Borambola Valley Veterinary Podiatry Centre

02/06/2026

We are the cutest 💁‍♀️💕

So grateful to my husband, Mark for dusting off his apron today to help me with a big morning of feet!

We had the wonderful Emma Mainprize Veterinary Services here today too, set up with her crush in our shed performing dentals while we followed up with their feet!

26/05/2026

Podiatry radiographs are an invaluable tool in both veterinary medicine as well farriery to assess for pathology, balance and allow for planning of trimming/shoeing management. 🧲

This horse presented with a negative palmar/plantar angle (PA) in all four feet! 😱

Using radiographs, we improved the PA in this hoof from -4.5 to +1.1, then added mechanics including a wedge pad and rolled toe shoe, bringing the PA up to 5.6!👌🏻

18/05/2026

07/05/2026

✨🐎Hind Foot Angles Matter 🧲✨

Negative plantar angles can cause whole body discomfort, but particularly increase strain through the hind limb; especially the proximal suspensory apparatus, hocks and sacroiliac region, contributing to ongoing discomfort and poor performance.

This horse had been struggling with proximal suspensory desmitis and sacroiliac pain. He received intra-articular hock injections and shockwave therapy on his suspensories as part of his primary treatment, but long term improvement was always going to rely heavily on improving his hind foot balance and addressing his negative plantar angles.

Following shoe removal and corrective trimming, there has already been visible improvement in his hind foot angles, particularly through the coronary band and heel angles which had previously been collapsing.

Often these horses require much shorter shoeing or trimming cycles (every 3–4 weeks), and in some cases, wedges and improved breakover can be incredibly beneficial to help support the hind limb and reduce strain on the suspensory apparatus.

The owner also rides this horse predominantly on grass surfaces rather than grippy fibre arenas, and ices his hinds after work.

A small but vital step in this horse’s recovery, with a very dedicated owner now taking on weekly maintenance trims between farrier visits. 💪🏻

07/05/2026

Part 3: Supplementation, dosing, and what actually works

When a horse is deficient in vitamin E, supplementation is recommended regardless of whether clinical signs are present.

However, not all vitamin E supplements are equal, and this is where things often go wrong.

There are two main forms of vitamin E used in equine supplements.

Synthetic vitamin E, often listed as all-rac-alpha-tocopherol, is less bioavailable and not as effectively utilised by the horse.

Natural vitamin E, listed as d-alpha-tocopherol or RRR-alpha-tocopherol, is significantly more bioavailable and is the preferred form for supplementation.

Within natural forms, there are also differences in formulation.

Powder or pellet forms are typically esterified, which improves shelf life but requires additional processing in the horse’s digestive system before absorption.

Liquid formulations are water-dispersible and generally result in a more rapid increase in blood vitamin E concentrations, often within 24 hours. These are particularly useful when actively correcting a deficiency.

Current NRC daily recommendations for vitamin E in horses are 1 -2 IU/kg body weight. This means maintenance levels can be anywhere between 250-1000IU per day depending on the size of the horse or pony.

In clinical cases of deficiency where signs are present, doses around 5,000 IU per day for a 500 kg horse are commonly used, although requirements can vary depending on baseline levels, underlying disease, and individual response.

Follow-up blood testing is important to ensure that supplementation is achieving the desired increase in vitamin E concentrations.

❓ A common question is whether horses can receive too much vitamin E.

In humans, very high doses can interfere with vitamin K metabolism and affect blood clotting. It is not yet clear whether the same effect occurs in horses, and this is still being investigated. However, it reinforces an important point.

More is not always better.

This is another reason why supplementation should be targeted and guided by testing, rather than adding products in without a clear plan.

It is also important to recognise that some horses may have impaired absorption of fat-soluble vitamins, which can result in an inadequate response to supplementation. In these cases, further investigation is warranted.

Long-term, the most effective way to maintain adequate vitamin E status is regular access to fresh pasture. However, for many horses, particularly EMS horses, this is not possible.

This means supplementation and monitoring become essential parts of managing both metabolic health and muscle function.

If your horse is on restricted pasture, on a hay-based diet, or struggling with muscle development, vitamin E status is something that should be considered as part of a broader clinical assessment.

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🩺 Contact us on 0427 072 095 or book an appointment online:
https://avonridgeequine.com.au/book-an-appointment/

06/05/2026

Part 2: Vitamin E & The EMS Horse

If you have an EMS horse or pony, you are often doing exactly the right thing by restricting pasture access to reduce non-structural carbohydrate intake and minimise laminitis risk.

But there is an important consequence that is often overlooked.

Pasture restriction also removes the horse’s primary source of vitamin E.

This creates a very common scenario where horses are managed correctly for insulin dysregulation, but inadvertently become deficient in vitamin E.

Many of these horses are maintained on hay-based diets, sometimes with soaked hay, further reducing nutrient content. While this is appropriate for metabolic control, it significantly increases the risk of inadequate vitamin E intake.

In practice, I see this frequently in horses that are:

- On long-term pasture restriction
- Maintained on hay only diets
- Not receiving targeted vitamin supplementation
- Struggling to build or maintain topline

Vitamin E deficiency in these cases can contribute to muscle weakness, reduced performance, and difficulty developing or maintaining muscle mass, even when energy intake appears adequate.

It can also complicate the clinical picture in ridden horses. Horses may be assumed to have training or fitness issues, when in reality there is an underlying nutritional deficiency affecting muscle function.

The only reliable way to assess vitamin E status is through blood testing.

We can measure serum or plasma vitamin E concentrations. The sample must be handled and prepared carefully to obtain an accurate result as Vitamin E levels can be affected by several external factors. Interpretation should always be made in the context of the individual horse, their diet, and clinical signs.

👉 Get in touch with us using the booking link below if you’d like to get your horse’s Vitamin E levels checked.

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s post about supplementation - what works and what doesn’t.

🩺 Contact us on 0427 072 095 or book an appointment online:
https://avonridgeequine.com.au/book-an-appointment/

If you found this helpful, subscribe for more veterinary led, trusted advice here:
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05/05/2026

Part 1: Why vitamin E matters more than you think**

**This is the first of a 3-part educational series on vitamin E in horses.**

Vitamin E deficiency is one of the most overlooked problems in horses.

In almost all mammals, Vitamin E is essential for the integrity and optimum function of several systems in the body, including nervous, immune, reproductive, muscular and circulatory systems.

Vitamin E is not just another vitamin. It is a potent antioxidant that protects cell membranes from oxidative damage. Importantly, vitamin E levels are associated with the maintenance of normal muscle and nerve cell function.

Horses rely almost entirely on fresh green pasture for vitamin E intake.

Once forage is cut and dried into hay, vitamin E levels decline rapidly. By the time hay is fed, the vitamin E content is often negligible. To make matters more challenging, the vitamin E added to many feeds is synthetic and has significantly lower bioavailability compared to natural forms.

This means many horses on hay-based diets are likely not meeting their requirements, even when their diet appears otherwise balanced.

Importantly, vitamin E is not stored efficiently in the body. Horses require consistent daily intake to maintain adequate circulating levels.

Deficiency does not always present with obvious clinical signs early on. Instead, it often shows up as subtle issues such as:
▪️poor topline
▪️reduced muscle development or muscle wasting
▪️underperformance
▪️weakness

By the time more significant signs develop, deficiency may have been present for some time.

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s post, specifically tailored for horses with EMS.

🩺 Contact us on 0427 072 095 or book an appointment online:
https://avonridgeequine.com.au/book-an-appointment/

📬 If you found this helpful, subscribe for more veterinary led, trusted advice here:
https://avonridgeequine.aweb.page/exclusive-veterinary-insights

28/04/2026

⚡️Extracorporeal Focused Shockwave Therapy (ESWT) ⚡️

ESWT is a powerful, highly effective, science-backed treatment we offer for both dogs and horses to support healing and reduce pain.

This non-invasive treatment works by delivering high-powered acoustic waves into injured tissue, creating micro-trauma and triggering a healing response, helping to:
⚡️Stimulate blood flow
⚡️Encourage tissue repair
⚡️Reduce inflammation
⚡️Reduce pain

Common uses include:
🐎 Tendon and ligament injuries
🐾 Arthritis and joint pain
🩻 Back and sacroiliac discomfort (especially in horses)
🐴 Chronic or slow-healing wounds and scars

We offer shockwave therapy from our facility at Borambola Valley, and for a limited time, we are offering fortnightly sessions in Murrumbateman at Kalaragan Equine. 🌸

14/04/2026

🐴 “They’re still okay… aren’t they?” 🤍

It’s one of the hardest questions to answer honestly.

Because when decline is slow, we adjust with it.
We normalise it.
We hope the good days will outweigh the bad.

We all wish for more time with them.

But horses don’t measure life in years…they measure it in comfort.

In how easy it is to move.
How good the sun feels.
Whether their body lets them just be a horse.

They don’t think in weeks or months; only in how they feel today.

And when pain starts to outweigh those simple things, more time doesn’t always mean more kindness.

So sometimes, the kindest question we can ask isn’t “How much longer do I have?”
But “Is this still fair on them?”

We have the ability to end their suffering. And while that choice is incredibly hard… it’s also a privilege.

Choosing quality over quantity is one of the hardest decisions we make; but also one of the most compassionate.

If you ever need support during this time, we’re here to help.
At Borambola Valley Vet, we offer calm, at home euthanasia, ensuring a kind, compassionate and dignified goodbye. 🤍

09/04/2026

👌🏻🩻🔨🔥