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Born Free Hoof Care

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24.01.2022 Thanks to the recent wet weather I got to do a very satisfying trim on this little rehab case. His lamellar wedge used to be about an inch wide. We are now just growing out the last of it!

22.01.2022 Lovely afternoon with fellow colleagues in the Equine Industry! Thanks for organising Avon Ridge Equine Veterinary Services !

21.01.2022 Got flies? No worries! Spoilt horse and spoilt farrier :)

19.01.2022 CURRENTLY MOVING HOUSE I've been trying to keep up with all my messages, but the last few days have been fairly hectic with all the packing, cleaning and moving. Moving day is tomorrow so to everyone that is waiting to hear back from me, I'll attempt to get back to everyone by Wednesday afternoon. I am looking forward to getting settled in and being able to focus on hooves again!... Your patience is appreciated in this busy time :) See more

16.01.2022 I had a great day today trimming and talking hooves and horses with Leanne from Carani Hoofcare - Leanne Smith .

15.01.2022 Yay! That's the last few trims done for before Christmas! It ended on a highlight with this beautiful young mare, Saph. She has come such a long way with her confidence while trimmed and her hoof health has been improving every trim too! They aren't perfect, but they are pretty darn good compared to previously :)... Merry Christmas to all Born Free Equine Therapies clients!

12.01.2022 Easel and Poppy the bamboo-loving donks and Arwen and Lilly the mare and filly. Just some of the beautiful equines I got to work with today

11.01.2022 Ok, its’ another one of those pour a glass of wine and pull up a chair posts. With the new season’s hay hitting the stock feeders and being available again, ...I want to share what we, as veterinary dentists, are seeing now on a daily basis. I know I bang on about it a bit, but I have seen some things in the past 12 months that are really sad and distressing. I want to start by stating for the record that I have absolutely no affiliation with any hay growers. I received a lovely Christmas card from the Curulli’s last year but have never met them or actually spoken with them. Rhys from Limerick Farms Meadow Hay married a client of mine ( and stole her from Perth ) and I have spoken to him about the results from testing last year but nothing else. I have seen mention that I must be in the pocket of the low sugar hay producers but that is absolutely not true. My only aim is to make your horses’ mouths healthier. In fact, the reality is that the more of you that switch off sugary hay, the less work I will have ! I am actually trying to put myself out of business by advising you to watch the sugar levels your horse is ingesting. Those that have made the switch are almost all becoming annual visits whereas those on sugary hays are needing twice yearly visits. I saw two horses today in Toodyay that have been on 6 monthly visits for years ( with horrible dental issues ) that have been on low sugar hay for two years and can now been seen annually because of the tremendous improvement ! What I want to make very clear is that not all hays are created equal and that there is a lot of misconception and deception out there when it comes to the sugar content of hays. This year I have seen first hand, meadow hay with over 35% sugars ( I will use the generic term sugars here although it is more complex than that) ! The owners were paying a premium and doing what they thought was right but unfortunately without testing there is no way to know what you are feeding. It’s as simple as that. I know the low sugar hay producers need to work very hard to get the results they do so it’s unlikely that someone that is not aiming for low sugars will be able to replicate this with more traditional farming methods. The time of cutting, the mix, even the time of day/night that the hay is cut makes a huge difference and the low sugar stuff is very labour intensive to produce. What has become more stark this year is the difference between those on sugary hay and those that are fed a genuinely low sugar hay. It is almost possible now to predict with a huge degree of confidence what you are feeding just by looking into the mouth - the grey areas where there is some decay are getting less and less and its almost totally an all or nothing situation. Those on cereal hays have horrible caries and those on low sugar hay do not - with very few exceptions. A quick recap - the oral bacteria ferment the sugars and produce acids as a by product. These acids cause demineralisation of the cementum, the dentine and the enamel. This causes gum disease, loss of support structures and pulpitis - all of which are painful. So the message ? Make sure you are getting what you pay for when you purchase your hay. I have seen some very questionable laboratory results from low sugar oaten/wheaten hay sellers and I would hate to see people paying a premium for something that is essentially a lie. Get your hay from a reputable grower/seller with verifiable laboratory results that show clearly that the sugars are closer to 10% than 20%. If there is no improvement in the teeth within 12 months, then the sugars are still too high. The difference in the teeth ( and often behaviour and gut health too ) in those horses that switch to a low sugar alternative is nothing short of spectacular. I realise that there are often barriers to switching - availability, storage, palatability, weeds, cost etc. Find out what others are doing, group together and buy bulk to minimise transportation costs or perhaps hire a truck and make a day of it. Your horses may not thank you but they will be more comfortable ! See more

11.01.2022 I had a great day riding along with Steve Routledge Farrier. I got to learn more about the traditional side of farriery and took home lots of tips and tricks for my own work. Like a good teacher, Steve sent me home with books to read for homework Thank you for today, Steve! I'll certainly be back!... - Jade

09.01.2022 My cutest client of the day so far, Mariah the Shetland Mariah has suffered from laminitis in the past, but due to strict management from her owner, she is pretty darn healthy and happy these days. This is her hoof before her 5 weekly trim this morning, they have certainly come a long way!

03.01.2022 Here's my friend, Bandit, demonstrating the two sides of the shetland breed. 1. Cute and cuddly, maybe even a little demure. 2. Plotting your murder....