Holistic Horses Lara Sportelli

Now full. I have some super exciting news 😍
Steve of Steve Doherty Horsemanship has very kindly agreed to come and teach an Introduction To Liberty day in Roscommon. There will be a short demo and an hours individual lesson €45. 25th August 10.30 am start. You can either bring your own horse or come and play with one of mine. My horses love Steve and he has a very calm energy. Please pm me if you would like to join us, thank you, Lara 💕🐎

Hi, I have a request for a regular monthly trimming day in NI in the Aghadowey BT51 area. Are there others who would be interested in bringing their horses to this venue to be trimmed please? Or I can come to you, if you are close by.
Thank you, Lara 🐎

Super delighted to be invited back to Derry again and excited to announce that Lara Sportelli Holistic Horses Hoof Care and Hunter Aromatics are holding another 2 Days Intensive Introduction Trimming Workshop
Drumahoe, Derry BT47 3LL

14th & 15th September 2024 11am-5pm
Groups Are Kept Small. You May Bring Your Own Horse €20 Per Night For A Stable and Hay. Or Work With A Resident.

£360 and A Deposit of £50 Secures Your Space.

If you have already done the course, you may attend for observed practice £60 per day.

To reserve a space or for more info please email
Jai [email protected] or
Lara [email protected]

Hoof Abscesses
Healthy horses with good quality hooves and correct trimming are not typically prone to abscesses, let alone repeated hoof abscesses, but they can certainly start to develop them with enough provocation.

Incorrect Trimming:
Horses with long, overgrown feet or unbalanced trims are at a greater risk of developing abscesses, than well-maintained balanced hooves.

Poor Hoof Quality:
A horse with weak hooves is more likely to develop bruises and cracks that allow bacteria to enter.

Chronic Laminitis or Founder:
Ongoing, low-level inflammation of the laminae may not lead to a classic laminitic stance, with the horse rocked back on his hindquarters in obvious pain. Instead, it can show up as repeated abscesses.

Uncontrolled Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction (PPID, also known as Cushing’s). This common hormonal disorder of older horses can increase the risk of hoof abscesses by weakening the immune system.

Environmental Conditions:
Paddock footing that continuously fluctuates between wet and dry can cause the hoof to expand and contract rapidly. This can lead to tiny cracks that allow bacteria to enter and form abscesses. Likewise, sharp stoney, rocky or uneven footing can cause repeated, small traumas to the hoof, leading to recurring abscesses.

Never dig an abscess out, this can cause all sorts of other problems and infection.

Abscesses are infections of the sensitive areas of the foot, which can occur when bacteria has penetrated the protective outer layers of the sole and visible laminae (white line, golden in colour).

Bacteria can also work its way into the sensitive areas, through weaknesses within the laminae as a result of bruising or Inflammation of the corium and an accumulation of pus or also via a puncture wound, though much less likely.

A sub-solar abscess or pus in the foot is an infection beneath the sole of the foot.

Sub-solar abscesses cause severe pain to your horse due to the build up of pressure under the hoof capsule that cannot expand.

Sub-solar abscesses can also occur after bruising of the sole along with a secondary infection.

When a horse has a sub-solar abscess your horse will often bear almost no weight on the affected limb and will just touch the toe to the ground.

The hoof can feel warmer than the other hooves and a strong digital pulse can often be felt.

Soaking in warm water and Epsom salts or other solutions helps soften some parts of the hoof and draws out infection, it works very well for humans too.

The abscess will find its way out in a soft or weak spot, taking the path of least resistance. If you think when we get splinters and don’t dig them out, they find their way to the surface and pop out all on their own, an abscess is not that different and I would not recommend digging it out.

It is also best to keep the horse moving, to help blood flow, circulation and healing. When the hoof is not soaking you can also use a poultice with French clay and a few drops of essential tea tree oil or yarrow (one of my favourites, fantastic on wounds and for stemming bleeding) to help draw out the infection.

Then put a piece of padding, wrap the hoof in a padding, bandage and plastic bag or poultice boot or nappy and eventually it will pop, most often at the top between the periople and coronet or in the bulbs of the heel and abscesses are definitely not caused by being barefoot.
You can also use a good old fashion bran poultice.

Once the abscess has popped and the pus has drained, clean with a mild disinfectant and seal the hole with clay, bandaging is no longer necessary.

Garlic is good for many things, amongst being good for the respiratory tract, it is also meant to be good for lamis, it’s said to help open the capillaries and allow better blood flow to the hoof, so it might also assist an abscess.

What can I say, another spectacular day.
Huge thank you to the amazing Martha Payne for an incredible day of learning and huge thank you to the wonderful Kieran Hewitt for hosting us all.

It was so lovely to see everyone enjoying themselves and lots of lightbulb moments, as always.

Super happy and delighted to announce some very exciting news for Galway/Roscommon Legerete.
Our one day lessons were super full, so we have added an extra date.

Our next Galway/Roscommon Legerete dates are 10th and 11th August. Saturday lessons will be in the afternoon starting at 3pm and Sunday lessons will be in the morning starting at 10am.

Spectators are very welcome €5 includes drink, cake, a smile and lots of amazing learning. Please pm me, if you would like to join us.Please bring lunch and a fold up chair, thank you.

If you are thinking of joining us from further afield, our lovely host has a beautiful apartment available to rent on site and a stable for your horse, if required.

Hope to see you there.
Thank you to everyone who helps make this happen and of course, thank you to our beautiful horses 💕🐎

Outside of the love, ongoing learning and passion I have for my work, I have another interest. I love to learn with my own horses and have recently discovered the joys of Legerete.

Legerete is stunning. It’s inspiring and so elegant, calm and gentle. In 50 years of riding, I have never come across anything so beautiful to learn.

It doesn’t matter what activities we do with our horses, Legerete is for everyone and after all, there are always things we can improve on, especially to help us be better for our horses.

I am a complete beginner at Legerete and will always be a novice, there is such a vast amount of amazing things to learn, you could live a lifetime, just perfecting the basics on the ground.

Learning about our body language and the horses, learning how to be a quieter and more refined rider, learning better balance and coordination, learning cues that make sense to the horse and to us and that are in tune with the horses bio-mechanics.

There really are so many things to learn.

I’m also very excited and looking forward, to be learning an exercise that will especially help with the rehab of Cherrys shoulder and to progressing with Dreamer, who seems to be really taking to our lessons very well, he’s such a sweet chap and he humours me a lot too 😬

Horses keep us humble and always learning 💕🐎

Coming to arena work for the first time in our twelve years together, I’m loving the joy of feeling my little Arab responding so beautifully, to this gentle way of learning and the calm, quiet, effortless way of riding is amazing and so graceful.

I also laugh and feel delighted, when I manage to actually get it right for him and my beautiful boy transforms, it feels like magic and we’re having lots of fun learning this together.

Legerete is technical for my brain, but it delights and excites me, as I start to very slowly understand and learn more and try to get the words right too 😬

I love learning to try to be better for my horses, they are the ones that matter most of all to me, in all of this and it’s about having a deeper understanding, further strengthening our bond and relationship together. It’s really important to me, to feel in tune and understand my horses better 💕🐎

The Legerete learning process is not a quick fix for anything, it is an in-depth, on-going, thorough, calm, deep, slow and steady learning process, that takes each horses individual needs, into careful consideration.

It is a way of being and learning with our horses.

Every lesson leaves me needing to know more, how and why. Learning about how the horse uses it’s body and how we use ours, in a positive way, to help our horses.

The steady calm progressive way of learning, suits both Dreamer and I perfectly.

Dreamer was very high energy when we first got together and fortunately he has calmed a lot over the years. Sometimes he forgets and his energy rockets and he starts to rush or run, but I remain quiet and calm, to help steady him and with Legerete, there is always a solution for everything.

Legerete is really good for helping the horse find a different focus and the solutions are endless, for helping each horse and human together and quite honestly, the instructors are genius, how they problem solve for us and how much they really care, that is also a very important component for me.

Legerete really is a beautiful, calm and gentle way of learning, for any horse, any rider and any discipline, at any level, from complete beginner to advanced, everyone is welcome.

All you need is an open mind and heart and a willingness to learn something new, for the great of your horse 💕🐎

Legerete Group Ireland
https://www.facebook.com/share/1hmtiKSseRRFQibf/?mibextid=K35XfP

The Coffin Bone:
• The large bone inside the hoof capsule is known as P3, Distal Phalanx, Pedal Bone or Coffin Bone.
It sits under the Distal Interphalangeal Joint (articulation joint of the coffin bone) that connects it to the Short Pastern (P2) above.

The coffin bone takes up to 2/3 of the foot space.

• Its shape influences and provides a framework, but does not dictate the shape of the hoof capsule itself. The coffin bone provides strength and stability to the hoof and acts as a framework to help hold other structures in place. It does not have a medulla (bone marrow). Tendons and ligaments are attached to this bone and it has an unusually high density of tiny blood vessels running around and through it.

• Surrounding the wall of the bone is the sensitive laminae (filled with nerves and blood vessels that help support the horse’s lower leg and hoof), that attaches to the hoof walls insensitive laminae at the laminar junction. The laminar junction forms the interface between the external surface of the P3 and the internal surface of the hoof wall and includes epidermal, dermal and subcutaneous tissues.

• The underneath of the bone is covered in solar corium, which produces the sole.

• At the back, the coffin bone attaches to the lateral and medial cartilages, which form a large portion of the back of the foot.

• The two corners of the coffin bone closest to the heels are known as the palmar (front) and plantar (hind) processes, these allow for the back of the bone to descend within the hoof capsule, as the heel expands during movement.

• The extensor tendon attaches to the front and flexor to the back.
Free resources
https://holistichorseshoofcare.weebly.com/resources.html

Next Trimming Day. Saturday 20th July.
11am-4pm. An amazing opportunity for all you lovely horse owners, who have completed the horse owners trimming courses.
If you would love to give something back.
This is an amazing opportunity for you to come along and look at lots of different hooves, ask questions and brush up on your trimming skills.
Please bring your trimming tools and I will be there to guide and support you all, you can trim as much or as little as you would like. Please wear suitable clothes and bring a packed lunch, the day is free for trimmers. Please pm me for more info and to book your space. Thank you, Lara 💕🐎 # # #

Our next Roscommon Legerete day is 14th July. Starting 11am. Ridden/groundwork spaces are full, but spectators are very welcome €5 includes drink, cake, a smile and lots of great learning.
Please pm me, if you would like to join us.
Please bring lunch and a fold up chair, thank you 😊🐎 August date has now changed to 11th August.

Gorgeous Pashmina joined my little herd just over a year ago and her hind hooves were completely collapsed sideways. No photos I’m afraid, as didn’t think to take any at the time, my only thought was to fix them. With patience and time, finally we have turned a corner and they have started to come good 😍🐎

Huge thank you to the beautiful ladies Jai Hunter Aromatics, Amanda, Rebecca and Ruth, for their fabulous trimming and thank you to Annie and Carmel for their wonderful pony help. A big thank you to My Lovely Horse Rescue for having us all there today and of course, thank you goes to all the gorgeous horses and ponies, for an amazing trimming day 💕🐎

The laminar wedge (that forms to protect the coffin bone) and the affected hoof, grow out, as the new hoof wall grows down from the coronet band.

It takes some months for the structures of the foot to heal and adjust and for a new hoof to grow down.

If you randomly chop off a long toe, it compromises the complex foot structures, that are not yet properly adjusted and fully healed.

Even if you trim normal toes back too far, because of the white line and laminae, you risk causing the horse discomfort, soreness and even lameness.

The new hoof has also not had the chance to grow down properly and replace the old hoof.

Healing doesn’t happen overnight and it certainly doesn’t happen just by chopping the toe off.

The healing takes place, as the new hoof grows down and the old hoof grows out and that takes time.

As the new hoof grows down the foot heals and when the hoof is ready, it starts to shed the old laminitic hoof, as a natural progression.

The keratinised equine hoof capsule protects the softer, more sensitive, structures of the foot.

Failure of the lamellar, distal phalangeal (coffin bone, pedal bone, P3) attachment apparatus, which is the connection at the laminar junction, between the dorsal (inner) hoof wall (insensitive laminae) and coffin bone (sensitive laminae) results in the crippling lameness of laminitis.

The laminar junction forms the interface between the external surface of the third phalanx and the internal surface of the hoof wall, including epidermal, dermal and subcutaneous tissues.

Both morphologically and mechanically, it is a unique structure.
Morphologically, its two-tiered laminar organisation, appears to be an adaptation to increase the surface area of the inner aspect of the wall, decreasing stress across the basement membrane.
Mechanically, it is positioned to transfer a large proportion of the ground reaction force, between the hoof wall and the skeleton.

Dozens of different keratin molecules, with differing biomechanical properties and molecular weights, with varying degrees of hardness and sulfur concentration, are present in hoof tissue.

The non-stop production of new hoof, makes good, the continuous loss of hoof wall, occurring at the distal ground surface.

During laminitis, the whole hoof is compromised and it’s growth pattern is irregular.

Basal cells of the coronet and the lamellae of the dorsal hoof wall, show that active basal cell production, occurs only in the coronet and proximal (closest) lamellae.

The remaining lamellae are virtually non-productive and remodelling within the hoof wall lamellae, this occurs as the hoof wall moves past the stationary distal (furthest) phalanx and is a function of the controlled activation and inhibition of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs).

Matrix metalloproteinases are a family of zinc-dependent extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling endopeptidases (proteolytic peptidases, that break peptide bonds of non-terminal amino acids) that have the capacity to degrade almost every component of the ECM.

The degradation of the ECM is of great importance, since it is related to cell repair and the remodeling of tissues.

When the expression of MMPs is altered, it can generate the abnormal degradation of the ECM. This is the initial cause of the development of chronic degenerative diseases.

Proliferating (fast growing and many) coronet basal cells organise into thin, elongated cylinders (hoof wall tubules) approximately 0.2 mm in diameter.

The central hollow medulla of each tubule comprises approx 2% of the total hoof wall volume at the toe.

The tubules of the stratum medium are arranged into zones, based on the density of tubules in the intertubular horn.

This tubule density gradient appears to be a mechanism for smooth energy transfer, from the rigid (high tubule density) outer wall to the more flexible (low tubule density) inner wall and ultimately to the distal phalanx.

The gradient in tubule density mirrors the gradient in water content across the hoof wall and together these factors represent an optimum design for the equine hoof wall.

The lamellar corium derives most of its blood supply from the branches of the terminal arch, which perforates the distal phalanx.

Numerous anastomosis (connection or opening between two things, that are normally diverging or branching) form an arterial lattice beneath and between the epidermal lamellae and blood can flow proximally to the coronary circumflex artery and distally to the solar circumflex artery.

The veins in the foot are valveless.

In the lamellar dermal microcirculation, numerous (500/2cm) arteriovenous anastomosis, connect the axial arteries to axial veins and their normal role relates to thermoregulation and pressure modulation.

On the inner hoof wall (stratum internum) is the stratum lamellatum (layer of leaves) named after the 550 to 600 epidermal lamellae (primary epidermal lamellae or PEL), which project from the surface of the inner hoof wall (stratum internum) in parallel rows.

Each PEL has 150 to 200 secondary lamellae on its surface and normal SELs have a constant histological (study by microscope) appearance, that only laminitis alters.

The basement membrane (BM), a tough, unbroken sheet of extracellular matrix, forms the interface, between the lamellar epidermis and the dermis.

It is a three-dimensional sheet of fine, anastomosing cords, consisting of filaments of collagen IV (the most abundant component of the BM and serves to bind the laminin and other glycoproteins to form the mesh like structure of the BM) ensheathed with glycoproteins, in particular laminins 1 and 5 (laminins are a family of glycoproteins of the extracellular matrix).
They are major constituents of the basement membrane, namely the basal lamina.

The plasma membrane of each lamellar basal cell is attached to the BM by numerous electron dense adhesion plaques or hemidesmosomes (HDs are tiny tight adhesive structures).

The various proteins of each HD occur on both sides of the basal cell plasmalemma (cell surface membrane) and with anchoring filaments (AFs) they form a bridge, linking the interior of the basal cell to the exterior connective tissue and ultimately the distal phalanx.

HDs are maintained and assembled by glucose-consuming phosphorylation (attachment of a phosphate group to a molecule or an ion) reactions and disturbances of glucose metabolism, this can be involved in laminitis pathogenesis (development of a diseased condition).

HDs and AFs are essential to normal hoof lamellar integrity, this is illustrated by horses that inherit mutations in the genes, expressing these proteins. Failure to correctly express plectin or laminin5 (HD and AF proteins, respectively) also results in neo-natal, laminitis like pathology.

Laminitis destroys the BM and its components and without an intact, functional, basement membrane, the structure and function of the lamellar epidermis is pathologically compromised.

Transcription (the process of copying a segment of DNA into RNA. The segments of DNA transcribed into RNA molecules, that can encode proteins, produce messenger RNA and activation of MMP2, a protein coding gene) that occurs in normal hoof lamellae and in increased amounts during laminitis.

Accidental triggering of uncontrolled, excessive MMP production of MMPs. present in the cells of the secondary epidermal lamellae, presumably for normal remodeling purposes, appears to be an important factor in laminitis pathogenesis.

This is an amazing day course to introduce the basics of Horse Communication, Aromatherapy and Zoopharmacognosy!

The event in Derry sold out so we are heading to Roscommon to teach about this incredible modality to improve horses mental and physical health.

Join us from 11am - 5pm at Roscommon F45 N668

Investment is 50 Euro including a light lunch!

A Strong or Bounding Digital Pulse
Finding out if your horse has a bounding digital pulse can help as an early warning sign for laminitis, abscess and as an indication of inflammation inside the hoof capsule.

The digital pulse should be feint or non-existent. Ask your hoof care provider to help you locate the digital pulse.

How do you know what’s strong or bounding?

You kind of have to feel to know and ideally you should get to know what’s normal for your horse’s digital pulse.

When taking the digital pulse, if its’ bounding, you are feeling the blood being pushed back into the arteries from the foot.

Due to inflammation there is no longer enough space within the hoof capsule and blood flow into the foot is restricted, it then backs up in the arteries making the pulse feel much stronger, hence a bounding digital pulse.

Learning how to locate and take your horses digital pulse, will help you to know the difference between normal and bounding.

The VAN (vein, artery, nerve) bundle runs down the back of the fetlock and pastern, before entering the hoof.
The Lateral Digital Vein is highlighted in blue.
The Lateral Digital Artery is highlighted in red.
The Lateral Digital Nerve is highlighted in yellow.

I find this way the easiest way to locate the digital pulse.

Run your fingers down the inside of the horses leg, along the grooves between the tendons, until you reach a soft squishy spot, that squishy spot is generally predominant, when there is a bounding digital pulse.

Apply gentle pressure with your finger and strum (run your finger from side-to-side) until you feel the cordlike bundle VAN (consisting of vein, artery, and nerve) “ping” underneath your touch. Apply pressure to this bundle for 5 to 10 seconds until you feel a pulse.

If you can’t find a pulse, adjust the amount of pressure you’re placing on the bundle. If you press too hard, you’ll cut off blood flow, therefore the pulse. If you press too softly, you won’t create enough resistance to feel the pulse at all. It takes practice and it’s very useful to learn and incorporate into your daily horse life.

You need to determine whether your horse’s digital pulse is throbbing abnormally.

It helps to know what a healthy pulse feels like, but you can’t always find a pulse on a healthy leg/hoof. It might be too faint.

On the other hand, you will know if the horse has inflammation within the hoof capsule, if you can easily find the digital pulse bounding.

Hooves are Incredible and they will never cease to amaze and excite me.

These photos are part of a hoof wall and laminar wedge, that came away naturally, leaving this hoof in almost perfect shape.

I always trim each hoof for function, balance, comfort and soundness and follow the natural contours, provided by each individual hoof.

I never trim in a harsh way or trim just to make hooves look pretty, it serves no purpose, other than to make the horse uncomfortable or lame.

Every structure of the hoof and foot has a function.

Rehab hooves can often look quite unsightly during the healing process and recovery can be slow, but always remarkable.

I firmly believe that
‘Slow and Steady’
wins every time, in all things.

The hoof knows how it needs to be and why and no one will ever be better at telling us that, than the hoof itself 💕🐎

A big vote and thank you for Cherrys beautiful Transcend Bitless Bridle. absolutely love it.

It has been sitting here and I thought why not and so here we are.

Excellent quality leather, perfect fit, great craftsmanship, super soft padding, stunning colour and fast delivery.

Supporting a small business means we received a top class service ⭐️

Sue was awesome, she let me keep hold of the extra full size, whilst sending out a full size, in case I needed to mix and match and endless patience required, for my complete lack of talented measuring skills, ie browband measurement, miniature pony size 😬🐴
https://www.transcendbitlessbridle.com/

Absolutely amazing Legerete learning day yesterday. Huge thank you to our incredible instructor Martha, as always, for her amazing tuition, in-depth explanations, vast knowledge and for being genuinely lovely.

The next day is always a processing day for me and I get to see what has landed in my slow old brain.

I found it mind blowing how every horse completely transformed once again and everybody went away with something new to practice.

I learnt about horse and rider biomechanics, pelvis, shoulder twist and how slightly different hand positions send different signals.

My little arab Dreamer was amazing.
I learnt how the right position of flexions stretch his neck muscles correctly and saw which muscles stretched.

I learnt about his shoulder balance and which muscle underneath his neck relaxed in a certain position and how our balance together is really important.

Dreamer was putting me out on a circle, on what I discovered was together our least favourite rein. I was following his body by leaning and then he was trying to catch me. Martha checked first if it was me putting dreamer out or if it was him putting me out and then corrected this for us and it felt like magic.

I laughed so much, each time I felt the instant changes of our bend improve on a circle, how very little I had to do to achieve those changes and that I actually understood how to do it and why. I don’t know why, but the why is always as important to me as the how.

I also learnt how to stop, doing virtually nothing more than a whisper.

I didn’t do too badly on the shaking front with arena nerves this time, having plied myself with rescue remedy and with jasmine oil smeared all over my face, having forgotten all about the effects of oil and sun, apart from the gorgeous aroma, I vividly resemble a burnt crisp today 🤣

That aside I’m actually doing something, I never thought I would be able to do in a million years and more than that, I’ve absolutely fallen in love with something that delights and excites me and has me feeling like a child again.

I’ve actually retained the information and apparently Dreamer and I did really well.

I am completely in awe of how very little I have to do and how easy it is with the correct information, just like lots of tiny gentle codes, unlocking huge doors and this has definitely got to be the first classroom ever, that I really love being in, with so much learnt together in an hour.

Legerete is something I can understand easily and so can my horse and most of all I love that we can do it together, with no effort at all.

It really is genuinely a beautiful way of learning, connecting and riding and most of all, my horse is happy and so relaxed with it and my horses will always come first 🥰🐎💕 Next Roscommon date is 14th July.

Carpal Varus/Valgus means an angular limb deformity. It is a pathological deformity in the spatial alignment of any limb in quadrupeds. It means that the limb is not straight and it mostly occurs in the carpal joints of the forelimbs, manifesting as the limb pointing outward (carpal valgus) or inward (carpal varus), deviating from normal development. The Carpal joints are the articulation between the carpal bones and the metacarpal bones distally and the radius and ulna proximally. The carpal joints include the joints between forearm, carpal and metacarpal bones:

How soon does your foal need a hoof care visit or trim?

Well it depends on a few things. As the foal grows very quickly in the first few weeks of life their chest widens significantly. For foals with very correct conformation this rarely causes concern. But the slightest deviation can mean that an over compensation can (but not always) happen and you end up with an even more deviated limb as baby grows. The best chance of helping correct these is very early while the growth plates are still developing. Once growth plates have closed it gets harder to make a lasting correction. The growth plates in the distal radius and ulna, which make up the forearm typically close around 9 to 12 months of age (Goergen et al, 2016).

The mare of this foal has a conformational tendency to be very slightly carpal varus so we knew to be on the lookout early for this foal. A tiny trim at 2 weeks and again at 5 weeks has helped her stay in good alignment as she grows.

These kinds of corrections help reduce the risk of arthritic changes and joint degeneration as the horse gets older due to correct limb alignment and balanced loading through the joints.

Taking photos of your foals standing conformation and videos in movement front on is always an interesting way to see what’s going on and keep track. Chat to your equine vet, trimmer or farrier and don’t leave it too late to get checked if you are unsure.