tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8415492346905673232.post5576360655926664040..comments2024-03-14T06:57:29.577+00:00Comments on Rockley Farm: Rose updateNic Barkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06885459438592023135noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8415492346905673232.post-56290720343490430382010-10-09T09:31:45.340+01:002010-10-09T09:31:45.340+01:00You're right that its certainly something we s...You're right that its certainly something we see a lot here. I suspect the angles change dramatically because there are several things which happen at once when horses come here. <br /><br />Firstly their shoes come off and the horses go onto the tracks, which is a massive change in how the hoof loads and an increase in stimulation. <br /><br />Secondly, horses go onto a low sugar, high fibre diet with an extremely good mineral balance. <br /><br />Thirdly, their hooves stop landing toe first and start landing heel first, so a big biomechanical change. <br /><br />I don't know for sure why the shod hooves become so problematic - its certainly not all shod horses who have poor angles, though many do -but one contributory factor must be that over a 4-6 week shoeing cycle, the shoes encourage the hoof to migrate forward even if the hoof is perfectly balanced on the day it is shod.Nic Barkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06885459438592023135noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8415492346905673232.post-92014944838061096922010-10-09T00:12:28.198+01:002010-10-09T00:12:28.198+01:00Nic, it seems like so many of the horses that come...Nic, it seems like so many of the horses that come in to your place have hoof angles that are <i>really</i> at odds with where their hoof wants to be. Rose is a perfect example - the difference in the angle between the "old" hoof and the "new" hoof is just amazing (and more than a little scary!)<br /><br />But... how do hooves get like that in the first place? I realize you're seeing a select group of horses with very serious issues, but do most shod horses' feet look like this, in terms of the discrepancy in angles? If you put a shoe on a barefoot horse with "correct" angles, do you have any idea how long it would take for the angles to revert back to being all off?jenjhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01737679332792618499noreply@blogger.com