CC’s Hoofcare

02/08/2025

🐴 𝗟𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗖𝗹𝗮𝗶𝗺𝘀 𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗟𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘀

🌱 It is almost spring in Australia and therefore almost peak laminitis season. Despite all of the science and meticulously researched information we have available on how to best support an equine recovering from laminitis, there is still so much dangerous advice circulating and I’m a bit fed up about it.

🐴 Myth #1: White chaff and hay is what you should feed a laminitic horse.

🌱 Truth #1: White chaff and hay are derived from cereal crops which almost always have a high sugar and starch content. Please, for the love of god, do not feed a laminitic horse wheaten or oaten chaff/hay.

🐴 Myth #2: Bran is a safe feed for laminitic horses as it’s a good source of fibre.

🌱 Truth #2: Bran can be thrown in the same category as white chaffs and hays given it is derived from cereal grains. It is too high in sugar and starch to be considered safe, regardless of the fibre content. It is also high in phosphorus and requires careful balancing with regard to calcium in the diet.

🐴 Myth #3: When soaking hay, the colour of the water indicates how much sugar is being soaked out.

🌱 Truth #3: The dark colouration you see coming from hay that is soaked in water has nothing to do with the sugar content and instead is the tannins and dirt leaching from the hay. Don’t assume clear post-soaking water means that the hay is low in sugar.

🐴 Myth #4: Grain-free premixed feeds are suitable for laminitic horses.

🌱 Truth #4: In my experience, laminitic horses do better on whole food diets rather than premixed feeds. It’s not only the sugar and starch content that is important, but also the protein and fat content. A grain-free feed that is high in protein and fat is still potentially unsuitable.

🐴 Myth #5: Feeds that are labelled as “grain-free” or “laminitis safe” are exactly that.

🌱 Truth #5: I know of several feeds labelled “laminitis safe” that contain cereal by-products such as oaten or wheaten chaff/hay. There are also plenty of feeds that claim to be grain-free that contain by-products such as bran, pollard, or millrun. The manufacturer’s argument is that the feed is “whole” grain-free. There is no regulatory authority that governs how feeds are marketed.

🐎 Read your feed, guys. There are so many feeds that are marketed poorly or deceptively and simply do not support the recovery of our laminitic equines or the prevention of an episode. Stop taking nutritional advice from people who are not up to speed on the latest information regarding feeding the laminitic equine.

30/07/2025

28/07/2025

🌾 A Big Update From Me 🌾

Later this year, I’ll be saying goodbye to the Northern Rivers, as my fiancé and I are moving back to Central Queensland to live on his family’s cattle property.

This year also marks 10 years since I started trimming, and what a journey it’s been. I’ve loved every step — the never-ending learning, the challenge of helping each horse stay sound and comfortable, and the deep satisfaction that comes with doing work I care so much about.

Trimming in the Northern Rivers has been incredibly special. I’ve had the privilege of working with the most amazing clients and horses — thank you all for your trust, your kindness, and for being such a big part of my story.

I’ll be finishing up in this area by December, but I won’t leave anyone stuck — I’ll be sharing the names of a few hoofcare providers I personally recommend to help with the transition.

Thank you again for all the support over the years. I’ll miss this place and you all more than I can say 🖤

Charlotte x
CCs Hoof Care

28/07/2025

Love being apart of a fantastic association. 🩷 Australian Association of Equine Podiotherapists 

Introducing one of our General Committee Members, Charlotte Catmull from CC’s Hoofcare. Thank you for being a part of the team Charlotte

28/07/2025

🩷

Introducing one of our General Committee Members, Charlotte Catmull from CC’s Hoofcare. Thank you for being a part of the team Charlotte

23/07/2025

Conflicting Advice = Paralysed Owners
(When the horse is caught in the middle)

You’ve got the vet saying one thing.
The trimmer says another.
A bodyworker adds a third layer.
And online? A dozen different strangers, each convinced their way is the only right way.

You just want to do what’s best for your horse.
But instead of clarity, you’re stuck in decision paralysis—afraid that any choice you make will be the wrong one. So nothing changes. Or worse, things get worse while everyone argues.

This is one of the quiet, under-acknowledged causes of prolonged pain and stalled progress in equine care—well-meaning professionals giving advice in isolation, without context, and without communicating with each other.

And it's the owner who’s left trying to translate it all. Alone.

Why does it happen?

Because professionals don’t always agree on philosophy, priorities, or timelines

Because collaboration is still the exception, not the norm

Because owners are often left to be the go-between, without the training to know who’s right

Because every professional sees the horse through their own lens

And sometimes—because no one is actually listening to the horse

The cost of confusion

When advice conflicts, it doesn’t just create stress for the owner. It creates inconsistency for the horse.

One person says increase movement; another says stable rest

One says trim every 3 weeks; another says let it grow

One says pull the shoes now; another says never pull them

One says this is metabolic; another says it’s mechanical

What gets lost in all this is momentum—and confidence. Owners second-guess every decision. Horses are left with no clear, sustained direction. And professionals may not realise how overwhelming and paralysing it has become.

What if the second or third opinion also conflicts?

We’ve talked about the value of second and third opinions—and they are valuable. But what happens when each voice says something different?

That’s not failure. It’s just a sign that you’re dealing with a complex case. And complexity doesn’t always have one clear answer.

Here’s how to move forward when the experts disagree:

Find the common ground first. Even conflicting plans usually share some overlap. That’s your foundation.

Come back to the horse. What approach makes the most sense for this horse, right now—not just in theory, but in lived reality?

Think practically. Which plan is sustainable for you and your setup? The right answer on paper won’t help if it can’t be consistently applied.

Ask if the professionals will talk to each other. Sometimes the disagreement is more about wording or sequencing than actual opposition.

Trust your judgement. You live with the horse. You know what feels right. Use that to guide the next step—even if it’s just a trial period with one plan.

What needs to change?

1. Open communication between professionals
Where possible, professionals should speak to each other. Even a brief message can align care. No one expects everyone to agree on everything—but the horse benefits when there’s shared understanding and respect across disciplines.

2. Professionals owning their limits
It’s okay not to know everything. If a hoof care provider isn’t sure whether the pain is metabolic or structural—or if a vet isn’t confident in dietary management—that’s not a failure. It’s a chance to bring someone else in. Collaborative care is not a weakness.

3. Owners being empowered, not pressured
Advice should come with explanation and options—not ultimatums. When owners are told “you must do this or you’re harming your horse,” it creates fear—not progress. A good professional helps owners understand the why, not just the what.

4. Remembering the horse is the one living it
At the heart of the confusion is a real, living animal trying to cope with conflicting inputs. When advice isn’t working, or when different approaches keep cancelling each other out, it’s not “just one of those things.” It’s the horse asking for clarity.

Final thought

Inconsistent rehab isn’t always due to poor management.
Sometimes it’s caused by too much input—not too little.

And when professionals stop speaking to each other, the horse ends up stuck between systems.

If you’re that owner—staring at advice that contradicts itself—pause. Go back to what you know about your horse. Ask the questions no one has asked yet. And if the professionals around you aren’t willing to collaborate, find the ones who are.

20/07/2025

🌧️ Trimming Notice – Wet Weather & Clean Hooves 🌧️

Due to the ongoing wet weather, I won’t be able to trim any horses this week unless they have a full shelter and dry ground to stand on. It’s simply not safe or practical to work in muddy, slippery conditions — for your horse’s sake and mine.

Also, a reminder: clean, dry hooves are required at every appointment. It’s part of your monthly responsibility to ensure feet are properly cleaned before I arrive. Please don’t leave this to the last minute — wet, caked-on mud makes trimming difficult and time-consuming.

Thanks for your understanding and effort. It helps me continue doing my job safely and to a high standard. 🐴🧼

18/07/2025

Feet are kind of no one’s and everyone’s problem at the same time. Until some poor sucker needs to work on the feet they are not really a problem. Then when the farriers been kicked across the flat they quickly become everyone’s problem and everyone’s fault.

The owner didn’t imprint the horse and pick them up as it was sliding out of the womb. If an owner is confident and competent then it’s great if they can start picking up feet early. If they are scared and teach them to kick then they are probably best to leave it to the next person.

That’s when it becomes the breakers fault. Most breakers are not farriers. Some will get a farrier in to shoe or trim them. And that’s fine as long as they teach them to stand and allow the farrier to work unmolested.

Finally if it’s managed to sneak through and gets a bit grown up when it gets its first bit of work done to its feet and it kicks the farrier it really quickly becomes everyone’s problem and everyone else’s fault. And it’s a really slippery slope. Good farriers will not let themselves be kicked. They will sack the horse the owner and everyone else. The next farrier will not be as good and he will quickly blame the last farrier the breaker and the stallions mother. The horse will get a hack job done by the hack farrier and eventually it’ll just stop getting its feet done altogether.

The only person who is not really responsible for getting a horse to stand and get its feet done is probably the farrier. Unless you’re paying him to train on your horse they should expect to arrive and leave in the same condition.

There’s some obligation on the farrier though. They should be fit and up to the job. If a horse is playing up because the farriers gut stops them from bending low enough then it’s awful hard to blame the poor old horse if it fidgets.

I don’t care how your horses bred I don’t care if it jumps a metre eighty slides 10 metres and runs 1d times. I just want it to stand while the farrier works on it.

18/07/2025

Old age is NOT an excuse for a skinny, suffering horse.

Yes, senior horses can be harder to keep weight on. Their teeth wear down, digestion changes, they might need special diets, more calories, or extra care. That should all be considered when buying a horse of any age and is all part of responsible ownership.

But when a horse’s ribs, spine, and hips are sticking out, when they’re weak, unsteady, and clearly struggling, blaming “old age” isn’t good enough. That’s neglect, plain and simple.

If a horse is still bright, mobile, and enjoying life but needs extra TLC to maintain weight, then as owners, it’s our job to provide that. But if a horse is too far gone, too weak, too decrepit to recover or live comfortably, then it’s also our responsibility to do the right thing.

Keeping a horse alive just to avoid making the hard decision is not kindness. It’s cruelty.

Our horses gave us their best years. They carried us, taught us, trusted us. The least we can do is make sure they either have proper care or a peaceful, dignified end. No animal deserves to waste away.

Old doesn’t mean starving. Know the difference.

SEE HOW CANTERWELL Oils can keep them well covered and conditioned when fed at a higher dose. ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Teeth or no teeth you can add weight.

Source - The Adventures of Shishanna Rourke

www.canterwell.com.au

15/07/2025

🩷

The Stuff No One Talks About in Hoof Care

Let’s talk about the stuff that doesn’t make it into the glossy social media reels. The things that don’t show up on the before-and-after collages. The bits that happen in the mud, in the rain, under stress, and under pressure — and almost never in perfect lighting.

We talk a lot about hoof shape, angles, diet, thrush protocols, and what makes a “good” trim — and all of that matters. But what about the things that sit just outside the frame?

Like the horse who’s been “barefoot for years” but is still mincing on gravel because no one’s addressed the long toe and underlying mechanics. Or the ones trimmed to textbook perfection, but still footy because their gut’s a mess or they’re in constant low-grade pain that no one’s chasing down.

We don’t talk enough about the cases that don’t go to plan. The rehabs where everything should be working but isn’t. The abscesses that keep recurring. The laminitic that relapses after a single wet week. The navicular horse that never read the rulebook.

We rarely mention the toll it takes on the people doing the work — owners, trimmers, farriers, vets — all quietly shouldering the burden of these slow, uncertain journeys. The missed milestones. The heartbreak of thinking you were turning a corner… only to realise it was just a brief plateau before the next problem hit.

There’s the horse who won’t pick up a foot anymore because he’s sore everywhere, and you’re left trimming a back hoof on your knees, soaked through, hoping your back doesn’t spasm before you finish. There’s the moment you clock that familiar blackened edge of white line disease, knowing this just became a much longer road than anyone signed up for.

And there’s the silence around owner burnout. The emotional and financial weight of hoof rehab, which can grind down even the most dedicated people. The ones who feel ashamed because they’re tired. The ones who feel judged because they need help.

The elephant in the room? So much of hoof care isn't just hoof care. It's nutrition. It’s turnout. It's the wrong rug. It's saddle fit. It’s stress and ulcers. It’s how much (or little) movement a horse gets. It's pain management. It’s the systemic stuff no one wants to deal with because it’s messy, or expensive, or inconvenient.

And it’s political too. No one talks about how divisive hoof care has become — how sharing an opinion on heels or wedges or diet can lose you a client or start a feud. How saying “it depends” is often seen as weakness, when it’s usually the only honest answer.

Most of all, we don’t talk about the emotional side. The weight of responsibility. The wondering: Did I miss something? Could I have done more? Am I doing the right thing?

Because real hoof care is rarely black and white. It’s a messy mix of progress and setbacks, of adapting to each horse and each environment. It’s hard-won experience, not viral reels. It’s about building trust, not just correcting angles.

So here’s to the owners who show up every day — muddy, tired, determined — doing their best even when the results don’t come quick. The ones who learn, adjust, and try again.

Here’s to the professionals — the trimmers, farriers, vets, bodyworkers — who quietly carry the weight of responsibility, who troubleshoot in the field and agonise over cases long after they’ve gone home. The ones who aren’t afraid to say, “I don’t know yet,” and who keep learning anyway.

Here’s to the rehab teams, the collaborators, the hoof nerds, the realists, the ones who listen to the horse above all else.

You won’t always get the credit. You won’t always get the outcome you hoped for. But this corner of the equine world is better because of you.

Let’s keep talking. Let’s keep questioning. Let’s keep going.

Because this is hoof care too — the full, muddy, unfiltered truth of it. And it matters.

14/07/2025

💊 Ertugliflozin: An Option for Helping Manage EMS 🐴

Over the past few years, equine vets have started using a medication called “Ertugliflozin”. Originally used in humans for diabetes, Ertugliflozin is now being used in horses (off label) to help manage insulin resistance (IR) and Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS) when dietary and exercise management is not enough. 💊🧪

Ertugliflozin is an SGLT2 inhibitor, which put simply works by helping the body excrete excess glucose through urine, therefore allowing the body’s insulin to drop down to normal levels as a result. Once insulin is back in normal range, this allows for a reduction in systemic inflammation which therefore helps them regulate their body more efficiently. This is especially important for those horses that are at risk or are currently laminitic. 🔬

Regular bloods tests are required to measure the horse’s insulin, liver and kidney function whilst on the medication. The goal to wean off the medication once insulin is stabilised, and allow the horse to get back on track. 💉🩸

Scientific studies and clinical cases are showing promise, however this medication is not the “magic pill”, but to be used in horses who don’t respond to a strictly managed diet and exercise alone. As always, any medication use should be closely supervised to ensure safety and effectiveness. For some horses, this medication has been literally a lifesaver! 🛟

If you have a horse with EMS, chronic laminitis, or suspect insulin resistance, get in touch or talk to your vet about whether this could be an option. 🩺

19/06/2025