Frank's fortnight comparison photos

 Of course the problem with photos from this angle is that you can' t really see any difference at all but I know Lenice and Carol would kill me if I got rid of the feathers!

This a better looking frog and sole, which is good to see. Frank is still getting used to his new landing so I expect to see more changes over the next few weeks. 

Again, feather is a problem but his foot is becoming stronger, or so it looks from this angle. 

Frank already had nice looking feet, its just a case of getting him moving better on them.

Frank's footage is here: https://vimeo.com/361651370 and its good to see a more confident landing on him already. 

Apollo and his fortnight comparison

As with Amy, the most obvious change for Apollo is that his feet are starting to look more of a pair which is a good indication that he is loading more evenly between his front feet than before. 

No dramatic changes from the sole shots but better medio-lateral balance. 

 The clearest difference here is that his feathers are growing any a heck of a rate...!

I like the fact that his feet are more of a pair now but his toe is shorter and his foot looks more solidly underneath him. 

Other than a slightly more robust frog, no big changes from this angle. 

Apollo's footage is here: https://vimeo.com/361650763. As with his photos, its not that there dramatic change when you look at his dorso-palmar balance (he was already landing heel first), but his media-lateral balance is looking better. 

First fortnight: Amy's update

The current group of the rehab horses have been here for a fortnight so it's time for an update. I'm starting with Amy because she has already made some good changes which are clear on photos. 

As ever, the original photo is at the top and her most recent photo is below. I'm really pleased that she is now more willing to load this foot as better movement is the key to better feet, and vice versa.  

 This is a more active foot, as you can tell, but its from the other angles that the changes are clearest.

The frog is beginning to engage better and that's the key to developing the back of her foot. 

On this foot as well there is a less under-run heel and her toe is shortening as well. 

 The same change is clear from the sole shots, which is nice.

As on the other foot, there is a stronger palmar hoof and a developing digital cushion which is a good sign. 

Amy's footage is here and she is landing better on all four feet although she still has a long way to go. https://vimeo.com/361644648

Last post for this week: Amy

The last horse of the new arrival is Amy. Its clear from her photos that her front feet are very different  but in fact she has had lameness issues with both front feet, 

Historically this is of course a weak foot and has probably never been as robust as it should be in terms of palmar hoof strength. However that is something that can certainly change and improvements here are what we will look for over the next few weeks. 

Her frogs are weak on this foot, as you would expect, but actually her digital cushion looks much better from this angle. 

From this view the difference between her feet is very obvious and its an indication that in the past she has used the RF much less than the LF. The lameness on the left is more recent and could be the result of overloading over time but we can't be sure. 

The frog on this foot is better and as with the other 2 arrivals there is a lot to like. 

Amy's footage is here : https://vimeo.com/358642994

More on the new horses: Apollo

The second new horse to arrive is Apollo, who is a local from Devon. He has ostensibly good feet but has not been in consistent work since before May and each time he has been brought back into work his lameness has recurred.  

This is his worse foot historically and it doesn't look too bad but there is an asymmetry in his medio-lateral balance which is also clear on video. 

Nevertheless there is lots to like about Apollo's feet, and most importantly his landing is already much better than it was. 

When you take photos there are clear differences between his left and right foot. We'd want to see these normalise over time. 

This is a more balanced foot as well, with better palmar hoof strength, so it would be good to see his other foot become more similar. 

Apollo's initial footage is here: https://vimeo.com/358642738

New rehab horses arriving: Frank

New horses arrived this weekend and there will be plenty of pics to follow on Instagram as the weather has been gorgeous and they are extremely photogenic!

For now these feet belong to Frank, a Highland who is expert at batting his lashes at us and his new friends in a charm offensive, which has been very effective!

He has good solid feet - his hinds have never been shod - but has had recurrent lameness in front which of course is why he is here. 

These are basically nice feet and he has been out of shoes a few months so although he is not 100% on stony ground he has a head start in building better feet. 

There is of course lots of room for improvement and his medio-lateral balance in particular is something that needs to develop but I am feeling quite positive that he will make progress fairly rapidly. 

Franks' footage is here: https://vimeo.com/358642417