Dante's 8 week update

 Belatedly, but better late than never, here is Dante's 8 week update. Unlike the others, he was in shoes until shortly before he arrived so has had less time to adapt to loading his feet centrally rather than peripherally. 

Nevertheless he has made good progress in a relatively short time. You can see there will be significant changes to come in his feet over the next few months but they are already starting to grow more normally and to look less like foal feet and more like those on an adult horse. 

Although his frogs weren't too bad when he arrived they were clearly unused to working and they are developing the longer he is out of shoes and moving freely. 

There is still a lot of development to come but this is a strengthening frog and digital cushion by comparison to 8 weeks ago.

A collapsed hairline, as you can see in the upper photo, is usually a sign of a weak palmar hoof. Its good to see this improving. 

Less dramatic changes from this side although the new growth is still clear to see. 

An untidy frog today, and the top layer is ready to shed, but that is perfectly normal and the important thing is that the frog and digital cushion are getting stronger as he continues to work. 

As with the other foot, a much better looking hairline and more robust digital cushion today. 

Dante's footage is up here: https://vimeo.com/564523455

Tate at 8 weeks

Tate is our next blog subject, again with an 8 week update. As ever, the original photos are at the top and the current ones below. You can see that there is a better angle of new growth in the top section of the hoof which is shortening her toe as well. 

From the sole view her feet are also looking more business like, with a stronger frog. 

There is less to see from the palmar view although her digital cushion is starting to build and her hoof wall has reduced, showing the foot is loading more centrally.

Fewer changes to see in this foot but the new hoof capsule is growing in steadily.

As with the other foot, a harder-working frog is the most obvious change. 

Overall, some positives and there should be more change to come over the next 4 weeks. 

Tate's footage is here: https://vimeo.com/563177354  - the biggest improvement is the change in her medio-lateral balance on her LF, where she is starting to land more evenly as opposed to the lateral landing she arrived with. 

 

Joey's 8 week update

 

How fast the weeks are going - my last blog was Joey's 4 week update and here we are now with his 8 week update. What I like with these photos is that his stance has improved and he is more willing to load the back of his foot. 

As ever, the lower photos are the most recent and the upper photos are the original ones. His feet generally are capable of harder work now and his frogs are improving, although his landing is still not as heel first as I would like. 

From this angle though you can see that his frog is more actively weight-bearing and much more engaged.

Again, a better stance with his feet more under him. Hoof pastern axis can be misleading as it changes as the limb loads but if you have a consistent improvement it is encouraging. 

What I like in this view is that the medio-lateral balance has improved, as opposed to him loading the lateral side of the foot more than the medial side. Again, his frog is more robust and his heels less under-run. 

A better frog and digital cushion which should, with more time, translate into a heel first landing. At the moment he lands quite well when he is out exercising but when we take footage his landing, although improved, is not clearly heel first. His feet are steadily getting stronger with ongoing work, though, which is a good sign. 

His footage, showing a change from toe first to flat, and an improved medio-lateral balance but certainly not yet a clear heel first landing, is here: https://vimeo.com/562702998