Here are photos showing the feet of 4 of the rehab horses who are here at the moment, with one thing in common...
Its the clear change in the angle of growth of the hoof capsule, which becomes dramatically visible after a horse has spent a few weeks growing a better connected hoof.
The top 3 photos show horses who have been with us for 8 weeks. The trick when you assess a hoof like this is to project the angle of the new growth down in your mind's eye until it gets to the ground and then imagine the difference in support to the horse.
At the same time as visualising this new angle at the dorsal wall, which shortens the toe, you need to how the foot will look once the digital cushion and heels have strengthened, as is the case with Zan, above, who has spent lots more time out of shoes than the other horses.
This last photo shows Deutz, who has only been here for 4 weeks. Nevertheless he has a clear angle change visible as he, like Zan, already had a heel first landing which means he was able to work at a higher level even during the early stages of his rehab.
It's just marvellous how the hoof shows us the way to go. Unfortunately, not everyone allows them to tell us.
ReplyDeleteIt's just marvellous how the hoof shows us the way to go. Unfortunately, not everyone allows them to tell us.
ReplyDeleteAgreed Christine :-)
ReplyDeleteLove this! I used to hold my hand up sideways against the new tighter angle growing down on my girl, to project where the toe would end up. :)
ReplyDeleteEffectively the whole foot is moving back underneath the horse, providing the support the horse needs for the weight and force that comes from above!