Downs Equine - Holisitc Hoofcare Ltd

23/10/2024

03/10/2024

Rosie is all ready for the upcoming carriage driving season!!

30/09/2024

We applied these today to a horse that is well down the road recovering from a tendon injury. We have progressed her down to just a one degree wedge in the shoes, so they still give the tendon a slight relief. What do you think of the colour?

16/09/2024

It was a rewarding morning. We helped this Gypsy stallion with very neglected feet……

04/09/2024

An afternoon’s work. Happy horses and happy owners. Hot pink, baby!!! This is Meodow who is transitioning out of steel shoes. And the set of clear shoes are Eva’s who is recovering from collapsed heals and flat soles.

05/08/2024

Who has heard of Negative Palmer Angle? (NPA) It’s basically caused by incorrect trimming/shoeing -the heal is too short and the toe is left too long. We are seeing more and more of this in new clients and are not sure why it’s becoming a trend but it causes untold pain in the SLI joint, tight hamstrings and a horses hind end that no matter how much body work gets done, it just doesn’t come right. Instead of the coffin bone being at a 3-5 degree positive angle. It morphs to being a negative angle.
Check out this horse. He had been shod only 3 weeks prior to these X-rays. You can tell straight by looking at the hairline that things are wrong in the hoof. In his case he had become -6 degrees NPA - meaning his coffin bone was incorrectly positioned by around 11 degrees. Last photo is straight after the trim before putting on composite shoes on to increase comfort and support.

17/07/2024

Check out these great new purple kicks! We are halfway through a rehab with this horse with a tendon injury. From 3 degree wedges, she has progressed to wearing a 2degree wedge composite shoe…..and has began light walking and trotting work.

15/07/2024

We decided it was time to update our branding. Thank you for the logo Di Scott. And for the cool jackets Angela Croft!

08/05/2024

HOOF OF THE WEEK
We have done a lot of posts of poor quality hooves. But we feel it’s time to show people what a good hoof actually looks like. So Let’s start celebrating the beauty of a great functioning hoof. This one belongs to a Connemara named Lily, who is 11 years old and has never been shod. She is a show jumping and cross country machine!!
What’s good about the hoof?
Straight, thick walls
Tight white line
Great concavity
Beautiful plump frog
Thick digital cushion

29/04/2024

We would like to congratulate all our clients and horses who competed last weekend at the Distance Riding NZ Championships. Well done to all of you for achieving your goals!

Special mention and congratulations to Jeanette Rea (strapper and coffee supplier) Pam Maurice ( rider) and of course Arahi Dinero aka Cash who placed 2nd in the 160km distance at DRNZ Champs and were also awarded Best Managed. Well done team!
Cash is of course barefoot and competed in Renegade glue on boot shells.

18/04/2024

10 months on for Azlan, so much improvement and still a bit to go.
But sound and happy 😃

04/04/2024

We are thinking we need to start an “RL group”. - So this is Billy. Billy is a “Recovering Laminitic”. Today we used casting over composite shoes to speed up the growth in this feet and keep him comfortable. He stropped out in these - back to his track system and hay - very happy to be free of his cloud boots!
It’s been a long road but the dedication of the owners has been amazing.
Photos of when feet were at worst and abcessing out the sole.And then today…

02/04/2024

This is a post from a new client. Her horse was badly NPA in its hinds and all four feet were very contracted. Hopefully she is a happier mare now!

“Sharing my mares progress after shoes came off!
She is a 15yr old wb x tb and has been fully shod for around a year and a half. I’ve had her for a year. Her previous owner had her barefoot for a few years but shod her due to the wet winter causing her to be tender. Almost everyone I know shoes their horses so I didn’t see a reason to change anything. I started researching the benefits of barefoot and decided to give it a go. My mare has had so many issues with loosing top line (in full work) and being very sore in her hind. No one could figure out why, we had heaps of bodywork done by multiple people and she just kept getting worse. She couldn’t stand square (first photo is as square as she could stand). When I got her shoes taken off I was told they didn’t look good. Her heels were far too low, her back leg without the sock was at such an angle, her toes were too long and flaring, and her heels were very contracted. These issues were causing her sore muscles and stopped her from building top line. As soon as the shoes came off she could stand much more square and her leg wasn’t at such an angle. It has been 3 days and she is coping very well, loving the scoot boots so far. Excited for her hooves to improve. I am definitely a big fan of barefoot now!
1st photo is a few days before and 2nd photo is straight after shoes came off and a trim”

25/02/2024

We held our first ever, Trim your own horse clinic this weekend. Thank you to the participants for coming. You all did amazing over the weekend. It was great to watch your confidence and ability grow over the days. A pity about the weather bomb that hit us this morning, but even that didn’t dampen your spirits 😁

08/02/2024

Hey horse people, if your looking for arena grooming equipment I highly recommend the tools from Thomas Arena Products NZ, if your looking for something, contact Angel Marsh she will sort you out.

05/11/2023

Everyone is entitled to do what they want to do,they are responsible for any damage caused.
Nailed on metal shoes increase concussion.
Nailed on metal shoes do not allow proper Propreception.
Nailed on metal shoes unbalance the hooves and therefore the body.
Nailed on metal shoes affect the musculoskeletal system.
Nailed on metal shoes cause the hoof to distort.
Nailed on metal shoes cause the hoof to contract the back of the hoof.(through lack of use)
Nailed on metal shoes increase stress on the whole horse and affect the temprament.
Nailed on metal shoes allow a pathway for infection.
Nailed on metal shoes break up and weaken the hoof wall.
Over a period of time you will find damage and then you will move onto remedial shoes of one type or other,which will move the problem elsewhere.
Argue as much as you want, but all the above are facts.
I just hope you find alternative solutions to nailed on metal shoes.

although it should glaringly obvious by logic how uncomfortable it must be o to walk on unyielding concussive metal, there are also studies to back this up...here are some links

Thanks Oda Barhuf😊

vhttps://thehorse.com/1111347/study-therapeutic-shoes-might-impair-circulation-in-horses-feet/

https://www.horsetalk.co.nz/2017/01/21/steel-horseshoes-mechanical-loading-foot/

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/305766078_The_Horse%27s_foot_as_a_Neurosensory_Organ_How_the_Horse_Perceives_its_Environment

PDF | 1 2 adjustments, and/or for protective mechanisms. Some of this activity is also sent to the brain for perception. Free nerve endings convey... | Find, read and cite all the research you need on ResearchGate

04/10/2023

Check out the awesome painting on the back of one of our clients float. Yes they match her horses. Very cool. Designed and painted by Manabell Design.