Nicole Jory - Hoof Care Practitioner

09/07/2025

Fall Laminitis Awareness

It's time to keep fall laminitis on your radar for your equines! Depending on where you are on the globe, the seasonal shifts may already be causing some problems, and for others it may be a bit later into the fall.

There are a few reasons why fall laminitis happens in equines.

The seasonal changes, like increased rain, can trigger new growth of grass, just like it does in the spring. This new grass growth is higher in sugar. The frosty nights that start occuring add another layer of problems. Photosynthesis, which creates sugars during the day, is happening just like in spring and summer, but in the warmer temperatures, respiration occurs overnight and the plants utilize their sugar storage for growth,making grass lowest in sugar in the early morning. In cooler temps, respiration is suppressed and the sugars are retained overnight so that sugar content is not going down! Often we will tell people in the spring and summer that early morning grazing is the safest but that is NOT the case when the temperatures drop below 6 degrees C (43 F) at night.

On top of the grass being higher in sugar, another factor is that equine's metabolisms are gearing up for the winter! The body naturally goes through hormonal shifts to increase fat storage and quite a bit of energy goes into growing the new coats. Insulin levels naturally rise this time of year, but in animals with metabolic issues, the sugar levels in the grass can create dangerous levels of insulin in the body, triggering laminitis.

And then there is PPID ( Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction-formerly known as Cushings disease), which is responsible for a lot of fall laminitis cases due to the seasonal rise of ACTH (adrenocorticotropic hormone) during the late summer/Fall.
It's normal for ACTH to elevate in all equines this time of year as it is part of the body preparing for winter, however in PPID horses the rise can become quite excessive. This rise creates elevated cortisol, which can either cause hoof pain due to decrease in circulation or induce insulin resistance, triggering laminitis. Equine's don't even need to be eating fall grass for this to occur as it happens all on it's own when they have unmanaged PPID. Access to higher sugar feed ( hay, grass or concentrates) increases the risk of insulin related laminitis even more in these animals. Subclinical or acute fall laminitis is often one of the first signs of PPID, so make sure if you have an equine that is showing signs of sore feet this time of year, that PPID and insulin testing is part of your investigation into why. Keeping your PPID animals moving as much as possible over the colder months is also imperative to keeping their circulation healthy and preventing fall and winter laminitis.

Something else that isn't always discussed is also how the new grass growth affects the gut. Sudden changes in diet, increased carbohydrates, different fibre/moisture content etc can change the microbiome in ways that negatively affect the animal, either just with diarrhea or f***l water, or more seriously with colic and laminitis. This type of laminitis is not always linked to insulin, but actually to toxicity in the gut due to unhealthy bacterial growth or die off and how that affects fermentation in the gut. An equine does not need to have insulin regulation issues to suffer from this type of laminitis.

There are other factors that may contribute to sore feet during this time of year that are not caused by laminitis. One of the main ones is seasonal shedding of callused material. This shedding is perfectly normal and natural, but depending on the footing they live on, or the weather, this can cause temporary discomfort because their built up summer protection has disappeared. In a healthy hoof, the newly exposed and softer sole and frog should harden up quickly. Having hoof boots on hand to aid in this transitional period during seasonal shifts can help for exercising comfortably. In cases where hooves are already compromised or rehabilitating, good therapeutic turnout boots or some other form of hoof protection ( tons of options these days!) can keep the comfortable.

If your equine is experiencing hoof pain this time of year and it is accompanied by heat, digital pulses, reluctance to move ( so many people call subclinical laminitic horses "Lazy"), exaggerated heel first landings in the front feet, leaning back off the front hooves or standing in strange postures, laying down more frequently or for longer periods, increased respiration, difficulty turning or going down hills, or other unusual signs of discomfort, please contact your vet and hoof care provider. Laminitis IS an emergency, and the triggers need to be identified and eliminated ASAP and a treatment and rehabilitation plan put in action to prevent serious damage and dysfunction.

09/04/2025

How rediculous would this situation seem?

Patient walks into Dr's office.

Patient: "I keep having an allergic reaction to peanuts, i have to keep using my epipen to save myself."

Doctor: " Why do you keep eating peanuts if you know doing so could kill you?"

Patient: " Well, I feel better after the epipen, so i try eating a little bit more!"

Hoof Care Providers and Vets experience this regularly when a horse is laminitic. We identify the cause, and the equine owner may eliminate the trigger from the diet, or give the appropriate medication so that the laminitis subsides and healing can hopefully begin.

Then a month later we come out again and the equine is sore again. What happened? Well... they were feeling better so we -stopped soaking hay, put them out on grass, took them off pergolide- insert other trigger here. 🤦‍♀️

For some reason equine owners often can't commit to a plan that will keep their equine sound and healthy, they have to push the boundaries, experiment and fail so many times that the damage is so extensive that there is no turning back.

Obviously not all laminitis issues are that cut and dry and there are some amazing people out there trying their best to keep their animals from suffering. So if the shoe doesn't fit, don't wear it. But if you KNOW what your equine's triggers are and continue to expose them despite our best efforts to help them from this painful and often deadly condition, think of the peanut situation, how rediculous it seems, and don't expect the people around you who are trying to help and watching your animals suffer not to be frustrated and dumbfounded. You may find that you run out of support when people no longer want to actively participate in that suffering.

I say this with all the care and empathy in the world for those that are still learning and wanting to do their best. But there is a reason us professionals burn out regularly from this work, and situations like this are a HUGE part of it.

09/04/2025

Hoof conditioning whether for overall comfort on a varieth of surfaces, or for rehabbing weak/injured structures, needs be done right or you will mplateau. This is an awesome 3 part series, I will link the other parts in the comments.

Part 1 — Conditioning Isn’t Optional: It’s the Whole Point

Why a hoof’s real capacity is earned, not assumed

A hoof is not a static shell. It is a living interface that remodels under load: horn compacts with abrasion, the caudal foot (digital cushion and lateral cartilages) develops stiffer, more fibrous tissue with repeated loading, vascular networks refine perfusion, and sensory pathways calibrate how the limb is placed and loaded. Trim, diet and environment set the stage; conditioning is what translates potential into dependable function.

Mechanically, adaptation follows a simple rule: tissues remodel when the forces applied are regular, tolerable, and progressive. Too little stimulus and structures remain underprepared for real surfaces; too much, too soon, and you provoke inflammation or micro‑damage that reduces confidence in movement. None of this is controversial: it is the same principle that governs bone (Wolff’s law) and soft‑tissue mechanotransduction in the rest of the body, scaled to the hoof.

Time matters. Horn growth is measured in millimetres per month, not per week; callus and concavity reflect months of appropriate abrasion and stimulus, not a single trim. The caudal foot responds to repeated, cyclical loading; periods of deep bedding or uniformly soft terrain limit that signal. Hydration also changes horn mechanics: prolonged wetting plasticises keratin and increases wear; rapid drying can raise brittleness and concussion sensitivity. None of these factors are “good” or “bad” in isolation—what matters is how they interact with the work the horse is asked to do.

Not every horse needs to be “rock‑crunching”. Capacity should match the life the horse actually lives. The common trap is to mistake appearance for ability: a hoof that looks balanced can still be unconditioned for hard, irregular ground if it hasn’t experienced it regularly. Equally, sensitivity on a new surface is not automatically pathology—often it is the sensory system doing its job while structures catch up.

A practical framing is to see conditioning as the bridge between management and workload. Trim sets geometry and opportunities for load sharing; diet supports horn quality and systemic resilience; environment and training supply the dose of stimulus that tells tissues how to adapt. Keep those three in dialogue and progress is far more consistent.

One final balance point: cautious movement on unfamiliar footing can be normal sensory feedback; persistent asymmetry across surfaces and gaits is not. Knowing the difference is the beginning of good conditioning, not the end of it.

09/03/2025

How to know when it's time....

Our euthanasia conversation, continued from yesterday.

The AAEP actually has a set of guidelines for equine euthanasia:

"A horse should not have to endure the following:

-Continuous or unmanageable pain from a condition that is chronic and incurable.

-A medical condition or surgical procedure that has a poor prognosis for a good quality of life.

-Continuous analgesic medication and/or box stall confinement for the relief of pain for the rest of its life.

-An unmanageable medical or behavioral condition that renders it a hazard to itself or its handlers."

Above can be used as the foundation of your decision when the time comes. For some of us, that time may be now. But it's good to think ahead - my whole point in my post yesterday was that we usually ignore or avoid this conversation as long as possible. And that makes it much harder to make the right decision in the right timing.

Some other things to consider that I have used in discussion with clients:

The light in their eyes is gone - if you've seen this, you know what I mean.
They have more bad days than good days - you'll have to define a good day vs bad day but compare it to their best days.
You cannot adequately manage their pain.
You cannot afford the next procedure or treatment - there is no shame in this, though it's the hardest conclusion to come to.
Your/their life circumstances have changed, such as they're now living alone, the property can no longer support their needs, or the environment is making it too difficult for you to care for them.
The level of care that they need is not sustainable for you or your support team.
Their body cannot cope any longer.
Your horse can no longer tolerate basic care from a vet or a farrier.
Your horse's behavior makes things dangerous for the humans caring for them.

The AAEP spoke of enduring....

What is your horse going to have to endure? This often comes up when we're discussing procedures or treatment options and weighing the pros and cons.

But what about the daily enduring? This is the quality of life consideration.

What is a good quality of life for an equine?
What is a good life for your equine?

See the comments for two excellent articles on understanding quality of life, knowing how to make this decision, and how to prepare.

My goal in sharing yesterday's post was to start the conversation because most horse owners have a subconscious fantasy that one day after aging gracefully, their horse will just lay down and pass peacefully. This rarely happens and your horse is not likely to be the exception.

But in most cases, we do get to choose how our horses will die.
A peaceful death is a great gift.

Your vet and other professionals that work on your horse can help aid in these considerations. Ultimately, the decision is yours.

08/29/2025

It's always interesting to directly compare hooves to their radiographs. This is my own horse, a 17 year old Icelandic gelding. He did have subclinical laminitis 2 years ago, but I'm happy to see no lasting effects. He is due for a trim and will be applying some glue ons to his fronts, but I wanted to see the rads first for better decision making.

08/29/2025

Just wanted to share the gains since switching this horse from the Octo to Easycare One. Not wanting to knock the octos, but they weren't working well for this horse. His heel was collapsing more and more after each shoeing with the octos, and the frog was being completely crushed.

In May, I modified the frog piece to be thinner, so there was a gap for the frog to have less pressure. During that experiment, he finally started landing heel first again. I was able to convince the owner to try the Ones to see if the softer and larger frog piece would be a better fit.

Here is the foot now after one round with the modified octo and 2 rounds with the Ones. So happy with the results! He had developed a distinct Hi/low situation, which is now almost unnoticeable.

08/27/2025

Hoof loading/landing aspirations 😍

08/27/2025

Frog distortion caused by rotation from laminitis in this donkey hoof. Can you see where the true apex of the frog actually is? Being able to read these changes is very important when making trim decisions on laminitic equines.

08/25/2025

7 months into the rehab on this mare. A few more months and all that old unhealthy wall will be all grown out. I love seeing her soft tissue development, increased sole depth, and healthier, more supportive hoof wall growing in. When I first started trimming her, she really struggled to hold any hooves for trimming for very long and was quite anxious about it. Today, she stood quietly and napped during the trim. Seeing that change in their comfort is why we do what we do.

08/23/2025

Cute little donkey hooves!