If I come to work on your horse myself expect funny videos or selfies to be taken. You have been warned.
Before and after gait analysis HoofBeat unit on this horse who had back surgery a few weeks ago. This will help us track her progress as she heals and helps us best support her feet.
We have gotten to see some amazing analysis with the HoofBeat within the last 2 weeks of using it on some of the horses we work on!
If you are interested in a gait analysis please let me know! Barefoot or shod, before and after hoofcare to see changes.
What are some of the things the sensors/accelerometers/gyroscopes pick up?
Hoof angles
Stride length
Height of stride
Landing phase
Breakover
How long each foot is in stride or on the ground
Comparisons between fronts and hinds
Conformational asymmetries
Swing phase
Center of rotation analysis
Things we can look at include movement animations, timing of stride, flight path of feet all at the walk and trot.
Update time!
As the seasons change and we are all coming out of our seasonal depression, the warm weather warms us all.
Horses are coming back from the south over the next month or so, first horse shows are weeks away.
Farriers are starting to get busier, horses are being ridden more. Hoofcare needs are changing. We are on the brink of removing winter shoes (more snow Saturday…) horses who were barefoot are starting to have a need for some performance hoofcare (and man do we have cool options!)
With all these amazing changes it brings us to mud season. Please have towels (no I don’t drag along the same dirty towel all day to spread crud) to wipe legs down. Please don’t hose or wash their legs unless you can completely dry them for hours before we arrive. I would rather be dirty than wet on a spring day.
Please start really looking for thrush, and it’s always helpful to do some preventative work on the feet such as using things like Equine One and field paste to get ahead of any thrush that might results from mud season before we can scrape paddocks once it’s drier.
Farriers are about to do their marathon season, please don’t mind us if we are a little late, hangry and dehydrated, we probably scarfed down a burger and have heartburn too 😂
Heck, I’m still catching up from the last few storms that made for some difficult rescheduling, always hard to push 2 days worth of work into an already full schedule. Made for a few weekend work days. I’m on my 12th day of work without a rest day. Powering thru and catching up!
Check out this video of these soundhorse glue on shoes, I currently have about 10 horses in these glue on shoes. It’s an indirect glue on shoe that uses a Kevlar cuff that we bond to the wall. It has a soft blue cushion that the horse stands on. It can have a pad or pour in added. One of the best things about this type of glue on shoe is, once it’s on and in place, we can plastic wrap it and have them stand to
This is how well any horse should stand for the farrier. Where I place the foot is my job, the horse’s jon is to keep it there. She is on cross ties (which is simply just a suggestion to this sized dragon) because there was another horse harnessing up nearby so without someone to be my Ref, it was simple just to connect her.
Nice, calm, easy, doesn’t pull feet or lean. This is what the goal should be for any sized horse from minis on up to the big gals like this draft.
When I first bet this beast, she was exactly that. She would lean, refuse to lift, pull back or throw her weight onto me. With some guidance and effort and clear support and directions, she learned fast that it’s easy to have the job of standing still!
Good job mare!!!!
A tool and a skill everyone needs!
How to pull a shoe with a pair of Crease Nail Pullers:
pick up the foot, clean it, take puller and grab the head of the nail and rock forward towards the toe, and pull the nail out. Leverage is your friend here along with a good grip on the nail head.
I did not cut or rasp the clinches off the wall, just pulled each one out.
It’s always a good idea to have a set of crease nail pullers in the instance you need to remove a shoe, especially clipped shoes if they are loose or they spring it, we don’t want them stepping on the clip if the shoe is loose.
Every barn that has shod horses needs this tool, better be prepared and not need it than not have it! Anytime you want to brush up on your shoe pulling skills just let me know!
(these are Lopez crease nail pullers which can be purchased at Meader Supply)
I think I am liking the Buffy!
I love watching slow motion videos of horses moving!! What do you see with this horses stride?
We can learn a lot on the comfort of horses after a trim especially one that has foundered and has some issues with his bone column and hoof capsule from past neglect. Watching a slow motion video we can see Jim exhibit a bit of comfort and exuberance within his stride on the second trim I have done on him. Hehehe minis are funny fluffy things!
Thanks Fritz for being a good baby sitter!!
