him up on the straight or on the lunge and assume all is well.

** Shoeing/trimming intervals should be kept as short as possible. Studies have shown that as the toe grows, the foot 'shoots' forward (long toes, low heel), putting excess strain on the flexor tendons. If your horse always looks slightly 'off' just prior to shoeing, then this is a very probable cause and it may be worth shortening your shoeing cycle.

As a horse owner, developing an eye for lameness is one of the greatest skills you can learn. This will not only allow you to have your horse treated more quickly, but will hopefully nip smaller issues in the bud before they escalate into far bigger ones.

E. J Westwood.

20/11/2021

Hi all,
At this stage I am currently unable to trim or takes any appointments until at least the 30th November at this stage as I am currently waiting for results back as to the extent of damage I have done on my knee after having an altercation with a horse on Wednesday prior. I won’t know how long I will be out for at this stage until I see the doctor again on Thursday to see my results and I will be messing every client I currently have an appointment with the reschedule and I am sorry for the inconvenience this causes.
This photo is 4 days after the accident.

23/09/2021

I will be away from the work phone from tomorrow to Monday so please be patient with trying to get in contact and I will get back to any calls or messages on Tuesday when I am back in the office. Thank you for understanding.

12/01/2021

To my valued clients,

For the past almost 4 years I have kept my price consistent since the day I started and any rises in cost I have tried to absorb, but unfortunately it’s come to a point where I am no longer able to cover those costs, therefore I am at the stage where I need to up my prices. All the clients that are currently booked in, your price will stay the same until your following booking and I am aiming to send everyone out a message over the next few days with new costs. I hope you can understand and I look forward to continue working with you all again in the future.

Thanks,
Jacinta

27/09/2020

To all my clients,
I would just like to let everyone know that Myschief will be joining me for at least the next week for every client I attend as we almost lost her two nights ago and will need to be kept an eye on regularly. I hope everyone understands and I thank you all, please let me know if this is not possible on your property and we will endeavor to work around you or try to reschedule for the next appointment we can without her onboard.

Thanks,
Jacinta

25/08/2020

A few of our client photos from the last few weeks, we really appreciate the photos everyone takes.

31/07/2020

Today we trimmed this beautiful boy for our first time and he is such a well behaved big baby, he is a true credit to his owner for all the work she has put in and his previous good are providers. Loved the scratches with him today.

25/07/2020

Yesterday was a big day up at Eungella with 9 horses, including some new clients. I love working in some beautiful spots around our town, it definitely is a perk of travelling to clients and getting see some of the great places around.

06/05/2020

I asked a client to take a few photos the other day as it’s not often I get any unless I’ve got someone with me and this mare decided she had to join in. This was the first time trimming these two and they were a pleasure to do.

21/04/2020

Please be patient when booking in appointments during this time, I am schooling my daughter from home so appointments will be harder to obtain, and I may be harder to get into contact with. I will be trying my best to make this time as easy for everybody involved.

Thank you for understanding,
Jacinta.

24/03/2020

We have a few of the new Bee Kind & Naturally Whitening Showhite bars currently in stock, they smell incredible and can’t wait to give it a try on a few of our horses over the next few days when there’s some spare time.

02/03/2020

The blood vascular system of the hoof... I just can’t get over how intricate it is ♥️

19/02/2020

What a reactive horse can actually mean and what it doesn't.

22/01/2020

We believe that honey has wonderful healing properties, and are extremely lucky to have a wonderful client that we can purchase beautiful honey off of for both ourselves and to have in our first aid kit.

Helpful Honey

Recent studies have shown that honey has a highly effective antibacterial and healing action on skin wounds, ulcers and skin infections in both humans and horses. Honey contains a range of soluble sugars as well as an enzyme added by bees as flower nectar is turned into honey. This enzyme, glucose oxidase, gives honey its unique antibacterial action. Honey also lowers the ‘water activity’ of the skin and wound surface which further inhibits bacterial growth.

When a coating of honey is placed over a cleaned moist wound area, the enzyme produces small amounts of natural gluconic acid and hydrogen peroxide. The gluconic acid lowers the skin surface pH to help inhibit microbes, including antibiotic resistant Staphs (for up to 48 hours). The hydrogen peroxide oxygenates the skin and wound surface and supresses growth of anaerobic bacteria which commonly contaminate horse wounds. It also enhances skin resistance and can speed up wound healing by up to 40 % as it stimulates collagen synthesis to close the wound. It helps lift off (debride) scabs and dead tissue and allows wound dressings to be easily removed without adhering to the wound.

Honey needs to be applied at least twice a day to cleaned wounds and residues are easily washed off by irrigating the wound with warm saline between each application. 10 % PVP slow release iodine (Betadine® or Vetadine®) can be added at a ratio of 20 % (1 part iodine in 5 parts honey by volume) to improve fungal and yeast control and make the honey bitter to the taste for animals. Manuka® honey, Tasmanian Leatherwood Honey and Jarrah Honey are reported to have the highest antibacterial properties.

Horses with large skin wounds will also benefit from receiving immune support such as Kohnke’s Own® Activ-8™ which contains 8 nutrient co-factors that have a role in maintaining optimum immune function in all horses, as well as providing specific nutrients for recovery from injury, respiratory viral conditions and lower airway disease. The nutrient ingredients in Activ-8 include vitamin A, organic zinc, copper and selenium, which have a role in healing of skin by providing nutrients for epithelial cell division as wounds heal from the edges.

09/01/2020

We had the pleasure of trimming this beautiful little mare today, all 28 inches of her! I’ve attached a photo of a carrot next to her hoof to show truly how small they were.

(A few adjustments were made to the hoof after these photos were taken).

08/12/2019

We were so honoured to be able to attend the NBHA District 8 Presentation Night last night and were so proud of everyone over the last year, their efforts and how well everyone did! Little Roper won our sponsored prize and watching him over the year was awesome. What a wonderful night last night was and congratulations to everyone, as well as everyone that put in an incredible effort to make sure this could do ahead.

Photo Credit to Rhonda Dalrymple from Redhot Photography and Gifts.

07/12/2019

To my valued clients,

We are making a few changes next year to how we run the business.

We will be changing to working every second week so Jake and I can spend time working on our property and spending time together while Jake is home, we will also not be working weekends unless it is really needed. During these school holidays we will also have our other daughter every second week as well so we will be implementing this change for the rest of the year where we can.

I hope you can understand and we will continue to fit you in as soon as we possibly can.

06/12/2019

02/12/2019

We are so proud to have been able to help support such a wonderful group of people this year, and we can’t wait to be able to do the same next year!

13/11/2019

What a beautiful tribute from a farrier to their client after losing a special part of their family.

It's sad to hear a client lose a horse. It's hard to know what to say. I'm better with gifts of morn. The shoes used where pulled from the horse before burial.

06/11/2019

**FOUND**

MISSING HORSE

Please contact Jessalee Wallace, or contact the numbers below.

09/08/2019

This, I feel is 100% accurate! If a horse doesn’t feel safe, then they are not going to do what you ask of them if they know what you are asking.

This particular photo that popped up on my wall is a great reflection of doing float work with our little filly today, and as soon as she knew that what we were asking was ok she wanted to go into the float without being asked.

15/07/2019

Today we had a new client and 4 new horses to add to our books, here is a hind hoof from one of the clients mares.