Equine Podologist / Podologa Equina- More than a barefoot trimmer

27/04/2022

Do you check?
Do you know what to check for?

What comes out tells you so much about what is going on inside. And if the inside isn't right, the hooves wont be right (and it wont end there).

A glossy shine, neat, reasonably firm balls that break up easily and when you lightly squash them some fluid is expressed, are the signs of healthy manure.
Undigested grains or seeds, long pieces of fibre, lava, watery manure, dry manure or strange colours are a number of the signs that one or many things are wrong.

Ask your vet for some facts about the f***l matter.

15/01/2022

Rather brilliant article. Well worth the read.

The horse is a prey animal, the human a predator. Our shared trust and athleticism is a neurobiological miracle

06/01/2022

Halter/bridle shy?
Read on...

This will be strange…

There is a unique region on your horse’s head that can give you information about his/her gut health… Also can cause a LOT of trouble for you…Sounds silly? It’s not!

I’m talking about an acupuncture point that can be reactive if you touch it and there are some halters that can touch that region too, and cause some trouble….

Now you might wonder…

How is this possible? How is their head and GI system connected? Is this really working?

Well the point is interconnected with the stomach via so called viscerosomatic reflexes, this means if there is some sort of stomach discomfort like an ulcer, this point will be also sensitive on their skin (some other regions will be sensitive too)

Sounds interesting right?

Maybe this will be an explanation to you why your horse hates his/her halter… Also if it’s sensitive bilaterally and other GI ulcer specific points are sensitive your horse has an extremely high chance of GI ulceration.

Want to learn more?

Visit https://www.equinebiggerpicture.com/ for more information about acupunture points connected with GI health, herbal management of different GI issues, nutrition and much more!

27/12/2021

Say no to electric floats.....
A horse has to be sedated when using them; immediately removing it's "power" whilst it still remains fully aware of what is going on, turning what could be a pleasant, easily tolerable experience into a recurring nightmare for your horse.
Then there is the damage......

Motorised dental instruments have the potential to seriously damage equine pulp if used inappropriately. Higher speed motorised dental instruments should be used for less time and teeth should be water cooled during or immediately after instrument use to reduce the risk of thermal pulpar damage.

25/10/2021

I very much understand their discontent.
People work hard for years to build up a brand, and to do it right.
People can totally blow it in a hot second with their selective science, their purchased studies, and what is, in this case, an out and out fabrication of the truth.
If for nothing else, do please read this as a reminder that not all facts are true!

It’s come to my attention that a certain company out there, who shall remain nameless other than TC, (This Company), has issued a rewrite of a study they’ve carried out, via a newletter, comparing iron content in (one of) their mineral balancers against a range of others on the market, and claim...

18/07/2021

Where does a horse have arteriovenous anastomoses? 🤔
¿?What¿? 😲
Where am I going with this? 😁 Read on.

Just think how much more circulation there is in the naked hoof, as opposed to the bound hoof.
Now have a little um and ah about cooling a horse after exercise, or just to give them some relief on these 30ºC+ days, and effectiveness and water consumption (or waste!).

As for the humans, it`s been pretty common knowledge to place a cool flannel over wrists or around feet since, well... it was my nana who told me!!!

https://beva.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.2042-3306.1994.tb04391.x

https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/immunology-and-microbiology/skin-blood-flow

Cutaneous blood flow increases to favor body cooling, however, with maximal effort cutaneous vasoconstriction can overcome thermoregulatory vasodilator responses, and the core body temperature can rise.

01/07/2021

LEAVE THE POLISH ON THE SHELF ;)

https://thehorse.com/130678/hoof-dressings-what-studies-show/

"Hoof dressings aren’t always what they’re cracked up to be–at least not in the opinions of some experts. Ilka P. Wagner, DVM, owner of Equine Veterinary Services (Texas), and Susan Kempson, BSc, PhD, senior lecturer in Preclinical Veterinary Sciences in the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies at the University of Edinburgh, have studied the efficacy of hoof dressings. Robert Sigafoos, Certified Journeyman Farrier, chief of farrier services and director of the Applied Polymer Research Laboratory at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Veterinary Medicine, bases his opinions (self-described as “subjective”) on 28 years of experience.

Purpose of Dressings

Hoof dressings are promoted to remedy cracks, splits, moisture loss, and associated lameness. Says Wagner, “Hoof dressings are commercially (prepared) or homemade external hoof wall applications that are ‘reputed’ to be beneficial to the growth, metabolism, and overall health of the equine hoof wall. Many products make label claims that they encourage hoof wall growth, strength-en the wall matrix, and even go so far as saying they prevent laminitis. They are available at most feed stores as well as over the Internet to the horse owner.”

There are three types of hoof wall dressings that claim to preserve moisture of the hoof wall. Wagner identifies them as:

Primarily petroleum oil-based–These are usually “gooey” or tarry products. Ingredients might include neatsfoot and/ or cod liver oil, pine tar, petroleum compounds, and/or turpentine.
Primarily lanolin-based–These are usually more the consistency of hand lotion. Ingredients might include lanolin, lactates, stearates, alcohols, and glycerin.
Primarily containing a drying agent–Ingredients might include acetone.
.........."

“My conclusion is that the horn has a built-in permeability barrier,” she says. “As long as the horse has a well-balanced diet so that he can produce good-quality horn, leave the hoof horn to look after itself.”

Click the link above for the complete article. I wish I'd seen it before I made this blog entry 5 years ago.
https://www.whole-horse-protocol.com/newsarticles/dry-weather-dry-hooves

I cant stress enough; A healthy hoof comes from the inside out.

Damp hooves are compromised hooves. More prone to thrush and abscesses they are also more vulnerable to stone bruising, stones pushing up into the white line, or sticking into folded bars, soft...

29/06/2021

Our little Wildling didn’t quite manage 18 years R. I.P Tiddly Widdly Fly Dog ❤️🌈

19/06/2021

It is nearly 20 years ago that I changed the life, for the better, of my little herd. Having completed my studies of equine nutrition (only to soon learn that was merely the beginning of "another" passion and constant learning curve) I put hay out 24/7 and went through a lot of trial and error to find ways to stop it being pee'd, pooped or trod on, the wind from whisking it away, and to control the speed at which it was devoured.
Having finally assessed that old fashioned hay nets, but with suitably small holes, were the answer I found a company who made various nets, from fishing to goals, who happily fabricated a dozen of them for me, made-to-measure. Not only did those nets last me 6 years, but they were sensibly priced.
As happens with most universal products, as soon as the word horse or equine is added to the label, the price quadruples (!), and it was no surprise that when I enquired to re-order from that same company, they`d heard about slow-feeding nets for HORSES and now asked extortionate prices.
Apuffff - and a little thought later, I was down at a fishing port chatting with the fishermen, and organising the collection of my new nets a week later.
I refuse to pay extortionate prices for anything and do like me a bargain ;) , and the challenge to source good alternatives to many things. But now I (and you!) don't have to go investigating for alternatives, or pay through the nose (where does that saying originate?) now there are these nets from Portoverde
Soooo happy - with the quality, the price and the service. Again, made-to-measure to fit the industrial fruit baskets we use as a "home" for the nets, there are also various size options for the holes available, all suited to slow-feeding.

https://portoverde.es

P.S. In my experience, horses starting on ad-lib hay having previously been feed "meals" will gorge themselves the first couple of weeks. Poor souls will be thinking "gotta eat it all up. There won't be any more for another 4/6/8 hours"!!! But they so very soon learn it is a constant, and to self-regulate their consumption. The longest only one horse took, to come to terms with being fed correctly, was 3 weeks.

01/05/2021

Two trims. Ten times as nice. Functioning before, because that’s what horses do. No squeals, no yelps, on they stoically go. But in just two trims to go from dishing like a dough mixer to walking through in straight lines, makes a world of difference to the entire body of this horse.

28/04/2021

Rather marvellous example of "healthy" hoof growth/expansion.
I say healthy, but life is such and you can see a few events along the way that may have been just a seasonal change of forage, a vaccination or an illness, as a few examples.

(Not my GIF, not my hoof!)

27/04/2021

Woop woop! 🙌 We have a new, updated version of the Five Domains Model for animal welfare assessment. The 2020 Model reallly emphasises the importance of the 3 Fs - Friends, Forage and Freedom, as well as the quality of horse-human interactions, and their impact on the animal's mental state.

Link to the open access paper - https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/10/10/1870

The new model has the same 3 physiological domains - nutrition, living conditions, health and fitness - and (NEW!) the behaviour domain has been expanded and is subdivided into 3 key areas - interactions with the environment, interactions with other animals and interactions with humans.

Feeling very privileged to have been a part of this project and contributing a poster version 😊❤️🙏

You can download a print-ready poster file here: https://app.box.com/s/88rakysmtmseh4eha21fx4jdy6ps47fp

25/04/2021

BOTTOM LINE - Twice in a lifetime!

The tetanus shot
Prof. Dr. Peter Thein, a microbiologist and veterinarian for horses, currently examined the duration of tetanus vaccinations. The immune prophylaxis specialist found: Adult horses are vaccinated too often and foals are vaccinated too early.
The tetanus vaccination is still being refreshed every 2 years. BUT: Tetanus vaccination works according to horses. Prof. Thein as long as in humans, i.e. between 8 and 15 years old. Requirement: It was really immunized.
With a simple test, the antibodies can be determined by a drop of blood or serum from the local vet. In case of sufficient protective antibodies, vaccination is not necessary because protection is ensured. If the amount of antibodies is missing, vaccination must be carried out.
The new investigations also found that colostral milk foals are concentrated within 24 hours. after birth, her mother's defense protection can be detected sufficiently protective antibodies until the 8. th month of life. Only then should the foals be vaccinated. For primary vaccination, this requires 2 vaccinations within 8 weeks and 3. vaccination after one year. The basic immunization interval so far is 4 to 8 weeks.
An early vaccination can cause the problem of so-called. In spite of active vaccinations, the foals do not develop vaccination protection in later life.
According to Prof. Dr. Thein should generally be avoided unnecessary refreshers. In particular, the veterinarian advises against the use of combo vaccines of influenza and tetanus at a half-yearly distance.
My recommendation: First let the protective antibodies be determined by a simple test by me by the vet or carried out and vaccinate only if necessary. Basically, protection against tetanus is important. Vaccinating a reason with purpose and mind!

Die Tetanus-Impfung

Prof. Dr. Dr. Peter Thein, Mikrobiologe und Fachtierarzt für Pferde, untersuchte aktuell die Wirksamkeitsdauer von Tetanus-Impfungen. Der Spezialist für Immunprophylaxe stellte fest: Erwachsene Pferde werden zu oft und Fohlen zu früh geimpft.

Die Tetanus-Impfung wird aktuell nach wie vor alle 2 Jahre aufgefrischt. ABER: Die Tetanus-Impfung wirkt bei Pferden gem. Prof. Thein genauso lange wie bei Menschen, also zwischen 8 bis 15 Jahre. Voraussetzung: Es wurde richtig grundimmunisiert.

Mit einem einfachen Test lassen sich die Antikörper durch einen Tropfen Blut oder Serum vom Tierarzt vor Ort bestimmen. Bei ausreichend schützenden Antikörpern ist eine Impfung nicht notwendig, da der Schutz gewährleistet ist. Fehlt die ausreichend schützende Menge an Antikörpern, muss geimpft werden.

Die neuen Untersuchungen ergaben außerdem, dass Fohlen mit der Kolostralmilch innerhalb von 24 Std. nach der Geburt den Abwehrschutz ihrer Mutter erhalten und dadurch ausreichend schützende Antikörper bis in den 8. Lebensmonat nachweisbar sein können. Erst dann sollten die Fohlen geimpft werden. Zur Grundimmunisierung sind dafür 2 Impfungen innerhalb von 8 Wochen und eine 3. Impfung nach einem Jahr notwendig. Das bisherige Grundimmunisierungsintervall liegt bei 4 bis 8 Wochen.

Eine zu frühe Impfung kann zum Problem der sog. "non responder" führen, d. h. die Fohlen entwickeln trotz aktiver Impfungen auch im späteren Leben keinen Impfschutz.

Gemäß Prof. Dr. Dr. Thein sollten generell unnötige Auffrischungen vermieden werden. Insbesondere vom Einsatz der Kombi-Impfstoffe aus Influenza und Tetanus im halbjährlichen Abstand rät der Fachtierarzt ab.

Meine Empfehlung: Erst die Bestimmung der schützenden Antikörper durch einen einfachen Test durch mich vom Tierarzt oder durchführen lassen und nur bei Bedarf impfen. Grundsätzlich ist der Schutz gegen Tetanus wichtig. Ein Grund mit Sinn und Verstand impfen!

24/04/2021

Hiding a multitude of sins!
A slow but steady job with this arthritic and EMS boy. But already improved 10-fold, making for a far more comfortable and happy chap