Barehoof Trimming for horses After shoeing horses for most of his life, Dennis Cherry has come to believe in the benefits to the horse of keeping them barefoot.
IRONBARK BAREHOOF TRIMMING
Barehoof trimming:
· Is a specialised method of hoof trimming suitable for barefoot pleasure and performance horses, minis, draught breeds, donkeys and other equines
· provides natural hoof care to keep your horse healthier.
· helps your horse to transition from shoes to barefoot.
· supports your horse into a more functional old age by increasing blood flow into the
hoof and increasing hoof wall and sole thickness and strength.
· is an ideal trimming method to help the hoof recover from shoeing during the off-season.
· is suitable to help rehabilitate horses suffering from laminitis, navicular syndrome, clubfoot, hoof cracks, seedy toe, hoof abscesses and other acute and chronic conditions. He has been barehoof trimming for many years now, using the specialised method of Equine Podiotherapy. Initially trained by Andrew Bowe, the Barefoot Blacksmith (www.barehoofcare.com ), Dennis then completed two years study at the Australian College of Equine Podiotherapy (www.equinepodiotherapy.com.au ) and was awarded the Diploma of Equine Podiotherapy. Since seeing the amazing results achieved by Dennis, his wife Sally has become equally passionate about barehoof trimming and is now his apprentice. She has commenced studying for the Dip. Equine Podiotherapy. Ironbark Barehoof Trimming provides a hoof boot fitting service. Dennis & Sally are both Specialist Hoof Boot Consultants for the Easycare range of boots (www.easycaredownunder.com.au). We also carry a fit kit for Scoot Boots
We aim to stay as up-to-date as possible with the latest research and attend as many hoofcare-related conferences and workshops as we can each year. There is always new research coming out and these events are also great opportunities to network with peers and share knowledge. We service Brookfield, Moggill, Karana Downs, Ipswich, Fernvale, Laidley, Plainland, Boonah, and surrounding areas
Phone Dennis and Sally on 0418 790402 for prompt, reliable service 7 days a week
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.ironbarkbarehooftrimming.com
A lovely article on some tips to help horses deal with the incredible stresses they suffer whilst being locked up (such as when they're suffering from severe acute laminitis) :)
We will always try to get horses out in their paddock overnight as soon as their laminitis resolves enough for them to be able to move around.
Follow these 12 tips to improve your horse’s welfare while on stall rest for injury or illness.
Of course this doesn't apply to the majority of our wonderful clients 🙂 ... but it's handy info for those who aren't perhaps aware of the necessity of looking after their hoof care providers 🙂
I’ve two horses here who are so bad with their feet, I cannot—or will not—have them see my farrier. The one is quite new here and the other, I’ve had long enough to fix. This is not a proud admission, by the way.
But there it is. When these two horses’ feet need doing, I am the one who is left dealing, which is as it should be. I own them; it is my responsibility. While I may acknowledge the situation, I am not wholly accepting of it. I bought them, thinking these problems would be an easy fix.
I was wrong.
Both horses can have their feet picked out. When having them trimmed and rasped, however, all bets are off. This tells me that it’s not a fear issue, so much as a trained response.
Both horses come from somewhat dodgy, largely unknown backgrounds. Judging by their behaviours and reactions to certain other things in their lives, I’d say that nobody took the time, early on when they were colts, to show either horse how to accept having its feet done. How to balance on three legs, knowing that a rest break would come.
Nobody since has had the chops to correct what has spiraled down into bad territory.
Thing is, that was then. They’re now mine.
I woke up last night with the stark realization that these horses both need their trimming issues brought to the forefront. That they have been quietly falling through the cracks all their lives.
I can see that they are still not great around the feet and lower legs, despite having done some solid rope work with them, late last fall. Teaching them to ‘lead with their feet’, to accept handling, giving and taking back calmly, all were improved.
Somewhat… but not enough. Both can still sn**ch their feet away, in a flash. The one isn’t above taking a shot at you, on the way down.
“Oops, did your knee get in the way of my foot? My bad.” This sort of thing is enough to keep them from ever being Keystone sale horses, no matter their charms under saddle.
I’ve been working around them, thinking they’ll get better as they progress in their riding. So many times, we see that the problems with handling feet are often a sign that the horse is worried, tense and afraid. As the working relationship grows and deepens, those iffy things can fade away.
We’re not dealing with that here, however. We’re dealing with something else. It’s important to be able to see the difference.
I’m faced with the product of years of iffy handling that is now sitting squarely on my plate. It’s my problem and not my farrier’s… and I urge you, if you have a similar situation, to get cracking. If you need help, there are worse reasons to send a horse to a professional trainer. We cannot expect our hoof guy, or gal, to gamely deal with the fallout from our lack of prep.
Farriers and trimmers do feet; they’re not to be ‘used’ as horse trainers. More importantly, if your horse puts them out of commission through injury, they’re going to be unable to pay their own bills. Being a good client, therefore, comes with responsibility.
Some horses, because of what they’ve been through in the past, what they’ve perceived as legit behaviour for prior wrongdoing, will just not come around with ordinary measures. The old-fashioned word for this is ‘spoiled’, though it is an unpalatable word for many of us, any more.
No matter my choice of words, it is up to me to find the nature of the problem.
Can it properly be addressed with more effort? Most horses, yes. Others may be in pain on a hard floor and need soft support underfoot. Some are committed enough to say no to any sort of change. They may need safe bodily restraint, such as a set of stocks. They may need some expert handling with a soft rope, to learn to ‘lead with their feet’. They may need a scotch hobble, for the horse who habitually kicks at the handler.
Safety, first, then. Done well, none of these methods are unkind… though they can be, if done wrongly. We will do our best to avoid them but I’m not out of tools, if needs be.
Some horses may need a little sedative from the veterinarian, if they prove dangerous to themselves and to everyone around them. Most horses who have a problem with having their feet done just need more help from someone who is dedicated to seeing them get better. I’ll keep you posted as we go along.
I will say that our farriers can be helpful, if we ask what they see as the problem and what might be done to help. Invited to be part of the team, the solution, they are an invaluable resource.
One thing I know for sure, that when we concentrate on filling that one big hole, most times, the other little bumps smooth out, too. Filling holes is always a worthwhile endeavour.
Shown here is Cisco, a horse who, for the whole of her life, absolutely fought the traditional clamping of the foot between the farrier’s knees. Mike found that the mare would stand all day long, if only one squatted down and allowed her to rest her foot on one’s thigh. It was a leap of faith, at first, a reminder that sometimes we have to think outside the box to solve our problems.
In this picture, Cisco is calmly getting a last minute ‘re-tread’, before heading out in the drizzle to gather bulls. She was an excellent horse for our entire family and I love Iain's quiet support, up at her head. Their overall kinship had me pause, amid a usual ranching day’s 'busy-ness' to take the shot. Years later, I’m so glad that I did.
Sooooo interesting!
We've always found this eucalyptus spray useful in treating thrush and superficial seedy toe 🙂
.... and then there's this helpful information too 🙂
Mowing your Pasture! 🌿
I often hear advice given to people to mow their pastures to reduce the amount of feed and make it 'safer' for their horses and ponies to graze. 🐎
This unfortunately has quite the opposite effect on pasture sugar levels. Anything that stresses a plant, raises the sugar levels. Mowing stresses the plants, so although there may be less volume, what is now available is now fully loaded with sugar.
🌿 Taller, mature pastures, after the seed head has matured are safer than short, stressed pastures.
Although there may be some merit to mowing to keep the seed head from forming in the pasture species as the sugar content is greatest while the seed head is forming and maturing, this needs to be individually evaluated for your particular paddock and plant species. It is said that the pastures remain higher in sugar levels for 2 to 4 weeks after mowing, so mowing may just not work as by the time the pasture is 'safer' to graze after the stress of moving, it will by then have seed heads up and growing again. 🌿
This is such an individual situation and all species of grass have their own way of dealing with being mowed, rate of seed head production etc. The more species you have, the more you have to take into consideration. 🐎
Read the full blog at - https://gutzbusta.com.au/
You might have heard us mention this once or twice 😂 ... but a reminder never hurts 🙂
🌿 Over Grazing 🌿
As I keep mentioning, anything that stresses a plant raises its sugar content levels. Overgrazing will certainly do that. 🌿
This is very important to realize for at-risk horses and ponies as they are often locked up in a small yard or paddock that seemingly has little to graze on. However, that short stressed grass that they are picking that is growing at ground level can be VERY high in sugar and starch and although well-meaning, may keep these horses in a laminitic state and not aid their return to soundness. 🌿
Dirt is the best place for these horses and ponies in a laminitic state, with low sugar hay that has an ESC and Starch content of less than 10%.
🌿 New shoots of grass are also higher in sugar and starch which will be seen in an overgrazing situation. 🌿
Another important consideration is that most of the sugar in grasses tends to be in the bottom 3 to 4 inches of the plants. While it might be tempting to think that a very short, overgrazed pasture is safe because there’s “nothing much there,” such pastures present several risks—grasses are very stressed and only the lower inches of the plant are available, meaning these pastures can be very high in sugar. Add a frost 🥶 to this and this short, stressed grass can be diabolically high in sugar.
A really interesting article on stress and how it affects horses.
Our aim with the different management strategies we suggest to owners who are trying to manage chronic metabolic conditions (such as Equine Metabolic Syndrome, Insulin Resistance and PPID [Cushings Disease]) is always to try to minimise the impacts of stress felt by the horse. Increases in stress can worsen the severity of these conditions
Many situations horses face lead to chronic stress, which can result in changes to health and behavior.
An interesting discussion on what form of lucerne should be fed to your horse before riding :)
Research shows feeding horses alfalfa prior to riding can help buffer stomach acid and offers relief for ulcer-prone horses. But are hay or pellets better?
This is an ad (sorry), but it's great! 😍
A great article covering the need for and use of slow-feeder haynets :)
We personally use and recommend those from Gutzbusta (we have no financial relationship with them). They last ages, and if you buy a large size, are really easy to pack and hang. We predominantly use those with 3cm holes ... we have yet to find a horse which has difficulty accessing hay through these size holes ... and there's less wastage! :)
Learn why your horse might benefit from a slow hay feeder and how to choose the right one.
Dennis has a very calming influence on some of our clientele 😍
This absolutely stunning girl had her first "meet the trimmer" experience yesterday at the age of 3 weeks. We just love proactive owners who put the time into handling their babies, so that they learn from a really early age that foot care is a normal part of life 😍
Mostly we see horses which are carrying far too much weight ... and unfortunately this is regarded as 'normal' by many owners.
Obesity or being chronically overweight can lead to so many problems in the long-term for your beloved equines ... including any of the equine metabolic syndromes, and damage to the musculoskeletal system.
Please try to work out management strategies to help prevent your horse suffering as they age 🙂
The Henneke Body Condition Scoring System below is a great tool to use to evaluate your horse 🙂
A very basic overview of nutrition and horse hoof health.
The two biggest issues we see in our area are diets far too high in grass sugars (leading to laminitis and subsequent hoof quality issues) and either no vitamin/mineral supplements, or ones which don't provide the optimum balance of both.
In our area (SE Qld), we notice by far the best results achieved are when using Farmalogic's Equine Vit&Min Premium mix. Not one of any of the other myriad vitamin+mineral mixes available come close to the results obtained when using Equine Vit&Min Premium (please note that we have no ties with the Farmalogic company and receive no benefit from recommending their product :) )
If your horses have poor hoof quality, consider making changes to their diet to help strengthen their hooves.
It's not just us saying this then 😊 ...
So much rain and blasting sunshine lately!! It's lovely, the grass is coming back with a vengeance, but there are some very footsore horses around lately.
Our grass had been stressed during the dry spell, and is now short, growing rapidly, and PUMPING out the sugars!
What does grass do? It literally turns sunshine into carbohydrates. Carbs are sugar, and when your horse ingests a bunch of sugar, it causes an insulin spike.
Prolonged high insulin levels (for as little as 72 hours) have been shown to induce laminitis in horses (Nourian et al, 2009). Get your horses off the grass, reduce their carbohydrate intake, if they're sound, work them! Anything to counteract the high levels of insulin circulating their bodies right now.
Signs that your horse could be struggling right now are:
- Not moving out well over firm ground
- Unable to turn well over the forehand
- Suddenly hating walking on gravel
- Going sore after a normal trim
- Showing blood in the toe during trims
- Digital pulses
- Acting "naughty" under saddle
Picture of the very handsome Fatty, who says "thank you for keeping me safe!".
An excellent overview of current protocols for testing for equine metabolic issues.
If owners can make themselves familiar with these protocols, they may be able to encourage vets to test and treat samples appropriately ... not all vets seem to be aware of some of these procedures :) ... not knocking vets at all, but some are so busy that they can't all be on top of the latest guidelines :)
How veterinarians are using recent research in their day-to-day practice to diagnose equine endocrine disease such as PPID and EMS.
What's new in preventing and treating laminitis in horses ... it turns out not much really, but it's reassuring to note that research is constantly being carried out in this area :)
New methods might help veterinarians diagnose and treat the painful equine hoof disease laminitis more efficiently.
Dennis getting to know the babies 😍
This client horse had been a recent acquisition, and had apparently been moving around like this for some time 😕
... and here he is again, literally a couple of hours after his first barehoof trim with us ... a much happier boy ❤
We can't emphasise these points about laminitis enough 🙂 .... this post says everything clients would have heard us say over the years ❤
More about laminitis ... from an Australian vet presenting at a recent American veterinary conference.
The take-home message is that "Owners of affected horses typically must adopt permanent management changes to prevent recurrence" (to quote a point made in the article).
Vets and hoofcare providers can assist owners with developing management plans for horses affected by laminitis to try to ensure the horse never has to go through the pain of laminitis again :)
Learn why some horses are more likely to develop EMS and associated laminitis and how to tell if your horse is at risk.
Some important information and tips about managing the intake of grass sugars 🙂
The dangers of paddock grass to our equine friends is not a new subject we are constantly talking about it all over the world due to it’s often catastrophic impact on our domesticated horses .
We talk about the spring and early summer burst of fresh lush grass .
We talk about the autumn flush of lush grass .
We even talk about winter frosts and sunny days with its impact on the grass .
So now it’s a year round problem for so many horses including most of mine .
How can we safely allow our horses to graze in the paddock without the worry of laminitis.
NOT EASY THAT FOR SURE. 😣and trust me I dont always get it right either.
We know that Grass that is shorter than six inches is very problematic and the shorter it is the more dangerous it becomes.
That said even if still fresh and green looking even at six inches and above can be a disaster for many .
Very Short eaten down to stubs grass is FULL of sugars as this is often called stressed grass which they love as it’s so sweet but this is extremely dangerous.
Sunlight , dew and dampness especially at spring and autumn causes this to absorb and replenish its reserves so at the end of a lovely sunny day it’s literally full of sugar and uses this over night to grow .
Early morning grazing is generally safer on this grass but certainly not full safe proof .
Adding to issues as temperatures drops over night to almost freezing or even a few degrees above this allow the grass to hold on to the sugar and not use it so early morning grazing is just as dangerous.
Mind blowing and very difficult to manage a sensitive horse , and even non sensitive types can very suddenly be affected by these spikes in grasses .
So can we help to create safer grazing by allowing the paddocks to grow to maturity before allowing any grazing , and keep moving the area so not allow short stressed grass to become a problem .
Putting in track systems are certainly the way forward and feeding ad lib hays , but again not everyone can afford to keep feeding ad lib hays or indeed it’s been difficult for many finding the right hay for horses all year round .
A combination of both track systems and correct management for the paddocks grasses and plant appropriate species may be a safer option for many .
This management should ensure lower sugars and better diversity fibre management intake plus more chewing time which is more species appropriate on their digestive system.
Any thoughts and are owners out there adapting to this practice.
Photo of one of my mature winter grass fields on the right that’s been left all summer to grow to full maturity ( verses a young lush area of growing unsafe autumn grass . 👇
Some basic tips on what to do if your horse suddenly presents with a foot problem :)
Punctures, abscesses, and worse: What to do when your horse's hoof is hurting and whom to call for help.
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This client horse had been a recent acquisition, and had apparently been moving around like this for some time 😕
... and here he is again, literally a couple of hours after his first barehoof trim with us ... a much happier boy ❤
We've been caring for Denny's feet since he was a little tacker, and it's been wonderful watching this partnership grow and come together. This was a 16.22 run :)
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IRONBARK BAREHOOF TRIMMING Barehoof trimming: · Is a specialised method of hoof trimming suitable for barefoot pleasure and performance horses, minis, draught breeds, donkeys and other equines · provides natural hoof care to keep your horse healthier. · helps your horse to transition from shoes to barefoot. · supports your horse into a more functional old age by increasing blood flow into the hoof and increasing hoof wall and sole thickness and strength. · is an ideal trimming method to help the hoof recover from shoeing during the off-season. · is suitable to help rehabilitate horses suffering from laminitis, navicular syndrome, clubfoot, hoof cracks, seedy toe, hoof abscesses and other acute and chronic conditions. After shoeing horses for most of his life, Dennis Cherry has come to believe in the benefits to the horse of keeping them barefoot. He has been barehoof trimming for many years now, using the specialised method of Equine Podiotherapy. Initially trained by Andrew Bowe, the Barefoot Blacksmith (www.barehoofcare.com ), Dennis then completed two years study at the Australian College of Equine Podiotherapy (www.equinepodiotherapy.com.au ) and was awarded the Diploma of Equine Podiotherapy. Since seeing the amazing results achieved by Dennis, his wife Sally has become equally passionate about barehoof trimming and is now his apprentice. She has commenced studying for the Dip. Equine Podiotherapy. Ironbark Barehoof Trimming provides a hoof boot fitting service. Dennis & Sally are both Specialist Hoof Boot Consultants for the Easycare range of boots (www.easycaredownunder.com.au). We also carry a fit kit for Scoot Boots We aim to stay as up-to-date as possible with the latest research and attend as many hoofcare-related conferences, masterclasses and workshops as we can each year. There is always new research coming out and these events are also great opportunities to network with peers and share knowledge. We service Ipswich, Esk, Toowoomba, Boonah, Beaudesert, Jimboomba and surrounding areas Phone Dennis and Sally on 0418 790402 for prompt, reliable service 7 days a week Email: [email protected] Website: www.ironbarkbarehooftrimming.com
