Dynamic Hoof Care

Had an absolute ball today teaching basic hoof anatomy and care, and a bit about laminitis, feeding and horse care at the Glenelg Pony club rally. Such an enthusiastic and informed bunch of young riders.
We even ended up with a rainbow pony (he received a lovely warm wash and shampoo after this).

The view from my bedroom window at the Australian College of Equine Podiotherapy this week. Cute sight and sound to wake up to!

Doing some assignments this evening on the science behind Professor Bob Bowker’s physiological trim; why do I feel like I’m being watched 🤔

Super excited to be spending a week in lectures and practical horse assessments with world leading equine anatomist Dr Sharon May-Davis at the Australian College of Equine Podiotherapy. Her knowledge of biomechanics and the equine musculoskeletal skeletal system is unsurpassed.

Hot on the heels (pun intended) of the lovely big Gypsy Cob frog in my last post, is a gorgeous juicy TB frog. The pics show the development of his foot by bringing back the heels and encouraging the frog to develop and support the all important structures at the back of the foot including the navicular bone.

Omg, the frog on gorgeous Philly the Gypsy cob mare 😍

🐎 Taking orders for Waltanna Farms locally grown equine linseed/flaxseed products 🐎

Linseeds, also know as flaxseeds, are a great addition to any horses diet; especially when their diet is predominantly hay or the grass is dry. The omega 3:6 profile of linseeds closely matches that of green grass.

Waltanna Gold near Hamilton grows top quality linseeds. After chatting with them the other day they are going to supply it in the following sizes. Purchase the bucket with your first order then buy the bags to refill.

Flaxseed
15kg bucket $47
12.5kg bag
5kg bag $16

First cold pressed flaxseed oil
1l $21.95 (normally $35)
3l $38.50 (normally $75)
5l $55 (normally $95)
20l $199

It is recommended to crush the linseeds immediately prior to feeding for maximum digestibility and to get the full benefits. Linseeds should never be heat treated or cooked .

If anyone wants to purchase let me know and I can deliver at your next trim

https://gettyequinenutrition.com/pages/feeding-flaxseeds-do-you-have-all-the-facts

Vale Boy

One of my most precious clients, standardbred gelding Boy, crossed the rainbow bridge this week at the grand age of 43.

His long, healthy life is testament to the unwavering love, care and devotion of his owner who had him nearly his whole life.

I will miss coming to trim his amaaazing feet and having a cuddle before he trotted off down to his special place by the river. Rest easy old fella, you will be missed.

Laminitis doesn’t have to mean the end of the road for equines. There has been a lot of research the causes and the trimming techniques and diet required to help horses recover.

Once the ‘insult’ to the system that is causing the laminitis is removed you are in with a fighting chance. Keeping in mind not all laminitis is diet related, Black Cavier being a recent example of foaling related laminitis.

This pony was in all sorts of trouble 10 months ago struggling to walk. A diet overhaul and regular trimming has seen her make a full recovery. She does need constant monitoring though to ensure the chances of it reoccurring are reduced.

Age is no barrier to having good feet. This pony’s feet improve every time I see him, he’s 43!
His owner feeds him a high calorie low sugar starch diet with plenty of healthy oils and digestible fibre in a very wet feet as he doesn’t have any molars left.

On Monday August 26 I’ll be heading up to the Australian College of Equine Podiotherapy for a week of professional development in biomechanics and hoof development.

If anyone needs trimming tools, hoof stand, books etc I can bring them back for you so you can avoid postage.

Have a look on their website shop

BfB Online. Farrier tools, hoof knives, rasps, nippers, protective gear All your barefoot trimming needs and more, in one convenient place - tool kits, hoof stands, supplements, shoeing tools, loop knives, polyshoes, tips, braces.

Note: This owner had been struggling for a long time to find a reliable hoof care provider.

I had the pleasure of trimming this sweet Arab gelding last week. He stood without moving a muscle and I was able to give them a really thorough clean up. There was a really lovely foot hiding under there.

(It’s not the same foot in the before after photo as I didn’t get a before of the fronts. They were all much the same underneath though).

Sweet Denzel’s made so much progress with his feet since May. He’s been having lots of rides with his young jockey which has helped keep his feet in good nick. A touch up trim this week showed the improvement (bottom pics)

It’s always a team effort to get good feet - good management, plenty of movement as well as regular trims make all the difference. And don’t you just love the little curl on his feather 😍

A waggy welcome in Winslow!

A great opportunity for any of my clients looking to buy hoof boots. The horsey/feed shop in Ararat is having a sale!

This gorgeous fella with his long luscious blonde locks always reminds me of 80s romance novel cover model Fabio 😍

The horse, the myth, the legend. I had the pleasure of trimming the gorgeous ‘Old Mate’ this week.
The most beautifully behaved fella of course, thanks to his owner renowned horse trainer Tim Chamberlain.

Cute woolly helpers 😀

Lots of fun and games when mini donkeys are involved. They really do like to get up close and personal.
And how ridiculously tiny is that foal hoof!!!
greenhillsdonkeys

The beautiful Grampians near Dunkeld are a stunning backdrop for a day of trimming

Glasses on = tiny tiny feet trimming. Mini donkeys and their foals first up this morning. Donkey feet are different to horse feet and require a species specific trim.

They may be little but their feet are just as important as any other equine. Every millimetre is a big proportion of their hoof and the trim must be done with precision.

Seedy toe is super common in Western Victoria. A lot of clients are horrified when I tell their their horse has it.

Rest assured you are not alone. It can be very hard to get rid of and requires resection and treatment.

This is a pic of my own horse who currently has a touch of seedy toe I’m treating with Hoof Fresh and Hoof Clay.

One of my most precious clients, 43 year old Cookie ❤️

Being a total hoof geek I love it when my clients choose to get involved in their horse’s hoofcare.

One of my clients does her own trims and I come every few months to check the trim in person. Check out this beautiful finish on a trim job she just sent me, not sure I could have done much better myself 😍

She’s using a Bassoli 50 rasp from The Barefoot Blacksmith which is one of my top 2 favourite rasps.

I’m not sure this standy gelding appreciated the bling, but his young jockeys certainly loved his post trim sparkles ✨

Fantastic news for the Hamilton equine community. Dr Allison was generous enough to include me on a laminitis case this morning to discuss radiographs and an ongoing trimming plan. I was so impressed with her ability to explain so well what was going on inside the pony’s feet to me and the owner.

🎉 Southwest Equine has an exciting announcement 🎉
We are increasing our services in the Hamilton Region.
This includes increasing our circuit area to include Casterton and Coleraine.
Our Equine Vet Allison Burgess will be the main veterinary surgeon in the area and we are SO excited for you all to meet her.
Please call the clinic to book in or discuss and spread the news.
As a business we are so grateful to have build up relationships with clients in the Hamilton area and are excited to continue to grow. Your support as always is so appreciated.
Call the clinic on 0437380302 for bookings.

This sweet little 8month old TB filly Elle hopefully has a bright racing career ahead of her. I’ve been trimming her since she was little so we’ve worked on making the process a nice experience for her and developing a nice strong foot.