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Post by Dawn Perkins on Sept 9, 2012 18:59:30 GMT 1
I have already posted this blog on the other thread but, as it concerns Bryan, his terrible prognosis before going to Rockley Farm and his owner's comments after competing on him in July this year (i.e. only months after the commencement of his rehab treatment by Nic), I thought I would add it to my earlier post today:- rockleyfarm.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/this-speaks-for-itself.htmlDawn Perkins
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Post by em on Sept 9, 2012 21:23:55 GMT 1
hi dawn
Thought you might like to know that Ebony and Maisie are still going strong barefoot... very interesting that Maisie has just not had a problem from the start at all on any surface( how lucky am I) but Ebony had a slow beginning but then she had been shod for most of her life.. however she is now a great as Maisie... We hack out for up to 2 hours at a time,, and one particular ride has tarmac, gravel, rocks , stones and sandy tracks all on one circuit but they are great on all of it... neither has seen a farrier or trimmer in months now... they are now self trimming brilliantly.. they recently had a worm egg count which was negative so I am releived to say we can continue to use herbs to keep the worms at bay as chemical wormers can adversly affect the barefoot horse for a rew days
My friend now has 2 out of 3 barefoot and her carriage horse went back out on the road pulling the four wheeler barefoot today after 4 weeks time to adjust toshoes off and she felt that because he was landing his feet correctly he was actually working with the carriage load far better than ever ....how cool is that..
diet balance has been the most thought consuming part followed by the excercise pattern but it has been so worth it xx
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Post by Dawn Perkins on Sept 9, 2012 22:16:10 GMT 1
Em, I can't tell you how delighted I am to read your news! You are an absolute inspiration! I know that taking and keeping a horse successfully barefoot is a huge commitment and requires lots of effort in keeping on top of anything which might affect the hooves adversely. Well done, you!
I am so looking forward to reading more of your updates and I am so pleased that you are taking Maisie and Ebony down the self-trimming route. As Nic always says, the horse knows best what sort of hooves it needs!
Dawn Perkins
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Post by Dawn Perkins on Sept 10, 2012 19:30:29 GMT 1
Following on from Em's wonderful post about how well Maisie and Ebony are coping with going barefoot over tough and varied terrain (thanks entirely to Em's dedication and willingness to listen to the horse), this is Nic's blog today showing photos of her horses coping with no problems at all over stony tracks:- rockleyfarm.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/barefoot-on-rocks.htmlI can't quite make out who the first one is but the others are Charlie with the four white socks (check ligament strain in both forelimbs at five years old, so given to Nic), Bailey the grey mare (full depth cracks at three years old in shoes and ultra-sensitive to diet) and Dexter the chestnut ex-rehab (bizarre shaped hooves). All of them now cope brilliantly barefoot and untrimmed on all surfaces at all paces! As mentioned in a previous post, they all hunt regularly and their hunting mileages to date are given in that post. Dawn Perkins
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huntingcharliehunting
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Post by huntingcharliehunting on Sept 11, 2012 14:20:31 GMT 1
I am hoping to keep my grandson's little 13hh pony barefoot, and so far all seems well, but i would be very grateful for your comments, Em, on the diet side, as i am very reluctant to feed her,as she has quite enough energy for a little 7 year old to cope with! She has fairly unlimited haylage and is out during the day. How stringent were your exercise regimes in the beginning? She also has been driven and I am hoping to restart that as well. if you do have time, I would welcome your comments/help. Thank you, Angela
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Post by em on Sept 11, 2012 15:22:19 GMT 1
Hi Angela
Firstly the feeding is actually about the right supplement and grass balance... the reason is it is mainly to much sugar and starch that soften the feet hence make it hard to remain sound barefoot...
so all my feed is sugar free ( i think you already do simple systems )... they have a small amount of timothy chop with purabeet... into it goes a measure of Profeet supplement ( from progressive earth on ebay) this is recommended by nic barker and I have to say really is good.... they also have garlic granules.. and a measure of hedgerow herbs (also from progressive earth)... that and low value nutrient hay that is soaked for 15mins to degrade the sugars further...
They are out at night as the grass sugars are lower... they are restricted and the grass is very minimal but I strip graze it and only move the fence a fraction everyother day..
As for excercise Ebony was not worked for about 3 weeks at all as she was unsound on every foot!!! anyway as she felt more comfortable we did start walking on the roads and just built up the time gradually much like bringing hunters into work.. we then integrated bridlepaths that we knew were nice going and did the canters there.. when we felt she was moveing well we introduced tougher ground... and now there is now here we wont go.. ebony is excercised at least 5 times a week however this is because it also suits her temperament and this does maintain the self trimming..she is very sensitive to too much grass or haylage and she does become pretty immediately footy
Maisie has been pretty uncomplicated from the start and doesnt seem to be sensitive to diet issues such as too much grass like Ebony and also goes over all terrain with no issues.. I just treated her as an unfit hunter and have increased her fitness without condidering her barefoot because it doesnt bother her.
Now I fed profeet because I felt more confident starting off with a recommended supplement.. however you can make your own mix which I will use myself soon as I feel more up to it now
this includes the right measures of human grade dolomite (magnesium and calcium balanced mineral) if you cant get dolomite you can buy magnesium supplement .. also seaweed, rosehips..garlic and nettle..
much much luck... the only think with the excercise is that the more you do the more they self trim if you cant do enough work you may find you need a farrrier just to keep on top of the growth ..HOWEVER tell them not to trim at all the sole or the frog or shape the foot to his likeing.. all you want him to do is tidy any flare and growth to the shape the horse is creating....
Both Maisie and Ebony grew really odd feet to begin with and i really came close to stopping and getting them sorted out but now they are self trimming and although Ebonys feet are really really pidgeon toed they both move better than ever... pretty feet to not mean great feet
Let me know how you get on x x x
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Post by em on Sept 11, 2012 15:26:49 GMT 1
sorry also meant to say my friend carriage drives and both hers are now barefoot... if you only have roads your horse will create feet for that surface is what I believe through what I have experienced...the ideal is exposure to lots of different surfaces however it is not always possible .. if you only do roads you cant then expect them to be completely comfortable going on stony ground you have to build up to it x x x
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hunting charliehunting
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Post by hunting charliehunting on Sept 11, 2012 23:00:55 GMT 1
I really, really appreciate all that information, Em. It is most generous of you. Have just ordered the profeet. XX
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Post by Dawn Perkins on Sept 25, 2012 20:16:15 GMT 1
For those who are interested and who have not yet seen today's blog on the Rockley Farm website, this is it. It features the recent rehab reunion held at Milton Keynes for all those owners and horses who were able to make it on that day. It includes footage of just a few of the many, many rehab horses and their owners who have passed through Nic's hands since she began her barefoot lameness rehabilitation programme. As one of the comments at the end of the blog points out, these are horses who had multiple lameness issues (many arising from the conventional treatments which had been tried and had failed and had created their own problems in the process) with a very poor prognosis. Some, according to their owners, would have been euthanised by now:- rockleyfarm.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/rrr-2012-video.htmlI also came across this American blog written by someone who doesn't yet realise that rimming the bars from a horse's hoof is highly likely to make them lame. Two of the replies to her blog refer to Nic Barker and the writers express the wish that they wish they lived in the UK so that they could benefit from Nic's expertise with lame and/or barefoot horses! sweethorsesbreath.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/wee-bit-of-scare.htmlDawn Perkins
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Post by Dawn Perkins on Sept 25, 2012 23:14:26 GMT 1
Euthanased, I meant, of course.
I have just watched the montage video of Sage and Clare, which shares one of the music tracks with Nic's video. What a wonderfully safe horse Sage is (and how beautifully produced by Avril). I'm glad to see he has such a happy home.
Dawn Perkins
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Post by Dawn Perkins on Sept 26, 2012 8:12:05 GMT 1
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Post by Dawn Perkins on Sept 26, 2012 20:31:36 GMT 1
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Post by Dawn Perkins on Oct 1, 2012 8:18:15 GMT 1
I mentioned a while ago that my husband and I had made a small donation to the pot relating to Nic's "scholarship" fund. The very exciting news is that M, the horse concerned, has now gone home! This is how M arrived at Rockley:- rockleyfarm.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/m-one-youve-been-waiting-for.htmLAt the age of only eight, he had experienced a multitude of hoof-related issues and his owner had experienced nothing but worry and distress since buying him. But this was M at the weekend, being ridden out barefoot, over all terrain, by his owner, whose expression says it all! rockleyfarm.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/what-did-you-do-at-weekend.htmlNic has recently bought her partner, Andy, a foal to train up as a hunter for the future. As you can see, the foal is being given access to the pea shingle tracks as part of his hoof conditioning from the very start. Dawn Perkins
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Post by Dawn Perkins on Oct 3, 2012 9:24:07 GMT 1
I have mentioned Bryan before - a 17.2hh former international showjumper whose career was ended by lameness:- rockleyfarm.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/snow-bryan-and-ted.htmlFollowing his rehab at Rockley Farm and his owner's continued dedication to keeping him successfully barefoot, this is his latest update:- rockleyfarm.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/functional-feet-have-fun.htmlThis is another blog about studs:- rockleyfarm.blogspot.co.uk/2010/05/studs-and-slipping-another-eventing.htmlThe thread referred to questions the effect of studs and the potential injuries they cause the horse through NOT allowing them to slip a little, as they are intended to do - particularly when turning - in order to prevent injury. This is another blog discussing the questionable merits of studs, with reference to Mary Bromiley:- rockleyfarm.blogspot.co.uk/2009/11/studs-and-slipping.htmlI attended our local NHS Foundation Trust Members Say event recently and was talking to the person who is heading up the strategy for future expansion and development to cope with future demand. She said that it had helped enormously that she had not come from an NHS background because she could see things with fresh eyes. She said that , when asked why things were done in a certain way, the answer invariably came back, "Because it has always been done that way." Although consistency and familiarity are essential in a health service, sometimes it can blind the practitioners to outdated practices which, in the light of new and better methods, no longer serve a purpose. Dawn Perkins
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Post by Dawn Perkins on Oct 4, 2012 15:55:34 GMT 1
These are some comments made regarding the blog about Bryan, this time on the Rockley Farm Facebook page. (Eva is another former rehab horse and Charlotte is Bryan's owner.) It is very interesting to see that other owners of barefoot horses experience no difficulty in competing barefoot, either! www.facebook.com/pages/Rockley-Farm/129496323778726Dawn Perkins
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