Equine Podiatry Wiltshire

16/08/2025

Negative planter (hind) angles and how they can affect posture.

If the heels are low, the hair line steep and the dorsal wall 'bull nosed' you probably have the pedal bone sitting at a negative angle, this means the back of the pedal bone is sitting lower than the toe, it's tipping backwards, when it should be slightly elevated at the back, by about 3-5°.

Low planter angles pull on the ligaments & tendons down the back of the leg, pulling it onto 'extension'. It causes tension, you can feel it too if you push your heels down, and this tension transfers to the back, affecting the horse's whole way of going.

Hind legs become 'camped under' because being in 'extension' causes them to stand this way, looking like an elephant on a ball.

This is one reason why you might boot hind feet, to prevent excessive wearing down of the heels.

26/07/2025

Lots of horses letting go of their retained sole at the moment, it pops out in slabs often 2-3mm thick. That's quite a lot of sole depth lost at once.

During the prolonged dry spell, the sole is retained for extra protection against the very hard ground. Then, as soon as we have a little regular rainfall, the moisture gets in between the layers of sole causing it to drop out.

The ground has become a little softer and the retained sole isn't needed any more.

Your horse may be slightly more sensitive during this time, it's like us changing from sturdy boots to a pair of flip flops, they need some time to adjust.

I love how the hoof is capable of adapting to the environment.

Dog nose for scale.

07/06/2025

Following my previous post, this is what you don't want to see. Sent to me by a client whose horse usually has the most solid rock crunching feet, but was now very footy.

The pink white line, solid in colour, is blood products from inflamed and broken laminar, this is a clinical sign of acute laminitis.

As always, the priority is working out the trigger , usually its diet related (about 80%) but in this case the vet confirmed mechanical laminitis - arthritic changes in the hocks, causing tension in the sacroiliac joint, causing the horse to project too much weight forwards and overloading his front feet.

So the hocks were the primary issue, and the laminitis the secondary issue.

The vet and I discussed a treatment plan involving injecting the hocks and using boots and pads which will not only give the horse comfort, but will reduce excessive wearing at the toe caused by his overloading, which was exacerbating the problem. We also agreed shorter trim cycles until he was comfortable to keep the heels down, keeping his weight at the back of the foot.

A few weeks later, the horse was back to his normal self.

04/05/2025

Had to stop mid trim and marvel at this white line, it's a good indicator of your horses overall health and at this time of year I'm watching it closely.

What you want to see:
✅️ creamy white in colour
✅️ Nice tight connection between the outer perimeter of sole and the inner hoof wall.

What you don't want to see
❎️ pink, red or orange tones, which are blood products coming from inflamed and broken laminar.
❎️ black specs or sections which is dead necrotic material, from infections or excessive stretch.
❎️ deviation in the white line, separating it from the neighbouring structures. This is where dirt and little stones are collected causing hoof wall separation, also abcesses.
❎️ stretch to the white line, suggesting the diet needs to be looked at.

The best time to inspect the white line is during or straight after a trim, when the surface dirt has been removed by the rasp. So when your trusted trimmer is out, ask to have a look.

👀

06/04/2025

First set up trim for this little cob.

The feet are in reasonably good health but they are all slightly pink in the hoof wall, with subtle wavy ripples (event lines) too. I've advised some tweaks in the diet to focus on lower sugar and starch, cutting out the alfalfa and molasses too as well as focusing on what I call 'clean feeds' ie, no GM, soya, wheetfeed etc.. basically all the nasty bi products and fillers that don't do our equines any favours.

My favourite feed brands at the moment are Thunderbrooks and Finer Forage.

Can't wait to review these feet in 4-6 months time when together with shorter regular trim cycles they're going to be much better.

Top tip for keeping feathers out the way: Tubigrips!!

05/04/2025

Been given a fabulous antique book by a lovely client and finding it so fascinating, published in 1880 many things have changed but some things not.

Also quite comical in places, like advice on 'Buying a Horse' compared to choosing a wife which is apparently proverbially "a lottery" but choosing a horse, is not. Wife taking is likened to a blindfolded dip into a pit of snakes, to draw forth the single eel.

However, choosing a horse to carry you "for better or worse" is much easier.

What a wonderful book!

27/03/2025

I've have had a couple of horses go a little footy over the last couple of weeks... the grass is growing!

As the days get longer and the temperature rises, spring grass undergoes a rapid growth phase — but this lush, green growth can have a hidden impact on your horse's hooves.
Grass naturally produces sugars (non-structural carbohydrates or NSCs) during photosynthesis to fuel its growth.

In early spring, these sugar levels can spike, particularly during sunny days followed by cold nights — a weather pattern common at this time of year. The sugars are stored in the grass until the plant can use them for growth, making spring grass far richer in sugar than many owners realise.

Horses that consume too much sugary grass are at higher risk of developing hoof sensitivity or even laminitis, especially if they are already prone to metabolic conditions like Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS) or PPID (Cushing's).

Some subtle signs that your horse may be feeling the effects of spring grass include:

• Increased hoof tenderness on hard or stony ground
• Reluctance to move forward under saddle
• A faint digital pulse at the back of the fetlock
• Hoof rings that mirror diet changes from weeks earlier
• Increased flare or stretching at the white line due to inflammation

Careful grazing management during spring can help protect barefoot hooves. Try:

• Introducing grazing gradually to allow the horse's gut to adjust
• Using strip grazing or a track system to limit grass intake without restricting movement
• Providing low-sugar hay before turnout to reduce hunger-driven grass intake
• Turning out horses in the early morning or late evening when sugar levels are lower

By keeping a close eye on both diet and hoof health, owners can help their barefoot horses thrive through the spring season.

If you are unsure or suspect that your horse may be experiencing hoof sensitivity, please consult your veterinarian and collaboratively work with your hoof care professional.

16/03/2025

I really enjoyed meeting my client's new foals this week, utterly adorable. They're currently unhandled, so it'll be a while before I'll get anywhere near their feet but at every visit we'll get a little more acquainted. They were very inquisitive, giving me a good sniff, watching on, checking out my kit, even managed a little stroke. And that was obviously exhausting for them because after I left, they went for a jolly good nap!

We'll build on this during each of my visits, time invested now building trust is going to make my life and theirs a lot easier going forward.

No stress, no expectations, just getting to know each other. 💗

14/03/2025

With a couple of hard frosts this week, and warmer weather forecast, this is probably your last opportunity to do your Winter wormer!

🚨 𝐇𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫? If not, now’s the time before the onset of Spring!

⌛ It's really important to deal with any larval small redworm that could be harbouring in the gut wall as a mass emergence, most likely as temperatures start to rise with the onset of Spring, can be so dangerous to horse health and difficult to treat. Don't wait, please act now to protect your horse!

🐴🔬 Check out our winter advice to assess your horse’s parasite risk and plan the best approach 👉bit.ly/WinterWorming

01/03/2025

It's been a while since I've seen feathers this dazzling!

My lovely client washed and dried them, just for my visit, apparently, first with Fairy Liquid, then a Tea Tree shampoo, finally and only when completely dry, finished with an ointment.

❤️⭐️🏅

11/02/2025

Ron Fields is offering 20% off Remount (liver detox) until Friday, and buy 4 get the 5th free on ULC30EX (digestive support).

I recommend Ron Fields products a lot, along with Trinity Consultants too. Supporting your horse's liver function and digestion is absolutely key to general well being and comfort, at the first sign of something being amiss, these are the products I reach for.

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