Nicole Jory - Hoof Care Practitioner

10/26/2024

Two of my favorite equine advocates and educational resources in one place! A must listen!

The more I learn about hoofcare, the more I think that the horse's daily management, training, and movement play a much larger role in their overall soundness than what I do with their feet every 4-6 weeks as a hoofcare provider.

Of course, what we do to a horse's feet DOES matter immensely, and can be a roadblock OR help nudge a horse in the right direction, but that won't overcome a poor saddle fit, or unbalanced riding, or a lack of turn out. There's so much more that goes into soundness than just their feet.

I chatted with Amy Skinner of Amy Skinner Horsemanship, a biomechanics-focused trainer, about what she sees playing a role in soundness and rehab, and things owners can focus on to train for soundness. We get into a bit of "pain memory" and rehab as well!

You can hear the entire conversation on any podcast app, or directly at this link: https://thehumblehoof.com/2024/10/25/training-for-soundness/

Thank you to our amazing sponsors:

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A special shout out to Grid as New, Mud Control Grids – they are a game changer for any mud issues, big or small! – mudcontrolgrids.com

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10/23/2024

WARNING- dissection photos!

If you've been following me for a while you will be familiar with the story of Toby, a spotted draft with chronic laminitis that I had the opportunity to do a dissection on his hooves last year.

I have a number of posts documenting my findings starting last summer until about December 2023 if you want to scroll back and take a peek.

I finally have the bones clean and wanted to show you a comparison of the bone to the inside of the hoof capsule.

The irregular ridges that you see inside starting with the point in the middle and continuing on the right side are actually solid/hard. They fit perfectly with the bone missing on the right side of his coffin bone.

The osteoporosis is so consistent throughout the coffin bone that it almost looks normal, however if you compare to healthier coffin bones ( second two photos) you can see how extensive it is and just how much is missing! When the blood flow to the bone is compromised, this is the type of damage that occurs over time.

10/21/2024

Rachel will be back on the island soon for a bodywork clinic for horse owners!

It is alway a pleasure to come back to an area and offer more in depth knowledge .
Vancouver island here I come
Body work clinic for equine enthusiasts.
Nov’ 22-24th.
Registration deadline is November 1st.
Make sure to get a spot. This one is going to fill fast.

With Equinimity Kinetics and Heart Lake Farm

10/17/2024

This is worth reposting! Our Equines are always talking to us, we just need to learn how to listen :) Here are some things I have noticed in my 20 years as a hoof care provider that might be signs that your horse is struggling with some physical issues.

10/14/2024

Diet and exercise.

While these pics aren't exactly the same because he's looking at something quite interesting in the distance of the bottom photo, I want you to notice the general feel of the photos and the physical posture and balance overall.

These photos were taken a year apart. In the top photo , Skirnir was getting a diet that was too high in carbs and fibre and too low in protein. ( Make sure your hay is tested properly!) His weight wasn't really any different between the two pics, but his gut was very unhappy and he was suffering from subclinical laminitis. He was even having issues with his front stay apparatus and collapsed multiple times. Because of the physical issues he wasn't getting enough exercise, and what exercise he was getting was not at all helping his balance.

This past year has been a lot of ups and downs, trying to figure out what nutrient values in hay agree with him the best and what types of exercise support him vs create more tension. Making sure his hay was low carb, wasn't too high in NDF (below 60 preferably) with adequate protein levels (10-14%) helped his gut and feet feel better. Taking him for lots of long hand walks on varied terrain while also doing in hand work that helped redevelop his balance and proprioception as well as his hooves and his body.

I won't say we have it all figured out just yet but he's had number of good months throughout the year where it was clear he was feeling good and it shows in all aspects of his being. I often have people who think I'm too obsessive about these things but we literally control every aspect of their lives. When something isn't right we need to figure it out before we go asking them to carry us around and do things they may not be capable of doing because our management is not agreeing with them. We owe them that. We may never get things perfect, but your horse will let you know if they are struggling, we just have to be willing to listen and get the help we need to change it.

10/13/2024

10/05/2024

Putting feelers out for horse board in the Cowichan valley for one gelding. Near trails is a high priority

Also would be super stoked to find a rental with property or board. Would need to be at least 1 bedroom, have good Internet access and be pet friendly. Would be willing to move away from Duncan for the right place.

09/06/2024

Adorable donkey appreciation post!

Seeing cute happy little donkeys and donkey hooves is part of what makes this job worth it.

First up is Izzy, she has always had lovely little hooves!

Second is Copper, I just met him this winter and we have been working on improving his overall health and it's really showing! He is a super cool roan that isn't common around here!

His roommate Poppy is the 3rd photo collage. When I first met her she was dealing with laminitis as you can see in the earlier photo but she is doing awesome now! They are lucky to have such dedicated caretakers who do everything they can to help these guys thrive in an environment that is not donkey friendly at all.

09/03/2024

Mini Donkey hind hooves -

The top photo is what it looks like when chronic laminitis was only dealt with by lowering the heels, leaving longer toes and not addressing the cause of the laminitis.

Bottom is after the diet was changed, a new better connected hoof capsule is grown and boney alignment is restored. He still needs a little more heel development but he's a happy, comfortable boy.

08/28/2024

Madbarn customers!

If you order your madbarn products online and would like an additional 5% off your order I have a code for that!

Each purchase using my code will give me a credit towards my own feed bill so I appreciate every use!

Just use this coupon code during checkout!

5%-OFF-FROM-NICOLE-J

Skirnir thanks you!

08/17/2024

Pain....

I hear a comment often that is usually a lie, maybe not intentional, and maybe people are lying to themselves more than me but that comment is

"They aren't in any pain"

(Said as their equine limps towards me for their trim, or can't lift a hoof for trimming without a struggle)

I see animals in pain daily. Chronic, acute, physical, emotional.... It's there, sometimes blatantly obvious but many of us at one point or another have been conditioned to ignore it or dismiss it. Quite often an animal in pain is inconvenient for us. We may have to pay vet bills, continuing therapy, change our way of keeping them or maybe even completely change the goals we had for them. So it's much easier to just carry on like it's not happening, or make the cheapest and easiest adjustments until we can no longer ignore it. And by then it may be too late. Our animals may become lame, unable to fulfill our desires, or get dangerous.

Equines are the most social and cooperative species we as humans interact with which is why domestication was so successful. Because of their desire to cooperate they will often comply with our whims and wishes, survive unsavory living situations, and work hard despite pain or injury. Equines are hard wired to suck it up. Don't show pain or you might be next on the menu.

It doesn't mean they don't express it in less obvious ways, they show us their issues in a variety of ways and it is our responsibility to learn that language of expression. Unfortunately it's often met with a label of bad behavior, laziness, explosiveness, hard keeper, stable vices, difficult for the farrier, hard to catch, touchy about the girth, yadda yadda yadda...the list is endless. But we often ignore those red flags because if we were to pay attention that would mean something was wrong, and that's a burden of responsibility that I don't think a lot of people (myself included at times!) aren't always willing to meet in its full truth.

Lying to ourselves about the presence of those issues is what makes jobs like mine and other equine health workers so stressful. Often being the outsider looking in, we can see behavior patterns or types of expression that the animal's caretaker may no longer notice, or simply choose not to acknowledge because a trainer said it wasn't a sign or pain, or it's a common behavior so it must not be a big deal. Sometimes it's as even as obvious as a limp or swelling, or complete shift in horse behavior but we will still get push back when bringing it to an owners attention. But we know what the bigger picture can entail and we want to help these animals. However we can't unless people are willing to hear that their animals are possibly not ok, and something needs to be done about it. It also can put us in dangerous situations, if an animal is struggling and that's not fair to us, or to the animal.

Thankfully I do feel a huge shift in the culture of equine wellness and care. People are noticing, people are trying harder to listen, to put their goals aside or do what they can to support their animals when life isn't going as planned. There are more and more options of treatments and rehabilitation, collaboration between health care practitioners, trainers, boarding facilities etc.

Not all pain is something catastrophic. We all experience at one point or another, and some pain is manageable, and some is not. Giving our equines a voice, and truly listening to what they are telling us, no matter how hard it is to hear is going to give them the quality of life they deserve and make for more fulfilling relationships. Equines will do pretty much anything for us if we are willing to work with them. So let's stop working against them. And the next time someone you trust suggests that they are seeing signs of pain in your equine, please take that into real consideration and investigate. They might be wrong, but they would rather be wrong about that then be right and the animal continues to struggle.

(Photo of my horse Bruderchen and I in the 90s, he was in a lot of pain and had a lot of labels from everyone who encountered him. He taught me a TON about all the different ways a horse can express physical and emotional pain, which I am grateful for, but regret that it was his life experience)

08/16/2024

Not specifically hoof related but nothing happens to the body in isolation.

While this posture is often discussed a lot in regards to dressage riding, it is common in all types of riding disciplines. This video demonstrates why over bending of the neck is so harmful to the horse.

08/12/2024

Exciting news!

I am in the process of creating an online course called Equine Hoof Care Fundamentals!

The topics will include basic anatomy, daily hoof handling and safety, general hoof health and identifying possible issues, equine keeping practices for developing healthy hooves and more!

This course will deliver knowledge that will empower equine enthusiasts of all ages and experience levels. I will be touching on topics and questions that I encounter daily in my equine business and want to help all equine lovers feel confident in their understanding of the hoof and keeping them healthy.

Stay tuned for a release date for the Beta version of the course soon! If you would like to get on the list to be notified when it's ready to launch, drop me a message!

08/10/2024

When a horse has an obvious bulge to the toe wall or has been diagnosed with a Negative palmar or plantar angle, this is what is often going on internally, a great visual!