#hoof care

[theclassicalhorse]

Every year I learn some new fucked up thing about the saddlebred/arabian/[insert front leg action breed] show industry that I hadn't noticed before. This year I learned about padded shoes for weanling classes 🤩

I am so tired of the "born this way" "they move like that naturally" argument. Then why do these organizations allow such adulterated front feet?

[clickerpunk]

I did a thing today!

First time gluing shoes, and my own 3D printed ones to boot! Jury is still out on whether or not they stay on, they are a smidge too big, but a lot of fun to experiment.

[horsesarecreatures]

"I saw these pre trim/post trim pics ( top ) on another FB page the other day. I took them back in 2015. They are the RF of our Arabian horse, Dante. He is 20 yrs old now.

I thought I’d give an update. The photos on the bottom are from today. He’s as light as ever and super supple. My old dressage teacher rode him and said he was a natural. I’ve had other accomplished horsemen ride him and say that he can do whatever you ask of him with ease. I’m not that kind of a rider, so I never trained him to do anything advanced. He’s just talented.

My favorite thing that he ever did was several years ago…while giving a young girl with serious health issues a ride, he cantered in place for her. No drama. He was as calm as he could be. She was grinning from ear to ear. He was her living breathing carousel ride that day.

I didn’t even know he could do that. He did a similar maneuver with me a few years later, but it was because he was afraid of a large bellowing bull that was in our path along a fence line and there was an open gate to our left. He wanted to bolt but I kept him squared up to the bull so he just cantered while side passing through the gate. He always makes me look like a better rider than I am and I plan to keep his feet in good shape so he lasts as long as possible. He’s a really nice horse. So far, so good."

David Landreville- On the Vertical

[goldenamaranthe-blog]

My Embarrassing Habits: Early Charlie & Vaggie

Charlie: (sitting on the bed in her pajamas with her foot crossed onto her opposite knee)

Charlie: (glances at the door before quickly pulling a fine toothed comb, hoof care kit, and rag out of her bedside drawer) Alright, it's time!

Charlie: (wedges the towel between the toes of her hooves and starts flossing the trapped dirt, lint, and miscellaneous debris out of the crevice)

Charlie: (sighing) Oooooh, yeah. That feels good.

-CREEEEAAAAAAK!!!-

Charlie: (freezes and face falls as she stares at the bedroom door)

Vaggie: (eyes wide as she stares at Charlie's hoof and the small pile of fur, dirt, lint, etc. on the floor)

Charlie: (blushes hotly in embarrassment) It's not what it looks like!!!!

Vaggie: You have hooves?

Charlie: (curls in on herself and tries to tuck her hooves under her thighs) Y-Yeah....

Vaggie: (soft hum of a chuckle) They're adorable.

Charlie: (sits up straight as little hearts float and pop next to her head) Really? You think so?

Vaggie: I mean. I was thrown off at first, but yeah. They're cute. (Glances at the rag still wedged between Charlie's toes and the fine toothed comb in her hand) Do you... want some help with that?

Charlie: (hooves flex and curl) I wouldn't mind... ONLY IF YOU WANT TO!!!

Vaggie: I wouldn't have offered if I wasn't okay with helping, hun. Give me the comb.

Charlie: (brain fried as the word hun plays in her head on repeat) Y-Y-Yeah... sure... here you go.

[ahedderick]

Hooficure

Friday was hoof-care day for Hero. K has been riding a lot, and he didn't truly need a trim. However, the farrier's schedule is not to be tampered with!

Missile and Nutmeg were not completely understanding of Hero getting all the attention.

[is-the-horse-vid-cute]

Really cool being able to have a leg like this donated for further education! This horse had severe arthritis in its fetlock joint that involved the splint bones and sesamoids. This horse was purchased in this condition and kindly euthanized and donated to me. History is unknown. *Negative comments will not be tolerated here this horse was purchased to kindly end its clear suffering *

(Source: JB Hoof Care)

[barefoothooves]

🤏🏼🤏🏼🤏🏼

[thescienceofequus]

The Unacceptable Norms of Equine Management and the Inevitable Paradigm Shift

(External link via Rood & Riddle Equine Podiatry)

Social norms are a collective representation of acceptable group conduct and an individual’s perception of their particular groups conduct. They are unwritten rules, expectations, behaviours, thoughts and beliefs of a certain group, underpinned by tradition, anecdotal influence, identity and peer pressure. Add to this the human nature of inertia, the tendency to remain unchanged, and the habitual prerogative of our basal ganglia to keep us doing things that are safe and within our comfort zone, and it’s easy to understand why questionable norms perpetuate, unquestioned. What is perhaps a more apt question is why do accepted group norms perpetuate despite people knowing they are not the ideal and when the ideal has been quantified? Familiarity breeds complacency.

What does this have to do with the horse and hoof care? In my work I am presented daily with horses presenting with conformations, postures, hoof morphologies and diseases that have been overlooked as norms, until such a time as they no longer could, when they became painful or pathological. Granted some things are congenital or acquired early on that are parameters for management, but many of these issues could have had much earlier interventions that may have halted the pathogenesis.

Please follow the above link for some nice diagrams and for the rest of the article.