David van den Broek Farriers

26/08/2022

Check out 'Horse to Home' a project Megan's been working away at for a while. These are as lovely as they are stylish! And remember, you can send Megan shoes from your horse for the super personal touch (hang on, hang on, don't try and remove them yourself, wait for your farrier!).

Message Megan for details.

26/08/2022

Today is a sad day! Today Josh and Megan and I shod horses together for the last time. We've absolutely loved our time together as a little shoeing team, we've been proud of the work we've done together, grateful for what we've learned together and for the friendships we've established. We're very sad to see this time come to an end.
Josh and Megan are going to move on to other things and I'm going to take a step back from work (still looking after a small number of clients) for a sabbatical period with the aim of working out what's next for me.

Some thanks then:

Thank you to you clients for entrusting the care of your horses', ponies' and donkey's feet to us. We're grateful for that trust and we've not born it lightly. We've been glad to be members of your team.

Thank you to all our equine friends who have stood around for countless hours as we've changed your footwear. You've (often) been super patient and we don't take that for granted. We love you guys (lots of you). :)

Thank you to Elsa and Daisy. You guys have been super. Don't know what we'd have done without you.

Thank you Megan! Thank you Josh! You guys have been the absolute best. I simply cannot imagine having the privilege to lead a better team. You guys have been diligent, hard-working, punctual, skilful, uncomplaining, determined to overcome the challenges set you, gentle with the horses, good friends to me - simply blessings!

Thank you God. For everything. The happy things were gifts from your hand. The hard things are your wise providence too. All praise to you.

11/05/2020

A short video looking at the hind extensor tendons:

Tracing the Long Digital Extensor Tendon and the Lateral Digital Extensor Tendon, their unification and the insertion points of the Long Digital Extensor Ten...

05/05/2020

A short video taking a closer look at the flexor tendons of the hind limb.

This short clip follows the dissection of SDFT, DDFT and the suspensory ligament in the hind leg of a heavy horse. This horse was sadly euthanized due to a n...

24/03/2020

Have you ever wondered how donkey feet differ from horses' feet? Check this out:

A short video exploring some of the differences between donkey hooves and horse hooves.

22/03/2020

Launching...

Hoofideos or Hoovies. We're going to try and post a daily, informative short video about hoof anatomy, function, disease, care - you name it.

In fact, please do, name it. Submit requests in the comment section and we'll see what we can do.

Tomorrow: What's so funky about a donkey hoof?

Stay tuned.

22/03/2020

To my clients.

Thank you for your cooperation as we continue to manage the shoeing of your horses while respecting government guidelines and social responsibility especially with regard to social distancing.

We will continue to keep your horses' feet cared for especially as many of you are taking this opportunity to enjoy a bit more time with your horses.

But please:

1) Try not to be around when we come to shoe your horse if possible. This makes our job much easier and keeps you safer.

2) Please make payments online so that cash and cheques don't become a risk factor.

3) Please let me know if you or a family member are experiencing symptoms so that we can be extra careful and take appropriate measures.

4) Please call or text if you have any concerns or questions and I'll do my best to help.

So many of you have demonstrated real kindness and consideration - thank you. Let's all keep doing our part.

17/03/2020

To my clients:

With current concerns about the spread and effects of Covid19 I just wanted you to know what measures I'm taking to keep you safe and follow government guidelines.

As you know it is now recommended that social contact be kept to a minimum. I want to make sure I can keep looking after your horses feet as normal so I would ask that you help me in the following ways:

- Please don't be offended if I say 'no thanks' to a coffee, it's not personal!
- Please help me to maintain a sensible distance from you by only holding a horse that I'm shoeing if that's absolutely necessary and perhaps considering leaving horses in for me to shoe without you there.
- Please let me know if you have concerns that you may have symptoms or have been around someone who has so that we can make wise choices about being careful.

And please call or text if you have any concerns.

Your safety and the care of your horses' remain my top priority.

20/02/2020

So this happened. After almost 2 years of hard work I am now an associate of the Worshipful Company of Farriers (AWCF).

And the biggest excitement of all is how much more there is to learn!

19/07/2019

Chronic laminitic hoof care can be tricky as the structures of the hoof capsule and their relationship to the pedal bone is compromised.

Here I'm using the leverage reduction aluminium shoes from Total Foot Protection in conjunction with a soft dental impression material hoof packing.

Comfortable horse. Happy people.

15/07/2019

I got called out to see this laminitic last week.

See how much the disease has changed the way the hoof wall is growing and moving now.

You can see the difference in width of the growth lines between the heel and the toe indicating the speed those areas are producing horn cells.

09/07/2019

See the arrangement of fibres in this section of a deep flexor tendon!

So carefully arranged in order to give it the extraordinary strength it needs.

08/07/2019

The fishtail bar shoe is a caudal support shoe designed by Dr Simon Curtis FWCF.

One common use of this shoe is for the relief of an injured or severed superficial digital flexor tendon.

Paradoxically lifting the heels actually causes the fetlock to drop thus increasing tension on the SDFT. This shoe, however, offers the relief the tendon needs in order to heel.

06/07/2019

In order of appearance:

The deep flexor is pulled out of the collar formed for it by the superficial flexor.

The superficial flexor is held in place at the fetlock by the palmer annular ligament (that extra flap of white tissue).

You can see the subtarsal check ligament on this hind limb deep flexor, so much smaller and less significant than in the forelimb.

Then you see the carefully dissected distal sesamoidean ligaments (before they're dissected they're just a mass of tissue).

First the straight or long distal sesamoidean ligament which has been cut at the bottom.

Second the two branches of the oblique distal sesamoidean ligament which has been cut at the top.

Third the diagonal strands of the cruciate ligament nestled deep below.

05/07/2019

Seedy toe/WLD seems to be as much of a problem when conditions are dry as when they're wet!

And it can really sneak up on you - there's nothing to see and then all of a sudden half the wall needs to be resected.

04/07/2019

It always amazes me the variety there is within this one species!

The feet of this mini shetland yearling are some of the smallest I've seen for a while.

03/07/2019

'Normal'?!

4 randomly selected feet (front and hind).

You're looking down from the inside, the pedal bone and most of the hoof wall has been removed.

See how different they are from one another! Shape, the development and character of the frog stay and heels, the asymmetry of each foot and much more.

Yet another reminder that feet need to be seen and understood individually in connection with a particular individual animal. Forget 'normal'!

02/07/2019

Some simple concave shoe making to the foot. Sometimes it helps just to go right back to basics...

Hope you have a good day whatever you're doing today!