4 week updates - Isla, Jules and Astro

I'm starting today with Jules, who arrived in shoes and with a clear toe first landing. 

Feather makes it harder to see angle changes but her nail holes have almost grown out despite being high, which is a good sign. 

One of Jules' quirks was a medio-lateral imbalance and meant she was landing medially on her front feet. This is still evident in her footage but her feet are starting to become more symmetrical. 

We won't see big changes in her palmar hoof until she is confidently landing heel first but her frog is working harder now which is a step in the right direction. 

The better frog is easier to see from this angle and there should be further improvements to come over the next few weeks. 

Jules' footage is here - she is not yet landing heel first but she is definitely flatter and less toe first than 4 weeks ago: https://vimeo.com/512630626

Isla is already showing signs of growing in a better hoof capsule, with a steeper angle of new growth which you can see immediately below the hairline. 

She has not developed a completely confident heel first landing yet but is showing signs of a stronger palmar hoof and on her footage (below) she is significantly less toe first than a month ago. 

She had fairly long hoof wall which was prone to chipping when she arrived but this has now smoothed off of its own accord without needing to be trimmed. 

You can see how the new growth is bring her foot more underneath her and over time it will correct the underrun heel.

We want the widest part of the foot to be towards the back of the foot so there is an improvement over the last 4 weeks. 

Isla's footage is here: https://vimeo.com/512629074

With Astro's feet there is already quite a discernible angle change (you can see it in the top of the hoof capsule in the lower photo) which will result in a shorter toe as the hoof grows down. 

It is also nice to see that the nail holes from his shoes are almost completely grown out already. 

His feet have not been trimmed as we prefer to let hooves change in their own time but in the lower photo you can see the beginnings of a better palmar hoof, with his heels moving back.

It is harder to see changes from this angle but in his footage we can see a better landing. 

Again, the angle change is visible in the top band of growth in the hoof capsule. 

We will want to see a lot more frog development in Astro's feet over the next few weeks. 

Hairlines are always a giveaway to a weak palmar hoof or a collapsing digital cushion and a hairline levelling out is a promising sign. 

Astro's footage shows an improved landing, with both feet now landing heel first so we will will hope to build on that going forwards: https://vimeo.com/512898349