Apex Natural Hoof Care LLC.

07/13/2022

It’s —let’s take a moment to celebrate and thank our farriers! Proper foot care is the cornerstone of maintaining a sound horse and a good farrier is instrumental in keeping the horse’s feet balanced and well-supported. Farriers and veterinarians often work together for the best interests of the horse, so a skilled farrier is both a necessity and a tremendous asset for your horse care dream team. Be sure to let your farriers know they are appreciated!

05/14/2022

As hoofcare providers working with a 1000lb animal's feet, making hoofcare appointments as uneventful as possible is often the goal. We want calm, comfortable, happy horses, and calm, safe, and happy humans. Unfortunately, not all horses are calm and comfortable for their farrier appointments, which can make the entire situation stressful for all involved.

I spoke with Adele Shaw, international mentor, trainer, and creator of The Willing Equine podcast, about how owners can prepare horses for their hoofcare appointments to ensure it's a successful and safe appointment each time. We talk about the various approaches to training, how owners can help horses to be ready to hold their feet up for extended periods of time, how to help horses with a history of "farrier phobia," and more! You can hear the entire conversation on your favorite podcast app under "The Humble Hoof," or directly at this link:
https://thehumblehoof.libsyn.com/making-hoofcare-a-positive-experience-with-adele-shaw

09/08/2021

02/12/2021

🤔Horse Shoes: Do they shut down the natural hoof mechanism?

And even if they do, do we actually care?

Well YES - we absolutely SHOULD care!

That is of course, as long as you understand what the natural hoof mechanism really is, and why its correct functioning is so VITAL to the horse.

And only then, will you fully understand why metal horse shoes ALWAYS have a negative affect on its proper functioning.

👉If you think shoes have absolutely NO affect on the horse whatsoever…then perhaps you should read on!

What is THE HOOF MECHANISM?

The hoof mechanism can be defined as the hoof naturally contracting and expanding, whilst it goes through the weight bearing (support phase), and the non weight bearing (flight phase).

It happens on EVERY single step your horse takes.

Or at least IT SHOULD! 😳

The correct functioning of the hoof mechanism is incredibly important for the efficient circulation of blood, not just through the foot, but through the leg and entire body.

When it is working correctly, it helps blood flow back to the heart, against gravity - and the more efficient it is, the less strain the heart is under.

Good BLOOD FLOW is absolutely essential - without it, the structures within the foot, and within the body, will simply begin to suffer….

…probably way before YOU are even ever aware of it.😕

Every step your horse takes, is either bringing health - or bringing pathology - closer and closer.

🧐So what happens when you add a metal shoe to the hoof?

A metal shoe is a rigid structure. That goes without saying, right?

It is applied to the hoof in its most contracted state (the non weight bearing flight phase) - with the foot in the air!

As soon as the shoe is applied, nailed into place, and the horse then puts the foot down, the natural expansion and ‘spreading’ of the hoof, is immediately impaired.

‼️IMMEDIATELY impaired‼️That is serious.

All that horse, bearing down on the hoof, needs the hoof to respond appropriately, by expanding.

Subsequently, when the hoof is then lifted off the ground, entering back into the flight phase again, the venous return of the blood back up the leg, is markedly reduced.

One relies upon the other.

Unlike humans, horses have no help from the skeletal muscle ‘pump’ from the knee or hock down - because the horse has no muscles there to help that blood flow back to the heart.

That is why it is absolutely ESSENTIAL that the horse keeps on MOVING.

🙄We are astounded that this salient fact is simply MISUNDERSTOOD…

…or worse - IGNORED!🤷‍♀️

Whenever we talk about the debilitating effects of the rigid metal shoe to the horse, how it affects the hoof mechanism so profoundly…

…people just don’t WANT to listen…or they tell us we have no clue what we are talking about!

👉If you believe, wholeheartedly, that disrupting this vital natural hoof mechanism, is not of any concern, then tell that to the 1000’s upon 1000’s of horses with navicular and caudal hoof pain.🤥

Like Earl in our latest issue. Disrupting the natural hoof mechanism, was a very big problem for him.

We have a MANTRA here at The Barefoot Horse Magazine:

⚠️“Do unnatural things, and expect unnatural things to happen.”⚠️

BUT - YOU CAN beat the unnatural - and help your horse develop amazing feet again.

Because EVERY SINGLE HORSE ON THE PLANET can have great, strong, healthy hooves…

…BARE, strong, healthy hooves…

…even if they have been in shoes for a very long time.

👉And of course it all starts by taking the shoes off.

We here at the mag, can help you along that sometimes confusing, scary, and arduous journey.🤝

Don’t do it alone.

Don’t do it without support, from the right people.

Because going it alone, and listening to misleading ‘advice’, often leads to putting those metal shoes back on.

We’ve seen this cycle so many, many times.

👀 Check out the image on this post.

Drawings commissioned by famous barefoot advocate VET, Bracy Clark (1771-1860), of a hoof that went from naturally shaped, to devastatingly contracted over a period of 3 years.

These images are the SAME HOOF!

And this is still happening TODAY.

So do check out Earl’s article in our latest issue, how he started to heal from navicular, only when the shoes finally come off.

And check out the Trimmer’s Tips - learn all about how hoof contraction really can be the most devastating thing for the horse.

Disrupt the hoof mechanism - and it is only a matter of time before you DO begin to notice the effects - don't let it be too late for your horse!

Read our latest issue - ISSUE 29 - RELEASED FEBRUARY 1ST - SHIPPED WORLDWIDE!

👉 BUY the latest ISSUE 29: http://bit.ly/BHMIssue29

👉 SUBSCRIBE and never miss an issue: http://bit.ly/ANNUALsub

No foot - No horse.

The BHM Team ❤️

10/31/2020

Find out how to treat and prevent abscesses, a common equine hoof problem, in our special guide!

10/25/2020

In case you missed it...

Presented on Thursday, October 22, 2020 During the webinar, Life Data's Mike Barker discusses how winter affects the body condition, hooves, and health of ou...

10/22/2020

This should answer most if not all of your questions.

01/28/2020

Good read!

Lots of hoof abscesses this time of year, so here are some thoughts on treating abscesses (and why the old practice of soaking may not be a good idea!) from The Essential Hoof Book:

Treatment of an abscess is initially aimed at getting it to drain, which is usually fairly easy for a vet to accomplish if they have located the spot where the abscess got started. If the tract is in the white line, the vet can open it using a tool such as a thin, narrow loop knife, or a surgical bone curette. Once the tool gets up into the pocket of the abscess, drainage will start and the horse usually feels quite a bit better right away. If the opening is in the sole, your vet or hoof care professional will pare out a small hole to allow the abscess to drain. It is not necessary to make a large hole, as the continual pressure and release of the horse walking on the foot will help to expel the exudate. Keeping the hole as small as possible is the best way to preserve sole integrity and minimize the chance of further damage. Flushing of the wound, a process known as lavage, can help remove pus and speed heeling in some cases, but where damage is more extensive, surgery may be required to remove infected or necrotic tissue.

Once drainage is established, it is important to keep the opening clean, so wrapping the foot in a medicated poultice is recommended. There are commercially available poultice products such as Animalintex® , which is moistened in hot water, applied, and then left on for approximately 48 hours. Poultices can also be made at home out of cotton bandage materials saturated with a “drawing agent” such as a combination of Epsom salts and Betadine ®. Any poultice will need to be covered and held in place with a bandage.

As for soaking of the foot, this time-honored practice has fallen out of favor with many hoof experts. The traditional soak of warm water and Epsom salts was supposed to be done for at least 15 minutes, 2-3 times a day, for as many days as it took for the abscess to rupture. The purpose of the Epsom soaks was to soften the hoof and “draw out” the abscess, which would supposedly allow the abscess to mature and break out faster.

Unfortunately, there is no evidence that abscesses resolve any faster than they would have otherwise as a result of soaking, and in fact, some equine podiatry experts say it can actually slow the healing process and prolong the horse’s pain. What happens is that horn material expands as it absorbs water, which can choke off the draining tract of an abscess, trapping the exudate inside the abscess. As an abscess needs to drain and dry out to heal, anything that keeps it wet and prevents drainage would be detrimental. In addition, repeated soaking is known to be damaging to both hoof and sole horn, and may cause widening of the white line, allowing more harmful organisms to invade the sole-wall juncture.

Critics of repeated soaking only recommend it as a short-term application to soften a very hard foot in order to make it possible to pare the sole or frog to create a drainage channel. They also emphasize that the fastest way to relieve the often excruciating pain caused by an abscess is to open it up and drain it, which can usually be accomplished very quickly by a skilled veterinarian or hoof care professional. Leaving the horse in pain for days and doing nothing but soaking the foot is, in their opinion, allowing unnecessary suffering.

Finally, they argue that abscesses not drained therapeutically are more likely to migrate up under the hoof wall and exit at the coronary band, which can potentially cause a permanent disorganization of the horn tubules that grow from that area. While most abscesses that pop out at the coronet don’t cause a permanent problem, it does happen and can leave the horse with a weakened hoof wall more vulnerable to cracking or splitting in the future. Even worse, a migrating abscess can move deep into the foot where it may damage the internal structures, possibly leading to permanent lameness.

Of course, there will always be people telling you that they soaked their horse’s foot and the abscess popped out the very same day without issues, but as they have no way of knowing whether or not the abscess would have ruptured that day on its own, they cannot say that the maturing of the abscess was the result of the soaking. Every horse owner has to decide who to listen to when it comes to treating their horse’s ailments, but it is always wise to at least consider the science – or lack thereof – before choosing a course of action.

One adjunct to treatment that almost everyone agrees on is giving a horse with an abscess a tetanus shot. Even if your horse has had a regular tetanus shot within the last year or so, your vet will likely recommend a booster to maximize your horse’s resistance to the potentially fatal Clostridium tetanii bacteria, which is widespread in the soil of just about every environment your horse is likely to be in. Secondary tetanus infection is a real risk when your horse has an opening in the foot, so best not to take any chances with this easily preventable problem.