2 week comparisons: Sisco's update

Google in their infinite wisdom decided to make some changes to the blog site that hosts this, which meant it signed me out inexplicably and when I signed back in it gave me a whole host of very old photos instead of the current ones. All most peculiar but we now appear to be back in business so here is Sisco, with apologies for the delay. 

Sisco was extremely toe first when he arrived and had very long under-run feet in front. It is of course going to take longer than 2 weeks for this to change significantly but if you compare the original photo (above) with his 2 week shot his stance is better now.

His feet still look long today but the time he has spent on the tracks has made his frogs work harder, which is an important first step in his recovery.

Basically you need frog stimulus to improve the frog and digital cushion and its this that allows the horse to become more comfortable using the back of the foot. 

Two weeks is nothing, really, so all we can hope to see at this stage are hints that things might be changing. A hairline which is less distorted in the lower photo is this sort of hint. 

Here again there is a harder working frog in the most recent photo but its still a weak and under-run hoof. 

A little more depth at the back of the hoof - another hint and a hope that we are heading the right way. 

2 week comparison photos: Mac

I'm posting Mac's photos today but with apologies that its only his RF - for some reason I didn't upload the left ones so will need to try again.  

Mac has been barefoot a long time but his landing has never been as established as it should be in a long term barefoot horse. Our aim is to improve this so that he has a solid heel first landing which can then be built on. 

He is moving confidently on the surfaces here and in the school but although he is heel first on the tracks he is not quite there on a hard surface like concrete or tarmac. 

I'll be filming him again quite soon and will post as soon as I have an update. 

May 5th workshop

New workshop date for May in Powys - full details are below, contact me or Sara to book. 

I'll also be running a date at Rockley later in the summer, probably August, and will post the date here when its live.

2 week comparison: Humphrey's post

On with the comparison shots for the rehab horses and its Humphrey's turn.  AS ever, the original photo is the upper one, the most recent (taken earlier this week) is the lower photo.

I like the better palmar hoof structure which looks to be giving him more support. His landing has not changed enough to view on video yet but this is an encouraging step in the right direction.

No dramatic changes on the solar view though his frogs are beefing up.

Humphrey had nice-looking feet already but still needed to develop a stronger palmar hoof, as is usually the case with rehab horses.  

As with the other foot his heel is slightly less under-run.  This is his lamer foot so I am hoping that the fact that it is looking less boxy means he is starting to load it more than before. 

A tidy foot and looking a little more balanced.  

Although its not that clear from the photo, one good change is that Humphrey's frogs are now level with his heels rather than below them, meaning they are starting to improve. 

2 week comparisons: Poppy

Today's comparison shots are Poppys; as usual, the earlier photo is at the top and the most recent photo below. 

Poppy had a better landing than the other horses when she arrived and so has been able to work on hard surfaces as well as in the school and on the tracks. Because her feet were better initially, however, the changes are less obvious. 

The clearest difference is her heels which are moving back to a more supportive position. 

It looks from this angle as if her foot is becoming slightly more balanced but we need longer to be sure. 

Slightly different angles which make comparison tricky, sorry. If anything though she is loading the palmar hoof more than she was. 

Again, the hoof looks more balanced in the recent shot but there is still a way to go. it would be good to see if her medial hoof is more supported in the next set of photos. 

Comparison hoof shots after 2 weeks: Billy

I usually try to take conparison photos once horses have been here a couple of weeks (a) because you often get some clear initial changes and (b) because both owners and I am impatient to assess how the horse is getting along. 

Its too early, in most cases, to see a change in landing but improvements in the palmar hoof in photos are a sign that the hoof is getting stronger and that an improvement in landing could follow. 

Billy has had to get used to coming out of his bar shoes and pads as well as building a stronger palmar hoof. There is some chipping below the nail-holes, which is completely normal. I would not be surprised if he developed an angle change in his dorsal wall but to see that you usually need 4-6 weeks of hoof growth.

There are some good changes in his frog and heels now that the bar shoes are off and its this sort of development that we want to see more of

Apologies for the differing angles. I'd expect to see further development here as Billy becomes capable of more work.

As with the RF there is some minor chipping but nothing to worry about.  We should see the hairline levelling up as the palmar hoof develops.

Again,  a better frog out of the bar shoes but of course this is still a weak, under-run hoof. However Billy has made a good start. 

A better angle for comparison but although there are some improvements Billy needs more time and a more confident landing in order to build his digital cushion.