Equipod - Equine Hoof Podiatry

30/08/2025

Hoof care is a shared responsibility.
It’s not only up to the farrier, trimmer, or vet…the horse owner plays just as big a role. Daily care, good nutrition, and proper living conditions are just as important as professional trimming and treatment. Healthy hooves happen when owner and professional work together.

Owners are often told they shouldn't be responsible for their horse's hoofcare. That owners learning to trim is irresponsible, and their standard of work will not be as good as professional farriers or trimmers. What we have learned in Hoof Builders is that the reality is often the opposite. Owners come to us because they have run out of options, their horse isn't thriving (sometimes they are only barely surviving), and they want to see if they can do it themselves. Nothing about the journey they undertake is easy, but that doesn't mean they can't be successful.

We don't believe in gatekeeping knowledge, using fancy terminology for the sake of looking smart, or insisting on having a huge range of expensive tools and equipment. The only minimum requirements for Hoof Building are a rasp and a loop knife, the physical ability to pick up and hold a hoof, and the willingness to struggle through learning something new.

This is an excerpt from some feedback given by David in our Hoof Builders Facebook group:

“Struggling is a good word for trimming horses' feet. I do a lot of that myself. Some horses stand nice and have difficult feet, some have easy feet but don’t stand good, and some don’t stand good and have difficult feet.

Learning to trim properly is challenging. Especially the frogs. Personally, I think that’s why so many horses have hoof problems. A lot of professionals are having the same problems.

I have the most success making trimming easier for someone when I can show them how to hold the foot and use the tools in person. That’s how I learn best too.

In the meantime, just pick one foot to trim. Don’t think about the other three or make it a project to get a horse trimmed.

Get a brand new rasp and sharpen your knife really good.

Go out to your horse and clear your mind.

Picture the back of the frog and how you’re going to smooth those dead lumps off with the rough side of your rasp. Then take a few light strokes to get the rasp flowing and gradually press harder as you feel you’re in a rhythm. Finish with the fine side. Don’t forget to breathe or your strokes get short and choppy.

If you start to struggle, put the foot down and pet the horse. When you’re ready again, pick up the foot and do some more. When you get that done, put the foot down and pet the horse.

If you’re still in the mood, then pick the foot back up and smooth down the inside edges of the central sulcus the same way.

Do another foot the next day.

It’ll all come together over time."

Pictured: Karyn & Billy at a clinic in NSW ❤️

22/07/2025

An important concept.
Support, suspension and direction of motion.

The DDFT trumps everything.
Too tight or too loose and problems start. Just right and all is good.

Think about the DDFT being too tight where will problems start?

Or too loose? Think caudal foot collapse.

Dr Redden has a lot to share about the DDFT.

Credit R Redden.

13/06/2025

12/05/2025

Was inspired today whilst reading and by my mentors…

Before the horse,
relax your mind
Leave stress and worry
and thoughts behind

Close your eyes,
listen to each sound
Hear your breath,
hear all that’s around

Breathe in and count to four then wait
Exhale slowly
and count to eight

Read yourself,
from head to toe
Release the tension,
let everything flow

When mind and body
are soft and calm,
walk with gratitude
and radiate your charm

Connect with your horse
and smile
He will tell you,
it was all worthwhile

Before the horse
Simone Matthews

22/04/2025

Healthy hooves start with hay! 🌾
A forage-based diet should always be the main part of your horse’s nutrition…even for strong, healthy hooves.
Supplement only when needed, and keep sugar + starch low!

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐅𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐏𝐲𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐝 🔺🐴

Forage-Based. Forage-Only. Grain Free. These are all the latest buzzwords tossed around in the equine feed world. But what do they really mean and is it worth the hype?

𝐋𝐞𝐭’𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐛𝐲 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐭.

🌱 Forage refers to edible plants or parts of plants eaten by grazing animals. For horses we often consider these grasses or legumes either offered fresh as pasture or preserved as hay, haylage, or silage.

🌽 Grain refers to the edible seed of a plant such as corn, oats, wheat, or barley. These seeds are energy stores in the plant and thus provide additional calories when used in feed and are known to be highly palatable and higher in starch.

🌾 By-products are secondary products made from processing grains or other plants and include wheat middlings, wheat bran, beet pulp, rice bran or soybean hulls, to name a few. These products serve different roles in animal feed due to varying amounts of fiber, protein, or fat. For example, beet pulp is considered a forage alternative often used in feeds while rice bran is commonly used to add fat to the diet.

𝐒𝐨, 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐨 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫?

Let’s begin with a forage-based diet. A horse is supposed to consume at least 1.5 to 2.5% of their bodyweight in feed per day with at least 50% coming from forage. This is because the GI tract of the horse is designed to consume high fiber feeds continuously throughout the day. As a result, EVERY diet designed for horses should be forage based. So congratulations! You are currently following the ‘fad’! As a nutritionist, I strive to exceed the 50% minimum and maximize forage in the diet by selecting the appropriate forage for the horse.

While forage-based or forage first is important, it is not always enough to give your horse everything they need. To fully know what your current forage offers, it is important to get it tested by a reputable lab. But forages can be deficient in essential nutrients including protein, vitamin A and E, selenium, copper, or zinc. Additionally, some horses have elevated energy requirements and need additional calories. As a result, a forage-only diet is unlikely to meet all the needs of the horse. There are also many scenarios in which horses who have different nutritional needs are housed together. So while a specific forage may work for one horse, it may not be ideal for all of them. This means, it is our job to provide a balanced feed to fill in the cracks.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐞?

Removing whole grains from the feed provided can significantly reduce starch in the diet. While this can have some benefits for horses with gastrointestinal sensitivities, starch is not entirely bad. In fact, there may be some benefits for hard working horses when fed correctly (such as dividing the feed into multiple smaller meals throughout the day).

𝐃𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐚𝐝?

No! Fads in horse nutrition tend to follow human nutrition. While processed human food is considered to have poor nutritional value and a lot of additives, processed horse feed is just the opposite. These feeds are designed by experts to balance the diet of the horse and include the necessary vitamins and minerals, among other nutrients, at recommended values to optimize health. Unfortunately, commercially manufactured feeds just get a bad rap as people throw around scary words and misinformation.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞?

Well, every Ph.D. nutritionist I have talked to has the same philosophy, feed forage first and do your best to maximize forage in the diet before using commercial feeds to fill in the cracks (if your nutritionist doesn’t have this philosophy, maybe find a new one). However, we are also aware that forage just isn’t enough in most scenarios – especially hay! And there are also many cases where the owner does not have the ability to tailor the forage provided to be ideal for every single horse they are feeding.

So don’t be scared of commercially manufactured feeds, they have a role and are critical in optimizing the health of the horse. But also know to prioritize forage as best you can. And just remember, that feeding a forage-based diet doesn't have to be as difficult or 'holistic' as some make it out to be, odds are, you are already doing it!

We will save supplements at the tippy top of the pyramid for another day, because that one sure is a doozy!

Cheers!
Dr. DeBoer

09/04/2025

31/03/2025

WOW WOW WOW...this is an amazing side by side visual comparison! The breakdown of the lamellar bond is primarily due to inflammation triggered by insulin dysregulation.

How many differences did you see in the 2 photos of the normal and abnormal lamellae?

Normal
*Clearly defined blood vessels in the lamellar dermis- tube like appearance.

*Nice red lamella dermis- showing lots of blood vessels providing critical glucose to the lamellae

*Organised dermal tissue

*No gaps between the dermal and epidermal lamellae

Pathological
*Loss of blood vessels in architecture

*Pink/white lamellar dermis- ie loss of blood so the lamellae will starve and die.

*Gaps between the dermal and epidermal lamellae- they are literally tearing apart

*Yellow pigment at the base of the lamellae- known as ‘serum pockets’

The lamellar bond is very strong and per the studies of Prof Chris Pollitt literally suspends the coffin bone in the capsule like a trampoline. If it rips apart then it cannot restore, but a whole new attachment can grow back. It can be up to 2 whole hoof capsule growth cycles to obtain a strong bond. So 18 months to get back to “normal” IF the cause of the laminitis is removed.

The lamellae can stretch but in time can rip apart. Stretched lamellae seem to be very common, and the key is to let the healing start by removing all triggers to laminitis ie high sugar feed.

The bottom photo, I suggest is early onset laminitis.

24/03/2025

This even applies to hoof care. No, the horse is not being naughty when he can’t give you his hoof, hold it up for extended periods, or pulls it away. Remember—there is always a reason why. And if you don’t know the reason, then you’re not asking the right questions. Don’t blame the horse.

Exactly...Any behavior always has a reason ❣️

Picture credit: Horse Conversations

24/03/2025

Wow AI hoof boots 😄

21/03/2025

😄

Trimmers be like...

Hope you all have a great weekend! 😁

10/03/2025

Powerful words by David Landreville

“Now it’s getting harder and harder for me to look into the eyes of horses that I work on who are just being “used” by their owners. I may apologize for other people’s mistakes and try to find a way to help them find peace while they are not being seen, heard, or felt, but they know they want and deserve something different. Horses want real connection. They want to matter to you.”

01/03/2025

Positive reinforcement training goes hand in hand with hoof care 🐴