South Downs Equine Podiatry

14/09/2025

⭐️ Smartie ⭐️ right hind and left fore showing nice improvements over the last ten months in heel position and wall quality, and growing out the deep seated seedy toe that affected three out of four hooves 🐎

14/09/2025

Just being a chicken pied piper between trims, I do love a chicken! 🐔

14/09/2025

⭐️ Frog ⭐️ who is fast becoming an excellent example of a barefoot thoroughbred. Improvements in right hind and right fore over the last year. Frog is out hacking, schooling and hunting 🐎

20/08/2025

31/07/2025

This is so important. Sending someone in blind is incredibly unfair on both them and the horse. Horses all have bad days and the job is dangerous but coming home battered, bruised and bleeding is not fun.

**Veterinary surgeons, farriers and paraprofessionals**

I wanted to take a moment to think about how we as horse owners can help keep us vets, farriers and fellow para-professionals (physiotherapists, chiropractors, foot trimmers) safe when we visit.

It’s really important to let us all know if your horse is likely to bite or kick, or if you even just think it might on that particular day.

We all have challenging jobs and it can be made really dangerous, really quickly.

I have experienced numerous situations recently whereby I have found myself in a potentially dangerous situation. I've simply been lucky not to be seriously injured. And I've spoke to numerous farriers who have experienced similar situations. If any of us get kicked, we could potentially be laid up and unable to attend to your horse, and out of work, for a considerable period of time.

We are already seeing a shortage of farriers, so we must ensure we are looking after them!

I think it’s important to understand “why” your horse might be behaving like this. It’s highly likely that your horse is in pain, or is fearful, or perhaps both. If this resonates with you just speak to us.

Lets try to protect our wonderful veterinary paraprofessionals.
And let’s listen to our horses.

15/06/2025

I’m taking a well earned break to spend some time away with my little family. In an emergency please contact your vet for support, as I am terrible at actually switching off from work if it’s not absolutely crucial please wait until I am home to contact me! I will be back on Tuesday 24th of June 🌞

12/06/2025

April 2024 ➡️ June 2025. A work in progress with this lovely thoroughbred mare, who is now comfortably in work in her Equine Fusion jogging boots to give her a little extra protection in front. 🐴

07/06/2025

My assistants at work today, who were VERY interested in what I was doing 😍

01/04/2025

Super interesting post and a very obvious demonstration of how wrong it could go if you don’t know what you’re looking at!

Thanks to Alicia Harlov for allowing me permission to use her photographs. Also for the information I gained from Pete Ramey recently in a PHCP 2022 seminar.

Here is a very tall looking foot which looks like it needs quite a bit taken off the bottom on first glance. However, look at the radiograph. It’s pretty amazing!

The bones look like they are a “sinker”. Pete says that the bones are where they need to be but the coronet has moved up.
Gosh that’s a mind changing statement for me and I am struggling with it.

Note the super thin sole.
If anything was removed from the bottom of this foot then the horse would certainly be in trouble.

Pete Ramey said the heels are not that high in the radiograph but he would take them down a little. Plus improve breakover.

He also keeps every shred of sole, and retains any exfoliating sole. He does not agree with removing that at all. In this case I can see why the horse needed all its sole protection.

One of the oh my gosh moments for me is that the middle pastern bone is deep in the capsule. So any movement of that joint would surely press against the inner hoof capsule?

As I dive deeper into this I’ll share more highlights with you.

Hopefully Harlov will chip in to help us understand this foot better and what was done to help it.

Thanks my sponsors who are listed in the comments.

09/02/2025

A lovely improvement in heel structure over eight months 🐴

06/02/2025

30/01/2025

The new Scoot Boot TheraRide is landing! 🚀💥

Scootboot TheraRide comes with highly shock-absorbing and long-lasting therapy pads, offering the ability for hoof care professionals to interchange the various pads depending on your horse’s specific needs. The Dual Purpose Design means TheraRide is one of the only therapeutic boots on the market suitable for both therapy and riding, supporting horses through recovery and activity 💪🏼

We are taking pre orders now ready for delivery 7th February, and again 21st February!

🔗 https://thehoofbootshop.co.uk/store/hoof-boots/p/scootboot/theraride