Who Really Heals These Horses Feet??

Their owners... Horses owners are their most powerful ally. I wrote this some moths ago....

I started out trimming brood mares and peoples neglected backyard horses, and learned the hard way that I can only save these horses with their owner’s assistance. When struggling in muddy paddocks trying to trim feet that had last been trimmed 6 months ago, or trying to devise a bandage that would stay on an abscessed foot when the horse's pasterns were buried in mud, I realized that.... I needed to focus on horses I could help.

I can help most of these horses, but I can't change the owners. I now let them know what they need to do to help their horse, and let them know that, if they work to heal their horse, I'll work hard next to them. If they can't do their part, I give them a few names of folks who may be willing to work with them.

It’s a heart breaker....

Pete consoled me once that I'd made the right decision about not working with the owner of a horse that was fed to obesity, had laminitis and chronic thrush. "When the vet looks at that foot and asks who the hoof care provider is, do you want your name associated with it? Is there anything you can do to change her?"

Tough.... I leave the door open, tell them that if they decide to try working with me, I would love to work with them, but ask them, please, not too wait too long because the effects of severe laminitis are NOT reversible.  This is their horse’s life, and no, they don't get a Do-Over if they realize they were wrong.

Loving owners heal their horses using the care & management they provide, plus the assistance of people like me.

At some time in the past, I wrote the above (I forget where) and someone who I consider to be a phenomenal trimmer, AHA and PHCP member Asa Nuttal www.hoofauthority.com asked me if she could use it on her site. When I stumbled across it when looking at PHCP Members web sites recently, I didn't remember that I wrote it until I got halfway through it.

It was a timely discovery, reading these thoughts of mine from the past. I've had to let two clients go who I considered friends, whose horses I loved. It's hard to let a horse that you really love go. More so when they really need you.

Can you tell the difference between a healthy frog and one with Thrush? More importantly, can your Trimmer???!

New Healthy Fall Frogs Article and Global Healthy Fall Frogs

"Thrush season" is coming for many of us.... have you wondered about healthy vs unhealthy frogs? Does your horse have thrush, contracted heels, problems keeping boots on when the boots fit tight? Does you horse slow down walking down hills? These symptoms can be due to many causes, and one of the many is thrush.

I wrote this article to help people differentiate between healthy and unhealthy frogs.

<-------- UNHEALTHY!!!

<-------- HEALTHY!!!

I wrote this article because I have come across many trimmers (some well known) who ignore thrush and sulcus infections, or who are in denial that it's a problem.

Most trimmers I know are super at recognizing and treating thrush and are trying to eliminate it from their clients horses feet, but some trimmers prefer not to deal with thrush, tattered frogs or shedding frogs at all, and this can result in tentative movement, heels that stay high, long stretched toes from toe-first landings, contracted heels... a long list of problems. Barefoot Failure!

One trimmer accused me of exaggerating how sound I say my clients horses are. She ALSO actually thought the "Unhealthy" frog example, shown above, from http://www.healthyhoof.com/case_studies/Freedom/Free.html looked like it wasn't a big problem! Maybe she doesn't know the difference between healthy and unhealthy? Yep.

She says she has many client horses that get very tender on trails, and started shoeing rather than booting. When I visited her barn on two separate occasions, her personal horses and the other horses at the barn had thrush to varying degrees, including fairly painful infections. This was pointed out by other trimmers, too; it wasn't just my assessment. I suspect that many of her barefoot problems could be thrush related.

This person feels that because I live in "sunny" California, I don't understand wet environment related problem, however my horses are in a very, very wet pasture 5 to 7 months in the winter (they wade a LOT!) and I have many friends who trim in very wet climates who manage to control thrush just as well in their personal and client horses. Many of my client horses spend winters on wet wood chips or in mud, and those conditions makes the frogs more susceptible to thrush, but I still have many of those frogs be very nice. Thrush isn't a regional phenomena, and it isn't just wet climates. Dry frogs get thrush, too.

I believe thrush is related to diet, appropriate frog management and treatment, and adequate frog trimming. Why do I think this? Half or more of my client horses had thrush before I "got it". These horses were tender and we had trouble keeping boots on because their movement was impaired. Thrush can -and does - cause lameness. Barefoot soundness and healthy frogs are closely related.

I turned my problem with wide-spread thrush around. Depending on the time of the year, several horses in my practice have thrush in 1 or more feet, most of it being actively treated. I trim about 250 horses a month. getting thrush under control with my clients wasn't easy, but it IS satisfying - for all of us. Part of this success was because I put up my Thrush and Thrush Treatment pages. I'll still get a spot or two on a few frogs, or a horse with a compromised immune system will get thrush. I often have to work with new clients horses to balance their diet and get the frogs rehabbed. But with a balanced trim, balanced diet and the right thrush treatments when needed, almost every foot I trim has a pretty super frog.

Thrush Elimination ...Whose Job Is It?

My opinion is that it's the Trimmers job to inform a client when their horse has thrush as well as to clean up the frog so that treatments will be more effective. If a horse has a super painful frog infection, the owner may need to soak or otherwise treat the thrush so that the trimmer is safe working on the frogs. I use Usnea Tincture to help relieve pain in frogs I'm trimming, but if the infection is serious, it may not be adequate.

Owners need to be responsible for diet changes, if necessary, and for treating the thrush aggressively enough to clear it up.

Trimmers only see a typical client horse for 20 to 60 minutes a month, not enough time to be solely responsible for frog condition... owners need to actively participate! Learning what remedies are available and using them, talking to your trimmer about alternatives...

I have dealt with many horribly thrushy frogs over the years, and they CAN be cleaned up,

Healthy Frog Benefits

These horses with nice, durable frogs are easy to trim, and comfortable to ride. Boots that fit stay on better... the benefits are numerous! Check out your horses frogs... are they smelly, cracked and gross, or clean and durable?

...

Who really heals these horses feet??

I started trimming brood mares and peoples neglected backyard horses, and learned the hard way that I can only save these guys with their owner’s assistance. When struggling in muddy paddocks trying to trim feet that had last been trimmed 6 months ago, or trying to devise a bandage that would stay on an abscessed foot when the horse's pasterns were buried in mud, I realized that.... I needed to focus on horses I could help.

I can help the horses but I can't change the owners. I now let them know what they need to do to help their horse, and let them know that if they work to heal their horse, I'll work hard next to them. If they can't do their part, I give them a few names of folks who may be willing to work with them.

It’s a heart breaker....

Pete consoled me once that I'd made the right decision about not working with the owner of a horse that was fed to obesity, had laminitis and chronic thrush. "When the vet looks at that foot and asks who the hoof care provider is, do you want your name associated with it? Is there anything you can do to change her?"

Tough.... I leave the door open, tell them that if they decide to try working with me, I would love to work with them, but ask them, please, not too wait too long because the effects of laminitis are NOT reversible.  This is their horse’s life, and no, they don't get a Do-Over if they realize they were wrong.

Caring horse owners heal their own horses using the care and management they provide and the assistance of people like me.

At some time in the past, I wrote the above (I forget where) and someone who I consider to be a phenomenal trimmer, AHA and PHCP member Asa Nuttal www.hoofauthority.com asked me if she could use it on her site. When I stumbled across it when looking at PHCP Members web sites recently, I didn't remember that I wrote it until I got halfway through it.

Check out this fantastic new web site for the Equine Cushing's group! http://www.ecirhorse.com/

The www.ecirhorse.com web site is not just about Insulin Resistance, metabolic problems and Cushing's - every horse owner needs to understand how diet and seasonal metabolic changes can affect their horses & their horses feet, and the FAQ on this site is a great place to start learning!

Whole Horse Health Email Group

Go to http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/wholehorsehealth to join a new email group that focuses on healthy horse care. This group isn't just about barefoot, we talk about about diet, environment, vet care body work, chiropractic, acupuncture and acupressure. There are more than 18 professional trimmers and 3 or 4 farrier's on the list (who also do barefoot trimming), and folks who shoe are welcome here too. It is a low volume list right now. It is a restricted group in that it is closed to people trimming invasively or promoting an invasive trim approach.

Auburn University (Alabama) Study on Laminitis Rehabilitation using Ramey Protocols!

This exciting study is documenting the rehabilitation of laminitic horses using Pete's trimming protocols, and is exciting because it will offer veterinarians. documentation describing what was done and what the rehabilitative progress and results were. It is NOT comparing shod to unshod recovery or stating that one option works better than another! Its a simple set of case studies proving that the suggested parameters work if the guidelines are adhered to.

The Study Introduction can be found here: http://hoofrehab.com/AuburnUvetschool.htm

The AAEP Manuscript can be found here: AAEP Manuscript

Would you like to participate? The trimming criteria (in the above manuscript) is based on Pete Ramey's trim. If you think you want to go for it and are not sure if your trim is “right”, we can get someone to look at it.
______________________________

To participate in the study as a co-author, you need to provide:

• Two lateral x-rays; the first is taken after removing shoes and before trimming, the second is taken before the end of 12 months - whenever you see significantly improved wall attachment
• A video of the horse showing body condition and movement at the beginning and end of the study.
• Hoof and body pictures would be nice too.
  
  Take Video & Pictures
  
  Video horse before shoe removal for body condition and movement
  
  Use barium paste markers to id points of comparison
• Marker 1 - from the edge of the hairline following a tubule to the point of the toe, then UNDER the toe towards the toe callous
• Marker 2 - on the tip of the frog
• Marker 3 - from the hairline at the heel to the point of the heel and across the heel towards the seat of the corn
  
  Take X-ray
• Make the distance from hoof to X-ray machine consistent for each x-ray.
• Always have the plate touch the medial hoof wall.
• Have both front feet on level blocks. The beam needs to be level with the blocks and 1 CM above the blocks so that the beam shoots parallel to the coffin bone.
  

New Case Study

Chickapea

Big changes in just 4 months!

From This:

...

To This:

"UNDER THE HORSE" DVD Series

NEW!!  20 hours CE credit now available for veterinarians and vet tech's!!!

http://www.hoofrehab.com/underthehorse.htm

This video is designed to teach equine professionals and horse owners new ways to recognize and treat hoof pathology. It focuses on the ability to identify and recognize a truly healthy equine foot and demonstrates steps taken to drive a pathological hoof towards a healthier state.

GREAT NEWS! NOW - 20 hours CE credit available for veterinarians and vet tech's! The American Association of Veterinary State Boards RACE committee has reviewed and approved this program as meeting the Standards adopted by the AAVSB.

This DVD set (plus an additional test after viewing) has meet the requirements for 20 hours of continuing education credit for veterinarians and veterinary technicians in jurisdictions which recognize AAVSB's RACE approval program, including California .Contact Dianna at hoofrehab1@windstream.net for details)

"Tools Of The Trade"

http://hoofrehab.com/toolsofthetrade.htm