Armed loaded and ready for trimming 🥕
Some horses just need that little bit extra to positively associate having their pedicure. We want to set them up for success.
Positive reinforcement (R+) is one of the easiest and quickest training methods to achieve a smooth and harmonious trimming experience 💫
Hooves & Wet season 💦🐴
It’s wet season!
💦Did you know that using a mixture of apple cider vinegar and water 50/50 can help with
hoof and fungal issues?
💦Thrush and other (smelly) foot fungus infections can be greatly reduced by a regular spray or soak application of apple cider vinegar to the sole and frog of a horse’s feet. By making the hoof area more acidic, fungus is no longer able to grow well there.
💦Use it preventatively - Don’t wait until infections occur!
💦Add it to your daily routine after cleaning your hooves! Natural, simple and effective!
🐴👟 These shoes are made for walking! Plastic fantastic composite horse shoes are durable, flexible and shock absorbing. Providing protection, support and comfort to those hooves that need that little bit extra.
Hoof landing - How should it look?
▶️ You don’t want to see much tilting from side to side, so you need an even landing of the heels or of the entire hoof.
▶️ When, walking in a straight line at an active pace the hoof should land very slightly heel first, so it almost looks as if it is a flat landing.
▶️ Tendons and ligaments are vital for stabilisation when the hoof lands. This is why the leg should be fully extended, and there should be no bend in any of the joints.
❓ Why? The loading and concussive forces of each landing hoof need to be dispersed and only a healthy landing can ensure optimal absorption of energy all the way up the limb.
🐴🌿 Walking barefoot is the natural state for horses. Thanks to the stable and resistant horn capsule, horses are equipped with an ideal “all-purpose shoe” that offers optimum grip on a wide variety of surfaces and protects the inner structures of the hoof. 🌿🐴
It is often thought that of the external structures the sole is the main load-bearing area of the hoof but it’s actually the hoof wall that should be in contact with the ground and that should bear the weight of the horse. The sole protects the inside structures of the hoof and does of course bear some weight from downward pressure.
Healthy soles are found on healthy hooves, those that are well balanced, get enough movement and have a good nutrition.
A retained sole is one that does not naturally shed or exfoliate and is most commonly found in dry summers or dry, cold winters.
This sole is less flexible, and its shock absorbing capacity is reduced. This thick sole may form in response to the environment in which the horse lives and serves a protective role for the foot.
When one isn’t working or trimming, one, finally has time to move the horses! Change of scenery for them, plus added bonus of exercise and an absolute delight for me!
Hoof trimming made easy with a willing equine 😁
Healthy Hooves need to Move Move Move! 🐎🌿🐎🌿🐎🌿
💦 Wet weather season 💦 = Thrush!
💥👉 If you are noticing a bad odour or black discharge coming from your horses hooves, if there are cracks or crevices where moisture could get trapped, or if your horse’s hooves, or their frogs, are sensitive then they may have thrush.
💥👉 Equipod Hoof Paste is a topical treatment for hooves especially designed to combat bacterial and fungal hoof infections.
💥👉 Equipod Hoof Paste is made entirely from natural active ingredients that treat bacteria and fungus but are not harmful or caustic to the sensitive tissue.
🔝✔️ It’s a must have in any tack box!
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Tried. Tested. Proven!
Application ↘️↘️↘️
The paste can be easily applied with a small brush, by using a spatula or by hand. It can be used in its original form or diluted with water or apple cider vinegar.
Apply only a small amount to the affected areas.
To order send a PM or email [email protected]!
✅🌿💪 Remember - keep your frogs fresh
and beat the bacteria!! 💪🌿✅
👉Thrush… An infection of opportunity! 👈
Opportunistic microbes are commonly found in the soil and horse pasture 🌿
The most common bacteria, Fusobacterium necrophorum, loves to get on board your horse’s hooves and makes itself right at home in the sensitive frog 🌿
In the warm and wet seasons, where horses spend most of their days in muddy conditions, is when, and where, the bacteria proliferates the best 🌿
Keep thrush at bay with daily cleaning, regular trimming, and treatment where necessary 🌿
Thrush in winter? What now?
As soon as it’s damp and wet outside, thrush becomes an issue again.
But is it really necessary? Or are there ways to avoid it?
❓What is thrush
This is a horn-degrading process caused by bacterial infestation and often also fungi. The central frog sulcus is usually particularly badly affected.
❓Why especially in autumn/winter
⚫️ The wet soil is the problem here and the urine and manure.
⚫️ The horses are in stalls for longer. The pastures are usually closed. Even in open stables, more horses are now crowded around the feeding areas in less space. The lack of movement has a negative effect on the hoof mechanism and good horn growth.
⚫️ The moisture exacerbates existing hoof problems. Too much decaying horn becomes soft and forms a breeding ground for bacteria.
⚫️ Pathologische hoof conditions favour both the development and persistence of thrush.
❓What can I do
✅ Regular professional hoof trimming is a must!
✅ Stable hygiene
✅ Daily cleaning and treatment of the affected areas.
✅ Give your horse as much exercise as possible on a variety of surfaces, even in winter!
✅ Make sure your horse has a balanced supply of minerals.
