Hoof Roots

11/28/2022

Eek giving Tuesday starts today at 5 pm and then runs for 30 hours. We will post our link to give later today!

02/02/2020

http://www.PremierEquestrian.com Proper arena footing is important. Poor arena footing can cause serious injury as well as affect the performance of your equ...

12/24/2019

I will be offering another Christmas sale on the 8 day Certification class package. Currently when this package is purchased you get 150.00 discount from the full price of the classes. Now from today until Christmas day if you buy an 8 day package you will receive another 10% off the discount price for another 140.00 savings. On top of that you will be entered in the drawings to win prizes! Looking forward to working with all the new horse lovers!!

12/20/2019

Ringbone

The leg on the right shows a horse with high ringbone, whereas the left shows a normal leg. Amazing to see the difference.

12/11/2019

I’m writing this in response to my previous post about a healthy bare hoof vs. how a hoof must be trimmed for the application of nailed-on shoes.

I got a lot of feedback in the form of “why do you hate shoes?” “It’s whatever the horse needs” “that shoe is bent, of course it won’t fit that horses hoof!” Etc.

No I do not hate farriers, or shoes. I don’t have some hidden anti-steel agenda. No I don’t think every horse should just have his shoes ripped off without any further to-do. And yes that shoe was slightly bent! BUT THAT WASN’T THE POINT!

As a physical therapist my specialty is biomechanics. My treatments center around improving biomechanics to alleviate pain and improve function.

So when I see something altering those biomechanics in a negative way (hello metal shoes!) that’s when I start to SUGGEST other options.

I had my horse in metal shoes for years. I don’t think anyone who puts shoes on their horse is a bad person, the whole reason they put shoes on is because they think that’s what needs to happen to help their horse!

But here’s why metal is an issue:

Metal doesn’t move. It’s rigid. The hoof capsule is designed to expand and contract as the horse moves. In metal shoes, the back half of the foot cannot function properly. The soft tissue structures (frog, digital cushion, and lateral cartilages) that are designed to take impact and dissipate those forces are instead held out of contact with the ground and are unable to move normally due to constriction by a rigid object.

No, I do not advocate for just taking shoes off. Most horses need a transition period between metal shoes and life barefoot that requires skilled trimming and often booting or glue on flexible shoeing for comfort.

Metal shoes keep horses sound because they are a band-aid type of fix. They hold painful structures off the ground, so the horse feels better. Then those structures continue to atrophy and the horse needs more and more “advanced” shoeing options over the years.

If you don’t have access to or finances to hire a skilled barefoot trimmer, or the desire to make some significant nutrition and lifestyle changes, please leave the shoes on! I’d rather the horse be sound in metal than lame barefoot any day.

That’s all for now! No more room to type!

07/09/2019

😂😂

06/25/2019

How Much Salt is Too Much?

WOW! The ‘cresty neck’ post generated an exceptional level of interest! With 1200 comments it has become difficult to answer all those harbouring queries. Apologies! Most of them relate to the feeding of salt so this post should take care of those.
On the subject of salt it is important to know that ALL forage is virtually devoid of sodium as plants, having no mechanism for movement have zero requirement for it, whereas for mammals it is key to the operation of not only the brain, but the nerves and muscles which enable movement.

Sodium is also key to fluid balances. It has to be kept at a certain concentration in the body fluids. The body is equipped with sophisticated homeostatic mechanisms to ensure this. If insufficient sodium is present then the thirst response is not triggered and the horse will drink less and p*e less. When you supply salt the thirst response means he will drink more water.
For more information on this subject copy & paste “There is a Lot to Know About Salt & Horses” in the ‘search’ function on this page.

Which salt is best to use?
Sea-salt is good as is Himalayan salt. There are many options so long as it is plain ‘sodium chloride’ as in 'Table Salt'. (Some people prefer not to feed the free flowing salt that is ‘table salt’ because it contains anti-caking agents)
Table salt may also have added Iodine. If you are feeding Premium or Premium MVA your horses iodine requirements will already be met. If your supplement does not contain iodine your horse will not be getting enough iodine from iodized salt.

What about Epsom Salts?
This is ‘magnesium sulphate’ not ‘sodium chloride’. Some minerals are referred to as ‘salts’ which can be confusing. The salt your horse needs is ‘sodium chloride’.

What about salt licks?
After corresponding with Dr Thomas Swerczek DVM PhD (an eminent veterinarian from Kentucky who was involved in Mare Reproductive Loss Syndrome back in 2001) we took his advice and began adding salt to feeds rather than relying on a salt lick. Horses don’t lick enough from salt licks as they have a smooth tongue and they don’t necessarily ‘know’ how much they need. Being so vital it is advisable to add it to feeds.

How much salt?

It represents a serious metabolic challenge for any horse to be deficient in salt.
All nutrients need to be fed in quantities that the body can regulate, neither too little nor too much.
Based on information from Dr Swerczek we have always recommended 10gms per 100kgs BW. This works out at 50gms per day for a 500kg horse (or a tablespoon per feed 2 x day).
If you are feeding feeds which already contain salt (check back labels) then add the amounts of sodium plus chloride to get total salt content and deduct that from the above.

It is very important for horses in any ‘sweat generating work’ or for those enduring hot climatic conditions that they start out with adequate sodium in their system so they are appropriately hydrated. When their sodium levels are depleted then losing even more in sweat can result in serious life-threatening metabolic problems.
Obviously clean, fresh drinking water needs to be available at all times.

How much salt is too much?

It is far preferable to supply a little in excess of bare minimum requirements than to have horses spend their life depleted and suffer the long list of issues that chronic deficiency causes.
Too little salt concurrent with high potassium and nitrates is particularly problematic especially when it comes to issues like laminitis, head-shaking/flicking and reproductive problems with pregnant mares. (Look out for a post coming up!)

NRC Requirements are between 25gms to just over 100gms per day for a 500kg horse depending on the horses breeding status and workload.
The maximum tolerable level is ‘6% of intake’ or 600gms for a 500kg horse consuming 10kgs of forage/feed. Horses won’t consume anywhere near that amount. A tablespoon per feed is a good, palatable amount

06/21/2019

Grass sugar content fluctuates with the time of day, season, and weather. Timing pasture access for horses with EMS, IR, or a history of laminitis can help prevent serious problems.

06/20/2019

Sale Barn donkey, no one knows how long it has been since her feet were trimmed. She walked off a happy donkey☺️♥️

06/20/2019

What a beautiful hoof♥️

06/15/2019

06/05/2019

06/05/2019

I’ve never moved faster 👋🏼

05/29/2019

📌Tips for Posting in Hoofcare Groups📌

I regularly see people criticized or straight up attacked for their pictures + questions shared in hoofcare groups. It's a lot to handle as a professional + I can't imagine how owners who are just learning about feet feel.

So here are some tips if you're going to be brave + post online for advice!

📍Watch out for the crazy people. Excess punctuation. ALL CAPS. Shaming language. Attacks on your character or intelligence or horsemanship or husbandry. Ignore these ones.

📍If you want serious advice, post details. Case history, diet, concerns, and clear hoof pictures. See image posted for correct angles and views to share.

📍Be prepared for unsolicited advice. If you can stick it out, you can wade through to find the answers you're looking for.

📍It is impossible to give the best trimming advice online/based on pictures. You can get some good suggestions, but your best bet is to find someone in your area who is talented + dedicated to their craft.

📍It's normal to feel overwhelmed, especially if you're exploring the barefoot word for the first time. There are a lot of voices and some of them are rude and overbearing. Keep reading + keep learning, you'll find what works best for you + your horse.

📍Don't feel bad you didn't know something. Online groups are a great place to learn + the best ones don't shame or blame.

📍Take everything you read with a grain of salt. Each horse is unique.

❤Last, don't worry! If you care enough to seek out information on your horse's behalf, they are lucky to have you!❤

05/19/2019

05/14/2019

♥️