|
Post by Dawn Perkins on Jul 10, 2013 9:28:08 GMT 1
Sorry for the double posting. Everything was running so slowly, I didn't think it had actually gone through! Dawn
|
|
|
Post by Dawn Perkins on Jul 10, 2013 15:12:36 GMT 1
And I somehow managed to insert the non-smiley face again. I don't know what I'm doing wrong but it seems to pop up occasionally! As an aside, cptrayes has posted a comment at the end of the Rockley Farm blog (above) today about Campero, the Iberian horse she rehabbed by taking him barefoot. In February 2010, he was within 24 hours of being put to sleep because of "incurable" lameness. As she says, this is now three years on! This was a Rockley blog some time ago about thin soles, which it seems Campero also had:- rockleyfarm.blogspot.co.uk/2010/03/thin-soles.htmlAnd this is a blog written by his new owners. How incredibly lucky this horse was to have been saved by Caroline Trayes and now loved and ridden so successfully by his new owners. I should warn you to get the hankies out before reading! dixeyland.co.uk/sample-pageDawn Perkins
|
|
|
Post by Dawn Perkins on Jul 11, 2013 8:22:03 GMT 1
This isn't something I would have posted of my own accord, since I am not directly involved in any of it. However, I had already read the 2013 Ofsted report on the National Farrier Training, which was instigated by the mother of a young man who had been, I believe, a trainee. It makes for sobering reading. This is, however, Nic's post today which, as always, is neither strident nor based on self-interest, but explains cogently why the attempts to amend the 1975 statute to include barefoot practice is misplaced and bad for horses:- rockleyfarm.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/hoofcare-heaven-or-tilting-at-windmills.htmlDawn Perkins
|
|
|
Post by angelac on Jul 12, 2013 15:33:50 GMT 1
Hi Dawn Whilst I'm not planning to go barefoot at the moment, Its great that all this information is to hand should the need arise Thank you Angela
|
|
|
Post by Dawn Perkins on Jul 12, 2013 21:39:59 GMT 1
Thank you, Angela! I really appreciate your kind comment.
I can understand what a big step it would be for someone to change a system of management that has always worked well for them and take a leap into the unknown and, without a good reason to do so, why would you want to?
Having no horse or pony of my own, my interest has always had to be academic! I have slowly found my way with all this, starting with a general interest in natural horsemanship (and steering away from the - I felt - cynical merchandising of some showmen practitioners very early on) and gradually refining what felt "right" to me. I was fortunate to stumble across Avril, Cynthia Cooper and Nic Barker fairly early on and, although there are other, very good practitioners and bloggers, I tend to stick with these three because they are all so genuine and all "listen to the horse" in their different areas of expertise, as well as generously articulating and sharing their knowledge with those who follow their websites.
I sometimes don't put things as well as I should. My comments in my last post were slightly misleading, in that I meant to say that it seems that Nic Barker thinks that regulation of hoof trimming will not cure the problems associated with poor trimming practices. She would rather there was more emphasis on good training (for farriers and trimmers alike) which includes the understanding that trimming and shoeing are the least important aspect of hoof care and that both farriers and trimmers should be taught about nutrition and biomechanics and the importance of sufficient exercise of the right kind. Her blog on it all is excellent.
Thank you again, Angela. You certainly sound much happier about Jet's idiosyncracies since joining Avril's forum and attending her course and I have been really pleased to read how well you are getting on with Blair!
Best wishes, Dawn
|
|
|
Post by angelac on Jul 13, 2013 11:48:17 GMT 1
Thank you for your good wishes Dawn. I am mostly concentrating on Blair with regard to riding as this helps to keep me in the present and not think XYZ is going to happen in any unfavourable situation. I hope to do more ridden work with Jet when Blair and I are further on. I am certainly enjoying him at home. We do bits of groundwork on a daily basis and he is a different lad. I love having him in my life. I had meant to say that the barefoot trimmer up here is very well thought of and popular with lots of people. I think they were trained with your Nic Barker. Best Wishes Angela
|
|
|
Post by Dawn Perkins on Jul 15, 2013 8:58:47 GMT 1
|
|
|
Post by Dawn Perkins on Jul 18, 2013 13:05:59 GMT 1
Good news from Rockley Farm about Mina's progress! I hope you will be able to provide more info at some point, Helen, but in the meantime, I hope you are feeling much more positive about Mina's future. How lucky she is to have such a committed owner:- rockleyfarm.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/minas-first-5-weeks.htmlIt is always miraculous to me (especially bearing in mind the doom-laden prognoses so often given by vets regarding lameness in horses) how tremendously quickly hooves start to improve when they are given the chance - and the freedom - to do so. I hope you don't mind my pasting in the links but I am so excited that, unless someone stops me, I just have to share the news straight away! Very best wishes to you and Mina, Dawn Perkins
|
|
|
Post by Dawn Perkins on Jul 22, 2013 11:48:59 GMT 1
|
|
|
Post by Dawn Perkins on Jul 23, 2013 13:53:45 GMT 1
I realised I had omitted the first blog on Lucy on her arrival at Rockley and the last one, when she left after approximately 12 weeks. These are the links. I was shocked to see that the vet's advice had been to bute her and carry on riding her! I was, in equal measure, full of admiration for her owner, who refused to do so! Thank goodness she sent her to Nic instead! rockleyfarm.blogspot.co.uk/2011/03/lucys-photos-and-footage.htmlrockleyfarm.blogspot.co.uk/2011/06/lucys-going-home-present.htmlTwo years on and she is going better than ever. Her owner must be managing her diet really well and must also be putting in all the road mileage and work on varied terrain which is so essential to keep bare hooves healthy and strong. Dawn Perkins
|
|
|
Post by Dawn Perkins on Jul 23, 2013 14:14:09 GMT 1
|
|
|
Post by Dawn Perkins on Jul 24, 2013 8:22:44 GMT 1
Following yesterday's rehab update, the latest Rockley Farm ex-rehab is Candy, whom I actually met when we took Cynthia Cooper to meet Nic Barker during Cynthia's tour of the UK. I seem to recall that Candy was a bit of a flirt! This is today's blog on her:- rockleyfarm.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/blood-sweat-and-tears.htmlThis was her first blog. You can see that she is not a young horse and had been shod for many years before being rehabbed barefoot. She was suffering fro, amongst other things, navicular bone damage:- rockleyfarm.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/new-girl-candy-and-more-on-legend.htmlThis is her 2-week progress blog after going to Rockley:- rockleyfarm.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/too-soon.htmlAnd this blog shows very clearly that Candy was not loading correctly when in shoes:- rockleyfarm.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/the-importance-of-looking-at-legs-not.htmlIt is also interesting to note that the owner actually rode her out on a short ride which included stony tracks on a visit just before this blog. She had not been able to ride her for sixteen months prior to this, due to the lameness. And, again, a discussion on a H&H forum where it is mentioned yet again that remedial treatments and farriery provide temporary relief but that, over time, the lameness becomes worse, not better:- www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/archive/index.php/t-549812.htmlI know my posts are overlong and have links to other lengthy material but I think for anyone who is considering the idea of barefoot, there is a lot of contradictory material out there and there is little in the way of showing the linear progress of individual horses. Whilst people like Nic are the ones to go to for proper advice, I feel my posts at least show why the barefoot route is worth considering, particularly for horses who are suffering and who may, in some cases, face premature retirement (meaning they are offered around as expensive to maintain "companions" (i.e. pets) or death). Dawn Perkins
|
|
|
Post by Dawn Perkins on Jul 28, 2013 11:41:04 GMT 1
I realise there is quite a lot of repetition and overlap in some of my posts but the updated information which comes through from the Rockley Farm blogs and Facebook so often helpfully relates back to earlier rehab blogs. I find it very helpful in reinforcing my understanding of what is happening in the hoof and why remedial farriery can only ever provide short-term relief from symptoms and no more than that. Remedial farriery seems to be a complete obstacle to restoring proper hoof health and function. I noticed a comment by ex-rehab Eva's owner, Amy, on the Rockley Farm Facebook reminder on 25th July 2013 about the 2013 Rockley Rehab Reunion. She says of the photographs posted by Nic, "2 x Eva pictures. Perfect memories of a fantastic weekend! x" It was wonderful to see Eva on the 2012 reunion video (featured in one of my earlier posts) , in company with other rehab horses, having such a wonderful chance to get together again and celebrate the joy and freedom their new hooves had given them. This is a past blog by Nic, which was prompted by an email to her from Amy:- rockleyfarm.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/hoof-pastern-angles-shoes-and-back-of.htmlAnd this is a past blog relating to several of the rehabs, including Eva:- rockleyfarm.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/horses-never-stop-trying-to-grow-best.htmlAs always, the comments from owners, which follow Nic's blogs, are also very revealing, as was this comment by Amy following one of the other blogs on Eva:- "Rockley Farm blog readers all (by now) know that both DDFT and and negative pedal bone angle/navicular type problems don't need remedial shoeing ... but its taking a little while for the rest of the world to catch up ;-)" Dawn Perkins
|
|
|
Post by Dawn Perkins on Jul 30, 2013 8:21:04 GMT 1
I wonder how many horses have been shot over the years because of a diagnosis of the dreaded "navicular", which is deemed "incurable"? Nic Barker's blog today offers immense hope and evidence, once again, that removing remedial shoes and correctly taking (and maintaining) the horse barefoot can result in seemingly miraculous recovery in so many cases:- rockleyfarm.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/surprise-surprisenot-really.htmlIt has been said that only horses with the best hooves to start with can get away with being shod without suffering too much long-term damage. Horses with the worst feet (thin soles, flat feet, etc) are the ones who seem to improve the most dramatically when the shoes are taken off (accompanied, of course, by correct diet, exercise, etc). As with so many animal species, it seems that the closer we can take them back to a natural way of living, the more we learn that Nature actually had most things covered! Dawn Perkins
|
|
|
Post by Dawn Perkins on Jul 31, 2013 20:17:53 GMT 1
The blog above is also linked via the Rockley Farm Facebook page. Further comments there illustrate that, even amongst those who are open to barefoot, there is still, seemingly, a desire to interfere and "help" the horse transition. Nic firmly believes that trimming often delays healing and certainly doesn't speed it up. She also believes that boots (even if they fit properly, which they often don't ) prevent the horse having contact with varied terrain, which then stimulates thickening of the sole and strengthening of the palmar hoof. If horses are provided with the right environment, diet and levels of exercise and time, they seem to be able to grow the hooves they need in order to stay sound. Interference, however well-meaning and whether by trimming or boots, does not seem to do them any favours. Since they often need uniquely odd-shaped hooves in order to compensate for biomechanical deficiencies of one kind or another, boots would be difficult to fit, anyway:- www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=547283425333345&id=129496323778726Dawn Perkins
|
|