Rolo and Ruby: 3 weeks in

Rolo and Ruby both arrived 3 weeks ago  and its time for a quick update as they are both already making changes to their feet. Rolo gets to go first...

Here he is day 1 - a nice strong foot and already with a heel first landing but his medio-lateral balance wasn't right. 

Tell-tale signs are that he wasn't landing straight and had collateral ligament damage on MRI. From the outside, his hairlines are also bulging at the quarters which is often another giveaway of uncomfortable hoof balance.

After 3 weeks his hairlines are already improving, his toe is shorter, his foot is less under-run and - due to his established heel first landing - he has been able to put in the miles, which has helped kick-start faster hoof growth too.

Sole shots confirm what we can see in the lateral view. There was some weak, crumbly hoof wall especially at heels and quarters which is already nearly gone (no trimming required!) and his heels and frog look healthier and more robust too. 

Just a quick shot of his LF as again the hairline is changing, which is a good sign. 

He is getting hairier, too, so maybe I will ask Rachel to bring her clippers down when she comes to visit!

These are Ruby's feet - easily distinguishable as she - unlike Rolo - has a full set of feathers!

You can see from this angle that the heels are coming back and the frog looks more active. Like Rolo she had started to land heel first before she came (though this was less established than Rolo's) but she also has issues primarily with medio-lateral balance, as well as having flatter feet and thinner soles than Rolo. 

You can see in today's comparison shot that she is developing more concavity - and you can also see evidence of old bruising, which happened a couple of weeks before she came down here. 

The RF has changed even more dramatically. The frog is really beefing up and although the old bruising is clear here too, here soles are becoming healthier. 

You can already see that the foot is beginning to load differently - and in another few weeks that tatty, flared hoof wall will mostly be gone as well. 

I'm pleased with them both and hope to have lots more to report on them soon!