Radkin Equine Podiatry

14/03/2025

11/02/2025

5.5 months of progress. Horse shod with slightly rockered Equilibrium shoes & 2° 3D Hoofcare pad with pour underneath

11/02/2025

02/02/2025

02/02/2025

Are short toes dangerous?
Have you ever considered how the foot pitches on soft ground and how that affects tendons and ligaments?

We discussed recently the effects of long toes on increasing the rotational force collapsing the limb and therefore increasing the strain in the flexor structures.

Many people assume from this that short toes are therefore good.
This is not accurate, the correct length of toe is good!
This becomes profound when looking at what happens to the hoof on a soft surface when the weight of the horse comes over it.

If the toe is too short, ground reaction forces will be concentrated on the toe and cause it to sink!! This will increase strain on the suspensory ligament at every step!

Our recent paper defining the point of balance gives us, for the very first time, a quantification of appropriate base proportions (toe length vs heel length of support) to create equilibrium at midstance so that neither the heels or toe sink in. This maintains appropriate load share between the suspensory ligament and the deep digital flexor, superficial digital flexor by maintaining a neutral hoof on a soft surface.
This point has been added to HoofmApp to enable measurement of this in practice!
Read here..

https://www.theequinedocumentalist.com/post/the-quantification-and-definition-of-a-new-hoof-balance-paradigm

Join me for a webinar delving into hoof balance to reduce the risk of fetlock structure injury to learn more!. 6th Feb 2pm London time..

https://equineeducationhub.thinkific.com/courses/farrierypreventfetlockinjury

31/01/2025

Work in progress. This is a 20 year old horse with a history of chronic laminitis with coffin bone resorption. These x-rays are from the first visit at the end of October. Notice the outline of about where the coffin bone should be (prior to resorption). Also notice how the lamellar zone (area between the the dotted blue line and the coffin bone) is of equal thickness proximally and distally indicating that there is no current active laminitis in this area.
The photos and video are from yesterday. This horse is currently sound. He still has a ways to go to get his foot looking like what I want but he has made great progress in only 2 cycles. He's in rockered steel NANRIC shoes and soft urethane pour under leather pads

12/01/2025

A little supervision 😂

29/12/2024

Radkin Equine Podiatry had some volunteers for a day (friends from vet school & my lovely wife) 😎

24/12/2024

15/12/2024

Acute, mild laminitis in a mare. Shod with rockered 4 point rail shoe from and super soft pour in from Glue-U

06/12/2024

29/10/2024

Thanks Mike Stine for having me on your podcast again! We'll be presenting at the SCHC seminar November 9th - details in the photos

https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-equine-dynamics-with-mike-89105963/episode/s10e11-meet-megan-radkin-again-232307838/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oO-JvVzHNrw

20/10/2024

Thank you Stony Rock Farm for organizing this opportunity for me to give back to the community!

14/09/2024

Toe length and base proportions are vital for creating equilibrium, but what does that mean?

There are big debates at the moment on the importance of toe length, some suggesting its not as important as we make out. Some suggesting it doesn't matter in laminitis, others suggesting toe length doesn't matter in locomotion.

But there seems to be a lacking of understanding of the importance of creating correct strain share between the tendons and ligaments of the digit, AND the importance of maintaining a level hoof on soft ground when the weight of the horse moves over the hoof (midstance). Both of these being a state of equilibrium which basically means a state of balance between opposing forces.

This understanding of the physics involved in the digit has relevance in the treatment if laminitis and in every day shoeing and essentially maintaining a healthy digit.

I will be doing an introduction to digit biomechanics, with The study of the equine hoof, where I will look to explain these things in simple and easy terms to allow for everyone to be able to assess the different theories from a more educated place.

3rd October 7pm BST
Get your tickets now...

https://equineeducationhub.thinkific.com/courses/digit-biomechanics-101