**Hoof Education Series - What Do You See? **
I can't wait to hear your feedback about this hoof! The first two photos were taken on the 21st of July. The last two were taken today, August 11th.
What do you think is going on? Why is it happening? It's this foot heading in the right or wrong direction? Could a foot like this be comfy for the horse to stand and walk on?
This is a safe place to comment and ask questions. We are her to learn how to be awesome stewards of our horses!
In a couple days I'll give you the details about what's happening with this foot. I'll also answer your questions.
If you need one-on-one help or advice with your horse, I'm here to help.
Visit my website for more info. Check out my upcoming event too, Equine Emotions Webinar . What do feet have to do with emotional state? A LOT!
Everything is connected...
Purejoyhorsemanship.com
Check out
Purejoyhorsehaven.org too, our non-profit profit dedicated to improving the lives of horses and humans.
It's so joyful and rewarding to be greeted by my students when I arrive at a farm call, even when they try to eat my hair! 😂🧡
You might see some white flakey material come off the bottom of your horse's hoof. The more you dig with the hoof pick, the more comes off.
First, don't panic. Your horse's hoof isn't falling apart. What's happening is a purely natural process called exfoliation.
As your horse's sole lays down new healthy tissue, old tissue dies and crumbles away.
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#horsehooves #horsehoof #hoofcare #laminitis #healthyhorse #horserehab #healthyhorse #horsewelfare #hoofrehab #equinenutrition #barefoothoofcare #equinewellness #equinehoofcare #healthyhorse #happyhorses #horsehelp #healthyhooves
Giving your horse food puzzles is a fun and easy way to engage your horse's brain and bring joy to their day!
Purejoyhorsemanship.com
**Hoof Education Series - What Do You See?**
Here's my follow up to the most recent post in the series. It's a caudal, rear, view of a hoof I was asked to evaluate.
You all did a great job of sharing what you saw going on with this hoof. Thank you for participating! We are ALL learning and I am eternally grateful to each and every one of you for commenting and viewing these posts.
Whether you're new to assessing feet, or an old pro, it's not always easy to see what's going on. Sometimes there's SO much going on its hard to focus on one thing. With some feet, the issues may be subtle and they may "not look too bad, " but are still creating devestating consequences for the horse.
I'm hoping by marking up this foot it'll be easier to see the degree of distortion that's occurring. I took before and after trim of this horse's pelvis in motion that I found particularly stunning. I'll get that posted asap.
My comments are in the photo captions.
Keep up the commitment to improving your horse's lives from the ground up.
Purejoyhorsemanship.com
#happyhorses #welfarecenteredhorsemanship
#horsehelp #barefoothoofcare #equinewellness #horsehooves #hoofcare #equinenutritionconsultant #equinehealth #equineeducation #horsecaretips #horsewisdom #naturalhorsecare
Hot weather is hard on horses, but we can help them get through crazy temps more easily with a few simple additions to their living space. It's also important to give them a complete diet with loose white salt added to their daily buckets to keep their bodies healthy. White salt blocks should be available too, but they don't provide enough sodium chloride to keep your horse's needs satisfied.
Dale Rudin - Certified Equine Nutritionist and Founder of Pure Joy Horse Haven Equine Sanctuary
Purejoyhorsehaven.org
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#welfarecenteredhorsemanship #happyhorses #horsehelp #equinenutritionconsultant #equinehealth #equinewellness #equinewelfare #horsewelfare #horsehealth #horsewisdom #horsecare
Pure Joy Horse Haven Tip of the Day
Should I Ride in Hot Weather?
Horses are naturally challenged when the mercury rises because their inherent mass both generates a lot of heat and holds it within the body.
While they have effective physiologic mechanisms that allow them to thermoregulate, such as sweating to cool the body and panting to release heated air from their lungs, their ability to maintain a healthy body temperature decreased when the ambient temperature increases. When you add humidity to the equation, the cooling process is severely impeded.
Adding the stress of exercise, which elevates heat rate and muscle-generated heat, your horse's internal temperature rises and can reach dangerous levels very quickly.
Riding or working your horse in the cooler morning hours, or after the sun goes down, will reduce the potential for heat stress-related injury.
Make sure your horse's diet is complete to maintain tissue and covers all electrolyte needs. Salt is the most deficient and easily lost electrolyte and should be provided twice daily in your horse's feed
- Dale Rudin Certified Equine Nutritionist
#happyhorses #horsewelfare #equinenutritionconsultant #horsehealth #horsetrainingtips #horseriding #horsemanship #horsewisdom #welfarecenteredhorsemanship #equinenutrition #equinecare #horsecaretips
FLIES are the WORST when it comes to your horse's comfort. Flies literally eat your horse ALIVE! What makes flies an even bigger problem for your horse is when he our she has a wound, right?!
Wouldn't it be great to have a wound care product with ZERO toxic chemicals that WORKS?!
Introducing Magic Hoof Mudd! It is exactly what you and your horse need to deal with scratches, cuts, abrasions, and anything other skin damage or irritation, while creating an effective layer of protection against nasty BUGS!
Watch the video to see how effective it is and easy to use!
Want to know more?
Visit Purejoyhorsemanship.com/shop- for more info and purchase.
#horse #horsehelp #healthyhorse #horsewelfare #equinewellness #horsehealth #naturalhorsecare #horsewisdom #equinewelfare #horsecare #equinecare #horseskin #horseskincare #horseflyprotection #horsefly #horsesanctuary
**Hoof Education Series - What Do You See?? **The Assessment**
Hi fans of happy healthy horses!
When I look at this foot, the first thing I see is asymmetry in the entirety of the hoof capsule. Remember the hoof is MEANT to deform in response to ground forces and downward pressure coming from above.
The deformation mechanism allows the foot to distribute force energy and adapt to the environment.
When the foot is trimmed in a way that disrupts healthy mechanics of the hoof, it results in asymmetry, dispropotion, and dysfunction of the hoof. This impacts the entire body of the horse as well.
A healthy hoof distributes forces evenly and effectively, and reduces the impact on the internal hoof structures an and the tendons, ligaments, muscles, and joints above the hoof.
With proper trimming, this hoof is capable of deforming back into its intended shape with good function.
The heels are excessively long and too far forward relative to the back of the hoof. They should provide a balanced stable landing beneath the center of the leg. Check out previous What Do You See posts for side views of the outside of hooves that show where heel contact should and should not be.
The heel bulbs are underdeveloped, asymmetric, and contracted. That's why the hoof has a more elongated appearance vs a healthy round shape. The ratio from front to back at the widest part of the hoof should be 50/50.
The walls are definitely thin, which means they aren't properly supporting the underlying structures. There's separation at the white line on the right side of the photo between the heel and toe which tells us there's a problem with the connection between hoof wall, laminae, and coffin bone.
A hoof like this causes real problems for the horse. It is not cosmetic.
Purejoyhorsemanship.com
#horserehab #hoofcare #equinenutritionconsultant #healthyhooves #barefoothoofcare #horsesinpain #healthyhorse #laminitis #welfarecenteredhorsemanship #horserehab #horsetrainingtips #h
'm doing my best to teach horse owners everywhere how to assess their horses hooves. Why? Because so many farriers get it wrong. Ib wish it wasn't true, but it is. I started trimming my own horse's feet, because my farrier got it wrong too! I didn't even know for a very long time! That's why I'm running a series on my page, Pure Joy Horse Haven, so you can get the information you need to make informed decisions about your horse's feet. In this reel, i have two hooves for you to compare. These feet are particularly tricky (especially the first one hint- hint)
Can you answer these questions? 1. Which foot is healthier overall? 2. Do you think either of these hooves could be sound or painful? Share your comments! This is a safe place.
Go to my page to see my post with my assessment and more info about this horse's feet. Have fun with it!
Let's learn!
If you need help with your horse, reach out!
Purejoyhorsemanship.com
Purejoyhorsehaven.org
#equinenutritionconsultant #welfarecenteredhorsemanship #barefoothoofcare #hoofrehab #horsesinpain #laminitis #healthyhorse #horserehab #horsehealth #horsehoof #hoofcare #healthyhooves #horseproblems #horsemanship #happyhorses #horsehelp #problemhorse #equine #equineeducation
Fear and anxiety is horses is real. However, it's often misunderstood, punished, or completely ignored.
Your host, equine behavior expert, Dale Rudin, will explain what's going on in your horse's brain when fear takes over and how to deal with an anxious or nervous horse.
Register at
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Visit our non-profit
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#happyhorses #horserehab #equine #equinewelfare #horsetrainingtips #horsebehavior #horsehelp #horse #horsemanship #horsewisdom #equinewelfare #horsetraining #naturalhorsemanship #equine #equineeducation #equineemotions #equinewellness #problemhorse #horseproblems #welfarecenteredhorsemanship
**New "What Do You See?" Hoof Education Series**
Check out my new hoof education series on my page, Pure Joy Horse Haven.
I'm posting photos of hooves to help us learn more about hoof health and function. We need to know how to identify issues our horses may be suffering from.
I invite you to share what issues you can spot. There are no wrong answers! We are here to learn!! If you see something positive you like about the hoof, please mention that too.
Voice your thoughts, opinion, and questions. There is no judgment here. There is great appreciation for your participation and desire to learn!
A couple of days after each post, I will share my observations and other info about the hoof. You can find my comments on the photo captions.
Join in and hone your hoof-observation skills! Become better educated about how your horse's hoof works and how imbalance, dispropotion, and distortions affect your horse's comfort and systemic wellbeing.
To learn more about what I do, and check out the range of educational and consulting services I offer, visit:
Purejoyhorsemanship.com.
Pure Joy Horse Haven is a non-profit organization dedicated to improvement in all areas of equine welfare.
Purejoyhorsehaven.org
Thanks for visiting!
Dale Rudin
Certified Equine Nutritionist
Welfare-centered Trainer
Certified Riding Instructor
Behavior and Physical Rehabilitation Specialist
Barefoot Trimmer
#welfarecenteredhorsemanship #positivehorsemanship #horserehab #horsetrainingtips #healthyhorse #happyhorses #equinewellness #horsehealth #hoof #hoofcare #barefoothoofcare #horsesinpain #laminitis #hoofrehab #equinenutritionconsultant
Pure Joy Horse Haven Tip of the Day
What's Hoof Wall and What Does It Do?
And... WHY is it SO important?
If you want to protect the contents of a box, would you make the box out of paper, cardboard, or wood?
The function of the hoof wall definitely protects the interior parts of the hoof, but it also SUPPORTS them.
The stuff in the box, adheres to the inner wall of the box. What's inside the box, is bearing the weight of your entire horse.
So, what do you want that stuff, the laminae and coffin bone, attached to? Paper, cardboard, or wood?
These photos show both - strong ridged hoof walls and weak paper-thin hoof walls. The horses with the strong walls are sound. The horses with weak walls are painful.
The thinning of the hoof walls is MAN- MADE and devestating to the structural integrity of your horse's hooves. That impacts the long and short term health of the feet and entire body, because the foot isn't correctly functioning as a mechanism of support.
In case you're wondering, shoes are not a solution - far from it.
I want each and every one of you to pick up your horse's feet and look at their hoof wall, particularly at the toe. If you're willing, take a pic and share with us.
We need to take an interest and responsibility in our horse's care. Like I said, the damage done to these feet is farrier ignorance. Being a professional does not make anyone infallible.
If you'd rather not post, but have questions, pm me.
Make sure you read the photo captions. The healthy walls are of horses in my care whose feet that I have been rehabilitating. I'm just getting started on the thin walled horses.
I'm always happy to help.
Please share.
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#horse #equine #equinenutritionconsultant #equinewelfare #equinewellness #horsehooves #horsehoof #barefoothoofcare #horsesinpain #hoofcare #healthyhooves #welfarecenteredhorsemanship #horserehab #horsenutrition #laminitis
Why is This Horse, Who's Been on a Grass Restricted Diet for YEARS, Grazing Happily on Fresh Spring GreenThis Morning?
If you're interested in learning more, contact me about my integrated approach to Equine Nutrition.
Dale Rudin - Certified Equine Nutritionist and Equine Rehabilitation Specialist
Purejoyhorsemanship.com
Pure Joy Horse Haven Tip of the Day.
This horse's feet were most definitely in need of a trim. The good news is he was sound. His hoof walls and heels grew at pretty much the same rate so even though they were long, his feet generally maintained properly balance. The not good news is that the ground and weight forces caused the foot to distort and his gait, therefore his entire body, has to compensate for the excess material. in his hoof. He also had some stretching at the toe on the white line (laminae) which can be old or recent. I'm guessing old because he's not showing any signs of pain. The rest of lamellar connection is wonderfully tight and strong. Once his trim was complete, he was still quite sound. His soles are hard and deep. He's got a seriously thick hoof wall - the dark and light lines at the outer edge of the hoof. That means the internal structures are well supported. Despite being too long for too long, this hoof is in pretty good shape and the horse is comfortable for two reasons. He's been on a proper diet and his feet were relatively balanced before getting so long.
For more information about what it takes to create and maintain a healthy hoof, equine nutrition, and other equine welfare topics, contact us at:
Purejoyhorsemanship.com
Purejoyhorsehaven.org
#horsetrainingtips #compassionatehorsemanship #barefoothoofcare #healthyhorse #equinenutrition #equinenutritionconsultant #equinewelfare #equinecare #horsehelp #horserehab #hoofcare #healthyhooves #horsehoof #happyhorses
#horse #funnyhorse #horsefun #equine #equinelove #equinebehavior #happyhorses #horsebehavior
Training Haven Horse, Zena, a cooperative leg lift at liberty using positive reinforcement. #shorts
This is Hanna and Zena's FIRST leg lift practice together! They are rocking it!
The rewarding part is seeing this beautiful horse offer her leg after being very traumatized by the farrier and humans in general. She used to panic and throw herself on the ground when you lifted her feet. :(
I'm helping Hanna find her timing. It isn't easy but it's important to mark at the right moment so we're reinforcing the behavior we want.
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Purejoyhorsehaven.org
#equine #horsebehavior #horsebehavior #hoofcare #happyhorses #positivehorsemanship #welfarecenteredhorsemanship #compassionatehorsetraining #compassionatehorsemanship #horsetrainingtips #clickertraininghorses #horsemanship #horsewisdom #horserehab #equinesanctuary #horsetraining #shorts
When we focus on creating a healthy, balanced, receptive emotional state, we optimize our horse's ability to learn. We also improve welfare and create cooperation. In this space a deep bond will naturally develop.
Learn more at Purejoyhorsemanship.com. If you're in the Tennessee area in March 9th,, join us for our Equine Emotions Clinic. Info is on our website.
#horse #horsetrainingtips #horsemanship #happyhorses #horsehelp #equinewelfare #horsetraining #horsetrainer #compassionatehorsemanship #equinelove #welfarecenteredhorsemanship #equineclinic #equineeducation #equineemotions
Pure Joy Horse Haven Tip of the Day
What Do You Do if Your Horse Has Ulcers?
Ulcers are eroded areas in the lining of your gut. They can occur in the stomach and colon. They are very very common in horses.
Ulcer causes are:
Diet
Emotional Distress
Pain
Travel
Work
Lack of Movement
Weather
Insufficient Availability of Forage
You may suspect your horse has ulcers when they have a change in demeanor, they don't want to be caught, avoiding lifting feet, kick, bite, react to being girthed, keep their ears turned back, go off their feed, become anti-social with herd mates, weight loss, and being overly excited or depressed.
How do you treat ulcers? There are ulcer meds but they only treat the ulcer. They also don't do anything to address the cause of the ulcer and there's some controversy about using them.
As a CEN Certified Equine Nutritionist, making sure the gut is healthy and functioning optimally is as important as providing the right nutrients.
Nutrition means nothing if the body can't absorb it. Besides, who wants a miserable horse?
If you suspect your horse has ulcers, or you want to learn how to prevent them, set up an Equine Nutrition Consultation with me today!
I can help your horse feel, behave, and look better.
Reach out to me anytime.
Purejoyhorsemanship.com
#horse #horsetrainingtips #horsemanship #happyhorses #horsehelp #horserehab #horsehealth #equinewelfare #equinewellness #equine #equinebehavior #horsebehavior #hoofcare #equinenutritionconsultant #equinecare #equinenutrition #horsenutrition
