An eight week update: Deluxe's photos

 Deluxe's update should have happened earlier but the haylage got in the way, so here are his photos now with apologies.

As ever, his original photo is at the top and the current photo is below. You can see his new hoof capsule is growing in at a much better angle, with better connected growth at the top which will result in a shorter toe and stronger heel once it has fully grown down.

With the shoes it is hard to see the frog but you can see that the major weight bearing was round the edge of the foot rather than loading centrally, through the frog, as it does now.

This is still a weak foot, with a frog which needs to develop much further, but his frog is already improving and he is landing heel first so that should continue to improve. The ridge of sole you can see round the frog is a sign of a flat foot and thin sole. It is really common in feet like this and will slowly disappear as the  better hoof capsule grows down. 

From this angle the digital cushion is clear and you can see that its much deeper than before and is starting to beef up. Better shock absorption is another key factor in a stronger palmar hoof and will provide further protection for the limb as a whole.

Another great angle to show the change not only in hoof capsule but also in stance, from toe first to a more confident stance where he is happy to load the back of his foot. 

Even without seeing the frog clearly above, its obviously stronger today and is starting to be a functional foot, operating in the way it was intended to. 

Again, building better shock absorption is an essential element of a better hoof capsule and with a stronger and more capable hoof capsule the limb is better supported, with a better supported limb better movement becomes a possibility. 

We'll add his video footage later but now that he can move properly the virtuous circle is in place, and more movement becomes beneficial rather than problematic.