This is a belated update, for which I apologise. Chris and Terri, who own Nicky, were in north Devon most of last week and we took new footage of her then but for some reason it didn't come out properly so I had to re-do it before I had a proper update for her.
Nicky is QH mare who came with one of the more severe toe-first landings we've seen here. She had been lame for a long time - its around 2 years since she was last in work - so there was a lot to do.
Her footage is below and this shot of her RF on the day she arrived highlights her issues. It looks as if you could simply trim back the long toe, but in fact when this was done to her before she came, it made her much worse, most likely because it overloaded an already weak caudal hoof.
Her footage is below and this shot of her RF on the day she arrived highlights her issues. It looks as if you could simply trim back the long toe, but in fact when this was done to her before she came, it made her much worse, most likely because it overloaded an already weak caudal hoof.
Today her foot is growing in at a better angle but her heels and digital cushion are still weak - not surprising given that she is still only landing flat in front, but she is improving all the time and importantly is sound enough to be in regular work. This is in turn helping her to build a stronger hoof so for Nicky things are now heading in the right direction.
In fact, as this footage shows, on arrival she was landing toe first not just in front but all round, which is unusual. She is a very determined little horse though (she is still trying to boss the boys even though she is not quite 14hh and they range from 15.2-17.2hh - can't say she doesn't try!) and although its taken her a few weeks, she has made big changes to how she is landing and Terri was really pleased with how Nicky felt when she rode.
She should improve a lot further over the next few weeks, so I am looking forward to posting more news on Nicky now she has turned the first difficult corner.
4 comments:
Hooray for Nicky.
I dog in the video seems to be helping with the evaluation.
What a pretty girl, and her landing is looking SO much better! Go Nicky!
Also, it's always the short ones you have to watch out for - they are inevitably the most bossy. Do the boys all clear out of the way when she pins her ears?
Val, he knocked the camera at the first attempt so was told to sit still ;-) Jen, no, the boys don't listen, they just carry on and do exactly what they were going to do anyway and then she squeals and bucks on the spot with fury :-)
You hit the nail on the head with my horse, Jen!! Soli is small too but thinks he rules the roost and takes much pleasure in bossing all the others around!!
Great to see an improvement, she is a lovely little mare :)
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