Rockley Farm: So...over to you...

Tuesday, 19 November 2013

So...over to you...

I've mostly caught up with updates on the rehab horses and while there is always stuff to blog, I wanted to throw it open and ask you what you'd like to see here.

I'm open to suggestions about topics, will answer questions if I can and would love to hear what you'd like covered in future blogs...

So...over to you...

12 comments:

sidoney said...: I have been looking through to see what you mean by "roadwork" as it's a term I understand only in a broad sort of sense. I've seen mentions of distances per week and I've seen times taken but I would greatly appreciate a little bit more detail, especially about building a horse's feet up and a progression from introduction to "in work".

Thanks!

(p.s. we have just taken some video and watched it in slow motion of the first two of our five horses - very informative!); 19 November 2013 at 10:54
cptrayes said...: Glossary of terms.

Horses with a foot or more where the frog simply will not ground bear.

Barefoot horses that get caudal foot lameness - why and what can we watch out for?

What hoof products are in your tack room and why?

What is your feeding regime?

What are the most common issues rehabs face on return home?

Will those do for starters?

C; 19 November 2013 at 10:58
uh said...: Would love to see more of your own horses, in my opinion it would be great to show people good working barefoot hooves more often, f.ex. how do the hooves look like in different weather (summer/winter) and so on.
Your food regime would be interesting yes.; 19 November 2013 at 12:23
Heila said...: You often say in updates something like "more supportive heel and digital cushion, both less under-run". Please explain how you see that from the pics?; 19 November 2013 at 12:49
billie hinton said...: I would love to see photos of the track. Last year I put in several sizes of gravel in our various gateways and other high traffic areas so the horses would be regularly crossing. It cut way down on the mud during rainy times and I definitely see improvement in hooves as a result.

We keep the pastures lean - we have trees so there are areas where grass is spare due to shade, pine straw cover, etc. and have a naturally rocky clay soil. We feed hay year -round and serve it tossed in small "piles" all over the pastures so they have to constantly "graze" for it.

Always looking for more ways to add footings that will help with hoof health. We have a gravel driveway and live on a gravel lane but the paved roads nearby are not safe to drive on as there are many blind curves and cars that exceed the speed limits.; 19 November 2013 at 12:59
billie hinton said...: Sorry - meant not safe to RIDE on.; 19 November 2013 at 13:00
amandap said...: cptrayes said...
Glossary of terms.

Common symptoms/warning signs of caudal hoof pain.

Visual points of a weak caudal hoof and of course also a strong c. hoof.

More explanation of biomechanics and how incorrect biomechanics causes damage in the hoof.; 19 November 2013 at 14:10
The Dancing Donkey said...: I have been following your blog for a while now and just finished your book. I am amazed and encouraged by the results you get. The thing I would most like to hear is your opinion on horses who have somewhat different problems. For example, I am working on a horse who has severe distal descent of p3 and only 2mm of sole. I have made a lot of progress with him using casts and dental impression molds and I think he is getting close to a point where he might benefit from a track system. I'd love to hear your thoughts on something like that. I also have a young donkey who had nearly a third of his coffin bone removed at 4 months due to septic pedal osteitis. He is doing well now, at 17 months, but has developed a fetlock valgus and the hoof capsule is distorting laterally.

Thanks for sharing the work you do. It is a great learning tool.

Kris
aerissana at gmail; 19 November 2013 at 15:42
TK said...: I addition I'll second the requests for "Work Details" and "Digital cushion imaging tutorials" (maybe picture examples with mark ups?)

I am particularly interested in your work rehab with these horses as I'm at that stage with my metabolic founder/sinker gelding. What types of surfaces do you use, when, what types of work? (gait, length of time, balance etc.) How does the specific work or surface contribute to hoof growth and healing? etc.

I'll also second the comment about your own horses. I love them as examples! Their own journeys, any ups and downs.

Love it all - keep up the goof stuff!; 19 November 2013 at 17:03
Laur said...: I have your book & most questions are covered. It is difficult to see from photos of the sole, how high the wall is relative to the sole. Would it be possible to post photos shot from an oblique angle: near toe quarter diagonally back to opposite heel quarter. That way we could see the wall height. Do you find on the rock crunching hooves, that there is some degree of wall height above the sole, is the wall level with the sole, does the wall height only become level with the sole once the hoof is more healthy and can manage it, or do the thin soled horses prefer more wall height. Have you noticed how saddle fit, self carriage, head carriage etc also affect the shape of the hooves.; 19 November 2013 at 19:59
Nic Barker said...: Awesome comments, everyone, and thank you so much - that will keep me busy for a while and its great to have your feedback :-)

I'll try and cover as much as I can the rest of this week and add in some of your queries next week too.

Thanks again :-); 20 November 2013 at 13:08
V. Viola said...: Hi! I'm still learning about barefoot trimming and your publishing has been a tremendous teacher.
I started my previous horse barefoot a year ago. Now I believe a horse's whole sense of being improves by living barefoot.

My question is not technical but how do you address this tactfully with owners? I realize you are the practitioner and this is more a question of counselling.; 26 November 2013 at 00:02