Thomas Straw Equine Podiatry Student

31/07/2026

What's been going on, aka "if it helps - your horse isn't the only one".

Where to start! Visuals first.
There has been a lot of chipping going on. Increase in growth during summer and the dry weather making the hoof horn drier and more brittle has led to this. In most cases this trims out easily. Sometimes the chips are higher up than the trim line, and in some cases this has put the horse on their soles.

Lots of frog and sole shedding. The dry weather has retained both, and with it going back to wet now, it's all ready to pop out. This generally doesn't have much influence on comfort levels, but in some cases so much coming off in one go makes them a bit cautious on their feet for a few days - suddenly feeling the ground again and feet softening up while the ground is still quite hard plays a role there.

Now for the trickier bit.
Laminitis has been far more present this year than last. Grass has been continuously challenging, despite no huge spikes like we usually get in spring for a few weeks, and then things tend to calm down again. This year the all-clear just never came.
And now there are horses who just can't take it anymore. It seems to also be hitting the horses that have never caused worry before, or that are well managed.
And we can't get round the fact it's probably been the grass all along.

So what shall we do now?

- Give them time off grass
- Offer some comfort with boots and pads
- Support their liver and lymphatic system
- Keep blood testing for metabolic issues on your radar. Just because they weren't metabolic last year, doesn't mean they still aren't this year.

PS: The picture on this post - if you see an image of a pie and think of a frog, you'll get it 😄 This cobblestone was just shouting for my rasp. Looking at chipped hooves and smoothing them out has been my life for the last few weeks 🫢

30/07/2026

Just want to say a massive thank you to all my clients for being amazing, but also to all those extra amazing ones that have been so patient over the last two weeks when I have asked to move time slots and appointments around because of my girlfriends' and mine cat being in and out of the vets

Those that don't know, she decided to get hold of some embroidery thread, and ate it while out the house, we came home and it was out both ends.

An emergency vet visit to Vets Now Glasgow with one of the best soft tissue, experts managed to remove it with minimal incisions.

And all the follow-up that appointments with pets'n'vets Roundhouse and Blantyre to make sure the wound stayed healthy after the little abscess formed.

And also my girlfriend for being the most amazing human and unfortunately doing the brunt of the care and looking after Mako x

She is making a great recovery but it was long going and thankfully the insurance greatly helped with fast acceptance with the vets!!

30/06/2026

17/05/2026

13/05/2026

13/05/2026

Can you guess the location of one of our latest jobs?

I’ll give you a clue - 🦄🦄🦄

21/04/2026

Want to travel around Scotland with either of these two handsome hunks?

It's only an email away 😁

15/04/2026

Sometimes it's the little things that bring you joy and more often than not. I should listen to my body when joints may be aching a little more than usual. It usually means the tools become blunt

The little bit of joy I get is opening up a fresh rasp attaching it to the handle and getting back to work. These brands of wraps are my favourite and probably a favourite by many proof care providers

Whilst you do pay a little bit more for the quality, I also feel they last longer than cheaper alternatives

Heller Legend Excel

But not only rasps nippers are also an important part of the toolkit, when I got my pair of GE nippers it was also much easier on the hands and a smoother cut when dressing feet

GE 14" EZ Nippers

13/04/2026

Today for a bit more of a serious subject.

The last month has seen fuel prices rise by 30p/l (pretty much 25%), which is a big worry for everyone.

Travel and motoring costs are my highest regular expense. I manage these by planning my routes carefully and sticking to prearranged schedules in most cases.

I don't charge extra outside of a certain distance; I find that closer to home actually often accumulates more miles per horse because I drive somewhere for a horse or two, instead of going there as part of a bigger route.

So thank you all who make space in your schedule to be there at the allocated appointment, time and time again. You contribute to me being able to tend to your horse and the other horses on the route, even if you are at a distance further from where I come from.

I have had the disclaimer on my website for years that visits outwidth scheduled times may incur a travel charge, but in 99% of cases I haven't applied any.

In the current climate however I will need to be more sensible about this rule; so please make sure you know when your next appointment is, and if there are any issues, let me know in advance so we can find an arrangement that is easy on your purse and mine.