Fleet Feet

19/12/2024

Scoot’s latest innovation. This will be a game changer for rehabilitation of sick and damaged hooves.

19/12/2024

Worth considering if you’re a trail rider…

“I don’t need a fancy, professionally fitted saddle, I only hack out and mostly in walk!”

I’m going to quote Dr Ian Bidstrup from a recent webinar he conducted on saddle fit from a specialist spinal vet’s perspective – and for those interested there will be a more in depth look at saddle design next year which will be fascinating.

THE SLOW DEATH

This is the terminology he uses to describe slow rides. Now slow walk is important, super important, when we’re building posture and balance for sure, I’m a big proponent. However, when we consider the pressure under saddles and its effect on the skin and blood flow then we have to think more traditionally and look at the role of the saddle in spreading that pressure.

If you sit on your horse in halt, it’s likely that the pressure under the saddle is already approaching levels that prevent blood flow. I’d have to go and look at a ton of research to try and get down to it but we know it’s not always that easy to get our hand under the front or anywhere else under the saddle, your weight and that of the saddle has to go somewhere!

What happens when we move at a pace that’s faster than walk?

Each part of the back under the saddle is at least partly unloaded at one stage of the stride pattern. In rising trot we shift our weight forward and back in the saddle, from our seatbones to the stirrup bars. In canter the whole saddle rocks a little, and the pressure under the saddle fluctuates and transfers from front to back and back again with each stride. Even sitting trot allows for some relief of pressure under the saddle in all areas within each stride.

Racehorses have pretty grim saddles with teeny areas underneath them, the reason that greater damage isn’t done is because whenever they walk any distance they’re generally going to the gallops where they will get immediate relief from the unrelenting pressure.

Walk does not offer any real alleviation of pressure. A lack of blood flow to the muscle will stop them functioning fully, and may be causing damage to the skin and to the fascia. Fascia are layers of connective tissue that wrap around muscles (you’ve seen it if you’ve prepared or eaten most meats) that are critical to the skeletal and biomechanical health of the horse and obviously the skin is pretty important too!

The long riding experts Be Professional. Look Cool. have also looked at this VERY closely in their work, the effect of saddle pressure on the horse’s back and, for riding long distances daily, back to back, for long periods of time where "mistakes" get hugely magnified. He recommends intervals for dismounting and loosening the girth, and for taking the saddle off. This should be done more than once every day, and that’s WITH doing faster work. Here’s a post of theirs on the subject https://www.facebook.com/beprofessionallookcool/posts/pfbid03369vorLPo4PeMYF49a7V6kp1HYm6qH7ixnywNMqApYvHrPzernmJBD13rCpQpuDyl

Remember, they’re not just poorly designed to carry us and a saddle, the way they function in the wild means that riding them will always compromise them immensely unless we’re super careful about how we load them with weight and how we prepare them to carry that weight.

Give your horse a break – if you’re not doing faster work then your need for a well fitting saddle is just as high, perhaps higher, as those working at supposedly higher levels. Take the fitting of your saddle deadly seriously.

17/12/2024

I can’t believe we are already more than halfway through December! 2024 has flown by and been a bit of a whirlwind, and as it comes to a close I’ve been reflecting a bit.

As a hoofcare provider, my considerations when I come to a horse are all about what choices I can make in order to nudge the foot in the right direction. Whether I take something or I leave something, it’s been a conscious decision with an end goal in mind - the horse’s comfort and a healthier hoof. Sometimes I leave a little more of one part of the foot if I know I’m going to be making a correction on another area that could leave them with less protection. I think about the turn out situation, the diet and feed management, the riding schedule, the horse’s previous injuries or issue that can affect how they move and load their feet, and so much more. With these trim decisions we are working towards a healthier foot, and sometimes that takes time.

“Rome wasn’t built in a day,” and sometimes it can take a few months for us to see improvement as the tighter laminae connection, healthier frog and sole, and better quality wall grows down.

Now that I have my own hoof rehab facility, I see where certain things can help “speed along” this process.

Movement/turn out in a herd with resources separated not only seems to improve the rate of growth, but also the stimulation to the frog and caudal hoof especially. I see these areas bulk up faster than I usually see in horses I work on off property where they may get fewer hours of turn out or less movement.

Various surfaces can make a huge difference, and things like pea gravel can be comfortable for a horse to stand on but also stimulate their internal structures.

Diversity of forages in the equine diet, getting a healthier gut, and balanced minerals alongside tested hay can really improve the quality of the hoof capsule and laminae connection as well, not to mention the frog health and help with resistance to thrush.

And for some tougher cases, bloodwork and diagnostics to investigate things like metabolic concerns (insulin and ACTH levels), any underlying health or immune issues, Lyme disease, PSSM issue, etc, can all help find a missing link in chronic hoof problems and lameness.

And still, when it comes to feet, nothing is a quick fix when we are truly growing in a stronger hoof. It takes about 8-9 months to see that new hoof capsule growth down as a result of a healthier horse and better management. Not only that, but horses I have had on this property for well over a year still seem to continue to improve in terms of hoof quality, sole depth, white line connection, and more. We are just giving the horse what we can to help their body and feet, making good hoofcare choices, and hoping they do the rest.

While I will always advocate to make sure the horse is comfortable where they live and when they work, I will also always advocate that we should continually try to implement those building blocks for the healthiest hoof possible for that individual horse and not just accept “bad feet” as something horses are just “born with.” We can always strive for improvement within a horse’s individual hoof health potential.

Picture of the sweetest boy, Wellington, playing “King of the Mountain” with the pea gravel pile on the boys’ track.

08/12/2024

Just to let you all know, I’m going to be out of the country for Christmas and the whole of January.
I won’t be available for fittings until February 2025, although can still answer online queries.

Thank you all for being wonderful clients, and hope you all have a great Christmas and New Year!

14/11/2024

Have you entered yet?

At Scoot Boots, freedom means everything to us. So, we want to know what freedom means to you! All you have to do is tell us what freedom means to you and your horse in 150 words, and you could win the trip of a lifetime to Tasmania, Australia!

03/11/2024

25/09/2024

Please read this, and consider signing the petition.
"Retired" racehorses deserve better. A thorough, objective vet examination (paid for by the racing industry) would save many horses from years of continued suffering (and save their new owners from years of heartache trying unsuccessfully to rehabilitate them). Some of the injuries they sustain from being raced so young will never get better, and these horses should not be retrained for a new sporting career.

27/07/2024

Charlotte Du Jardin, The Abuse, The Surprise, The Timing, The Implications, The Travesty

A lot happening in equestrian sport this week, so here are some points that might provide some food for thought:

Number One:

Violence against horses in the name of “training” is NEVER ok – This applies whether you are an owner/rider, trainer, vet or any other professional, amateur, professional, Olympian or otherwise.

Number Two:

Is it really surprising? Have the signs not been there, not just with this rider, but with so many others? Do the horses not tell us? Why have so many people not seen or have excused the blue tongues, blood, gaping mouths and the many more conflict behaviors from these horses, all of which is well documented and readily available for learning about via the science of behavior.

Number Three:

The Timing: Regardless of timing or strategy of timing, it still does not negate the horrific abuse that was almost certainly not a one off.

For anyone to excuse this abuse, or make it about anything else other than the abuse, should take a good look in the mirror and examine their ethics. This was a high profile Olympian, a role model for many, a spokesperson for a global horse welfare organization, Brooke, and there is NO excuse for her behavior.

However, when it comes to the timing, there is no doubt that in an Olympic year, a scandal around someone has been untouchable up until now, is a pivotal moment for equestrian sport, as the mainstream media and public are now aware of what is happening.

A possible contributing factor to the timing would be the fact that the FEI have a long history of NOT dealing with horse abuse in any meaningful way – most recently demonstrated in their handling of the Helgstrand, Parra, Smith, Strasser and Cassoe cases to name but a few. Not to mention allowing the blue tongues of Kittel and Fry to be medal winners and Olympic riders for Paris!

Their strategies have clearly been to either sweep it under the rug, do nothing and hope it will pass or create a campaign with emotive music and words that make it seem like they care – most recently being “Be A Guardian” and “A Bond Like No Other”.

With the release of this video at this time, the FEI are no longer in control of the narrative as they are unable to bribe, collude with, dismiss or intimidate the mainstream media or public.

As for the whistleblowers, we can assure you that it takes bravery to go up against the system – with the NDAs, threats of legal action, fear of reprisal by the equestrian world and more, there are a lot of deterrents in place to protect the abuse that is widespread in the world of equestrian sport.

Number Four:

What does this mean for the future of the sport?

Well, we don’t think there is any stuffing this genie back in the bottle, but there is still a lot of unknowns.

Is removing equestrian events from the Olympics a likely outcome? PETA are campaigning for it, and it may not necessarily be a bad thing, considering the FEI’s history of “waiting it out” and then business as usual, much like they did after the Tokyo games.

Will this be the wake up call that the world of equestrianism needs – we all know it is not just FEI Dressage, but also showjumping, eventing, vaulting, endurance, driving etc., as well as equally horrific practices happening under AQHA jurisdictions, Racing Authorities, Polo, rodeo and any other number of “sports” where horses are involved.

And Finally, the Travesty of it All:

This is the saddest part – all of this could have been avoided if only the existing rules had been enforced and maintained over the past several decades, instead of the stripping away of elements that protected the horses and made horse welfare a central part of judging and being a skilled rider.

We now have a deeply divided equestrian community, the spreading of abusive riding practices such as rollkur, gadgets, harsh bits and more, across all levels and all disciplines through emulating these “top” riders.

Bringing this to a bigger audience and media has also centered around destroying one person, who was thrown under the bus by her “colleagues” whom, we know, are all equally as guilty of using these methods, but fled like rats from a sinking ship.

While there is no excuse for her behavior, and she must accept personal responsibility for her choices, this is still not a situation we would wish on anyone.

For our part, we can only hope that there are valuable lessons to be learned by all and that after the storm, there will be some level of genuine effort to address the underlying reason why all of this has happened – abusing the horses that are the bedrock of the industry and deserve so, so, so, so much better!

06/05/2024

Very useful to know - especially if you’re managing a horse with laminitis, PPID or EMS.

Understanding a Hay or Pasture Test Forage data is essential to truly be able to balance a horse's intake. Forage whether that be grass or hay or a

06/05/2024

This is interesting. I never knew that some horses suffer from motion sickness.

Could motion sickness make a horse reluctant to load and cause him to scramble in the trailer? Find out what the research says.

17/04/2024

27/03/2024

I’m sadly finishing up my Scootboot fitting, and selling all my stock at $50 less than RRP ($260/pair). See pictures for sizes.

Scoots have just made it too difficult to continue as a small retailer, and at $310 per pair of boots, I think they are too expensive.

When I started fitting boots, Scoots were keen to have them fitted in person by people knowledgeable about hooves, and preferably by farriers or barefoot trimmers. Trimmer-fitters would be honest with their clients about whether their horse was actually suitable for Scootboots, and could help people rehabilitate their horses’ feet. Now it seems that anyone can sell them, and the people who don’t turn over much stock pay much more than the bulk buyers.

I have calculated an average price for what I’ve paid for my stock, and am selling it all off at $260/pair of boots.

I can post for $15 for up to two pairs of boots, and if you order two pairs, I will throw in a bonus accessories pack. (While stocks last).
I currently have pads, shims, mud straps, pastern straps and toe straps.

I will also be selling my fitting shells, which I would like to sell as a set, but will split if no one has showed any interest by the end of March.

If you’d like to buy accessories without boots msg me for price.

I would like to thank all my wonderful customers. I have met some lovely people along my hoofcare journey, and have certainly gained more value from the people I have met than the money I have made.

I am still happy to answer questions and support anyone who has bought boots from me.

12/03/2024

15/01/2024

Barefoot is best!

Barefoot Horse Hooves Can Move 50% More than Shod Hooves

Recent Swedish research presented the final results of a study comparing shod horses hooves and barefoot hooves. The study, entitled "Unshod Sports Horses - for Durability and Performance," showed that barefoot hooves can move up to 50% more than hooves that are shod with traditional horseshoes.

The research also highlighted other significant findings, including increased hoof expansion, enhanced hoof contraction during roll-over, and improved range of motion in barefoot hooves. The study's lead scientist, Lars Roepstorff, emphasised the positive impact of barefoot hooves on shock absorption and overall horse health. The research suggests that going barefoot may offer performance advantages and reduce lameness and injuries in horses. Read the full article here.

https://eu.scootboots.com/blogs/blog/barefoot-horse-hooves-can-move-50-more-than-shod-hooves

Scoot Boot provides an ideal solution for horses to experience the benefits of going
barefoot while still ensuring adequate hoof protection. By using Scoot Boots, horse
owners can allow their horses to have the freedom of barefoot movement while
minimising the risks associated with traditional horseshoes. This research further supports
the notion that using Scoot Boots is a superior option for maintaining the natural health
and performance of horses' hooves.

https://scootboots.com



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