Heart & Sole - Equine Podiatry by Laura Evans

14/06/2026

It's official....my Clydesdales feet are indeed larger than my face 🤣

12/06/2026

📚🐴 Continuous Professional Development 🫏📚

One of the things I love most about working with horses and donkeys is that the learning never stops.

Every time I pick up a hoof or speak with an owner, I learn something. Every time I review hoof photographs, assess progress, or reflect on recommendations I've made, I learn something. Even when I'm at home, I'm learning something.

Recently, I completed a hoof trimming course with The Donkey Sanctuary. As I have several donkey clients, it's important to continue developing my knowledge and understanding of their unique needs. Donkeys are often the quieter voice in the equine trimming world, but they deserve the same level of specialist care and attention.

The more I learn, the better equipped I am to support the horses and donkeys entrusted to my care. Ensuring I read information from a variety of sources is vital as I can always enhance my existing learning.

Continuous professional development isn't just about collecting certificates—it's about constantly improving, questioning, observing, and striving to do better for every animal I work with.

Because when it comes to hoof care, the learning never truly ends. 🐴🫏❤️

10/06/2026

🐴🫏 Hoof Abscesses 🫏🐴

When we think of a hoof abscess, we often picture a horse or donkey severely lame, pointing the affected toe or refusing to bear weight.

While some abscesses can take several days to track and burst, not all follow this pattern. In fact, the ideal abscess is one that develops, drains and resolves naturally with minimal discomfort.

These photos show a great example of an abscess that has burst at the coronary band. As the hoof grows, the track left behind provides a useful marker for monitoring hoof growth.

This mare remained completely sound throughout, suggesting the abscess drained quickly and efficiently without causing significant pressure or pain. A great reminder that not every abscess results in obvious lameness, and sometimes the body does a remarkable job of resolving the issue itself. 💪

07/06/2026

🐴 A nice top up of supplies 🐴

For my clients who use the wonderful Red Horse Products, I have topped up my supplies so if you need anything just let me know! I stock Sole Cleanse, Field Paste, Artimud, Hoof Stuff, Hydrohoof and Honey heel. This saves you spending extra on postage.

A new stocked product for you to try this summer is the RZ Summer Fly Spray. I was really impressed with this last year both for the horses and for me against midges and clegs.

06/06/2026

Healthy feet come from an overall healthy horse, and that starts with every tooth 🦷.

If your horse, pony or donkey can't break down their food properly then many nutrients can be lost. This can cause disruption in the gut, and leave cells without the nutrients they need.....which can be seen in the feet 🕵‍♀️.

A routine dentist visit ensures your horse or donkeys mouth is free from pain and their teeth are able to tear and chew as nature intended 🌿 My big guys had the amazing James Spy Equine Dental Services for their routine check up, giving me peace of mind they are chewing happily 😊

03/06/2026

🌿🐴 Excited to be trying some products from Ron Fields 🫏🌿

RonFields Nutrition use Ayurvedic herbs, traditional botanicals known for supporting long-term resilience and wellbeing, and I'm keen to explore this further.

Over the coming months, I'll be working with some selected clients who will also benefit from trying some products. Together we will monitor results, gather feedback, and see how these products can help support overall equine wellbeing.

I'm looking forward to sharing updates and progress along the way. 🌱

You can find out more about Ron Fields products - https://ronfieldsnutrition.co.uk/?ref=laura.evans

27/05/2026

🌿 Did you know gorse can offer some fascinating natural health benefits for horses? 🐴

Although often thought of as just a prickly shrub, many horses enjoy carefully browsing the fresh green shoots and bright yellow flowers of gorse.

Alongside providing enrichment and dietary variety, gorse also contains naturally occurring plant compounds with antioxidant properties.

Antioxidants help combat oxidative stress within the body — something that can increase with exercise, inflammation, ageing, illness, or environmental stressors.

Benefits of allowing horses access to browse gorse include:

✅ Encouraging natural browsing behaviour
✅ Increased mental stimulation and enrichment
✅ Additional fibre and forage variety
✅ Naturally occurring antioxidant plant compounds
✅ Seasonal dietary diversity

Many horses instinctively seek out a range of plants and shrubs when given the opportunity, and browsing can form part of a more natural and species-appropriate environment.

Does your horse enjoy eating gorse as much as Ronnie? 🌼👇

23/05/2026

My day started with a visit to 3 Clydesdales. Lovely horses, each very different - a 2 year old gelding, 17 year old mare and their 18hh companion who weighs around a tonne! 🐎 with these guys, lots of my focus is on their bars which grow like crazy! These can often end up folding over due to the weight above them and this is where bacteria gets trapped.

Then I had a drive onto see 2 donkeys who I adore. They are making great progress from seedy toe and white line seperation and this recent dry weather is really helping - long may it continue!

Next was a little cob who can be unsure of some things in life. She gets overwhelmed at times so this was a 3 weekly trim focusing on only her hinds as she had her fronts trimmed last time. After some initial anxiety, she settled lovely and we managed to get her hind feet trimmed. Little and often really works well for her.

My final stop was another donkey and 2 sports horses. The donkey has quite weak feet but they are improving and the 2 other girls were looking great.

One day. Different species. Different breeds. Different feet. Different approaches. Happy horses and donkeys. Happy owners. Happy Laura.

14/05/2026

Also seeing this in Kintyre.

Last weekend I saw 2 laminitic ponies and many horses with new very cresty necks. These weren't your stereotypical wee ponies, but finer horses. Please monitor your horses, ponies and donkeys for their grass intake just now.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1HVK9jXQim/

‼️ LAMINITIS WARNING ‼️ The weather is cooler, the Laminitis Risk app says the risk is low, and yet horses are dropping like flies. I’ve had half a dozen calls in the last few days letting me know of a laminitis diagnosis, and most of them are big warmbloody, finer types. Samson (pictured) is fine with careful management by the way.

I’m no grass geek, but I know that sunshine and rain along with mild temperatures make the grass grow extra fast. I also hear that last year’s drought forced the grass to send its roots down deeper looking for moisture. And the deeper you go, the more nutrients you find. Then when the conditions are right for growth…. Disaster.

Laminitis does not just affect horses with metabolic disorders or insulin resistance. The change from dry hay cut last summer to what’s growing out there now is drastic. The gut biome is set up for fibre and is suddenly being fed sugar which causes uproar on the inside. It’s a very easy trap to fall into, so please check pulses, supraorbital fossa (the concave place above the eyes) and crests daily. Be watching for discomfort when turning, footiness, fat pads, swollen sheath/underside, and puffy fetlocks. Please please don’t be caught out

13/05/2026

🐎🕵‍♀️ Sole Depth 🕵‍♀️🐎

Owners will regularly see me applying some pressure on the horses soles with my fingers before I trim. I do this to help form my opinion on the horses' sole depth.

Without x-rays we can estimate a horses sole depth through a range of observations:

🐴 is the sole very flat rather than concave?
🫏 is there a stretched white line alongside flat soles?
🐎 is there any bruising around the toe or seat of corn areas?
🐴 does the frog and sole appear almost level with each other?
🐎 are the collateral grooves at each side of frog shallow or deep?

I will also feel this primarily around the toe area in front of the tip of the frog to see if there is any movement in the sole.

But why does it matter? Well thin soles will leave the horse more susceptible to bruising, pain and abcsessing. It may indicate that the horse would benefit from their feet being able to dry out and that boots and pads maybe helpful. It will also guide my trim as I may leave a little extra wall height.

These excellent images from Lindsey Field from Study of the Equine Hoof https://www.facebook.com/share/1e2UK8bAuM/ show a relatively normal sole depth compared to a thin sole. Look at where the tip of the pedal bone sits above this toe area you see me feeling.