Your Comfortable Horse

14/01/2024

I apologise if anyone feels voilated by my page! Apparently i have violated Facebook rules with both my pages, that i rarely post on!! Lol....

10/04/2022

This is part two, same three farriers talking about how horses compensate and how that affects the hoof!

Matthew Jackson, Mark Johnson, and Robbie Richardson join the podcast for a second time, this time about how horses compensate for less than ideal environment, movement, diet, conformation, etc. How does our trim and approach help address this? When should we leave well enough alone and when should....

10/04/2022

This is part pne of two podcast. Where amazingly three farriers talk about the benefits of horses being Barefoot and how they all stopped applying shoes! A must listen for all my horse friends.

If your horse isnt sound with out shoes its not sound with them on!

https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly90aGVodW1ibGVob29mLmxpYnN5bi5jb20vcnNz/episode/OTQxZTExYWUtMzZjYi00ZjM5LTg0NjEtYWEwNTZiNDFkMjg2?ep=14

07/04/2022

This is well worth a listen. Nick Barker Author of the Feet First book and owner of Rockley Farm barefoot rehab.

In this episode, Nic Barker talks about her rehab work at Rockley Farm in Exmoor, England, helping horses with a "navicular" diagnosis: bone damage, tendon and ligament damage, weak heels, etc. Rockley rehab horse owners also give their input on horses that have gone through Nic's program, and how t...

06/04/2022

Dont ignore the hoof wall speration and hoof wall cracks!

28/11/2021

A great tool for help recognising lameness in your horse! really fun to play with especially the hind end tool which is harder to see if you dont know what yare looking for. have fun playing. https://www.lamenesstrainer.com/ou

29/09/2021

Looking forward to seeing how these feet change over the next few months. This is at shoe removal.

19/09/2021

No shoes no problem!

01/09/2021

This is 18 months on from shoe removal, Reme a big 17.2 WB who previously had to be sedated to be shod. Now trimmed by me with no problems at all. Its amazing how the cartilage and frog have improved since the shoe removal.

14/03/2021

What is the longest a horse can safely go without food?

More and more I see horses and ponies stood for long periods of time with no hay or haylage. Usually under the guise of a “weight control diet”. So how long can a horse be without food before damage is done? And what damage is done?

For those with a short attention span, I’ll give you the answer to begin with - 4 hours, maximum.

Why?

Horses are grazers. They are designed to eat constantly. They have no way of storing their acids and digestive enzymes, they’ve never needed to. They have no gall bladder to store bile and their stomachs release acid constantly, whether or not there is food in the stomach and intestines.

A horses stomach only holds approximately 8-15 litres. Depending on the substance eaten, it takes on average 4-6 hours for the stomach to completely empty. After this, the acids and enzymes start to digest the inside of the horses stomach and then the intestines. This causes both gastric and intestinal ulceration. It has been estimated that 25-50% of foals and 60-90% of adult horses suffer from ulceration. But I won’t go into detail about this, there is a lot of information around about ulcers.

So is that it? Are ulcers the only concern?

No, having an empty stomach is a stress situation for a horse. The longer they are starved, the more they release stress hormones, cortisol predominantly. Cortisol blocks insulin and causes a constantly high blood glucose level. This stimulates the body to release even more insulin, and in turn this causes fat tissue to be deposited and leptin resistance. Over time this causes insulin resistance (Equine Metabolic Syndrome). All of these mechanisms are well known risk factors for laminitis and are caused by short term starvation (starting roughly 3-4 hours after the stomach empties). Starving a laminitic is literally the worst thing you can do. Over longer periods, this also starts to affect muscle and can cause weakness, and a lack of stamina so performance horses also need a constant supply of hay/haylage to function optimally.

Let’s not forget horses are living, breathing and feeling animals. We talk about this stress reaction like it’s just internal but the horse is well aware of this stress. Door kicking, box walking, barging and many other stable vices and poor behaviour can be explained by a very stressed horse due to food deprivation (we all have that Hangry friend to explain this reaction). Next time you shout or hit a horse that dives for their net, remember their body is genuinely telling them they are going to starve to death. They know no different.

But surely they spend the night asleep so they wouldn’t eat anyway?

Not true. Horses only need 20mins REM sleep every 24 hours (jealous? I am!). They may spend a further hour or so dozing but up to 22-23 hours a day are spent eating. So if you leave your horse a net at 5pm and it’s gone by 8pm, then by 12am their stomach is empty. By 4am they are entering starvation mode. By their next feed at 8am, they are extremely stressed, physically and mentally.

Now I know the cob owners are reading this mortified. I can almost hear you shouting at your screen “if I feed my horse ad lib hay he won’t fit out the stable door in a week!!”

I will say that a horse with a constant supply of hay/haylage will eat far less then the same horse that is intermittently starved. They don’t eat in a frenzy, reducing the chance of colic from both ulcers and over eating. Cobs included.

However I’m not suggesting you sit your cob in front of a bale of haylage and say have at it! There is a difference between ad lib and a constant supply. There is much we can do to reduce calorie intake and control weight whilst feeding a constant supply.

The easiest is small holes nets. There are many. Trickle nets, greedy feeders, nibbleze, trawler nets etc. My personal favourite is the Shires Soft Mesh 1”. They don’t cost the Earth, they are easy to fill and they don’t have knots so are much gentler to the teeth. Now often I suggest these types of nets to owners and the owner tells me “Oh no, *** won’t eat out of those” 🙄 this is nonsense. If he was left it, he would. Remember, you can give a normal net and one of these for them to nibble at after. Better than leaving them with nothing at all.

A few other tricks, hang the net from the ceiling/rafters, it’s harder to eat out of a net that swings. Soak the hay, a minimum of 4 hours to be effective. Mix with straw but be sure to introduce the straw slowly and make sure it’s top quality and a palatable type eg Barley or Oat, otherwise they won’t eat it.

Don’t forget exercise. The best way to get weight off a horse is exercise. Enough exercise and they can eat what they want!

And lay off the bucket feed and treats! Horses on a diet require a vit/min supplement in the form of a balancer but that’s it. The odd slice of carrot or swede won’t do any harm but no licks, treats, treacle, molasses, cereal based rubbish. Even if it says low sugar or the marvellously misleading “No added sugar”! Your horse would rather have a constant supply of hay, I promise.

Written by Vikki Fowler BVetMed BAEDT MRCVS

A few edits for the critics-

Firstly, feeding a constant supply does not mean ad lib feeding. It means use some ingenuity and spread the recommended amount of daily forage so the horse is never stood with out food for more than 4 hours. I am not promoting obesity, quite the opposite, feeding like this reduces obesity and IR. This can be done whilst feeding your horse twice a day as most horse owners do. Just think outside the box for your own situation.

Secondly I am in the UK and this post is UK specific, use some common sense when reading. Yes in warmer climates, soaking hay for 4 hours is dangerous and studies show 1 hour is plenty in hot weather but in the UK’s arctic climate, a minimum of 4 hours is required. Equally the UK feed exclusively grass hay. I can not comment on other types.

Thirdly, yes every horse/pony and situation is different, but this is a law of nature and all horses have this anatomy and metabolism. How you achieve this constant supply is individual, the need for it is not.

Fourthly, the use of hay nets in the UK is very very high. I’d estimate 95% of horses I see are fed this way and very very few have incisor wear or neck/back issues as a result. Yes, feeding from the ground is ideal, but a constant supply, I feel trumps this. Again with ingenuity both can be safely achieved.

Finally, straw can be fed to horses safely, introduced very slowly, with fresh water always available, plus a palatable and digestible type of straw which will depend on your area. Again many horses in the UK are bedded on straw and most of them eat it. This is not a new concept to us.

Final finally 🤦‍♀️ and I feel I must add this due to the sheer number of people contacting me to ask, feed your horses during transport!!! I am astonished this is not normal in other countries! Again in the UK, we give our horses hay nets to transport. We don’t go 10 mins up the road without a haynet and a spare in case they finish! Considering we are a tiny island and we rarely transport even 4 hours, we never transport without hay available. I have never seen an episode of choke due to travelling with hay available. If you are concerned, use a slow feeder net so they can’t take too much in at once.

If you get to the end of this post and your first thought is “I can’t do this with my horse/pony, they’d be morbidly obese”, you haven’t read the advice in this post thoroughly.

15/11/2020

Yep! Take care of those toe cracks!!!

04/09/2020

Great advice from Clare as always.

19/07/2020

I can highly recommend Cavallo Trec Hoof boots! 2 hrs of fast hacking boots on all 4 feet, didn't budge an inch!

03/06/2020

I have a client looking for the following, if any of my other clients know of any suitable horses looking for a new home?! Picture of said husband.

16 hh (ish) MW gelding age 8-13 (ish) must be able to carry Stuart at 6' 1" and 14 1/2 stone as he wants lessons. I want to hack, have lessons, do clinics and the odd show. I want to do some jumping but probably no more than 3'. Low key fun stuff really.

12/03/2020

Have you got your nonsense monitor on??

It seems to be quite fashionable for feeds or feed groups to be deemed 'good' or 'bad'. Nonsense, mostly. You can supply a balanced diet i.e. all the essential nutrients a horse needs, from a wide range of different feeds. Don't believe all the hype. Removing soy from the diet won't necessarily make your difficult mare become easy; patience, persistence and learning more about training are more likely to help. Feeding copra meal won't make your struggling barefoot horse gravel-crunching; reducing body fat and restricting grass are more likely to help. Avoiding molasses won't make your over-reactive horse calm down; but consistent handling/riding, understanding and leadership will make a difference.

And not only do I know this, but I've experienced it too, many times over.

Thousands of horses are fed all sorts of different ingredients and feeds, and are healthy and perform well on them.

Sometimes owners have cut out certain feeds or ingredients and don't realise something else changed at the same time, and then they get to thinking it's due to the feed or ingredient removal.

There are some exceptions, of course, and certain health conditions have special nutritional needs. But its the total nutrient intake that matters, more than which feed is supplying those nutrients.

Grass - must be limited for some, great for others. Oats - a no-no for some, great for others. Wheatbran/wheatfeed - is not poisonous but is a palatable, useful ingredient. Alfalfa - a great source of nutrients for many, doesn't suit some. Molasses - at the rates its used in most (not all) feeds, it hardly has any effect at all.

So don't believe everything you read, no matter how zealous the writer. In fact, the more zealous, the more you should question it. Always stop and question the qualifications of who you believe or take advice from, and if they have a commercial interest i.e. are trying to sell you a product. The latter isn't necessarily bad, but they will be biased.

And if you don't understand much of the 'science' the writer is using to convince you, then scroll past because they're likely to be trying to brainwash you.

Keep your 'nonsense' monitor on at all times when reading about horse nutrition :-)

06/03/2020

Just this!.....

Why the hoof wall shouldn't carry everything The coffin bone is suspended by the laminae inside the hoof capsule. Right? So many of us have been taught and i...

23/02/2020

10/01/2020

Be a part of the change. Change is happening in the hoof care industry. That change is not simply that more people are going barefoot. The change is in the understanding that education is the key. Whether shod or barefoot proper hoof care requires knowledge and skill. We strive to provide the most up to date information possible, this while teaching the skills needed to succeed.
Courses in holistic hoof care designed for horseowners and professionals. Hands-on workshops on treating navicular syndrome, laminitis, founder, under run heels, and other common hoof problems. If you've ever wanted to take responsibility for your horse's hoof health or had the desire to make hoof care your career checkout our programs. Let us help you make 2020 the year you shine.

08/01/2020

This will be a good blog to follow written by KC.

23/10/2019

Nice ride out in my Swiss Galloper boots on some muddy tracks, this afternoon.

09/09/2019

Keep your boots clean.

09/09/2019

Boots off after the beach ride.

09/09/2019

Sandy boots

09/09/2019

In the sea!

09/09/2019

Swiss Galloper boots at the beach!

25/08/2019

Boot update

13/08/2019

Marley was rescued in Spain as a 3 year old and was imported to the UK earlier this year. He’s a 15hh 10 year old PRE. He’s been in training with Jamie since February and is now looking for his perfect human to give him a forever home. His owner has decided that as much as she loves him, he’s more horse than she needs for occasional gentle hacks. He’s not suited to a novice or unconfident rider as he is a lively, forward ride and can be easily distracted, requiring good leadership. He’s up to date with vaccinations, worming and has had his teeth and back done since arriving in the UK. If you or anyone you know think you could give Marley the home he deserves, where he’ll have plenty of exercise and a consistent routine, living with other geldings please get in touch.

30/07/2019

Post ride boot update.

26/07/2019

A little video about my trial off the Swiss Galloper hoof boots. Im am really liking them and so does Fen.

08/07/2019

These words where written by another trimmer so i can't take credit for them, but i feel the need to share her words as i feel everyone of them! Credit.to Lauren Hetherington at Barefoot Forward.

AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH

Over my years working as a barefoot trimmer, I have slowly come to realise that I've got it wrong.

You see, I became a barefoot trimmer not because I needed something to pay my bills, not because I fancied a change of career, not because I wanted to work for myself, not because horses are my 'hobby' but because horses are my PASSION.
I want to help owners help their horses to live a better life. A less stressed life. A less painful or uncomfortable life.

So you are wondering what it is I got wrong? I made the mistake of assuming everyone would want to put their horses first. That everyone was humble enough to admit they may have got things wrong (and that's ok because none of us are perfect) and to be brave enough and open enough to make changes. Sometimes big changes, sometimes huge changes.

I was wrong.

So many people don't want to hear the truth which inconveniences them. They want to listen to those voices that tell them what they want to hear, to affirm the way they are doing things is fine.
They can see a problem, I can offer a solution to help remedy it yet so often people choose to stick with what they know, even if it's not getting them anywhere. Either that or they refuse to even see the problem.
Einstein is widely credited with saying "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results" yet I see this every day. People grasping to 'what they know' rather than exploring something different to get them different results. Our horses are suffering an epidemic of laminitis, poor quality hooves, obesity, insufficient care yet we say we love them amidst all of this?

I'm not claiming to have all of the answers, I'm no all-seeing deity but I am not willing to compromise my belief that horses deserve our absolute best. They owe us nothing, we owe them everything. My M.O. is to help owners achieve that and to never limit my own learning. To do that, I need owners fully on board and sadly, I am seeing this less and less in the wider equine community. Horses are becoming a throwaway commodity and with it, we play roulette with their health and wellbeing.

For so many years, professional hoof care has been someone turning up every 6-8 weeks and taking care of business. As a barefoot trimmer, I am challenging you to take back responsibility for your horses hooves. Not just it's hooves though because they are only the tip of the iceberg. I am challenging you to take responsibility for how you keep your horse. For how you feed your horse. For how you provide their species specific needs for THOSE are the things that matter.

If you don't want to do any of those things, then quite simply, I am not the professional for you and that is the actual truth.

That is MY truth.