Aimee Hocking - DEP

10/02/2025

Did you know? Each time a horse takes a step, the hoof capsule expands and contracts. This natural movement helps dissipate shock, improve circulation, and support the horse's overall biomechanics.

When a horse bears weight on a hoof, the pressure causes the hoof walls, sole, and frog to spread slightly. As the hoof lifts, it returns to its original shape. This mechanism not only absorbs the impact of the horse’s movement, reducing stress on the joints and tendons, but also acts like a pump to aid blood flow in the lower limb. Regular movement on varied terrain is essential to optimise this process and keep the hoof healthy and functional.

08/02/2025

06/02/2025

A great day of CPD - trimming ponies and also some cadaver hoof dissections! What made the dissections today extra interesting was that there were 2 people present today who new the horses in life and the problems they faced so being able to have a look within is extra interesting and educational. Thankyou Bare Remedy Equine Podiatry for organising 🙏

04/02/2025

👏 ❤️

01/02/2025

❤️

29/01/2025

With all horses, especially the laminitis prone, management is key. I first met this golden oldie a couple of years ago, she had a history of repeating bouts of abscesses and laminitis. You can see a few mild event lines about half way down in the recent photos (bottom) but I’m happy to see that she is staying comfortable and that the quality and tightness of the hoof growth remains much better👌

27/01/2025

The Digital Cushion's Vital Role

Did you know that the digital cushion in a horse's hoof plays a crucial role in shock absorption and blood circulation? This unique structure is made up of a mix of elastic, fibrous, and fatty tissues. The digital cushion acts like a natural gel pad, helping to protect the bones and joints from impact while also aiding in the horse's overall hoof health.

21/01/2025

Members of the Equine Podiatry Association are required to hold a relevant qualification and prove that they update their skills every year through continued professional development (CPD). This ensures that high standards of professional competence are maintained.

17/01/2025

Flo loading up some of our extended collection of hoof boot fitting shells for a boot fit. I’ve selected various sizes of , , , and to try on based upon measurements sent to me 😊

15/01/2025

This is a good idea! 💡

13/01/2025

Proprioception and Hoof Health

Did you know that a horse's hoof contains specialised structures that contribute to proprioception? These structures help the horse sense the position and movement of its limbs, aiding in balance and coordination. Barefoot hooves with their natural form and function enhance this sensory feedback, promoting overall hoof health and mobility.

31/12/2024

Wishing all my customers past and present a wonderful new year.
What a wonderful and wild adjustment parenthood has been! It’s been great to be back from late this year in a small way to see a few of your lovely faces and neddies with the limited time I have. And thanks to my fellow trimmers for looking after everyone on my books so well while I was off with little Luan and for continuing to do so. 🎆 🎇 🥂

17/08/2024

I had a lovely day cracking on with some CPD with ready to hopefully make a comeback very soon 😘 watch this space!

16/08/2024

Finer Forage Friday Facts:
Why we don't use Alfalfa at Finer Forage 🤓📖

🌱 Alfalfa is a legume, popularly fed as hay in the US, and as chop or pellets in the UK. It has low sugar and starch and high fibre content, so it looks like a good option on paper, until you dig a little deeper....

🌱 Alfalfa is high in nitrogen, or crude protein (not quality protein) which can be problematic, for the liver especially. Excess nitrogen can also cause issues with calcium and magnesium uptake, disrupt normal endocrine function, and lead to inflammation, particularly visible in the hooves.

🌱 Alfalfa is known to increase acidity in the hindgut, by propionate being the dominant VFA produced upon fermentation of alfala. Often, microbial disturbances might follow, as microbes that can't tolerate excessively acidic environments die off, and a cascade of resulting gastrointestinal disturbance and systemic inflammation ensues.

🌱 Alfalfa is an accumulator plant, in other words, it's one of those plants that uptakes toxins, so it can accumulate heavy metals if they're present in the soil where it is grown.

🌱 Alfalfa has the potential to upregulate the immune response - so it's a definite no-no for horses with sweet itch, allergies, or autoimmune issues.

🌱 Alfalfa has high phytoestrogen content, so it can disrupt normal endocrine function and responses.

🌱 Alfalfa has been shown to increase photosensitivity in humans, so it wouldn't be helpful to any pink noses in the summer!

🌱 Alfalfa has a very imbalanced calcium to phosphorus ratio, so should not be fed to youngsters, as it risks developmental orthopedic disease (incorrect bone formation in youngsters)

That's why we only use grass chop and nuts and never Alfalfa, at Finer Forage 🌱🌿🌻🌿🌷☘️🌼🌹

09/08/2024

Friday focus…long, stalky grass and short, stressed grass!

This is one I posted earlier this year and I am reposting it as I am being asked about this a lot lately!

There is always lots of debate over whether long stalky grass or short, or overgrazed grass is better or safer for good doing horses and ponies. Long stalky grass may have a lower calorie and sugar percentage per kg than short grass, but the bite depth is bigger on longer grass, so they will be consuming much more of it!

What is frequently overlooked is the total amount the horse can eat in a grazing period and how much digestible energy (calories) and sugar this supplies! They can consume much more longer grass, so the rate at which it can be eaten is much higher, so they will be getting far more calories, sugars and fructan per kg than with shorter grass. The focus seems to be on the length of the grass rather than how much can be eaten. If you are grazing your good doing horse or pony on longer grass, then the grass needs to be restricted so it does not oversupply calories.

Do not let anyone scare you about short grass, you are much better turning out on this to control calorie intake and to reduce sugar and fructan intake than you would be putting them out in a field full of longer grass! Please do not forget to put out some supplementary hay or haylage if the grass is very short so they have enough long stemmed forage going through their digestive systems.

Monitoring your horse or pony for unwanted weight gain or weight loss and adjusting the amount of grass / hay / haylage as needed, will help to keep them with a healthy condition score.