Tuesday 22 February 2011

Patsy update

Patsy has now been here 4 weeks - hard to believe, because it feels more like a fortnight(!) - and I took new footage of her at the weekend.


Patsy 20th Feb update from Nic Barker on Vimeo.

She has a much better landing, which is great to see, but the change means she is now using herself completely differently and it will take time for her muscles to get used to this.
Day 1
 Looking at the photos of her feet, its clear how fast they are changing.  I like the angle of new hoof growth (which is particularly clear on the last photo, after 4 weeks) and the fact that her heels are less under-run.
After 2 weeks
After 4 weeks
I am very conscious though that such a rapid shift in biomechanics brings its own stresses and strains.  Patsy is landing better but it will take far longer than 4 weeks to give her a fully supportive hoof capsule, and until then I have to be cautious with the work she does, to avoid stressing her tendons and ligaments. 

2 comments:

jenj said...

The amount of hoof an unshod horse grows in such a short period of time never fails to astound me. Of course, it's the diet too, I know, but still... amazing when you consider that vets tell you it takes 9 months to grow out a new hoof. Apparently nobody told Patsy that!

Nic Barker said...

LOL! I think she believed it when she was in shoes ;-)