Alfie is a really genuine boy who always tries his heart out but he had quite compromised feet when he arrived here.
Of course my blog posts often focus on feet because lameness is after all why horses are sent here but there are some quite interesting (but not surprising) effects on movement as feet change and improve.
The photo above is a still from Alfie's November footage. He was short-striding and tended to go hollow as you can see. On the left rein he was also intermittently unlevel. This photo is also a perfect illustration of why horses with forelimb pain nearly always have related pain in their neck, shoulders or back.
The March footage by contrast shows a better frame with a longer stride and more relaxed neck and back.
You can see how comprehensively foot balance and hoof health affect not only soundness but every aspect of a horse's movement - and, of course, that once feet are more comfortable, better biomechanics follow quite naturally.
You can see how comprehensively foot balance and hoof health affect not only soundness but every aspect of a horse's movement - and, of course, that once feet are more comfortable, better biomechanics follow quite naturally.
The complete footage is below, for reference.
1 comment:
Excellent work! I love seeing before & after videos and you can see how the whole body is affected. :)
As a qualified barefoot trimmer, I always get my client to walk their horse out before & after a trim to check for any problems going on. The importance of looking not just at the hoof can not be lectured enough.
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