The second Ruby

New girl Ruby arrived yesterday all the way from Scotland. She couldn't be more different in appearance to our first rehab Ruby (a coloured cob who was here last year) and we are continuing the chestnut TB theme which was started by Felix at the weekend. 

As you can see, she has been out of shoes some time (since October last year) and there is lots to like about her feet but she is landing flat/toe first in front and that's something we need to help her sort out. She has some issues with medio-lateral balance which have been confirmed on x-ray and MRI with corresponding collateral ligament damage and damage to the coffin joint.  

Remedial farriery didn't improve her and though she did become sounder out of shoes her lameness recurred earlier this year and she has been recently assessed as variably 2/10 lame bilaterally. 

From this angle its clear her palmar hoof isn't perhaps as robust as it needs to be and that's, as always, where we will be looking for the biggest changes. 

As with the LF, an asymmetry which usually points to a medio-lateral imbalance - in both feet its the medial aspect which is weaker, as is often the case. 

A slightly long toe and again a weak digital cushion but then again I've seen an awful lot worse, so here's hoping the second Ruby does as well as the first. There will be more on her soon.