Anyway, first up is Peter. We took footage of him on a circle the day he arrived, as he is a chilled out sort of chap, so the comparison footage is of him at the beginning of December (when he was in remedial shoes) and 7 weeks later (when he had been landing heel first for a few weeks).
As you will see, he has a fairly unique action and particularly behind his movement was quite choppy and ungainly - the still above is from his December footage - but it seems to be improving as his landing and foot balance are changing.
This still from his January footage shows better extension in front and reach through from behind. Although his gait is still unmistakeably Peter I think it looks smoother and more comfortable and I am hoping it will improve further over the next weeks and months as he grows in his new hoof capsule.
1 comment:
is the footing in your ring in this video a sharp gravel? Just wondering if horses have to work their way up to this gravel as far as tenderfooted horses or thin soled horses. Also wondering if footing is the major contributor to obtaining a heel first landing (assuming diet is correct), or is it a combination of teaching the horse to travel more correctly? I have seen many barefoot horses that are landing toe-first, even young horses and wonder how owners can encourage heel first landing when diet and free movement are plenty. Do you think a firm surface is better for developing healthier digital cushion than the horse living on soft footing and do you have specific exercises that encourage better balance. Your rehabs seem to very quickly change to a heel first landing.
thanks for any insite.
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