Vikki Fear Equine Podiatrist

29/07/2024

Grab yourself a bitless/treeless option while you can.

26/07/2024

21/07/2024

I'm mentoring a student near Grimsby this weekend. I've been put up in her mum's beautiful little Airbnb, The Hayloft. If you are in the area and looking for accommodation, then look it up.

13/07/2024

I'm going to keep sharing these posts because I bucking believe in the products.

11/07/2024

It could be your favourite EP too (just saying 😏)

09/07/2024

I can't believe it's been a whole year. Jayne was a big influence in my life,. Her love and enthusiasm for Equine Podiatry drove the bug in me. I hope I do her justice.
Please pass wide and slow when passing horses.

08/07/2024

Kelly is a fantastic EP.

My books are pretty full, but have had a few weekday spaces come up recently.

Sometimes if an owner sells a horse, loses one, moves out of the area or puts shoes on i have the odd space come up. I only have weekday availability, and am only taking on new clients in the area you see on this map. I charge £45 per horse, and am happy to put you in touch with another EP if you are outside of this area. Or you could take a look at the following to find someone nearby:

*Qualified EP’s:* https://www.epauk.org/membership/our-members/map/

*Student EP’s:* https://www.eptrain.co.uk/final-year-students/

08/07/2024

It really is difficult to do a good job if the horse is constantly fidgeting because the are being annoyed by flies. Fly masks are fine by me. Please apply the fly spray before I get underneath the horse, or if you think you need to reapply, then let me know so I can get out of the way.

🪰Flies - horses & farriers hate them!

It's unfair to ask a horse to stand still for shoeing as it's being eaten alive by flies. You can hardly blame them. The last thing we want is to turn shoeing into a negative & stressful experience.

For farriers, it's incredibly frustrating trying to do your best work on a half-ton moving target.
It can make it hard to pick up on any 'out of the ordinary' behaviours for your horse which are often early warning signs of pain.
A restless horse that snatches & jumps (not to mention the famous tail swish to the eye!) also HURTS.

Do:
✅ Apply fly repellent liberally! Pay extra attention to their legs.
✅ Use a well-fitting fly rug
✅ Acclimatise your horse to a portable fan (midges can't tolerate 7mph+ winds!)
✅ Use a cloth to apply or gels if your horse is afraid of sprays
✅ Manage the environment - set up fly traps and keep your shoeing area away from standing water & muck piles

Don't:
❌ Spray whilst your farrier is underneath the horse
❌ Leave fly masks on - often this can inhibit a horse’s visibility & increase chances of spooking
❌ Book an appointment at a peak pest times
❌ Dress your horse in dark colours or leave them sweaty as this attracts horse flies

Red Horse Products

07/07/2024

Due to horses being sold, or moved out of the area, I have had a few spaces become available for new clients within the area shown on the map. If you are interested in the Equine Podiatry whole horse approach to hoof care, please get in touch. Appointments currently available Mondays, some Wednesdays and some Fridays.

04/07/2024

This is a piece of very important research. SGLT2 inhibitors are being frequently prescribed but there is little research into side effects. Please consider taking part if you have experience of any of the range of drugs.
Copied from Eleanor Kellon Vmdpost.
Has your horse been treated with an SGLT2 inhibitor (ertugliflozin, canagliflozin, dapagliflozin or similar)?
👨‍🔬 Researchers at Murdoch University in Western Australia are conducting a study to document owner satisfaction and side-effects in horses and ponies treated with these drugs.
🐴 The online survey takes less than 5mins to complete and your responses will allow us to better understand the use of SGLT2 inhibitors in horses. We value your feedback and your experiences will help direct future research so we can continue to help horses and ponies suffering from laminitis. All surveys are completely anonymous.
👉 https://murdochuni.syd1.qualtrics.com/.../SV_2u81cwaM6XxK6yO
This research has been approved by the Human Research Ethics Committee at Murdoch University (Permit Number: 2023/057).
For queries, please contact Dr Gabriele Rossi ([email protected])
_________________

The most powerful, simple and trusted way to gather experience data. Start your journey to experience management and try a free account today.

27/06/2024

What better excuse do you need to try Finer Forage ?

We love to celebrate good things here at FFHQ, so, to mark 2 major accomplishments this week, we have a FANTASTIC offer for you!! ❤️

First off, Ops Director Em passed her HGV theory tests 🎉🍾🥂🎊 So, soon we can take an even bigger truck and more goodies to all the shows 🚛🚚🛻

Secondly, building on her Diplomas and Bachelors degree, Managing Director Nia graduated from Glasgow University with her Master of Science degree in Animal Nutrition 🍾🥂🎓🎉

To share the joy of these accomplishments, we're giving you 15% off all Superfoods* until Monday!!!

Just enter the code SKILLS15 at checkout to redeem the discount 🦄🐴🦄

www.finerforage.co.uk/shop

*excludes pallets - but please contact us if you would like to order a pallet, and we can work with you to offer you the best price possible 🎉

22/06/2024

Purple!

18/06/2024

Perfect warning from Mark.

13/06/2024

Eek. Just ordered my new trimming apron from Silverback. They are even customising it to add a couple of long pockets for rasp and nippers.

12/06/2024

09/06/2024

https://fb.watch/sBOe8rR6lu/

09/06/2024

Something clearly happened to this horse 3-4 months ago. The change was a good change and long lasting (1.5-2 months at least - we can't see what's happening under the periople ( the fringy bit at the top of the wall)). The hoof wall is growing in tighter and is shinier and less cracked after the change than before it. We think it might be the addition of a herbal formation to aid gut health.

07/06/2024

Sometimes I have to fiddle with the straps on the fit kits during the fitting process. Fortunately, these beautiful ladies were patient while I faffed.

04/06/2024

UK horse owners/loaners, please do complete this, it is really important for the future of UK hoof care. If you are one of my clients, I'm in the 45-54 years age range. As a client of an EP, an apprentice would be a student and would usually be monitored remotely via photographs and case notes, if you are happy to allow students, please select other and explain that you would be happy with remote monitoring (if that's the case).

❓ 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.

03/06/2024

The reason I now feed my girls Finer Forage products. I can safely say I have seen an overall improvement in their 💩 since I started feeding it.

5️⃣ reasons we use whole plants in our products, and why we won't use byproducts:

🦠 Horses rely on a diverse microbial population to digest their food. These bugs need fibrous plant matter to keep their populations healthy and happy, which, in turn, keeps your horse happy. Gut microbes are known to modulate immune response, behaviour and more: so it's worth keeping them sweet!

🍞 Waste products like wheatfeed and oatfeed are composed of the outer husks of the grain (the parts left over after the nice bits of the grain have been used in human food products). These outer husks are high in fibre and low in sugar, but they are also really low in any other useful nutrients like vitamins and minerals.

☣️ The outer husks accumulate high levels of glyphosate, which is often used to dessicate crops at harvest. Glyphosate has been shown to affect the hindgut microbiome, fertility and inflammation, amongst other biological systems.

🧂Wheatfeed, oatfeed and soya hulls are ground down into tiny particles before being reformed into pellets or nuts. These small particles travel quickly through the gut, and fool the caecum into thinking the fibres have broken down more than they actually have. This expedites the selective retention, meaning undigested particles leave the caecum before they're really ready, which affects the microbial interactions in the final sections of the hindgut.

🌼 Horses have evolved to eat a diet that is rich in plant diversity, providing a natural diet rich in nutrient diversity. Whole plants are ideal to provide a range of macronutrients, micronutrients and phytonutrients, in a natural, accessible, species appropriate form.

Nutrition by Nature, Supported by Science 🦄🌱

www.finerforage.co.uk

01/06/2024

6 months without shoes for this 17 year old thoroughbred gelding. In the first picture we can see hoof wall strength and health improving and the angle of the of the heel wall becoming more upright. The sole shots show the foot becoming rounder and the frog becoming wider and gaining structure, the heels are also becoming wider apart and moving further back which places them more under the bony column and better able to support the body.

01/06/2024

A great description about the structures of the hoof wall.

28/05/2024

Important grass growth information

🌱🚀 Grass growth is booming, surpassing 2023 and long-term averages! Ensure quality by managing grazing residuals and top/mow where needed. Watch for potential drops in growth if dry conditions persist.

27/05/2024

22/05/2024

To follow on from my previous post, because I ran out of image space, here is a healthy hoof (1st picture) compared with the damaged one. (The 1st hoof has a bone in it, but hopefully you can see how solid the sole is (diagonal, top left to bottom right of picture).

22/05/2024

I've been doing some more post-mortem investigations on a horse who had been lame for a while before being put to sleep. We knew that the horse went out sound, and came in lame. He was lame for a couple of weeks, improving in boots with cut out pads (a pad that has a hole cut where the front of the pedal bone is). After a couple of weeks, there was a soft spot in the sole (below the hole seen in the fleshy sole) but no other damage seen. No x-rays were taken but because it was taking 2 bute per day to keep the horse sound, and because there were also other health issues in a geriatric horse, the decision was made to euthanise before quality of life deteriorated further.
The 1st picture is fleshy sole (corium) the second picture is the keratin sole (inside the hoof capsule. The 3rd picture is a close up of the 2nd picture, showing what appears to be bone encapsulated in the keratin. The 4th image is of the cleaned pedal bone showing a big hole in the bottom that shouldn't be there.
The final series shows the cut I put through the capsule to investigate the defect. Wow! I didn't find anything hard, but it may have been lost in the sawing process. (The sole of the hoof capsule shouldn't have cavities like that!)

21/05/2024

What a great line up.

16/05/2024

Another day, another gorgeous pony, another boot fit. Today we chose Scoots in front and after trying on 5 different shells, Exploras for the hinds.
Hiring shells can cost £50 for just 3 shells, plus you have to post them back to the supplier. For £50 (plus a possible mileage surcharge) I will bring shells from Scoots, Flex, Cavallo, Explora, Scoot Enduros, and Equine Fusion to try on your horse to establish best fit.

15/05/2024

The things we do to ensure correct hoof balance!

13/05/2024

Static and dynamic boot fit today. After trying on 10 different shells, we settled on Sccot Enduros all round for this lovely 25 year old pony who still hacks, jumps and acts like a stallion at pony shows.