Charlene Barnard Equine Podiatrist DEP MEPA

11/12/2024

Axel sporting his Christmas jumper this week!

09/12/2024

🙌🏻

Any advice worth taking, ESPECIALLY on hoof balance and trim quality, will not be given on line via pictures. Even if a fancy mark up App is used.

You need to see the whole picture.

You need to put your hands on that horse, watch it move, assess its environment, build a relationship with the owner and understand what they ‘want’ from the horse and are able to provide.

This job (when done properly) really isn’t as straight forward as people may think.

As an interesting example, when assessing Hoof Pastern Axis (which is just one of MANY things we assess when adjusting hoof balance) how the horse is stood will have a huge impact on what an x ray or photograph will show.

These 2 x rays below show 2 very different stories when it comes to HPA. What happened in between these X-rays…..we adjusted how he was stood!!

18/09/2024

Well that’s the EPA Conference 2024 done! Proud of our conference team for pulling it out of the bag! Lovely relaxed country setting for us to reflect and remember Jayne Hunt, whilst learning from some amazing speakers. Not forgetting some catching up with fellow colleagues! 💜

03/09/2024

Last week to grab your conference tickets!! Xx

🌟PLEASE SHARE FAR & WIDE🌟

We’re counting down the days until The Jayne Hunt Memorial Conference ! The final preparations are underway and we can’t wait!

Tickets are still on sale until the 8th of September so if you haven’t already got yours, click on the link below:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-equine-podiatry-association-presents-the-jayne-hunt-memorial-conference-tickets-830108044507

Check out the eventbrite page for details of the fantastic speakers we have lined up!

17/08/2024

🥰🙌🏻

Finer Forage Friday Facts:
Why we don't use Alfalfa at Finer Forage 🤓📖

🌱 Alfalfa is a legume, popularly fed as hay in the US, and as chop or pellets in the UK. It has low sugar and starch and high fibre content, so it looks like a good option on paper, until you dig a little deeper....

🌱 Alfalfa is high in nitrogen, or crude protein (not quality protein) which can be problematic, for the liver especially. Excess nitrogen can also cause issues with calcium and magnesium uptake, disrupt normal endocrine function, and lead to inflammation, particularly visible in the hooves.

🌱 Alfalfa is known to increase acidity in the hindgut, by propionate being the dominant VFA produced upon fermentation of alfala. Often, microbial disturbances might follow, as microbes that can't tolerate excessively acidic environments die off, and a cascade of resulting gastrointestinal disturbance and systemic inflammation ensues.

🌱 Alfalfa is an accumulator plant, in other words, it's one of those plants that uptakes toxins, so it can accumulate heavy metals if they're present in the soil where it is grown.

🌱 Alfalfa has the potential to upregulate the immune response - so it's a definite no-no for horses with sweet itch, allergies, or autoimmune issues.

🌱 Alfalfa has high phytoestrogen content, so it can disrupt normal endocrine function and responses.

🌱 Alfalfa has been shown to increase photosensitivity in humans, so it wouldn't be helpful to any pink noses in the summer!

🌱 Alfalfa has a very imbalanced calcium to phosphorus ratio, so should not be fed to youngsters, as it risks developmental orthopedic disease (incorrect bone formation in youngsters)

That's why we only use grass chop and nuts and never Alfalfa, at Finer Forage 🌱🌿🌻🌿🌷☘️🌼🌹

27/06/2024

It was a hot one yesterday! My Last client of the day provided me with a lovely treat! ❤️ thank you to all clients for the shade yesterday ! Much appreciated 😊

24/06/2024

Anyone interested is the whole horse approach, this is the event for you! Fantastic speakers covering body, environment, hooves and much much more! In memory of our colleague Jayne Hunt. Please join us xx

A recap of the awesome lectures you can expect at The Jayne Hunt Memorial Conference this September!

Tickets are still available to purchase online at:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-equine-podiatry-association-presents-the-jayne-hunt-memorial-conference-tickets-830108044507

Tom Beech BVSc MRCVS

The Osteopathic Vet

Tom Beech is a Veterinary Surgeon, a qualified Equine Osteopath EDO and an Equine Dentist. Tom has a unique, whole-horse approach to the evalulation and treatment of all his equine cases.

Lecture 1: The body wide relationship to negative palmar/plantar angles.

Lecture 2: The dental relationship to hooves.

22/06/2024

Shoes add structure to a hoof. They’re an external artificial support. I’m not debating whether or not you need that support here. What I’m saying is that a lameness is within the horse. Shoes are inert and external. Applying them to the hoof, might make a lame horse useable, but it doesn’t make him sound. It makes him a lame horse with shoes on.

Artificial support structures are amazing things. Have you ever broken a bone? The pain levels drop considerably once you have a cast put on. Not to mention how well you can use a broken limb when it’s inside a cast. The limb inside is still broken though. Healing – for sure, but broken and useable.

Now it takes 6 weeks to heal a broken bone (maybe a little longer for very complicated fractures). By sheer coincidence 6 weeks is also about the time a set of shoes lasts for. Has your horse’s lameness healed in the 6 weeks between shoeings or not? If not, you still have a lame horse with a shoe nailed to the bottom of it, and you still need a plan to fix that lameness.

If you’d like help knowing what to look for and how to monitor your horse more effectively, The Hoof Geek Health Checks are available in the Hoof Geek Academy FREE resources. Find out more, here https://hoofgeek.com/health-checks/

08/06/2024

Hooves are a result of what’s happening above! Diet is one of the key factors at producing good quality horn to support your horse at pasture or whatever discipline you choose! I always relate to us humans. We want healthy nails we eat correctly and are sure we have the right balance of vitamin and minerals. Same for our equids. Domestic equids don’t have the choices from their given environment so it’s done to us to provide. (Environment is another key factor)

*I don’t understand how changing the diet can help the feet*

It’s one of those questions that nobody really wants to ask. But once you get your head around the concept, it’s pretty simple. And I’ll share two different ways in which the feed affects the feet, which won’t answer everything but will set you on the right track.

Let’s say your horse is shod (or bf, doesn’t really matter), and he keep breaking chips off his hoof wall. This is most likely happening because he needs the right building blocks to build a healthy foot. If he’s lacking a key ingredient in his diet, the foot produced wont be as strong as it could have been. Let’s say he’s lacking in calcium and vitamin B. You’ve changed farrier twice already but neither of them could get the shoe to stay on because it isnt a farriery issue, it’s a nutritional one. Getting your hay tested will help you to figure out what is missing, so you can help your horse to grow a stronger hoof.

Second example: your horse has subtle bodywide inflammation. You know, like when you eat too many carbs, or get off a plane, or your fingers feel fat in the hot weather because you’re retaining water. Let’s say your horse is turned out on very well fertilised ex dairy grazing. That sward is designed to give cattle all the calories and nutrients they need to produce gallons of milk. It wasnt designed for horses, and it can cause bodywide inflammation. Take them out of that field and put them on an unfertilised parcel with meadowgrasses which are much lower in sugars. The inflammation reduces, the new hoof wall grows in tighter and footiness disappears because there’s no inflammation inside the hoof capsule any more.

Combining mineral balancing and keeping sugar/starch low can make all the difference between a successful transition and a miserable one.

06/06/2024

Morning all! Please 🙏 go onto the link and spare a few minutes to complete this form. I’m in the 35-45 age group. I know I look 21 😬😂 it’s important for all hoofcare professionals especially your equine podiatrists to get this data together! ❤️

❓ Do you have five minutes to help The British Horse Society?

📝 We all know how vital regular hoof care is to our horses, ponies, donkeys and mules. To futureproof this care, The BHS needs your help to assess the availability of qualified farriers in the UK and the Republic of Ireland via this quick survey 🔗 forms.office.com/e/QjLDuMJqk3

🐴 If you’re over 18, they’d love to hear about your routine hoof care and your experiences when accessing farriery and hoof care provider services for the animals in your care.

🤝 Your insight will allow the BHS to work in partnership with other equine welfare charities, and the industry, to make access to the farriery profession easier so that, together, we can futureproof horse care in the UK.

01/06/2024

🙌🏻 Totes and her Indi doing their thing at MK XC training yesterday! (One of my clients)Their bond is fantastic and progression is inspiring! ❤️

03/05/2024

Especially this year!

It’s that time again! Please be REALLY careful with the grass this week. I have been out to a couple of horses (not native fat ponies, but a shod thoroughbred and a very fit/lean warmblood) who both have raised pulses and sore feet after being turned out for one day on “better” grazing. I also received a phone call this afternoon about a 3yr old pony with no history of laminitis, who is rocked back off her toes. Finally, tonight I came home to find that my own highland has a rock hard neck and looks bloated, even on very restricted strip grazed track. The grass out there is frankly dangerous at the moment. Please, please be cautious! Call your vet if you see any/early signs, and TELL YOUR HOOFCARE PROVIDER. They might need a longer appointment slot than usual, or a shorter cycle, or to ask you to request markers on your xrays, or to bring extras like therapy boots/pads, a different type of shoe, or they might just have some nuggets of wisdom.

(EDITED TO ADD THAT I AM IN THE UK)

20/04/2024

Everything takes time to heal! There are no quick fixes only short cuts that lead you back to the start! Small improvements are improvements! Slow and steady!

20/04/2024

Good afternoon! One of the reasons I became an equine podiatrist was to pass on an alternative approach to hoof-care for the next generation of equestrians! This new club for children is a fantastic opportunity for our not so traditional horse loving children who love horsemanship and learning a whole horse approach to horse care! I’m hoping to open a branch here in Northants! If anyone thinks that their child would be interested in knowing more please have a look at ‘Pony Talk Academy’s’ page! And get in contact with myself! https://www.facebook.com/PonyTalkAcademy

12/04/2024

Currently on holiday at the moment and catching up with the world of barefoot! Gosh I’m overwhelmed by the overwhelming amount of methods/ways/rights and wrongs you owners have to filter for you horses hoofcare! The aim of all hoofcare professionals that are worth investing in are the ones that work with your horse and puts them first, that can help to achieve whole horse wellbeing with the limitations you have to work with. A lot of livery yards in the uk are traditional and there are little adaptations that can be made to add enrichment to your horses barefoot goals. All animals are individual and should be treated as such. Don’t fall down the Anthropomorphism path! Whole horse approach is not only hooves, its environment and nutrition. The hooves tell the story! Sometimes it’s best to turn off social media and just lesson to them! I learn from every horse I meet. Kindness and compassion are very important to me.

(Don’t do write ups so here’s is my mind vent, you’ll see why I normally stay 🤐 😬)