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Hooves on Track Tony McNamara DEP is a Suffolk based Equine Podiatrist, interested in a more holistic approach to hoof care.
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We offer advice on diet, rehabilitation and management, with a keen interest in track systems, promoting a more natural way of keeping horses.

01/09/2024

Summer evenings on the track are the best times!! 🌞 The horses are relaxed, and it is such a calming place to be. We've seen lots of bumblebees 🐝 and butterflies 🦋 today, and we still have some swallows nesting in the stable 🪹 so hopefully, there's plenty more summer evenings to come this year 🤞

We were very happy to be asked to contribute to this edition of Happy Trackin' Magazine, and if you'd like to read our s...
01/09/2024

We were very happy to be asked to contribute to this edition of Happy Trackin' Magazine, and if you'd like to read our story, along with lots of exciting articles not only about track systems but also topics such as identifying EMS, Equine Sleep and enrichment ideas, then grab yourselves a copy here - www.happytrackinmagazine.com

✨️ Issue 3 ✨️

The wait is over, Issue 3 is finally here! Here's what you'll find inside...

Interviews:

🎉 ️The Cover Stars - Tammy Marx, Munchkins Miniature Shetland Rescue founder, talks about how the charity began, the hard work and dedication that goes into rehabilitating and managing their ponies and their exciting plans for the future, all in hopes of continuing to provide their rescues with the very best care achievable.

Guest Articles:

🔹️Veterinary surgeon, Nurturing Nature Equine - Dr Lily Wilson MRCVS, shares her perspective on track systems and equine health whilst discussing domestication hot spots and the four deep roots to equine health and wellbeing.

🔹️Alyson Sharpe of PB Paddock Paradise Livery opens up about the pressure of having a flawless track system.

🔹️Michèle Rhéaume of Wakita Equine discusses the importance of sleep in our horses, the different types of sleeping patterns and the influencing factors to quality sleep in part 1 of 2.

🔹️Regular writer Sue Dawson of Calm Healthy Horses UK is back with another segment to her series 'Making Mini Tracks Rock' with the joys of summer.

🔹️Phoebe Parkinson, KMT Rural Chartered Surveyor, shares how your could be getting paid for your track system in the UK.

🔹️Toma Harper of the popular new track system themed podcast Track Talk: A Podcast on Horse Track Systems answers all the must-know questions of how Track Talk came to be.

🔹️When Roxy suddenly became unwell with crippling neurological symptoms, Hooves on Track discovered the answer to 'can horses be healthy on a hay only diet?'

🔹️One brave move across the sea changed Joanne Robins' life when she took the plunge and opened Esprit Libre Équin, a track livery in France.

Regulars:

🔸️Enrichment Makes - easy enrichment ideas for your own track system.
🔸️Julian's Top Tips - a handyman's advice on maintaining your track, from one trackie to another.
🔸️Tracks from around the World - a look at track systems from across the globe.
🔸️Track Hacks - our track 'must haves' for you and your horse.
🔸️Healing Hooves - a look at healing horses' progress on track.
.. and more!

To my fellow trackies or trackies-to-be, Happy Trackin' everyone.

Grab your copy here - www.happytrackinmagazine.com

31/08/2024

After such a warm week, the horses are all feeling much more spirited in the cooler weather 🐎🍂

Ria is an absolute pleasure to trim and has been a client since 2022 ⭐️ We shared an image of Ria's amazing frogs a coup...
29/08/2024

Ria is an absolute pleasure to trim and has been a client since 2022 ⭐️ We shared an image of Ria's amazing frogs a couple of months back which caused quite a bit of interest, so thought it was only fair that we share the rest of her as she is rather lovely 😍 Ria does lots of hacking with her human which helps to keep her in shape and those hooves tip top 👌

28/08/2024

One of those moments that make it all worthwhile 🥰 🐴🐴

Following on from last week's post, Oakey the exracer has been back out with his human, competing for the first time in ...
26/08/2024

Following on from last week's post, Oakey the exracer has been back out with his human, competing for the first time in a while. They jumped double clear in both Showjumping rounds, finishing 4th in the 80cm and smashing the 90cm class to win 🎖 🏇 🧡

Well done to Oakey's human, Danielle, as you have certainly put in the padwalking hours to get here! 💪

22/08/2024

Variety is the spice of life, and the same goes for conditioning your horses feet!

The more diverse the surfaces your horse's hooves encounter, the stronger and more adaptable they become. By exposing them to different terrains, you're helping to build resilience and over all hoof health. Hooves that tend to do well are those that are consistently worked over different surfaces. This not only strengthens their hooves, but also enhances the horse's overall performance. The same principle applies to track systems - using different surfaces around the track helps keep hooves strong and versatile.

Whether your horse is in ridden work or not, finding ways to provide different surfaces for them to regularly encounter will have long term benefits for the quality of their hooves.

Consistent exposure to varied terrains is key to building strong healthy hooves.

Thanks to Sarah Leggett for the video. It was lovely to see you all having some fun on the beach!

Oakey is an exracehorse who has been on quite a journey with his hooves.  He has gone from having white line separation ...
21/08/2024

Oakey is an exracehorse who has been on quite a journey with his hooves. He has gone from having white line separation and flat feet with no concavity to now sporting healthy, robust hooves! 💪

Oakey's human has been consistently pad walking him and his trim cycles were reduced to three weekly. Over time, his hoof walls have become stronger, his frogs have widened, and the back of his feet have shown remarkable improvement. Recent radiographs have confirmed an increase in sole depth, and as you can see, there is now good concavity.

This pic was taken mid trim, and there is some sole and frog likely to exfoliate.

Tony and Roxy looking a little different to what most are used to seeing 🐎 The article will feature in the next issue of...
20/08/2024

Tony and Roxy looking a little different to what most are used to seeing 🐎 The article will feature in the next issue of The Happy Trackin' Magazine out on 1st September 🙂

20/08/2024

Our barefoot ambassadors have once again done us proud. They have been out competing at a one day event and demonstrated beautifully that you don't need shoes or studs to excel on grass 👌🐎🐎🐎 Thomas and Issac both jumped double clear and foot perfect in their classes, with Thomas and Shadow finishing in 8th place 👏 but an extra special well done to Sarah Leggett who finished 2nd place in the 100cm with her much loved mare Sapphire 🦄 🏆🥇Thanks as always for letting us share your journey 🙂

This is worth a read if you're feeding Alfafa products to your horse. We stopped feeding it years ago after seeing sever...
16/08/2024

This is worth a read if you're feeding Alfafa products to your horse. We stopped feeding it years ago after seeing severe liver issues in Tyson and itchiness and behaviour issues with Blondie and we always advise extreme caution to anyone who chooses to feed it, and suggest keeping a close eye for any problems showing up in the hooves. Finer forage are both Equine Podiatrists, as well as Nia being an Equine Bioscientist and Animal Nutritionist.

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 🌱🌿🌻🌿🌷☘️🌼🌹

16/08/2024

When Beaky arrived, it's fair to say that he didn't possess much in the way of social skills, but recently, we have been observing episodes of mutual grooming between him and Tyson, which is a sure sign that he feels safe and accepted, even with one of our more dominant horses. Mutual grooming is so important for horses as it not only helps them to rid each other of loose hair and parasites, but it builds important bonds and strengthens friendships within the herd, as well as having a deeply calming effect, helping them to de-stress. So it is wonderful to see that Beaky is now feeling relaxed enough to enjoy this moment of peace and intimacy with Tyson.

We are happy to support our clients, Hugo 🐎and his human, Annie, on their sponsored 50 mile ride to raise funds for a sm...
15/08/2024

We are happy to support our clients, Hugo 🐎and his human, Annie, on their sponsored 50 mile ride to raise funds for a small local charity that has been very supportive to Annie ❤️

Help Annie Aldred Balls raise money to support The Pear Tree Fund

14/08/2024

⛰️🐴Climbing rocky hills might be a tough task for little Thimble, but it's just what she needs to stay healthy! Despite the challenge due to her size, our tracks ups and downs have been a game changer for her. This movement not only keeps Thimble fit but also helps keep laminitis at bay, a problem she struggled with in the past. Every step your horse takes is a step towards better health! 💪🐎

09/08/2024

Companions encourage movement!

Domestic horses thrive in groups and exhibit unique social behaviours. They're not fans of being alone, and their activity levels increase when they're with others 🐎🐎 The more dominant horse often plays a key role, guiding the others towards water, shelter, or food. Interestingly, the lesser dominant horses are quite content to follow the lead, showing trust and cooperation within the herd. Leadership isn't always fixed, though, and different horses may take the lead at different times.

07/08/2024

One of our smaller clients, Rio 🥰 is away at pony camp with Maisie, his human, this week. Mum sent us this little video and said Rio has been foot perfect, with no slipping all week on his barefoot tootsies, while everyone else has been fiddling around with studs 🐎👌

06/08/2024

Frogs can become so tough this time of year that this horse had absolutely no idea they were walking around with a stone stuck in their frog. The stone and dirt were removed, the hole was flushed with Sole Cleanse to clean out any remaining debris which if left, could potentially cause infection, then the hole was packed with Hoof Stuff which will prevent any further dirt and bacteria from getting in whilst promoting healing and providing support. We love Red Horse Products 👌

🌟 Huge congratulations to the lovely Cooper! 🐴 A year after going barefoot, he's not only  smashing his dressage competi...
05/08/2024

🌟 Huge congratulations to the lovely Cooper! 🐴

A year after going barefoot, he's not only smashing his dressage competitions but he's winning, scoring 68% in his first test and an impressive 74% in his second. 🎉 Removing his shoes was a significant leap of faith for his owner, especially considering Cooper's previous SI and hind suspensory challenges. It's fantastic to see it has all paid off, with Cooper now thriving in full ridden work. Well done, Cooper! ✨

03/08/2024

It's a miracle this little Hawthorn has survived as it spent much of winter standing in flood water! We did contemplate fencing it off for a while to recover, but it seems to be doing OK. If you're considering which trees or shrubs to plant for your horse to browse either on a track or around the edge of a paddock, then Hawthorn is definitely a favourite with our herd.

Horses can consume different parts of Hawthorn including the berries which are commonly used in supplements as they are rich in antioxidants and are said to support cardiovascular health, the leaves and flowers are particularly popular with our guys and are thought to benefit heart function and circulation, and in winter time horses will often consume the twigs and bark which will provide a valuable source of lignin.

Allowing horses the opportunity to browse and select different plants and shrubs to eat is a great source of natural enrichment for them which can also be enjoyed during a hack or in hand walk, and as you can see with Roxy, it also encourages them to gently stretch in ways they wouldn't normally, with just ground level forage.

30/07/2024

It's so hard to believe what a stress head Beaky was when he arrived but he was happy to snooze through all four feet being trimmed yesterday 🧡

28/07/2024

With an appropriate diet and trim, hooves should adapt to their environment enabling the horse to walk over any surface that is required, comfortably. We can't expect a horse that spends all of their time on soft surfaces to develop rockcrunching hooves.

23/07/2024

Keeping non ridden equines in good health can be particularly challenging, and whilst it is absolutely OK that Harry at age 13 hasn't been "worked" for almost four years, it is still essential that we find ways to keep him fit and active, as well as mentally stimulated, if he is to remain in good health. An effective track system should encourage adequate movement and plenty of enrichment to keep them busy and motivated.

Our barefoot ambassadors were out competing at a ODE over the weekend and doing us proud as always. Sarah Leggett won th...
22/07/2024

Our barefoot ambassadors were out competing at a ODE over the weekend and doing us proud as always. Sarah Leggett won the 100cm class and was the only clear round Showjumping on grass, winning £50 🏆👏🎖Issac and Roxy flew around their class to win £50 prize money too!! 🎖👏🏆 Thomas was also in the money finishing in 4th place with Shadow and they did exceptionally well as it was her first ODE. Well done to you all and thank you for doing such a great job of demonstrating that there really is no need for shoes 👏👏👏👏

20/07/2024

In their natural environment, horses would move much more than most domesticated horses. This movement would be over many different surfaces, up and down hills, seldom in a straight line, and for much of the day, their hooves would trim naturally. This is how nature deals with hoof care. So when a professional trims a horse's feet, they will be trying to create this same hoof wear, which in nature would happen gradually, but in domestication, we are trying to emulate it approximately every six weeks, and this is something to consider when thinking about how often a horse's feet should be trimmed. Several clients have requested that their horse's feet be trimmed more often than the standard six weeks and for them we offer three weekly appointments. We also have many clients who do small amounts of maintenance trimming between their appointments but this is not for everyone. We have to agree that, in most cases, hooves do better when they are trimmed more regularly. Even our horses seldom go more than a few weeks between trims and live on a surfaced track. Rather than basing their trims on a calendar, we are guided by how fast their feet grow, which can fluctuate during the year and individual growth rates. However, for what is required for a horse to be sound with functional feet, most can cope with the standard six weekly appointments, and only some people are happy to pay or can afford more frequent trimming, which is also completely acceptable. It depends on what you are trying to achieve regarding your horse's hoof care. In an ideal world, your hoof care provider would be visiting every week, but this is neither practical nor affordable. What is important is that your horse's feet are trimmed at least every six weeks and that their feet are capable of doing the job that is needed.

19/07/2024

Track systems are great for supporting nature and the environment. We are blessed with a huge variety of plants here and the land provides a home not just for the horses, but for many species of insects, birds and animals.

The Houston mounted police have worked their horses barefoot for 20 years and now they're bitless too! Come on UK mounte...
17/07/2024

The Houston mounted police have worked their horses barefoot for 20 years and now they're bitless too! Come on UK mounted police..time to catch up!!

The Houston Mounted Police Patrol Unit has been gaining global attention recently and is being acknowledged as a leader in the natural horse movement.

The Houston Mounted Police Patrol Unit has been gaining global attention recently for its leadership in the natural horse movement. After transitioning to barefoot years ago, the Unit has now also opted to go bitless.

The mounted unit herd was previously managed in a very traditional manner, however, the officers soon realized that they were frequently faced with hoof issues and other ailments that could be attributed to the use of metal shoes. Metal shoes on asphalt create concussive force that travels through the hoof and up the leg of the horse. In 1984, the Swiss Cavalry at the University of Zurich conducted a study on the effects of metal shoeing. The research revealed that the impact force on a shod hoof on hard ground is 10-33 times greater than that of an unshod hoof. The vibration caused by the shoe in the hoof is approximately 800 hz, a level that is high enough to cause damage to living tissue.

The metallic footwear was impeding the natural flexibility of the hoof under pressure, consequently reducing essential blood flow to the hoof and lower limb.

As a result of these challenges, the unit concluded that it was worth trying something different. In 2004, they decided to experiment by allowing one horse to go barefoot. The outcome was extremely positive, leading them to transition their entire herd (40 horses) to barefoot. They observed a significant improvement in the health of their horses, resulting in a 50% reduction in vet bills. Moreover, they noticed enhanced traction on slippery surfaces, contributing to a sense of safety for both the officers and horses during patrols. It is difficult to dispute the benefits of these changes! Furthermore, the force has recently made the decision to transition to Bitless equipment, which has been met with great success.

16/07/2024

Mr T striding down the hill just as the sun came out 🌞

15/07/2024

We had an enjoyable visit from Jared of Jelka Group on Friday afternoon, who came along for a tour of the track and to look at how we have used their Top Clean Mats in different areas. We showed him the different feed stations and walkways that we have created. We told him how impressed we were with how well the mats had coped with such a wet winter compared to the areas we had surfaced. Although some surfaced areas are essential for conditioning the horse's feet, we will be repairing most of the water-damaged areas of the track, mainly using Jelka mats for next winter because they are so easy to lay and it works ouy so much cheaper than surfacing, and they work! It was refreshing talking to someone who is on the same page as we are when it comes to horse welfare, and in particular, how important it is for the health and well-being of horses that we allow them to have friends, freedom and lots of movement. We discussed how frustrating it can be to convince the horse world that times are changing now that we have more knowledge and understanding of keeping horses better. We talked about ways to work together in the future to help enlighten people and bring about change for domesticated horses.

The horses were all very interested in their visitor. Once Roxy had checked Jared over and given the all-clear, Thimble was keen to reorganise his Velcro pockets (apologies), and Beaky was impressed by his shoes (more apologies).

Unfortunately, we were so engrossed in conversation that we forgot to take any pictures, so here is a small selection of some of the areas where the mats have worked well for us.

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