Canopy Equine Veterinary and Podiatry

01/23/2025

Dr. Ellen Staples of Canopy Equine Veterinary and Podiatry discusses the use of bisphosphonates from an equine veterinary podiatrist perspective in a session presented by Dechra US Equine.

01/21/2025

Stephen Teichman, Gary Gullo Jr., Beck Ratte Randall and Dr. Ellen Staples (Canopy Equine Veterinary and Podiatry) discuss keeping elite athletes in the show ring, including valuable lessons they’ve learned, shoeing cycles and recent regulation.

08/21/2024

This week we are continuing our discussion on ⭐frog health⭐ at Canopy Equine!🐎

Most horse owners have experienced a foul smelling👃 black discharge when picking out their horses hooves at one time or another. This condition is commonly known as thrush, a disease caused by an anaerobic (low-oxygen) bacterium called Fusobacterium necrophorum.

Thrush starts as an opportunistic infection of the frog, but if left untreated it can spread to other areas of the hoof and cause lameness. Managerial and environmental factors can lead to your horse developing thrush. Horses that stand in urine and f***s due to poor stall and paddock management are very susceptible to infection. Uric acid in urine breaks down hoof horn, allowing bacteria to infiltrate. Unfortunately some horses are more susceptible than others, so even in a clean dry environment your horse could experience thrush. At its worst, thrush can cause open wounds exposing sensitive tissue on the bottom of the foot causing severe lameness.

To prevent and treat thrush, it is essential to regularly pick out hooves to remove debris and moisture. Maintaining clean, dry stalls and paddocks, replacing bedding regularly, and allowing your horse room to roam in a pasture will greatly help in prevention as well. Your veterinarian or farrier might also recommend a topical antibiotic to aid in treatment. It is very important to keep your horse on a regular trimming or shoeing cycle, as your farrier can open up the frog tissue to expose the bacteria to an uninhabitable aerobic environment.
Thrush is very common, but with good hoof hygiene and stall maintenance you can keep your equine partners feet smelling and feeling their best!💞🐎

Stay tuned next week, we will cover another disease of the frog known as canker!

08/09/2024

August is ⭐Frog Health Month⭐ at Canopy Equine!

Did you know that your horse’s frog can reveal a lot about their hoof health?🐸💅

The frog is the insensitive, rubbery, arrow shaped cushion that is located on the bottom of the hoof. Its job is to provide traction, absorb shock, and act as a venous blood pump to assist in bringing oxygenated blood@to the digit.

To do its job effectively in a moderately moist environment🌴, a healthy frog should be rubbery, wide, and the texture of soft rubber. In a drier climate the frog will normally be more calloused and hard. Just as hooves vary in appearance, frogs do too! Horses with wide, flat feet generally have a wider, more splayed out frog, while those with upright feet tend to have a narrower recessed frog.

Regardless of whether your horse is a top level athlete or a pasture pet, the frog plays an important role in the health of their hooves. Next week we will explore common diseases of the frog, as well as treatments to keep your equine partner feeling and performing their best!💞🐎

07/28/2024

This year has been lucky enough to be a part of an exceptional team that is about to complete their exciting journey to the 2024 Olympics in Paris! 🍀

For the past 6 months she has traveled to places throughout Europe to shoe qualifying FEI athletes at their top level in the sport of eventing. Meeting talented and dedicated horse professionals at the peak of their career has been Dr. Staples’ favorite part of the journey.

She couldn’t have done this without her amazing clients both on the road and at home. Congratulations Patch and Ronald Zabala for their impressive achievements in and outside of the ring!! 🤩

04/25/2024

This will be a fun discussion about decisions made in everyday work that promote health of the hoof capsule and its internal structures. Join us!!!

Happy Sunday!

We hope you have a safe and blessed week! Don’t forget about this clinic!

Please RSVP to Lloyd or message our page!

02/28/2024

What is a veterinary equine podiatrist? 🐎⛑️

We are licensed veterinarians with specialty training in farrier science, whose daily practice centers on optimizing hoof capsule function and limb biomechanics. Canopy Equine provides services that work to prevent, treat, and manage lameness issues that affect our equine partners including laminitis, quarter cracks, white line disease, hoof imbalances, tendon and ligament injuries, etc. With the use of imaging diagnostics such as X-ray and/or ultrasound, podiatrists combine traditional therapeutic techniques with modern-day medicine to help maximize equine performance and quality of life. Contact Canopy Equine for further inquiry on how we can help bring comfort to your horse! Visit Canopyequinevet.com or call (352)234-3034.

08/13/2023

Come out this Saturday and join the fun!!

08/11/2023

Have you ever thought about the hoof in terms of its blood supply?!

The “Velcro-like” organ called the lamina attaches the coffin bone to the hard hoof capsule with such strength that it consumes more glucose than the brain of the horse itself!! 👀👀

Its metabolic activity is very high, which is why this organ is so sensitive to systemic diseases such a fever, placentitis, or colitis. 👩🏻‍⚕️🥼🩺

These images are part of a X-Ray study called a venogram which is used by veterinarians to assess the status of the blood supply to the foot. It is most commonly used to help determine prognosis for laminitis but has also been used for the diagnosis of things like tumors and bones diseases of the foot. 🩻

Only one of these images in this series is “normal “…can you guess which one?!

07/23/2023

THE CLUB FOOT or contractural deformity of the digit is a result of a tight deep digital flexor tendon. We will categorize them as either congenital or acquired depending on the age of onset. We often see them as a result of over conditioning (rapid and excessive growth) in foals between 2-8 months of life but it can also be a result of foot pain (acquired). Functionally these limbs tend to be shorter than the opposing limb which makes management and treatment multi factorial.

Here are some examples CEVP has managed in the past. The best time to have these foals and young ones evaluated is around weaning or before!

As the horse ages into their first years of life, the application of toe extensions or spring shoes can be rewarding! In more severe cases, surgery is elected.
Club feet often experience abnormal wear of the hoof capsule and tend to predispose adult horses to things like white line disease and foot pain as a result of excessive wear.

Call CEVP if you have any concerns about your horse’s risk of this condition!

07/16/2023

Laminitis and subsequent rotation of the coffin bone is a horse owner’s nightmare: it’s life threatening, expensive to treat, and at its worst, untreatable.
At we treat each case with four basic tenants:

1) Identify and halt the cause of inflammation and failure of the lamina.

2) Apply therapeutic footwear to alleviate strain on the effected parts of the hoof capsule.

3) Medical management of inflammation, pain, and systemic imbalances.

4) Rest and supportive care.

It’s a team effort that requires the dedication of all parties involved and many of these cases are successfully treated!
For those horse owners and caretakers helping their equines through this challenging disease, thank you for your dedication and hard work!!

05/17/2023

Springtime foaling season is a busy season for all horse doctors and professionals , including podiatrists! Once they are born and their overall health is examined by a veterinarian, a close eye is kept on their limb conformation and position. Close and frequent monitoring of their legs is best done by a veterinarian or experienced foal manager. Here are photos of 2023 babies that needed some limb support in the form of extensions, braces, and expert bandaging. With so many things that can go awry with these leggy creatures, it’s a real gift when the healthy ones come our way!!

03/16/2023

03/01/2023

This middle aged show jumping school horse was returned from a lease unable to lift either front feet due to severe pain from laminitis. He had undiagnosed Cushing’s disease and suffered from an acute episode of laminitis that was heightened by stress from long distance travel in the middle of the Florida summer heat.
A bilateral venogram confirmed both the presence of rotation and medial sinking and he was given a guarded prognosis. Therapeutic farriery, stall rest, and medical management of his Cushing’s disease were started last October. Over the next several months his comfort continued to improve, despite coronary band separation on the front and inside of his hoof capsule.
His continued improvement radiographically and clinically allowing him to be shod in rocker steel shoes with pads in January and is now back under saddle tack walking. His dedicated owner has goals of trail riding in the second half of this year and it looks like nothing is standing in the way of that goal now! Great job Forest!

01/13/2023

Shoeing horses and working on horse feet is HARD WORK physically and mentally. The physical wear on the human body adds up! Notice the way your farrier steps out of the truck, or the way they get under the first horse of the day…you bet they have stories for every hitch in their giddy up.

Show your farrier how much you appreciate their dedication to your horses’ welfare with an unexpected tip, box of sweets, or delicious warm beverage!
A simple act of kindness goes a long way on a cold day!

01/08/2023

Huge shoutout to the Florida State Farrier’s Association for putting on an unforgettable forging contest and event…what a blast of a weekend!

So many people to thank for the coordination and effort it took to put on a shoe building and shoeing contest, Blacksmith Buddies event, round table discussion, banquet, and live auction. Thank you!❤️❤️❤️

🔨To judges Sam and Kate Gooding for setting the standards and passing along some timeless wisdom and advice. Almost 10 years after working for Sam, it was very special to have his continued input on my work. ⚒️

🐎I competed in 3 classes for Division 2 and qualified in the top 3 for the live shoeing. The live shoeing consisted of a pair of hind feet, quarter clipped and plain stamped. With 90 seconds left, I clinched both hinds and finished which was my goal since I am out of forging-shape!

🚨Despite getting in an auto accident and having my truck towed away, my spirits were still high with all the support from the crew. Shoutout to TJ Steele and for helping get back on the road on this coming Monday. 🤞🤞
Thanks again to the Florida State Farrier’s Association!!!