The last of our new arrivals...

 ...is Donovan, who arrived earlier today and has already settled straight in, despite arriving during this unusual heatwave. The new horses must be wondering whether they have arrived in Spain instead of landing on Exmoor (but of course we know it won't last - rain is coming on Saturday, yay!).

Donovan has recently come out of shoes, as you can see from the nail holes, but despite that he has reasonable frogs. 

However his lameness blocked (as with all the horses who come here) to a palmar digital nerve block on both feet so we know that the back of his feet is where we need to see better development. Currently he is landing fractionally heel first but with a clear lateral landing on both front feet, so his medio-lateral balance is where we are likely to see the biggest change.

His feet look untidy where they have chipped but this will sort itself out over the next few days and won't cause him any problems. 

Quite an impressive frog on this foot but his heels are quite under-run and we would expect to see this improve as his new hoof capsule grows down. 

I'd expect to see some changes in his digital cushion as well once his landing improves - there will be more on him soon. 

Dante's 12 week update

Finally for this week, here are Dante's 12 week comparison photos ahead of his return home this weekend. As usual, the original photos are at the top and the lower photos are the most recent. 

The new growth can clearly be seen here, about halfway down his hoof capsule. 

His frogs were not in bad shape when he arrived but are becoming more robust and broadening out.

A much better digital cushion, though it would be good to see his hairline improve further over the next few months. 

You can see the new growth on this foot as well, and his foot has become less boxy, with more substance to the back of his foot. 

Not the best angles for comparison - again, his frogs were in good shape when he arrived but they have become stronger with mileage out of shoes. 

Again, a better digital cushion, with more improvement to come. 

Dante's footage is here: https://vimeo.com/576434049

 

New horses - baseline photos

We have had new horses arriving this week so time for baseline photos - the point from which we will measure improvement (we hope) in 4 weeks' time. 

We are starting with Tadpole, who has arrived with the typical under-run heels and weak palmar hoof that we regularly see in horses on day 1. 

His frog is contracted and his digital cushion is weak, as we would expect but there is plenty of room for improvement. 

His right foot is a bit better but shows similar signs to the left foot. We would expect to see the frog starting to develop over the next month and for the long hoof wall to chip away. 

Tadpole is landing toe first on this left foot and slightly better - flat or fractionally heel first - with his right. 

Our next horse up is Candy, who arrived with very different looking feet, the left one upright and the right one flat. 

Her landing ironically is better on this foot at the moment although it is likely that this foot has been loaded less in the past, which is the most probable cause for it being upright. 

Her frog on this foot is not too bad although it is contracted, as you can see from the sole shot above.

A reasonable digital cushion, though, which is good to see.

The right foot is flatter and at the moment is landing toe first. It also looks unbalanced from the sole shot below. 

A weaker digital cushion, not surprising given her landing, but lots of room for improvement here as well. 

Finally for today we have James, our final arrival.  He has a central sulcus split in his left foot which is making his landing worse (toe first) on that foot compared to his right foot, which is landing flat. 

His feet are fairly flat and although not particularly under-run do have quite a long toe and weak frog. 

This foot also has a central sulcus split but it is closer to healing than the left foot and is obviously causing him less discomfort. 

His digital cushion is fairly weak and we would look to see improvement particularly in his palmar hoof over the next 4 weeks. 

His feet are more of a pair but he does tend to toe in on both feet, although his medio-lateral balance on film appears good at the moment. 

Again, a weak frog and flat foot which we would want to see becoming stronger over the next few weeks. 

 

Tate's 12 week update

Today is Tate's update, again over 12 weeks with her original photos at the top and the lower photo being the most up to date. 

As with Joey, there is a clear line between the new growth and the old hoof. She already had quite nice feet when she arrived but its good to see a tighter hoof capsule growing in and a less distorted hairline. 

Her feet now have more developed frogs and there is more structure to the palmar hoof. Overall the shape of her feet has not changed but the proportions are now weighted more towards the back of the foot, which is what we want. 

A nice change in the hairline and more development in the palmar hoof, though she still has more to do. This should continue over the next few months. 

Not the best comparison as the angles are slightly different but again there is new growth clear to see in today's photos and more bulk to the digital cushion than she had before. 

No dramatic changes but a more developed frog on this foot as well and the beginnings of good concavity. This will also develop further as the new hoof capsule grows in. 

Footage to follow!

 

Joey's 12 week update

 It is update time again, with the current rehab horses due to go home at the weekend. 

Joey probably had the worse landing of all of them when he arrived, clearly toe first and with under-run heels and long toes. As usual, the original photos are at the top and the most recent are the lower photos each time. 

Today the new growth can be seen quite obviously in his hooves. It will take another few months before the new hoof capsule has completely grown in but this is already a stronger palmar hoof, less under-run and with more stability and strength. 

His frogs were also quite weak when he arrived and there was a medio-lateral imbalance as well. 

He should continue to build stronger hooves and a more robust frog over the coming weeks but you can see the shorter toe and bulkier frog already and his foot is also more balanced. As usual, this has been achieved without trimming the feet.  

A nice improvement in strength and depth of the digital cushion - now a harder-working foot which can start to make real progress. 

You can see that the foot today is weighted more towards the back, indicating better palmar hoof strength and more support for the limb. 

Its very interesting from this angle how the weakness at the lateral heel has been compensated today by the medial deviation at the toe. I would not be surprised if that also grew out once the foot is totally stable, but we will see. 

Today the foot is stronger and more capable of hard work which is what we want to see. 

Again, a much bulkier digital cushion, translating into a more comfortable horse. Lots still to do, and footage to follow...