The dopey things they say...

...part 1 (because I am sure there will be more of these!) -  thanks to Sarah Braithwaite for this cracker :-)

This was said in the last few days BY A VET to an owner of a barefoot horse:  

"Your horse has a problem because it is landing heel first.  All horses should land toe-first" ?!?!?!??!?!???????????????????????????

Surely one of the stupidest comments ever made about a barefoot horse, and deeply scary to hear it said by a vet, who has spent years, one assumes, learning very little about basic horse biomechanics. 

EVERY SINGLE horse which comes here for rehab is landing toe first when it arrives - and has typically been lame for 3-9 months.   

I have high definition video footage to prove it.   

EVERY SINGLE sound, hard-working barefoot horse here lands heel first.  

In fact, its pretty clear that once horses start to be able to land heel first they set themselves on the road to recovery - this is one of the reasons why its so important for horses to be comfortable during rehabilitation.  If they aren't able to move on supportive surfaces they will be less able to land correctly, and take longer to rehabilitate weakened structures in the back of the foot. 

Just what does that vet think the back of the foot is for?  Does his detailed knowledge of anatomy REALLY lead him to believe that the horse's dorsal wall is designed for shock absorption?!!?!?

What a relief that there are great vets out there who are MUCH, much more switched on - and who are putting muppets like the guy quoted above to shame :-)