Balanced-Step Equine Services

19/02/2022

Should Be A Must Watch For All Equine Owners & Professionals

You may need to sign up, but it's free.....

https://thehorse.com/155327/is-the-hoof-smart-adaptability-of-the-equine-foot/

Dr. Debra Taylor describes the visual exam of a healthy hoof and how horses' feet can change in response to external factors. Watch now!

19/02/2022

What A Truly Healthy Sole & Frog Look Like

Icelandic, about 5 months on a correctly formulated balancer before and after (during the wet season), never treated topically, 5 week trim cycle .

Horse was able to handle 2"+ rocks after under saddle after.....

19/02/2022

The Importance/Benefits Of Correct Diet Balancing For The Whole Body

QUOTE:
Copper supports enzymes that form the strengthening cross-links between collagen and elastin molecules in connective tissue. Deficiencies lead to abnormalities in bone, cartilage, tendons, ligaments, and arterial walls among the most dramatic consequences. In horses, copper deficiency has been linked to uterine artery rupture in mares, a fatal complication of labor. Copper deficiency is known to cause developmental bone disease in foals. From research in other animals we also know that copper deficiency has adverse effects in hair quality. Although it hasn't been studied in horses, remember that the ingredients and growth mechanisms for hair and the hoof are virtually identical.

Zinc performs a host of functions in the body. Structures on proteins called zinc fingers allow them to bind to DNA. Zinc fingers also influence the folding and structure of proteins. In enzyme systems, zinc is essential for pigment formation, antioxidant function, transport of carbon dioxide in the blood, bone building and remodeling, insulin production and release among others." Eleanor Kellon, VMD

During this course, when I looked back at my pasture and hay analysis from the past, it became clear that the lack of copper and zinc were the least of my problems. In my area, the grass, hay, water (and even the mineral blocks I was recommending) consistently have extremely high levels of iron.

"Excess iron cancels the absorption of copper and zinc- even if there is an "adequate" amount of those minerals available. Excess iron has many effects, including predisposition to infection, a predisposition to arthritis and increased risk of tendon/ligament problems, liver disease and altered glucose metabolism, including insulin resistance and overt diabetes." Eleanor Kellon, VMD

High body iron levels drive insulin resistance, and vice versa. This may explain why the high sugar content of the grass had an exaggerated effect on the horses living on the high-iron pastures and water sources. I was first called to each of these facilities because of acute and/or chronic laminitis, and the problems persisted even with grazing muzzles or dirt paddocks with hay (from the same region). Now I understand why.

https://www.hoofrehab.com/Diet.html

The very best hoof care can only go so far. We must properly feed our hooves if we want the best out of the horse and we must properly feed our horse if we want the best out of our hooves. Over the years I noticed that no shoeing or trim mechanics could grow healthy walls, laminae, soles or frogs on...

19/02/2022

How Hooves Show What They Want To Grow

For about 1 cm under the hairline. If that angle cannot be maintained all the way to the ground the horn/tissue is usually nutritionally too weak to resist normal loading stress so it distorts more easily from load. It is like pushing wet clay versus kiln fired clay.

When the horse get the nutrition needed to forge strong, healthy hooves, the toe wall and heel angle will match or be very close to matching

19/02/2022

Balanced Nutrition Is THE Foundation For Healthy Hooves

You cannot trim your way out of nutritional imbalances. It merely mitigates it.

Example, TB hooves about 4 months on a correctly formulated balancer, coming out of shoes, 5 week trim cycle and another TB hoof for about 2 months on the same balancer - improved grow out on top

19/02/2022

Same Horse related to Fjord Founder Rehab Case study (FB would not let me add the video to original post)

Horse moving after trim in mid January 2022

19/02/2022

Fjord Founder Rehab Case Study
(Original post on Balanced-Step.Com Jan 18, 2022)

This mare had her first laminitis attack about 4 years ago per owner. She's now 22 years old. I met her for the first time last year in August. She was laying down a lot, usually a warning sign for chronic laminitis
I suggested to the owner to start her on the Super Chaste Berry liquid while we sorted this out. They accidentally ordered the Hilton Herb Vitex Gold Plus instead and within 2 week, no exaggeration, the mare was trotting around again, plus she was only getting it like every other day!
Then in late October she was laying more down again and I thought the product was no longer working as well. Seemed like the right front was most affected and thought maybe an abscess was brewing. Put a padded boot on and she started to walk better and continued to improve again to the previous level.
Unbeknownst to me, the owner had ordered the product I initially recommended and that had caused the setback, because she recovered once again when switched back to the Hilton Herbs vitex product and we have not looked back since.
The previous farrier only showed up like 4 times a year and did not seem to ever have given any recommendations to help her improve (vet, blood work, meds, etc.). The right hind was the worst affected, which I had never seen before. It looked more like a foundered front hoof. The toe was literally curving up (laminar wedge about 3 cm), with high heels. Next worse affected was the right front (laminar wedge about 2 cm), the left hooves were in much better shape (laminar wedge about 1 cm ).
This is what it looked like yesterday. The improved grow out with the tighter wall represents the time she's been getting the herbal supplement. Otherwise she was fed just mixed grass hay. She's also been getting a correctly formulated balancer since early Dec, but that's been not long enough to show up on the hoof capsule.
Trim on right hind yesterday primarily focused on the laminar wedge, and balancing heels. She's had trim every 5 -6 weeks since August of last year. Pic shows before and after trim yesterday. Both hooves on the right side also show what looks like an abscess blowout at hairline. However, she's never shown any lameness that could have been related to this and it must have been recent, because it is still so close to the hairline.
Also attached a video of her moving yesterday after the trim - sorry, not the best quality as I was by myself. Will try and get a better one. The snow was also making it more difficult to get more consistent hoof pics from the same angle.
This mare was also tested for iron over load and her levels are high.

19/02/2022

Correcting Hoof Imbalances