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25.01.2022 In the spirit of walking the walk and not just talking the talk, here is my track. I made it in September of 2019 which was our first spring at our new property. This video was taken in November 2019 so I was pretty pleased with the minimal amount of grass on the track. Tracks aren’t only for laminitis prone horses. They’re an excellent lifestyle option for all horses as they promote movement and a more consistent, lower sugar diet which in turn helps to create healthy hoove...s (and horses!) What’s not to love?! Please keep in mind the chestnut mini and dark brown mini are visitors. They had come to me for rehab from laminitis in September and the chestnut in particular had a separate lameness issue, in addition to laminitis, which is quite evident in this video. Further, they were new to my big horse herd on the track and it was a windy day! Lots of action and expression, but just the way I like it The track isn’t long - maybe 300 metres in total. But it includes a strip of trees, a shelter, it’s on a hill and there are a couple of loafing areas where the horses can really kick back if they want to. The smaller a track is, the easier and cheaper it is to keep grass free. Thank you to Dora, the little black and white pony, who taught me everything I know about managing laminitis. This track was made for her. Sadly she is no longer with us but I like to believe her legacy is that she can teach others through me.

25.01.2022 So many cases these past few weeks Please take Laminitis seriously. It is extremely painful and damaging to your horse

25.01.2022 Yes please!!! https://www.facebook.com/1213521758670162/posts/3510114529010862/?vh=e&extid=YuYJjHA2CLgAO9Ed

24.01.2022 ’ ! Now that I’ve been back treating horses again for the last 2 weeks, it’s clear that some owners need ... that their horse’s fitness levels might have taken a hit during lockdown If you’re wondering why your legs are aching...give a thought to your horse’s muscles as well If you decided to temporarily hang your boots up during lockdown, or limited riding to just hacking, or simply stopped jumping. I can’t enough the importance of bringing your horse back into work . Not only will your horse have lost cardiovascular fitness but musculoskeletal condition as well for the discipline. This essentially means your horse will not be able to pick up where you left off, without exposing your horse to risk of injury, from of their muscles/tendons/ligaments. These structures need over time Please bear this in mind especially when you’re booking XC courses / showjumping arena’s etc. It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement and forget about the needs of our horse’s Please remember that horse’s are not , and if they are pushed beyond their capabilities they can both and #equineosteopathy #equinelife #equestrianosteopathy #equestrianlife #equineperformancetherapy #equinesportsperformance #equineperfromance #equinetherapy #horseriding #showjumping #eventing #dressage #equestrian

23.01.2022 Water = hydration If you want to spend money on improving your horses hooves, then invest in a low sugar, high fibre, mineral balanced diet

22.01.2022 Reflecting on the current season, this spring has been the worst I have seen for laminitis in the 7 years I’ve been trimming. Interestingly, there are many horses and ponies that I know that have foundered in the past, but not this year What have these owners done differently? They have managed their horse/pony over the entire year! Not just gone into damage control in spring when it’s often a little too late for preventative action. ... The things that I believe are key are: NO RUGS during winter Plain grass hay as opposed to rye, clover and oaten hay Simple hard feeds mainly fed for the purposes of mineral supplementation, or no hard feed at all Plenty of room to move and good reasons to move - such as a friend(s) to interact/play with; water, food and shelter spread out away from each other; track systems; and sources of enrichment that encourage movement A regular trimming cycle based on what is recommended by the hoof care provider Overall they are happy, content horses with their basic needs of friends, forage and freedom met in a well balanced way The post below elaborates a little further and raises some excellent points that I strongly agree with!

19.01.2022 The cold, hard truth about ‘Cool’ & ‘Calm’ horse feeds * Warning, do not read this post if you’re offended by sarcasm* There are 47 ‘complete feeds’ on the... market in Australia with ‘Cool’ in the title. There are 6 with ‘Calm’ in the title. I just counted. That’s 53 ‘cool and calm’ options for your horse and pony. Yay right?! These are the perfect things to feed if your horse gets a bit hot. Ideal if your horse has too much energy. These feeds are designed to calm your horse down over spring when the grass is green. And absolutely suitable for a pony that needs calming down on Sundays at pony club. Correct yes? So how many of these cool and calm feed contain ‘cool and calm’ ingredients? I’ll let you know after this very brief explanation of so-called, ‘cool’ and ‘hot’ feeds. Cool and hot is a bit of a funny way to talk about food. All food contains calories, and calories are energy. However cool feeds could typically be considered those that are easily digested, low in sugar and starch, contain slow-release energy and won’t upset the gastrointestinal system. An example of cool feeds are beet pulp, soybean hulls, lupin hulls, copra meal, oils and low sugar hays. Hot feeds are typically those which are energy dense, higher in sugar and starch and lower in fibre, i.e. grains/cereals and grain by products such as bran, pollard and millmix, and of course, molasses. The starch found in cereal grains such as barley, maize, wheat and oats provides a source of fast release energy. This fast release energy may be useful for horses in intense work, particularly those working hard for very short periods (i.e. racing). Another interesting bit of info is that the amount of starch that can be processed in the small intestine within 12 hours is less than 1 kilo. Anything over this amount passes through to the hindgut which could lead to laminitis, acidosis or colic. Okay, so how many of these 53 ‘Cool and calm’ feeds don’t contain grain, grain by-products or molasses??? NONE! Well... maybe one. Its ingredients are ‘cereal and pulse by-products’, whether this means it contains bran, pollard and/or millmix or the 'husks' of grains is up for debate. ‘Technically’ bran, pollard and millmix aren’t grains as they’re not the whole grain. The fact is though that they have similar characteristics to grain in that they’re high in sugar and starch, high in calories, lower in fibre and certainly not what is considered to be 'cool energy' feeds. Saying that something that contains pollard or bran is grain free is like saying that something that contains soybean hulls is ‘soy free’. If it contained the husks of grains then these are typically high in fibre and low in sugar and starch, but given it doesn't actually say, we're left to draw our own conclusions. But back to the ONE possibly grain free, ‘cool’ mix. So while it’s grain free (maybe), it also claims to ‘calm hot and flighty horses’. How does it calm hot and flighty horses? Does it contain acepromazine? If it contains a magic (natural) calming ingredient I'm not aware of can they please let me know. I'd love to be able to guarantee this for my clients! It also ‘reduces the risk of laminitis’, how does it do this? Does it mean it reduces the risk compared to feeding a laminitic-prone horse one of the other 52 ‘cool and calm’ feeds? It also says that it ‘Provides essential vitamins and trace minerals needed for performance’, yet according to its analysis it doesn’t contain any trace minerals at all. And that’s just the start! Let’s just take a quick walk through some of the ‘interesting’ claims some of these 'cool' feeds make One claims it’s ‘grain free’ on its label, yet the first two ingredients are bran and pollard. Ingredients are listed on labels in descending order by weight. So the ingredient that weighs the most is listed first, and the ingredient that weighs the least is listed last. This means this grain free feed contains mostly ‘grain by-products’. The OVERWHELMING majority of these feeds contained barley as the number one ingredient and then bran and pollard as numbers two and three with molasses somewhere a little further down the list. With a sugar and starch content of around 60%, I'm pretty sure barley isn’t really very ‘cool’. One claimed to be a ‘cool grain mix’ which seems a little bit like an oxymoron to me. Its number one ingredient was barley (not even extruded). Four contained the word ‘pony’ in the title as well. One ‘pony mix’ names these ingredients as the first five, ‘Bran, pollard, rice, barley, oats’. Forget the ‘coolness’ of the energy, let’s just think about what pony you've ever met that needs any, let alone several kilos of this feed! Another pony feed contains ‘Cereal Grains (barley, sorghum, wheat), millrun, barley malt combings’ as its first three/five ingredients and suggests that a (300kg) pony in NO work might need between 1 and 2.5 kilos of this feed per day. Given a 300 kilo (not overweight) pony needs around 6 kilos of feed TOTAL each day (including hay and pasture), feeding 2.5 kilos of this mix makes up almost half of its daily feed requirement! My personal favourite pony feed (doesn’t even mention a horse in its name so apparently it’s just for ponies) contains the following three ingredients as one, two and three, ‘bran, pollard, molasses’ and suggests 300kg ponies in light work need 2 kilos of it per day. Holy hell, I wouldn’t want a child of mine on that pony - although that said it might be too fat to trot so it may be safe after all. One ‘cool mix’ containing lots of grain labelled itself perfect for horses, sheep, goats and rabbits - righto, so something that’s a ‘healthy balanced diet for your horse’ is also balanced for your rabbit? And rabbits need the same ratios of copper and zinc as horses? One calls itself ‘low grain’, yet contains barley, bran and pollard as its first three ingredients. I wonder what the ingredients would be if it were ‘high grain’? A couple of ‘cool’ feeds didn’t list any ingredients whatsoever (always a good sign of quality when literally zero ingredients are mentioned). One said it contained ‘no ‘whole grain’, its first ingredient was millmix so I guess this is true as millmix isn’t the whole part of the grain, but why label things as ‘no grain’, ‘low grain’, ‘no whole grain’ etc when you’re pretty much putting these in anyway? Are these loopholes so you can use the word ‘cool’? One calls itself ‘cool grain’ yet contains barley and corn as the first two ingredients and molasses a little further down. Firstly this is an oxymoron, secondly, when did barley and corn suddenly become cool grains? Last time I checked corn was the highest energy grain with the highest amount of sugar and starch you could get, and barley was fighting out wheat for the number two spot. One had an ‘innovative energy and coolness rating system’. Its ‘cool’ feed had a 6/6 coolness rating yet contained the following ingredients in order: Bran, pollard, barley, triticale, cooked cereals, rice. It suggested that a horse in ‘light’ work get 2 kilos of this ‘cool’ mix per day. When this same feed talks of its vitamins and minerals its recommended feeding rate is set at 5kgs per day. 5kgs will provide almost enough copper and zinc to meet the requirements of a small horse. (Not a small horse I would want to get on, that’s for sure!). One of them claims that it's, ‘The ideal choice for horses and ponies in light to medium work that can’t tolerate or don’t require high energy feeds’. Its number one ingredient is barley. It also specifies that it ‘doesn't contain soy’ (because soy is heating, but barley isn't?). One is for ‘resting horses’ and contains 16.5% protein (at minimum) and also contains barley and molasses. When did a resting horse need 16.5% protein, barley and molasses? I could go on and on, but I think my point is well and truly proven. Cool feeds aren’t cool. Manufacturers can apparently claim whatever they like on the bags without having to substantiate anything. Manufacturers also use loopholes to make claims about grain-free. Besides not providing cool energy, this could have devastating consequences for a laminitic horse or pony. The moral of this story is: - Check your feed’s ingredients - read the small writing on the bag! - Don’t choose feeds because the label says they’re ‘cool', 'calm' or 'grain free’. - Understand what the different ingredients in horse feed are. - Get in touch with a professional if in doubt. i.e. one who can see through the marketing, loopholes and finds reading the fine print on the bag pretty much the most fascinating thing ever (as is proven by this post) ;)

18.01.2022 Super excited to see things are changing! Booted police horse at the Brumby Cull Protest today. Sadly the rest were shod but this little solo team got some attention! Here’s hoping the Brumbies got some positive attention too Thank you to Megs Williams for the photos

17.01.2022 Criticism and judgement without context and discussion would have to be the number 1 reason that makes me want to up and leave the profession . The equine industry can be brutal. Sometimes it’s the clients and other times it’s the professionals. What I would give for collaboration in place of criticism. After all, isn’t it the horses’ best interests that we all have at heart

17.01.2022 Everything is connected and is multi-directional. Issues with the hooves can cause body issues AND issues above the hoof can cause issues with the shape, comfort etc of the hooves. I am hopeful that more and more people start to recognise this and treat their horses accordingly

17.01.2022 Totally relates to behaviour whilst being trimmed also

14.01.2022 HOW TO FEED YOUR PONY The word ‘pony’ seems to be synonymous with ‘fat’ and I can see why. There aren’t many ponies I see that are at a healthy weight, ...let alone that are too thin! We get so used to ponies being fat that we now consider fat to be ‘normal’. Just because we consider it to be normal, it doesn’t mean that *should* be normal. There are so many good reasons for ponies to be fat though: While horses tend to self-regulate how much they eat to around 2% of their body weight per day, ponies can eat more than 5% of their body weight per day. So if your 500 kilo horse eats 10 kilos of roughage per day (grass and hay), your 200 kilo pony eating 5% of its body weight in one day will also be eating 10 kilos! No wonder it’s so fat! Ponies tend to be worked less often and less hard than horses. Of course there are exceptions to this, but kids just don’t ride as often, as long or as hard as adults. Yes, they may ride their pony every day every school holidays, but typically ponies just don’t get the amount of work they need to stay at a healthy weight. Ponies are over-represented when it comes to metabolic disorders and ponies are typically far better doers than many horse breeds. There are TWENTY-SEVEN premixed feeds out there aimed at ponies (I counted them) and I’m pretty sure there are approximately ZERO ponies out there that need any of these high calorie, mostly grain-based ‘pony’ feeds. Excess weight is unhealthy for any and every pony (and horse) and should be avoided. So how and what should you feed your (fat) pony? Under NO circumstances should you starve your fat pony. By starve I mean the following: providing less than 1.25% of your pony’s body weight per day in roughage (hay/pasture) providing your hungry pony its roughage requirements all at once in a way that isn’t spread out throughout the day (i.e. feeding hay once daily unnetted so it can eat it all within a couple of hours and have nothing to eat for the following 20+ hours) providing your pony with hard feed only (I wouldn’t usually think I needed to write this, but saw this suggested by someone on a Facebook group the other day) It's FAR kinder to keep a well-fitting grazing muzzle on your pony 24/7 than to undertake any of the above methods of weight loss/maintenance. Ponies are amazing at finding a way to eat so don't be concerned about leaving a muzzle on all day if this is what keeps your ponies weight in check. Often a longer-term muzzle can be a good solution as it means more movement, being able to hang out with friends and they still get to eat all the yummy things, just a lot less of them! I know ponies who can eat hay from slow-feeder nets with grazing muzzles on with no issues at all. Obviously it's better if you can take a muzzle on and off according to sugars in the grass, but for many people this just isn't possible. So what *should* you feed your (fat) pony? low sugar hay or soaked hay at 1.5% of its body weight per day in slow feeder nets - if you do soak your hay you must DISCARD the water you soaked it in away from where the pony can lick/drink it (i.e. don’t soak it in the pony’s water trough). You must soak for 30 minutes in warm water or 60 minutes in cold water and then RINSE the hay. I note that soaking is a massive pain in the you-know-what and so if you can get your hands on the right hay your life will be a lot simpler. if you keep your pony on grass then it's really important to keep a close eye on your pony's weight. Your pony may need a grazing muzzle or track system, particularly during spring. If the grass is very mature and it's late into a dry summer then grass may be absolutely fine for your pony soaking hay leaches nutrients and low sugar hay/mature dry grasses are also typically low in nutrition so you probably need to supplement what you feed with macro and trace minerals such as calcium, phosphorus, copper, zinc, selenium etc. The best way to do this is with Performance Plus mineral pellets or Essentials minerals with some DCP (dicalcium phosphate) added for extra calcium and phosphorus. these minerals should be fed to your pony in a scoop or two of lucerne chaff (not wheaten, not oaten). Lucerne is low in sugar, high in protein and essential aminos and high in calcium so great for your pony in moderation. your pony should be fed a small amount of salt - more salt if it has a longish coat (i.e. gets hot) or it’s in a lot of work. If it’s in a lot of work then you may consider a small amount of lucerne hay fed prior to each work session to settle its stomach to prevent ulcers and provide extra protein. If the pony in lots of work is especially fat then a amino acid supplement such as Muscle Amino fed at a - dose rate would be perfect. if your pony is on a hay-based diet then proving omega 3 fatty acids would also be a great idea. Flax is a great way to provide these to your pony and give it a great coat at the same time! Note that this advice is general. Note that this advice also works a treat for your fat horse. Note that if you own the one fat pony in Australia who really ‘needs’ several kilos of grain-based, premixed 'pony' feed every day then I’m not sure you’re on the right page Note that I Googled 'pony' and this was the first image that came up

14.01.2022 Yasssss! I experience this a lot in winter Clients telling me that the hooves look to be in great shape and probably don’t need to be done for another few weeks. When I trim these horses I still have plenty to do, especially cleaning up frogs and seedy toe. Imbalances still occur, even if the walls aren’t long. ... Trust your trimmer, they know what your horse needs. Ask them questions if you’re not sure what they’re doing and why. And if you don’t trust your trimmer, or they won’t answer your questions, it’s probably time to find a new one.

12.01.2022 Amazing example of how to heal laminitis naturally. Treating the cause is essential. Movement and a low sugar high fibre diet are key players and of course, companionship and a stimulating environment complete the package. This case has been amazing to follow. Check out the linked page for amazing insights into track systems and horse health.

10.01.2022 TRACKER RESULTS - GRASS LIVERY VS TRACK Grass livery horse which is on a huge 20 acre field with 4 other horses only did 5.3km (3.2 miles) in 24hrs Track livery... horse on a mile long multi surfaced track with 9 other horses did 11km (just under 7 miles) in 24hrs Horses living exclusively on grass don’t have the access to different terrains which are vital for strong and healthy hoof development. On grass the hooves will be in wet conditions the majority of the time. Our track herd have 9 different surfaces which all benefit hoof health and stimulate growth, they also have lots of enrichment and access to a large airy barn.

09.01.2022 Brilliant resource for learning about laminitis in depth. There a lot of information here but unfortunately many of us that own laminitis prone horses owe it to them to get educated ar this level. Do yourself and your horse a favour, read this!

08.01.2022 You think this hoof looks great from the top? Doesn't need trimming yet? And yet underneath.....One of the most crucial aspects of hoof care is a regular cycle. The hoof that looks "great" may still need trimming.

05.01.2022 Firstly, I would like to acknowledge my clients who, like me, are going the extra mile to keep their horses grass free or at least limiting grass intake through... spring, your horses are lucky to have you. Secondly I would like to talk about why I am against most horses eating spring grass. Most people following my page would already know how to recognise the early symptoms of laminitis. When a horse gets laminitis from too much spring grass, the lamina that attaches the pedal bone to the sole and the hoof wall becomes inflamed which is very painful for the horse. This can happen within weeks, sometimes days. Once laminitis occurs it can take months for the horse to recover. Unless the cause of the laminitis is removed entirely from the horses diet it can progress to founder where the lamina tears under the weight of the horse and the bone becomes partially detached from the hoof wall. When the lamina tears, it dies. Once it dies, blood supply to the bone is reduced causing the bone to become osteoporotic. Once the damage is done, the bone will not regenerate. The first pic here is a photo of a normal healthy pedal bone. The other 3 are of a horse I was asked to pick up 9 years ago because she had really bad feet. She was not far from me and if I didn't go get her she was going on the dogger truck because they wanted to sell the property where she was being kept. The reason she had bad feet was because she had foundered but it was left untreated. She was a 9yo OTT TB not overweight, in fact she had very little feed when I picked her up. It soon became apparent that her feet were too far gone for her to ever be sound so I laid her to rest. I went on to dissect her bones so she could help prevent other horses suffering the same fate she did. These are her terribly osteoporotic bones. She was a nice horse who would have suffered terribly and she did not deserve to die this way. Please take laminitis seriously, it could very well be a death sentence for your horse if not managed correctly. See more

05.01.2022 So many cases this year and with a warm and wet weekend approaching there will be more to come. PLEASE be proactive and don’t wait until your horse is sore before taking action

04.01.2022 If you own a horse, this should be ESSENTIAL reading. The way you feed your horse matters Get educated with facts, not stories that the feed companies tell you

03.01.2022 IF YOU WERE A HORSE WHERE WOULD YOU RATHER LIVE. The domesticated world of horses is often a far cry from their wild cousins Daily life . Sadly Many health is...sues have become almost normal in their domesticated world . Problems such as weaving and cribbing , ulcers and colic, metabolic and laminitis problems are just a few common ones . One of the saddest things i hear is many owners are not prepared to change the way they keep their horses , for a variety of reasons . Mostly Because it’s been done this way for so long . Or because they are worried about injuries. Even though confinement is the worst for injuries and whole mental and body damage . And of course many may have land problems to overcome first which is not always easy. Or indeed many yard owners may not want to make changes or invest in areas that can truly benefit their livery horses lives that board there . When we look at the many health issues that arise most are contributed to the fact that there is a lack of daily natural exercise , lack of turn out and living in a herd environment , lack of trickle feeding of a variety of good fibres that mimic the wild horses foraging. 1, Exercise is essential for the movement of food and gas through the digestive system, standing in confined spaces , stalls or small restricted areas undoubtedly causes digestive issues. 2, Exercise improves metabolic rate. 3, Exercise is extremely vital for circulation and stimulation in the hooves and provides a good strong hoof capsule and hooves , with more natural wear. 4, Exercise and turn out in with others helps to decrease stress levels , and improves mental health and well-being. 5, Exercise decreases colic issues , as stalled horses are 6 times more likely to suffer colic . 6, Exercise is vital for the uptake of glucose from the blood stream to the liver and muscles, which helps with insulin resistance, metabolic problems and laminitis. 7 , Exercise helps with efficiency of digesting nutrients , proteins , starches and fibre . Horses need space to walk and run , they need to feel like a horse with others , they need to forage and trickle feed throughout the day and night and rest when they want too . We as their owners need to try our very best for the future to provide as much of natural turnout as we can when they have their time to relax . Paradise Track systems are now thankfully becoming world wide known thanks to Jamie Jackson who studied wild horses for many years and brought this concept to our attention. There is a better way forward , helping to prevent these all too common health problems that we see in domesticated horses today . We all just need to keep sharing the information for their well-being for the future. photo 4 and 6 of horses out on the paradise track is of Gawsworth track livery.