04/09/2024
Absolutely top of my lecture must listen list!
Mark Johnson Farrier - another way?
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- Mark Johnson Farrier - another way?
Whole horse health & in order of preference.
1) Barefoot
2) Barefoot & Boots
3) composite shoes
(4)
31/08/2024
Thivein oss! š my best towel too!
27/08/2024
A very exciting looking product!
Composite Freedom Shoe - Coming Soon!! The Freedom shoe offers Support, Protection, Stability, and controlled Leverage Reduction in a light-weight hoof care package. It comes with better form fitting cuffs for easy gluing, or without cuffs suitable for nailing. The Dual-Density Composite design allows for a specific inner section offering excellent wear, traction, and concussive properties, while the outer rim and sole base is more rigid to offer stability and minimize inversion throughout the shoeing cycle. Keep on eye on our website and page for details on availability date!
23/08/2024
Ending the day with a āFlourishā
It was only a couple of months ago I fitted this TB with some hoof boots and now, it doesnāt need them š
Some lovely new and better connected growth coming in and the horse is way more comfortable, around 3 months ago Flourish Horse Health was introduced to its diet which apart from the hay and grass, consists of a 50:50 Pure and easy from the Pure Feed Company and the addition of Flourish Evolve
Itās so nice to see the positive changes
Good gut health, good nutrition and a good amount of exercise
20/08/2024
First adventure with the Visani Full Roller shoes and Iām very impressed!
Every 5 weeks in Duplo the foot would have been creeping forward even with attention to breakover
This time round after a 5 week application hardly any capsule migration, the shoes are very lightweight, have some flexibility yet provide a very stable platform and the horse was very relaxed during the re-fitting which I hope is down to increased comfort
I can see I will be exploring further with more horses (while Iām still shoeing anything š)
18/08/2024
Thankfully none of my donkeys are in this much trouble but this Guy obviously cares a great deal and is going the extra mile to bring some comfort š
09/08/2024
Nothing like getting in the way when Gillian Higgins and Horses Inside Out are beavering away getting their anatomy exhibits looking pristine and ready for the doors to open!
But then, how could I possibly get in anyoneās way anyway, ever š¤·āāļø - just a couple of specific camera angles and ā¦ā¦ š¤
Full details on www.horsesinsideout.com
03/08/2024
I suppose you can say āitās cos you donāt get out much! Markā
But I was captivated earlier this year by this exhibition - go take a look if you can and no matter what your knowledge base youāll still increase it!
30/07/2024
Just working on other stuff and decided this extract was worth posting
For whatever reason, when a horses hoof moves away from its optimum clinical parameters the whole body and not just the feet are forced to compensate
If you follow a horse and are watching how the feet leave the ground (Yes some of us are that sad š, if you see a "snapping" action at the fetlock as the hoof leaves the ground, almost like a whiplash the chances are that biomechanicaly the horse is struggling with its toe length and breakover and that flexor tendons are working too hard and forcing over use of the extensor tendons and muscles as they work harder to assist elevation
The situation will potentially not only cause soreness through the entire front of the horses body from the poll down through the extensor muscle chain, but it can have substantial RSI type trauma to the soft tissue fibres of commonly the flexor tendons, the distal intersessamoid ligaments (fetlock joint compression) and the dreaded damage to the navicular area
sleep patterns can also be interrupted depending on the severity of the leverage as the horse need to be able to lean forward into its body to engage its stay apparatus, crucial for being able to sleep while standing
28/07/2024
Iām really quite interested in this on a few levels, personally Iām happy to use a bit of glue to secure my casting tape but hey ā¦
When we have a horse we are trying to recover from negative angles there is often what might be considered as over flexion of the hoof capsule, internally from a weak digital cushion and lateral cartilage and towards external with a thinner sole than is desirable, casting has the potential to give some resistance where the hoof cannot yet retaining a degree of flexibility
The pad I imagine will give some much needed comfort and some elevation in the caudal aspect though never having tried this I canāt speak for durability - interesting nevertheless and Iām willing to have a go
Treating underrun heels, weak heels, and caudal foot deformities can be daunting. For those of us who know that many of these cases are preventable, the task...
22/07/2024
When I change perspective on the way I view things I automatically begin to think differently š
08/07/2024
We need a bigger country or just less of us
27/06/2024
Following on from the interest in the MJF another way podcast with Linda and Flourish Horse Health
A few listeners asked for a follow up Q and A type pod and we all think this is a great idea so ā¦..
PLEASE!! If you have any questions for Linda could you use this post to write them or you can always PM me with the question and I will add it here keeping you anonymous if you prefer?
Also if anyone is involved on pages who have already kindly shared the episode, it would be fab if you could tip them off that we are going to do another and if they have questions then hereās the place to comment
We are all so pleased with this episodeās response and thank you for having listened !
24/06/2024
Something very āaboutā this photo, not so much because obviously a horse has lost the steel shoe and bent it in the process but itās deeper than that
I used to be all about the steel shoe and now, Iām trying very hard to find a way to utilise glue while searching for a cost effective solution, allowing me to fully enhance the feet I work with, without any compromise being made with the permanent protection I need for some horses
Iām a very long way off still from an āaffordableā option for our 3rd world U.K. market but itās tantalisingly there on the horizon
23/06/2024
YAY! Finally after a very heavy workload we get to share this amazing conversation with Linda Bennis BSc (Hons), Equine nutritionist and founder of Flourish Horse Health.
Linda never set out to become a horse feed supplier but the universe had other ideas as she put her skill set to work on behalf of the Spanish horses she was surrounded by at the time
We really hope you enjoy this literally LIVES! Changing conversation as much as we did and hope you gain from the educational aspect too š
Linda Bennis BSc {Hons) Equine nutritionist, founder and creator of Flourish Horse Health shares at least some of her LIVES! Changing story.Having identified something of a nutritional crisis in the Spanish horses she was surrounded by at the time...
19/06/2024
Check out the posterior 3rd landing on a fit and performing horse - it seems itās easy to loose sight of whatās what sometimes
18/06/2024
Typical of what Iām seeing now in the U.K.
The bottom 2/3 of the hoof are relatively smooth, the upper new growth is heavy with washer board event lines, pay attention! Itās a red flag to your horseās health
17/06/2024
Folks, I have been attending more lame horses in the last 35 days than I can count, many abscessās and a good few āsub clinicalā if thatās even a description laminitics to more advanced acute cases
PLEASE! Here in the U.K. take the pasture seriously while such wet and warm conditions prevail and even when it surface dries the water table is remaining high
04/06/2024
This was a great conversation with Richard Seals of Seals Equestrian
International level show jumper, coach and producer of young horses
A mutual though unintentional journey into barefoot show jumping, personal development and educational passion to always self improve and to help those Richard coaches
āShow M J Farrier another way?, Ep Richard Seals, International level show jumper of barefoot horses and much more! - 4 Jun 2024
02/06/2024
This case deserves a video as there is full documentation on the changes to date and perhaps one day I will be able to get to that
3 months of no hoofcare intervention and an endocrinopathic attack of laminitis
The images are observational and form a part of a presentation in which I wouldnāt leave the bottom slide un-answered as to the sole weight bearing as itās not what Iām suggesting should be the case and nor is there acknowledgment in the slide alone of the function of the dorsal wall weight bearing through the quarters
This is about a horse, left to its own devices and with un-restricted movement establishing a breakover independently of any human intervention and quite frankly moving remarkably well for all that
Make of it what you will but nothing as of yet had been done to this foot when I took the images
01/06/2024
A solid post from The study of the equine hoof
31/05/2024
Hoofcare providers are reliant upon nutrition to deliver a healthy hoof for us to work on
Claiming un-tested hay will provide 100% of the nutritional spectrum needed for a horse to thrive here in the U.K. at least is like saying just eat peanuts theyāre all you need.
The āCultā strikes again š
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/3eG8Kqe7VEjkywqA/?mibextid=WC7FNe
HAY & HAYLAGE ARE DEFICIENT!
Hay and haylage do not supply enough vitamins or minerals for all horses and ponies.
Just in case you read somewhere that they do.
Remember that anyone can say anything they like and that doesn't mean it is true š
Feel free to share.. š“š
(Photo credit to Sally Brett)
27/05/2024
Itās a huge honour to have been asked to speak at this event
Jayne, wherever you are now, for my part I hope I can do you justice š
22/05/2024
This is a gritty podcast, hopefully balanced but very much to the point, as Matthew Jackson and myself discus the rise of the "cult" a divisive and as many of us might believe deluded group of trimmers who have learned well, how to use social media for their own gains and especially how to shout and aggressively dismiss others who are not of the same belief.
https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.buzzsprout.com%2F2295286%2F15119844&h=AT1XJL3BGgVkHQAH_sEbOCsOs6hKcDoIjJkvXFxwRqKBvfErnwHE4Irr0D5YXy1GE5p8bNlHeDVBYk_HZx0g7CjR_hMVF72LOjMp_d7I7tAa9cwxOklB8cnDsgbapcYJEEaqAt4&s=1
Our most gritty podcast to date by far, Matthew Jackson and Mark Johnson tackle the emotive and divisive subject of what can almost also be described as a dictatorship emerging within barefoot hoof care.With some incredulous claims and absolute st...
16/05/2024
If you ever want to cut through all the how to and must ānoiseā out here in social media land when it comes to trimming feet, this lady is well worth a stop off!
11/05/2024
Its another "Another Way" Podcast š
Matthew didn't half trigger some memories of my time being involved with some of the Parelli horses and my trip to Ocala in Florida to meet with Jim Crew and gain an insight into his "Healthy Stride" concepts of shoeing, but as ever did we keep on track? Nah! - hope you enjoy!
This was a great journey down memory lane, where Matthew asks Mark to delve back into the time when via Parelli natural horsemanship, Mark visited an amazing farrier called Jim Crew across the pond from us and gain an insight into his "Healthy Str...
02/05/2024
When a giant stumbles
What a day! A day of empty sadness, tears, of memories flooding and swirling and yet maintaining absolute focus on delivering for the horses Iāve been working with
David Gulley FWCF passed away in the early hours of this morning.
I first met David some 47 years ago when I was a teenage streak of nothing (no idea what I am now other than not still a teenager).
Like he did for a few of us David gave me a chance and an early experience of life in the wider workplace of farriery and while being a strict task master lurking beneath that facade was a heart of gold and a deeply caring man to whom so many of us owe so much.
āWhen a giant stumblesā refers to Davidās status, internationally known as one of the greatest influences within the WORLD of farriery weāve seen, David became and most definitely still is a giant in many eyes and ill health or death can never dent that badge.
While age slows us all, it never slowed his deep love and passion for farriery and he will be desperately missed and as he crosses the bridge, I hope to goodness Mick, his son, has the fire lit and the tools ready
or hell might just enter into things.
Todays mixed bag, a photo of the very first shoe I ever made under Davidās supervision at leicester county show, David and his son Mick competing together with Dave Ducket looking over them, myself and David at the last Farrier Focus and finally one of todays shoe applications
What a day! R.I.P David and thank you for everything ā¤ļø
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Just working on other stuff and decided this extract was worth posting For whatever reason, when a horses hoof moves away from its optimum clinical parameters the whole body and not just the feet are forced to compensate If you follow a horse and are watching how the feet leave the ground (Yes some of us are that sad š, if you see a "snapping" action at the fetlock as the hoof leaves the ground, almost like a whiplash the chances are that biomechanicaly the horse is struggling with its toe length and breakover and that flexor tendons are working too hard and forcing over use of the extensor tendons and muscles as they work harder to assist elevation The situation will potentially not only cause soreness through the entire front of the horses body from the poll down through the extensor muscle chain, but it can have substantial RSI type trauma to the soft tissue fibres of commonly the flexor tendons, the distal intersessamoid ligaments (fetlock joint compression) and the dreaded damage to the navicular area sleep patterns can also be interrupted depending on the severity of the leverage as the horse need to be able to lean forward into its body to engage its stay apparatus, crucial for being able to sleep while standing
Nothing at all just playing and sharing š
Good conformation, good diet and good movement They do help a bit šš
I am NOT a horse trainer! I am NOT an equine behaviourist, psychologist nor anything else along those lines Meet āPaint Dryingā as I have for affectionate and for confidentiality reasons called him, heās only a young horse and when I first met him (as he came out of his stable, his eyes were the classic out on stalks and nostrils flaring etc ā¦..) in short a very apprehensive and tense chap and who could blame him, he was facing me! Oh, and I think āMenā might too have been an issue, hmm When it all comes together and you have the time to spend and the trust of the owner fun things can happen, I wanted to give Mr P the space he needed, both for his emotional state and for myself, in hopes he might dash off in any direction other than over the top of me (Iām too old now to wear horses as neck cloths) This for us both probably was a long session and Iāve cut the vid short as I ended up out of shot and asked the owner to come in for the last 7 mins or so All ended happy and heās a lovely chap to work with due to the diligence of his owner to who I am very grateful to for allowing me to share these special minutes
Scoot Boot āThe boot that wants to moveā Having fun at farrier focus with Urban Horse and Rockfoot
No good for TikTok
Why are my trims no good? For TikTok š I am so fed up of seeing reels, 60 second bursts etc of people attacking the bottom of a horses foot, without thought or consideration for what the horse needs to end up with in order to stand and move with comfort My trims are like paint drying, Iām way more interested in what can I leave in place rather than take on autopilot Very recently I received a complaint for sharing a post where the frog in my words was āskinnedā clearly showing discolouration at the insertion of the deep digital flexor tendon, an area which comes under massive downward force in locomotion and an area I believe needs all the tissue support it can get in the form of an integral and strong frog and sole and not one sculpted to an aesthetic profile just because we have a sharp knife and can I donāt have a trim method but rather a consistent set of thoughts about clinical positioning, bone alignment, circulation, fluidity of movementā¦.. the list is extensive and the power of thought and consideration BEFORE any tools are applied I believe helps me gain the best I can for that individual
How ironic after my last post share that this happens today A bit of explanation, 2 ropes joined together simply because 1 longer rope wasnāt immediately to hand This horse was feeling uncomfortable about having its hind feet trimmed especially this left hind, the horse hadnāt entered into any form of negotiation about the task and felt that kicking should be sufficient communication to rid it of the problem namely me! NOT violent kicking with determination to hurt me but enough to make the task impossible to complete with any satisfaction for all concerned and to get its point across For me thatās not an acceptable level of conversation to have with any horse yet, itās a conversation that must be listened to and ignored at ones peril, there is always a reason! Its a big leap of faith on the part of any owner to hand their horse over to a 3rd party for them to then take full responsibility and yet this owner thankfully did just that and a 1 to 1 relationship could quickly be established with me now free to be in charge! Simple ground rules were very quickly established - you stand there quiet and compliant and I will do my very best to be as quick as I can and keep you as comfortable as I can while I do what I need to do, but be certain horse, if you force my physical energy to escalate it will, meanwhile it is my responsibility to keep negotiation open, if it hurts it hurts and as the operator I must do all in my power to feel where the horse can and canāt put its body and respond accordingly If you listen closely to the audio I keep talking to the horse, this isnāt a superficial act its both meant and consequently felt, if I tell the horse Iām proud of it and Iām thanking it for helping me I MEAN IT! And thatās conveyed, frequently I audibly exhale which is both communication and relaxation for the horse meaning everything is okay and safe During the process Iām frequently ignoring the owner completely as I need to be āin the zone
Robbie Richardson and Mark Johnson -a discussion and exploration into the sole of the horses foot
Ok if you could just send me a video at ground level at trot please? š
āHorses should land flatā And this horse agrees with that on all four feet, until...... Until that is you make a change to comfort, itās pretty obvious how the introduction of padded boots on those front feet have changed things for the positive, but look closely at those hind feet landings too š
Landing, tracking up and breakover - this very mature horse with several pathologies and metabolic issues flies in the face of all my expectations , itās happy and āforward goingā Sometimes just doing what we can to create comfort is all one can do With grateful thanks to Urban Horse for your ongoing help!
šHorses Inside Out 2023 18th and 19th of February š
("VOLAR") - Hard Sole Plane (HSP) And trimming to the volar plane āEDIT! Itās no longer āVolarā apparently itās now āHard Sole Planeā (HSP) - at least thatās more readily understandable š If like me you hadn't heard of volar, especially in the context of hoof care and still haven't then ignore this video and go and do something useful with your life instead If you have heard the term, chances are there is only a relatively small sphere from which you can have heard it and if so, perhaps this video is for you and lastly, if you do encounter "volar" subsequently and your horse is involved, perhaps you should check back in In a nutshell, using the volar plane as a singular trimming guide, will likely work just fine on a well developed and well structured hoof but too many of our domestic horses here in the UK are not well developed or well structured and trimming to the volar plane for these horses frankly will spell disaster this is what this little video is about and as a warning! I am working with a dissected hoof to help relay the points I'm making lastly in the video I said I was going to use a particular post from Progressive Equine Services as the pre-amble to this video Wayne has already written so much on this specific subject and to just take a single post seems not to do his input justice, so I'd encourage you to visit his page if you aren't already doing so ā ļø My apologies!ā ļø It has been pointed out to me that towards the end of the video I referred to the navicular bone being ātorn offā What I should have said was ātrying to be tornā as I did at the start of the video, I have never witnessed the physical tearing off of a navicular bone but I hope that in the context of the video and the emphasis upon the severe adverse leverage an under developed hoof, limb and subsequently horse suffers, compounded by a misguided trimming protocol that the literal inaccuracies of the statement might be forgiven
Busy prepping for the weekend, āApplying anatomy to hoofcareā BFBA Farrier Focus Iām so pleased to have been invited to speak, every single horse Iāve dissected has a story to tell and these subjects are no exception Most farriers and hoofcare providers know the lower limb anatomy very well so this aināt no anatomy lecture, itās all about function, whatās it do and why doesnāt it do and can we break it or can we fix it Looking at things we are very familiar with from previously un-tried angles I find is a great way to get the brain cell working and even if youāre sure youāre right Well, it doesnāt hurt to check and re-check now and again š Looking forward to this! šš https://www.forgeandfarrier.co.uk/event/bfba-focus-2022/#page-row-3
Getting busy with the Cody James 'Aggressive' rasp
Flies! Yes itās the season alright but are these annoying critters or more importantly the effect they can have somewhat overlooked? When working on horses feet we feel every twitch the horse makes, every movement and most definitely every snatch as the horse wrenches itās foot away, unable to tolerate the aggravation any more, then multiply this by horse after horse throughout the day We know the market is flooded with fly sprays promising all but delivering very little if anything, but some are effective, even if they buy you 20 - 30 minutes relief at a time, so time spent testing and experimenting BEFORE they are needed is time well spent A rug can often be a godsend and for those which are still driven mad, could cut off stockings or woollen tights around the legs deal with that? For some it might even be necessary to adjust the appointment time so most of the flies are missed, a miserable horse is a miserable experience for all concerned On a different note, many of us have witnessed accelerated hoof growth, even while grass growth has slowed with the dry weather, itās probable that continued stamping will excite and even inflame the hoof and horn production mechanisms giving rise to what in effect is trauma growth, so all we can do to mitigate this āannoyanceā must surely help all round? TURN YOUR SOUND UP! š
FLIES! Yes its the season alright but is this something else which gets a little overlooked? When working on a horse, every muscle twitch we feel it, every stamp and pull we feel it, every time we are holding a leg and the horse HAS to wrench it away because it cant cope with the irritation for sure, we feel it! and, if the horse is already stiff or compromised in its ability to hold its body all that is magnified Multiply this by multiple horses acting the same way throughout a long hot day and things become less funny An obvious is fly spray, but test the damn stuff, we all know that a large percentage of that which is on the market doesn't seem to work so find one that does before you really need it, a rug is often helpful too, but if your horse still remains leg sensitive, could stockings or even wool stockings up the legs be considered? If your horse just can't cope whatever, consider an early morning appointment or late evening when the flies are at their lowest, fighting fly irritation is miserable for all and "Its the flies" won't do as a response On a completely different note, many of us are experiencing accelerated hoof growth just now even as the grass is backing off, could this continual stamping on hard ground be a contributing factor, acting as a stimulant through concussion? anyone who has bashed their own finger nail may have seen similar after trauma?
Itās not about bashing the application of steel horse shoes but rather questioning their use in āanother wayā and asking how they serve the horse I ditched all metal applications on horses feet in favour of hoof boots and composite shoes, 6 horses showed me how much better they were for that decision and Iāve not looked back since Each time I film a steel shod horse or take the film others have taken and slow it down, I can not see harmony between shoe and hoof, especially on landing, but hey, just because I think this way it doesnāt mean Iām right
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