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Post by Dawn Perkins on May 6, 2013 17:48:02 GMT 1
I'm so sorry to keep adding more posts. I didn't intend to but one thing keeps leading into another... For anyone who was interested in the last post, they may like to compare Rolie's abilities and performance now with how he was when he went to Rockley Farm and the diagnoses he arrived with:- rockleyfarm.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/rolie-and-bar-shoes.htmlDawn Perkins
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Post by Dawn Perkins on May 7, 2013 8:23:49 GMT 1
Again, this blog is so relevant to all those owners who have suffered the anguish of helplessness when their horses are suffering. I read heart-rending stories constantly and feel so deeply for the owners who have done all they can to help their horses, to no avail. There are so many misconceptions, even amongst professionals, about how hooves function and, as a consequence, the standard advice (even when given with the best of intentions) often makes the lameness worse, especially over the long term. This blog explains so clearly why the received wisdom that "hooves need shoes if you're going to do a lot of roadwork" is such nonsense. Provided nutrition is correct and the horse is not made to tackle challenging surfaces until it is ready, roadwork is one of the essential requirements for maintaining healthy barefoot hooves:- rockleyfarm.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/what-happens-when-hoof-wall-wears-away.htmlDawn Perkins
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Post by Dawn Perkins on May 9, 2013 9:14:39 GMT 1
The Man v Horse race has, for the first time this year, permitted barefoot horses to take part. In the past, perfectly functioning barefoot horses were required to be shod for the race. Following the above Rockley Farm blogs, I picked up on the reference to barefoot hooves and the perceived potential problems with "grip" suggested by the Worshipful Company of Farriers. When I first started following the Rockley Farm website in 2009, Nic was still trimming horses, in accordance with her training in America. I was fascinated to follow the blogs as she discovered that horses are best left to do this themselves by providing them with the conditions which enable them to do so successfully. It occurred to me that maybe some of those perceived problems with grip may actually arise because of the effect of trims which are imposed on a horse. This would significantly alter the horse's way of going and might very well compromise its ability to "corner". I know that short, wet grass on top of hard ground poses the greatest challenge but my personal feeling is that, in such conditions, I would not be inclined to compete either a barefoot horse or a horse with studs. This is one of the blogs which I read at the time. A horse's hoof that is forced to come to a dead halt at speed because of studs, particularly when the body is turning, can cause damage to ligaments and discussion arose about the need for and effectiveness of studs:- rockleyfarm.blogspot.co.uk/2010/05/studs-and-slipping-another-eventing.htmlI have been so interested to read the progress of Nic's methods over time and do not know anyone else who adopts the "listen to the horse" philosophy regarding hoof management. I have followed Avril's website for almost as long as I have followed Nic's and this is the common theme which draws me to both, i.e. listening to the horse. Nic lives on boggy, rocky, wet grass and heathland on Exmoor and all her own horses (with varying histories of unsoundness when they came to her, except for Felix who has always been sound) manage it at all speeds and in all conditions. I have posted this link before but it clearly shows (with sods flying!) that Felix can manage on wet, muddy hills and over jumps without shoes and without slipping:- www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZZq5A3j_wo&feature=g-uplI wonder whether at least some of the perceived problems with grip (whether based on fact or simply presumed) might actually be to do with removing the horse's own "anti-slip mat" and its own unique support system? Dawn Perkins
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Post by Dawn Perkins on May 16, 2013 10:02:05 GMT 1
This morning, I saw an advert offering a horse for sale in the south of England. The horse is underweight, clearly in pain and, even to my very inexperienced eyes, lame (but shod). I shed a few tears because I am guessing what this horse's eventual fate is likely to be. By contrast, Nic's blog this morning is about the forthcoming 2013 reunion of ex-rehabs. It contains a link to video footage of the 2012 rehab reunion and, again, I shed tears because it would be difficult to imagine a happier group of horses, all of them barefoot and working. At least some of them (including the big one-eyed chestnut) had been written off by their vets and euthanasia had been advised. The smaller chestnut (in the first photo on the page) is the one with the very bizarrely shaped feet with exaggerated deviations, whom I have posted links to before. He needs them in order to remain sound. I can't wait to see the footage of this year's reunion:- rrr13.weebly.com/vimeo.com/50095450I really must stop posting but when I see horses who are clearly suffering and whom I strongly feel could be transformed by rehab at Rockley Farm, I am overwhelmed by deep feelings of sadness. I have never been able to help in a practical way but I feel that I can at least let people know that there is an alternative to conventional treatments and that it has worked (in some cases almost miraculously) to relieve so many horses' suffering. Dawn Perkins
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Post by Dawn Perkins on May 22, 2013 10:16:12 GMT 1
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Post by Dawn Perkins on May 22, 2013 13:41:21 GMT 1
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Post by Dawn Perkins on May 23, 2013 11:59:57 GMT 1
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Post by Dawn Perkins on May 26, 2013 9:59:53 GMT 1
A very interesting article on keeping dressage horses barefoot by a thoroughly qualified, experienced practitioner:- www.eurodressage.com/equestrian/2013/02/09/keeping-horses-barefoot-healthy-horse-groundAnd, amazingly, a veterinary practice not far from me who now offer barefoot advice very much along the lines of Rockley Farm! www.powderhamvetgroup.co.uk/info/Factsheets/Horse/24_282067.shtmlIt is very interesting to note, in the article above, that many of those competitors who keep their horses happily barefoot are loath to speak out about it because of pressure from others in the competition world. It reminds me of a conversation I had recently with a local rider of many years experience of owning and competing horses and who currently has an ex-racehorse. She had ridden into our garden to say hello and stopped for a cup of tea and a chat. She was interested in and fairly knowledgeable about barefoot management and knew all about Nic Barker but said that, apart from the commitment it would require - at least initially - she could not face the pressure and criticism from others in her equestrian circle of it being labelled a "cruel" practice. How very sad. I also looked up Dr Debra Taylor at Auburn University, whose article was referred to in Nic's recent blog. It seems that she, too, although a vet herself and with a passion for helping horses with laminitis in particular, is fighting an uphill battle to convince the rest of the veterinary community in America that horses can and do work perfectly well barefoot and that many of the health problems associated with hooves do not occur in horses who are kept properly barefoot (with the correct nutrition, environment, mineral supplementation and controlled exercise on varied surfaces). Her webpage makes it clear that she, too, is having to beg for funds for research because, although conventional methods of treating lameness in horses have no long-term scientific research or clinical trials to back them up, barefoot management - for some unexplained reason - is required to provide such "proof" in order for it to be accepted! Even though it is the natural state for horses (including heavily pregnant mares) who, in the wild, roam over every conceivable sort of terrain in every type of weather! Some practices seem to stem from needs which existed centuries ago but which no longer prevail and I really do wonder whether this is the case with shoeing. Horses who were confined to stalls and fed high-energy foods because they were needed in military campaigns or to provide transport in and between cities would have needed protection from ammonia and hard surfaces because the way in which they were kept and fed did not allow for healthy barefoot management. However, most horses are now kept for leisure purposes and, as Nic's rehab owners have proved, it is possible to provide the conditions for successful barefoot management when the will and the dedication are there. It is also interesting to note that both Nic and Dr Taylor have observed that it is the worst hooves which benefit most from being taken (properly) barefoot, contrary to conventional veterinary advice. Dawn Perkins
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Post by Dawn Perkins on Jun 5, 2013 8:13:35 GMT 1
This blog from Rockley Farm today shows more extensively the varied surfaces and, in particular, the pea shingle track which encourage the rehab horses to move and to self-trim. This, combined with correct nutrition, is what enables them to begin the process of remodelling their own hooves so quickly:- rockleyfarm.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/summer-remember-what-it-feels-like.htmlHow much nicer for the rehabs than box rest and/or restrictive remedial shoes and how much more interesting for Nic's own horses and the foal, Bryher. Dawn Perkins
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Post by Dawn Perkins on Jun 6, 2013 10:53:42 GMT 1
I was looking at Sarah Braithwaite's Facebook page this morning. I haven't looked at it for a while. I tend to follow Nic Barker's blogs instead because I feel she has gone a step further by not trimming and by not using hoof boots, which makes her results even more ground-breaking, so to speak. However, Sarah is an absolute authority on mineral supplementation (I was reading about copper deficiency contributing to hoof abscesses, for example). I only look at Sarah's website occasionally but it is always interesting. I noticed this link to a video featuring the most amazing, wonderful farrier in America and his dog. He is such a wonderfully kind, gentle man with horses and his dogs. Obviously, I would love to see a man like this get into barefoot management, of course(!), but he is an utter joy to watch with his animals. I don't know if anyone else has seen it but, in case not, this is the link:- www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=P2BfzUIBy9AThere is also a copy of the letter Sarah sent to The Farriers Registration Council on 25th May in response to their consultation on shod and unshod experiences:- en-gb.facebook.com/performancebarefoothorse/posts/466111633464209Dawn Perkins
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Post by Dawn Perkins on Jun 7, 2013 8:33:51 GMT 1
For some reason, you can't just click on the links which I posted from Sarah Braithwaite's website yesterday but you can cut and paste them. Even my husband - who found the first minute or two of the video ultra schmaltzy - was impressed by the kindly farrier and his dog! This link from Rockley Farm shows, once again, that hoof trimmers - like farriers - may be off the mark if they believe that hooves have to conform to some sort of imposed symmetry:- rockleyfarm.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/more-lessons-in-normal-from-mustangs.htmlThis update about some of the former rehab horses features Lucy. I am also putting in the link to one of the blogs about her. The comments following the blog illustrate that, even if a hoof is relatively stable at the time of shoeing, by the time it has grown out for a few weeks, it can become more and more unstable if it needs (for biomechanical reasons) to create its own form of balance but is prevented from doing so by the restrictive and unforgiving shoe:- rockleyfarm.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/rehab-horses-out-and-about.htmlrockleyfarm.blogspot.co.uk/2011/03/bodywork-and-lucys-hoof-shift.htmlDawn Perkins
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Post by Dawn Perkins on Jun 7, 2013 10:34:29 GMT 1
Oh dear, here I go again. Apologies to all those who are fed up with reading my name on the blog yet again. I just happened to come across this website in America. A blog from December 2012 shows that the horse owner had discovered Rockley Farm and had seen a horse on there with hoof problems which correspond exactly with those of her horse. This owner had had problems since buying the horse in 2007 and had found that trimming by practitioners had made the problems much worse. She decided she would learn how to trim the horse herself and, without the space to allow it to self-trim, had learnt, through closely monitoring the hooves, to understand how the hooves were functioning and how they needed to be allowed to develop. It is quite an interesting read, although the journey is quite a long one. I am pasting in links to the start of the story and the blog referencing Rockley Farm, for anyone who may be interested:- mollyshoofjourney.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/molly-is-2004-aqha-mare.htmlmollyshoofjourney.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/rockley-farm-rehab-horse-shows-same.htmlDawn Perkins
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Post by Dawn Perkins on Jun 11, 2013 18:17:26 GMT 1
I'm so excited, Nellie! I have just got back from a few days away and, lo and behold, Mina is at Rockley! I am keeping my fingers firmly crossed for you and Mina but you could not be in better hands than Nic's, as I am sure you are already aware. I hope you don't mind me pasting in the link, particularly as "jenj" (who I believe may be an American Rockley fan) says how gorgeous she thinks Mina is! rockleyfarm.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/polish-pals.htmlDawn Perkins
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Post by nellie on Jun 11, 2013 21:57:09 GMT 1
Hi Dawn, I logged in to let you know that she's at Rockley and you had already spotted her ! I loved jenj's comment, very chuffed! But she's right , Mina really is a living, breathing Thelwell pony - just a little taller but everything else is in place, including a totally wild and bushy mane, if I let it grow . It's been a long road to get her to Nic, including having to get a second vet's opinion and then finally having to change vets in order to get the referral but, whatever the outcome, it's been worth it to just see Mina looking relaxed and out of her box at last (she'd been confined to her box for 2 months ). It was the first vet that prescribed her back to front shoes that Nic was very careful to make clear were not down to Chris who has been totally supportive, I just wish I'd met him earlier! But many, many thanks to you, Dawn, for drawing my attention to Nic and the work she does at Rockley.
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Post by sarah on Jun 12, 2013 18:14:03 GMT 1
I really hope Mina responds well to her treatment at Rockley, I know how much she means to you Nellie.
Everything crossed and hugs, Sarah. xx
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