Goldy's 8 week update

 I'm struggling with video at the moment so I will keep this post just to photos, as Casey's was. 

This is his worse foot, in shoes as he arrived and immediately out of shoes. 

He has only recently gained the confidence to load the back of this foot and start landing heel first but he is steadily becoming more comfortable on tough surfaces. Its good to see that his palmar hoof is stronger - you can see how much further back his heels are now and the widest part of his foot is back as well. 

Some nice changes here with a foot that is more underneath him and a shorter toe. 

As you can see, this was not a foot which was loading centrally in shoes and it will take time for his hoof capsule to fully remodel but it is encouraging that it is a more balanced foot today. 

I'll upload some video when I get the chance!

Casey's 8 week update

It is like old times writing blog posts, and I must say I prefer it to just posting photos because it gives some much needed context. On the downside it takes longer but perhaps that is no bad thing. 

Here are his comparisons, with the original at the top and 8 weeks later below. 

Casey's feet were not bad to start with and he had been out of shoes for several months but his heels are frog are more balanced. There is some old hoof wall growing down medially (left of the photo) but this is not causing any issues. It may well disappear as his new hoof capsule grows down. 

His right foot also shows stronger heels and again there is some medial hoof wall which is not problematic and will grow out over time. I like the fact that his palmar hoof is generally more balanced and even.

His lateral shots show a shorter and stronger foot with better balance overall, which is a function of more work and should continue to improve. 

The lateral shots show a shorter and stronger foot but again he was already in better shape than many horses when he arrived and did not have a terrible landing.  

With Casey it has been more about building his feet up than needing to completely turn them around.

The interesting factor from this angle is the change in digital cushion depth, which is a product of more work. 

More on Casey soon!

Millie - new arrival

 Millie arrived here earlier this week. She is another Connemara and like Casey arrived having been out of shoes a few weeks. 

Millie has a diagnosis of a DDFT tear and navicular bone bruising and over a period of 2 years shoes and pads were not able to help. 

As with many horses who have this sort of diagnosis, Millie was put on to limited movement so she was only gradually introduced to our yards and tracks, starting with turn out in our top yard with Felix, who made her welcome with his usual professionalism.

I won't include all her photos here but there is a lot to like about her feet, which have come out of the pads with a healthy frog (great to see). Her heels are long and she is not really engaging her palmar hoof but I will expect to see improvements in her over the next 4 weeks. 

Goldy's first 4 weeks

Time for an update on Goldy, who arrived from the Netherlands 4 weeks ago today. 

Unlike Casey, he arrived in shoes and pads (he had been shod about 5 weeks perviously) and so, as you would expect, he is at a relatively earlier stage of his rehab than Casey, despite them both being here for similar amounts of time. 

Goldy's feet have a long way to go but I am already happier with the hairline today, which is more balanced, and the whole hoof looks less crushed.

This is his LF straight out of shoes, and with the pads removed. 

It is a credit to his vet and farrier that his frog was still relatively strong but of course it is a huge change for his feet to start to load more centrally and his feet are receiving a tremendous amount of stimulus compared with when he had the pads.  

This is a pretty funky looking foot at the moment, with overlaid bars and a frog which is not yet loading evenly, but that is to be expected at this stage and Goldy has actually coped very well during his first 4 weeks. 

Its good to see his heels and palmar hoof building (you can see that the loading point at his heel buttress has moved further back) and I would expect to see the overlaid bars disappearing over the next few weeks.

Similar changes to this foot and a good rate of growth - his nail holes are almost grown out.  Goldy is landing better now and is capable of gentle roadwork. That, plus time on the tracks, is a great way to encourage his hooves to develop and grow.

Here is his RF in shoes and pads, newly out of shoes and (below) today after 4 weeks. 

There are some encouraging signs but the improvement in his landing is the most important aspect, for me, as it confirms that he is now more willing to load his palmar hoof.

I've got 2 different clips which I am going to post on Instagram as they are just too big for this post!

Casey's 4 week update

 I am going to go back to posting updates on the blog as using Instagram is just too constrained! I will share posts on there as well but if you are interested in the nitty gritty then this will be the place to get it. 

As usual I have put Casey's original photos above and his 4 week update is below.  Casey had been out of shoes for several months so his feet will not show such dramatic changes as a horse who arrived in shoes. 

He was also already landing heel first on this foot so again I would expect subtle changes rather than huge shifts.

This foot is looking a bit more balanced and he is developing better sole depth but I'd like to see his feet more balanced still in another month. 

This is his worse foot - he was landing flat and on the lateral edge and you can see this is not yet a balanced hoof. Still, his landing has improved and he is working very cheerfully so I am looking forward to seeing how he progresses in another month. 

His video footage is here for comparison.

2025 - a quick update

 Well the blog site has been out of date for a while as I have been posting our regular content on Instagram @rockleyfarm, so please go there and follow us if you want to keep fully up to date. 

As a quick update, we took the winter off, so had no rehab horses from November 2024 until March 2025 but we are now back up and running. 

I've put initial footage up on Instagram and there will be comparison footage soon.