http://barefoot-haflinger.blog.co.uk/A diary of my journey transitioning to barefoot with my Haflinger x Quarter Horse mare, Giuditta (Giddy). Shoes came off 21st March 2007. A very challenging mare, who can be very resistant when ridden, I hope being barefoot may be part of the puzzle, and may help the mental connection between feet and brain, and also reduce the risk of contracting laminitis which she suffered last yearen-EUMokoFeed10http://barefoot-haflinger.blog.co.uk/http://data5.blog.de/design/preview/40/b4a35bed6748ccf1cb168103cd504a_160x200.jpghttp://barefoot-haflinger.blog.co.uk/2008/09/25/pea-gravel-what-pea-gravel-4780171/tag:barefoot-haflinger.blog.co.uk,2008-09-25:/2008/09/25/pea-gravel-what-pea-gravel-4780171/Thu, 25 Sep 2008 20:28:05 +0200 <p>Well, my grand ambitions for the perfect barefoot environment didnt exactly come to fruition!</p> <p>A hard standing has been a plan for some time now, and with the incredibly wet summer, the time came where it could no longer be avoided as the poor horses were almost wading</p> <p>Being so wet, we had no access available to the field, and so began the epic adventure of moving 13 tonnes of aggregate (40mm scalpings) down to the field, by hand, by wheelbarrow</p> <p>when the load arrived it was utterly intimidating, but 5 days later, and with some serious help, we were done, and an 80ft square area was done, plate compacted, and looking pretty nice</p> <p><a href="http://www.blog.co.uk/srv/media/media_item.php?item_ID=2842335" title="Share your media"><img src="http://data5.blog.de/media/335/2842335_38568184cc_l.jpg" width="1024" height="768" alt="FXCD0006"></a></p> <p>Next up, pea gravel, or not as it turned out! It seems that in Cornwall, pea gravel means something different to everywhere else in the world. I think over the past week or so, I have seen every type of stone known to man. Small 5 - 10mm, smooth, round pebbley stuff however just doesnt exist here. Apparently until about 4 years ago, you could buy tiny pebbles from a beach off the Lizard, and indeed, we have some in the garden, but they are no longer allowed to take this.</p> <p>As it is, pea gravel here means small, horrible, gritty crushed granite, or I found one place with 10-15mm closish stuff (red), but certainly not that smooth round stuff for massaging barefoot hooves with that I dreamed off</p> <p>Anyway, my trimmer came to advise, and he was absolutely happy they could go straight onto the scalpings, and that in fact it's just perfect; I was intially dubious, as there are some pretty big rough bits, even though we compacted it</p> <p>But they are absolutely fine on it, a tad ginger on the odd occasion, but already I can see that Giddys hooves are rounding off really nicely on the edges ;0))</p> <p>So, next step, another full load of scalpings, and am going to run a track down the side of the field so that we can now get some more movement over rough surfaces; it's not exactly going to be a paddock paradise, but as close as i can get with the space and budget i have</p> <p>Going to go with 20mm scalpings this time having been to the quarry to have a look, and these look like they will be easier to shift too</p> <p>Now the "crisis management" of getting them out of the mud is over, can do this 10 barrows a day or so, and it'll be done in a few weeeks</p> <p>A section of this, am going to move the nice round pebbles in the garden onto a section of this, and replace this with something locally, as long as quite attractive, it doesnt really matter too much</p> <p>Should have taken some pics of giddys feet before all this began really :0(( </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://barefoot-haflinger.blog.co.uk/2008/09/25/pea-gravel-what-pea-gravel-4780171/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://barefoot-haflinger.blog.co.uk/2008/09/25/pea-gravel-what-pea-gravel-4780171/#commentshttp://barefoot-haflinger.blog.co.uk/2008/05/07/7th-may-4144758/tag:barefoot-haflinger.blog.co.uk,2008-05-07:/2008/05/07/7th-may-4144758/Wed, 07 May 2008 20:08:03 +0200 <p>We had a very tiny brush with laminitis, but it was very fleeting, pulse was up, and a tiny bit footy, pulled them both off the grass, had some bute, so as an emergency measure, used this and upped the magnesium, next day she looked completely fine, but pulse was going up and down for a few days, until, bingo, cant believe have never tried it before, but gave her some <a href="http://www.seventhwavesupplements.com/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=105&idproduct=82">Zeolite</a> after coming across this on the web from an american company; thankfully it's available here from Seventh Wave. Makes total sense really as it removes toxins, and within 12 hours her pulse was gone ;0))</p> <p>so that was some time ago, since then, she is now on 100% soaked hay, and I am going the full hog and soaking for 12 - 24 hours; she seems more than happy to eat it thankfully, no suprise being a haffie i suppose; and for three days, we have been back into work, and they are going out for a few hours late at night. So far so good, both looking good, and Giddy has lost a massive 20 kilos (3 stone), well, thats according to the weigh tape anyway! She certainly looks really good, beautiful shiny coat and very happy in herself, so all being well, that'll be the end of the brushes with laminitis for this year</p> <p>feet still looking good ;0)</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://barefoot-haflinger.blog.co.uk/2008/05/07/7th-may-4144758/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://barefoot-haflinger.blog.co.uk/2008/05/07/7th-may-4144758/#commentshttp://barefoot-haflinger.blog.co.uk/2008/02/22/22_feb~3765183/tag:barefoot-haflinger.blog.co.uk,2008-02-22:/2008/02/22/22_feb~3765183/Fri, 22 Feb 2008 15:36:23 +0100 <p>Giddy was trimmed two weeks ago, at the very same time, i injured my back, have lost 2 weeks of my life and done no roadwork as i had intended</p> <p>anyway, her feet are looking really good, a few days before she was due for a trim, a massive chunk came off the front right, I was pretty worried, but once tidied up, it seems as if she has lost the last section of weak outer wall, as there is now a far better connection</p> <p>still not enough concavity, but a year in, looking pretty good </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://barefoot-haflinger.blog.co.uk/2008/02/22/22_feb~3765183/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://barefoot-haflinger.blog.co.uk/2008/02/22/22_feb~3765183/#commentshttp://barefoot-haflinger.blog.co.uk/2008/01/21/title~3611853/tag:barefoot-haflinger.blog.co.uk,2008-01-21:/2008/01/21/title~3611853/Mon, 21 Jan 2008 21:42:22 +0100 <p>As per normal, life is far too hectic, and no updates for quite some time</p> <p>The weather here in cornwall is literally dreadful it feels like it has been raining forever</p> <p>The horses are in at the moment overnight, and out during the day, not ideal, but the land is so wet, and I have so little of it there are no other options. Mind you, it is so bad, that most days they are more than happy to come back inside</p> <p>Giddy's feet are not too bad, although not as good as they were, however, it is better the horses being in the dry for part of the time to dry out their hooves, i think if they were out in this mud all the time, their feet would be in a much worse state</p> <p>On her last trim, her soles had softened, BUT she is still walking happily over the gravel in the yard, cant even remember the last time i saw her flinching on any little stones</p> <p>Got to get her back on on the roads to build up the conditioning again, but 9 months in, I am so glad that her feet are looking so lovely </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://barefoot-haflinger.blog.co.uk/2008/01/21/title~3611853/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://barefoot-haflinger.blog.co.uk/2008/01/21/title~3611853/#commentshttp://barefoot-haflinger.blog.co.uk/2007/12/03/3rd_december~3390280/tag:barefoot-haflinger.blog.co.uk,2007-12-03:/2007/12/03/3rd_december~3390280/Mon, 03 Dec 2007 21:00:10 +0100 <p>The good news, giddy's feet are fantastic</p> <p>the bad news, I am absolutely gutted to say that Giddy has been diagnosed with Arthritis in her left hock. She has not been right since September, the vet saw her a couple of times and eventually suggested taking her over for nerve blocks as she looked lame in two feet.</p> <p>On the day, it was clearly the hock and we went straight to x-ray which showed the clear signs of joint degeneration. I cried on and off for 2 days</p> <p>While I realise it can be managed, just so sad for a 10 year old, and being a very short, left brain horse, she doesnt need any excuses not to use her body properly</p> <p>So, she has had a series of catrophen injections, is on glucosamine, chondroitin and msm and we will see how she goes. am now building her up from 10mins a day of riding</p> <p>She has also had a physio treatment today, and she was also very sore and tight in her back, right (opposite) hock and left shoulder. So she has clearly been compensating for being uncomfortable in her hock</p> <p>So, just a case of plodding on really, but I am sure being barefoot is going to help as she will have less concussion through her feet </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://barefoot-haflinger.blog.co.uk/2007/12/03/3rd_december~3390280/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://barefoot-haflinger.blog.co.uk/2007/12/03/3rd_december~3390280/#commentshttp://barefoot-haflinger.blog.co.uk/2007/08/07/7th_august~2771367/tag:barefoot-haflinger.blog.co.uk,2007-08-07:/2007/08/07/7th_august~2771367/Tue, 07 Aug 2007 20:16:07 +0200 <p>My work schedule has been punishing and not up to date with this blog!</p> <p>Suffice to say that we are still going really well. Sadly all the rain and mud put us back a bit... her soles had got really quite tough but softened up again as it has been so wet</p> <p>So she is a tiny bit sensitive on the roads, but still happy to go, but am taking her our for short periods to build her feet up again</p> <p>Her feet look lovely, and I am 100% convinced that she is moving better</p> <p>Am looking into getting a hard standing in the field and some pea gravel to help things along a bit </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://barefoot-haflinger.blog.co.uk/2007/08/07/7th_august~2771367/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://barefoot-haflinger.blog.co.uk/2007/08/07/7th_august~2771367/#commentshttp://barefoot-haflinger.blog.co.uk/2007/05/08/4th_may~2231853/tag:barefoot-haflinger.blog.co.uk,2007-05-08:/2007/05/08/4th_may~2231853/Tue, 08 May 2007 11:41:22 +0200 <p>Soles seem to be getting stronger already, very pleased </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://barefoot-haflinger.blog.co.uk/2007/05/08/4th_may~2231853/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://barefoot-haflinger.blog.co.uk/2007/05/08/4th_may~2231853/#commentshttp://barefoot-haflinger.blog.co.uk/2007/05/08/28th_april~2231850/tag:barefoot-haflinger.blog.co.uk,2007-05-08:/2007/05/08/28th_april~2231850/Tue, 08 May 2007 11:40:46 +0200 <p>second trim today, and all looking really good, there is a split on the bottom edge of the front right, but this should grow out, but other than that, they are all looking lovely </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://barefoot-haflinger.blog.co.uk/2007/05/08/28th_april~2231850/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://barefoot-haflinger.blog.co.uk/2007/05/08/28th_april~2231850/#commentshttp://barefoot-haflinger.blog.co.uk/2007/04/25/24th_april~2156085/tag:barefoot-haflinger.blog.co.uk,2007-04-24:/2007/04/25/24th_april~2156085/Wed, 25 Apr 2007 00:06:02 +0200 <p>feet still looking really nice, she had a bit of a chip on the back which frank tidied up, and now has a tiny one on the front, but is due for her four week trim this saturday</p> <p>still walking out happily on the road, and even had a little trot</p> <p>beginning to feel confident that we are going to be OK which is a relief! </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://barefoot-haflinger.blog.co.uk/2007/04/25/24th_april~2156085/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://barefoot-haflinger.blog.co.uk/2007/04/25/24th_april~2156085/#commentshttp://barefoot-haflinger.blog.co.uk/2007/04/15/15th_april~2096798/tag:barefoot-haflinger.blog.co.uk,2007-04-15:/2007/04/15/15th_april~2096798/Sun, 15 Apr 2007 18:08:42 +0200 <p>Frank came yesterday and rasped the little chip that appeared on the left hind, other than that one, her feet are still looking perfect.. so very different to the pasture trim where by this point her feet had numerous cracks on them!</p> <p>Took her up the road in hand and she was more than happy to go, still looking very comfortable </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://barefoot-haflinger.blog.co.uk/2007/04/15/15th_april~2096798/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://barefoot-haflinger.blog.co.uk/2007/04/15/15th_april~2096798/#commentshttp://barefoot-haflinger.blog.co.uk/2007/04/13/13th_arpil~2086507/tag:barefoot-haflinger.blog.co.uk,2007-04-13:/2007/04/13/13th_arpil~2086507/Fri, 13 Apr 2007 19:50:20 +0200 <p>My schedule has meant I haven't kept this up to date, but a lot has happened. On the 2nd Arpril, Giddy had her first proper barefoot trim, Mustang Roll and everything ;0))</p> <p>I have to say her feet looked wonderful after, and all the splits and cracks were barely existent; 11 days on, and apart from one tiny crack on a hind foot, all four feet are still looking really good. We did have a period of 4 days or so where she was really quite sore on the drive... it did worry me a fair bit; but I talked at length with Frank the trimmer and tried not to panic, this thursday she came really sound again. For the past two days, I have taken her on a short walk down the road, and she has been most happy to walk on the road; kept them short at just 5 mins or so, let her graze in hand whilst we are out so that these walks become fun for her. I hope this will help with the transitioning and conditioning</p> <p>Interestingly, all ridden sessions this week have been good, I have kept them short, and she has been far less bracey and resistant, hmmmmmm, I wonder how much this is tied to her feet?!</p> <p>Have been reading the paddock paradise concept, how i wish i had the space and funds to set that up! </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://barefoot-haflinger.blog.co.uk/2007/04/13/13th_arpil~2086507/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>mustang-rollhttp://barefoot-haflinger.blog.co.uk/2007/04/13/13th_arpil~2086507/#commentshttp://barefoot-haflinger.blog.co.uk/2007/03/31/31st_march~2009674/tag:barefoot-haflinger.blog.co.uk,2007-03-31:/2007/03/31/31st_march~2009674/Sat, 31 Mar 2007 17:23:16 +0200 <p>First panic, a big split on front left today, although looking from the bottom, it didnt look too serious, but from the front I was really quite worried; so much so, I rang the barefoot trimmer recommended locally, as I feel that the setup isn't quite right, and much as I don't want to lose my farrier, getting this right is really important, and whilst she seems perfectly happy, with a proper barefoot trim, I am sure things will work out much better</p> <p>Checked on her later in the day, and that section has come away, I am sure it's a weak piece caused by the nail holes, still moving ok, and seems happy. I am sure there will be more days like this with lots of worry, but I know in my heart I am doing the right thing, just gotta remember not to panic!</p> <p>Pics in the March folder </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://barefoot-haflinger.blog.co.uk/2007/03/31/31st_march~2009674/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>nail-holehttp://barefoot-haflinger.blog.co.uk/2007/03/31/31st_march~2009674/#commentshttp://barefoot-haflinger.blog.co.uk/2007/03/31/30th_march~2009648/tag:barefoot-haflinger.blog.co.uk,2007-03-31:/2007/03/31/30th_march~2009648/Sat, 31 Mar 2007 17:18:04 +0200 <p>Giddy seemed really different today, did some groundwork on the 12ft line, and she was wanting to canter a lot; very unusual, this generally only happens on a 22 / 45ft line; didnt ride in the end as she seemed really on her toes; when I turned her out, I went for a walk around the field, and she was galloping around like a mad thing, bucking for all she was worth!!! Seems pretty happy without her shoes on! </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://barefoot-haflinger.blog.co.uk/2007/03/31/30th_march~2009648/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://barefoot-haflinger.blog.co.uk/2007/03/31/30th_march~2009648/#commentshttp://barefoot-haflinger.blog.co.uk/2007/03/29/29th_march~1999854/tag:barefoot-haflinger.blog.co.uk,2007-03-29:/2007/03/29/29th_march~1999854/Thu, 29 Mar 2007 20:56:45 +0200 <p>Went for a walk again down the road, she was relaxed, and happy to walk out, I am really very pleased, as I am sure that if we were going to have big problems, they would be showing by now; when i borught her in from the field, she was comfortable in the yard where there is a fair bit of gravel </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://barefoot-haflinger.blog.co.uk/2007/03/29/29th_march~1999854/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://barefoot-haflinger.blog.co.uk/2007/03/29/29th_march~1999854/#commentshttp://barefoot-haflinger.blog.co.uk/2007/03/29/28th_march~1999841/tag:barefoot-haflinger.blog.co.uk,2007-03-29:/2007/03/29/28th_march~1999841/Thu, 29 Mar 2007 20:55:17 +0200 <p>Took a break from the road walking today, cleaned up her feet, and put lots of stockholm tar on, there are a few little chips at the base of the hoof, but nothing major, I am sure until we get those nail holes grown out, there will be a fair bit of this, maybe even until the whole hoof has grown out</p> <p>rode her down in the field for a short while, and she felt 100% sound</p> <p>again, lots of galloping in field when I turned her out </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://barefoot-haflinger.blog.co.uk/2007/03/29/28th_march~1999841/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://barefoot-haflinger.blog.co.uk/2007/03/29/28th_march~1999841/#commentshttp://barefoot-haflinger.blog.co.uk/2007/03/29/27th_march~1999830/tag:barefoot-haflinger.blog.co.uk,2007-03-29:/2007/03/29/27th_march~1999830/Thu, 29 Mar 2007 20:53:14 +0200 <p>Went up the hill today and she was a bit resistant, but she always has been going this way, again, still looked comfortable, but of course it raises worries that she is sore, but she doesnt look it</p> <p>Have been researching some hoof boots so we can start going a bit further, so many to choose from!! </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://barefoot-haflinger.blog.co.uk/2007/03/29/27th_march~1999830/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://barefoot-haflinger.blog.co.uk/2007/03/29/27th_march~1999830/#commentshttp://barefoot-haflinger.blog.co.uk/2007/03/29/26th_march~1999823/tag:barefoot-haflinger.blog.co.uk,2007-03-29:/2007/03/29/26th_march~1999823/Thu, 29 Mar 2007 20:51:58 +0200 <p>Little bit further again, she looks like she is holding herself in front, but fundamentally looks well, when i turned her out she had a good old gallop around </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://barefoot-haflinger.blog.co.uk/2007/03/29/26th_march~1999823/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://barefoot-haflinger.blog.co.uk/2007/03/29/26th_march~1999823/#commentshttp://barefoot-haflinger.blog.co.uk/2007/03/29/25_march~1999807/tag:barefoot-haflinger.blog.co.uk,2007-03-29:/2007/03/29/25_march~1999807/Thu, 29 Mar 2007 20:49:35 +0200 <p>another very short walk, maybe 100m or so longer this time, we heard a horse neighing in the background, and she was really striding out for quite a while, looked confident and happy on her now shoeless feet. Stopped and let her have some nice grass </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://barefoot-haflinger.blog.co.uk/2007/03/29/25_march~1999807/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://barefoot-haflinger.blog.co.uk/2007/03/29/25_march~1999807/#commentshttp://barefoot-haflinger.blog.co.uk/2007/03/29/24th_march~1999797/tag:barefoot-haflinger.blog.co.uk,2007-03-29:/2007/03/29/24th_march~1999797/Thu, 29 Mar 2007 20:48:17 +0200 <p>I took Giddy for a VERY short walk out on the road (tarmac)</p> <p>Just a few strides down the road, and she was blowing hard through her nose and really relaxing; looks totally sound on the hind feet, perhaps a touch tentative on the front, but certainly not sore in any way</p> <p>amazing how quiet it is on the roads, little tap, taps as she walks along, feels very strange after years of hearing horse shoes crunching on the road, really nice</p> <p>So far so good </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://barefoot-haflinger.blog.co.uk/2007/03/29/24th_march~1999797/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://barefoot-haflinger.blog.co.uk/2007/03/29/24th_march~1999797/#commentshttp://barefoot-haflinger.blog.co.uk/2007/03/29/23rd_march~1999631/tag:barefoot-haflinger.blog.co.uk,2007-03-29:/2007/03/29/23rd_march~1999631/Thu, 29 Mar 2007 20:21:27 +0200 <p>Commenting on our first trim <a href="http://www.blog.co.uk/srv/media/media_items.php?album_ID=124540">(photos here), </a>Walt from the barefoothorsecare yahoo group has been really helpful;</p> <p>There's a tendency to contraction in fores. Nothing severe, but it is a warning flag that a proper trim must be maintained. Head-on view looks as though the quarter walls are a tad too vertical, though photos can be deceiving. Some slight slope is very desirable; it would ensure that the hoof is probably getting some hoof mechanism. Compare fores' sole views to hinds', which show no contraction. The correction calls for allowing proper hoof mechanism, and that comes from the trim.</p> <p>If your current farrier did the deshoeing, he did leave the feet in pretty good shape all things considered. I think he should become familiar with LIM principles -- you can print them out from the Files section and offer it to him to read. If he follows them, he'll be<br> relieving the quarters, rockering the toes, keeping the buttresses down to where they belong, applying a mustang roll, and keeping the walls trimmed to live sole level. I can't tell clearly, but the photos suggest that the walls can be taken down a bit; there may be some flaring in the hind quarters -- again, I can't tell clearly. Quarters relief and mustang roll should correct it over the course of a couple trims. Finally, forward and lateral balance is very important in the trim. The last photo (Left Fore 4) shows heel buttresses that are slightly out of balance. That's an easy but important fix.</p> <p>The photos show the hinds to be beautiful feet, but I suspect some quarters flaring.</p> <p>Overall, pretty good.</p> <p>As for laminitis, very often it is nutrition-related. I would make sure the carbs,particularly sugar, are kept to a bare minimum, and I would give him a tsp of jiaogulan every day, for good measure. Carb-free diet, jiaogulan, barefoot, and plenty movement should go a long way in protecting against another laminitis attack.</p> <p>Walt<br> Co-Moderator</p> <p>If your farrier knows his way around the tools and the hoof, all it takes for him to do a proper barefoot trim (as opposed to a pasture trim) is a little knowledge of theconcepts. That's why I wrote the LIM Trim explanation in the Files section a couple years back. He will find it helpful, and he can ask all the questions he wants.</p> <p>I am sorry, but could you clarify exactly what you mean by flaring<br> > in the quarters?</p> <p>[Sure. A properly trimmed hoof has walls that are perfectly straight (but not vertical) from coronary band to the ground. When untrimmed or improperly trimmed, the walls will want to bend outward as they come close to ground level, ending up looking rather like the curve in the bell of a trumpet. Some horses with exceptionally thick and strong walls<br> will just end up walking on long walls without their flaring (until they're so long that there is noplace else for them to grow but outward), but many horses will start to flare when the walls are too long for too long. The quarters are the "sides" of the wall, generally between buttress and pillar. Look at a dial-type clock face, and note the area between roughly 1:30 and 4:30 on one side, and 10:30 and 7:30 on the other. On a bottom view of the hoof, those would represent the quarters, with the toe tip at 12:00.</p> <p>Flaring can occur anywhere on the bottom edge of the wall. Most of the time, it's in the quarters, where it is easy to fix. When it develops on the toe, it's also easy to correct but it takes a different approach. If your girl is flaring in the hinds, it's in the quarters.</p> <p>The fix involves two things, neither of which is rasping the walls straight. First, quarters relief is needed -- that means that between buttress and pillar, you rasp the wall into a very shallow arc that's no more than 1/8 inch higher at its peak than at ground level. That will allow hoof mechanism -- when the horse puts his weight on the foot, the buttresses and pillars lock to the ground and start to take up the weight load, leaving the quarters briefly OUT of contact so that as the weight load develops, the foot will expand outwardly in the quarters -- because it CAN. When weight is removed, the quarters will relax back into their "normal" shape. This constant movement inward and outward is part of what's called hoof mechanism.</p> <p>Secondly, a mustang roll is called for -- that will take off the "sharp" edge of the flared wall bottom, rounding it off. It will look much better, but more importantly, it will prevent chipping and splitting.</p> <p>After a couple trims, the flares have usually grown out.</p> <p>Walt<br> Co-Moderator</p> <p>I have posted some pics from the side etc and all four feet; </p> <p>Hi, Fleur. Overall, these are very nice-looking feet, you're doing good work. The only important comments I would offer: one, the heels might be a tad too low. Your comment about ouchiness corroborates that possibility -- if you let them grow out another 1/8 inch or so, you will also be able to correct number two, quarters relief. The photos don't give a clear enough view, so I can't tell what you're doing in the quarters; but when the buttresses are very low, there just isn't room for quarters relief. While low heels are generally a good thing, quarters relief is of equal importance -- the two go hand-in-hand when trimmed properly.</p> <p>Try letting the heels grow out for one full trim cycle (six to eight weeks should be about right), then rasp an arc into the quarters and see if it makes any difference in the way she moves. If you need a guideline, check the Photos page, album Walt, entry "<a href="http://www.blog.co.uk/srv/media/media_item.php?item_ID=1285970">Trim sketch -- quarters relief</a>". Also make sure you're rockering the toes to keep<br> breakover back away from the tip.</p> <p>Walt<br> Co-Moderator</p> <p> <small> <a href="http://barefoot-haflinger.blog.co.uk/2007/03/29/23rd_march~1999631/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>flaringlaminitisquarterscontractiontrimheelshttp://barefoot-haflinger.blog.co.uk/2007/03/29/23rd_march~1999631/#commentshttp://barefoot-haflinger.blog.co.uk/2007/03/28/22_23_march~1993613/tag:barefoot-haflinger.blog.co.uk,2007-03-28:/2007/03/28/22_23_march~1993613/Wed, 28 Mar 2007 20:37:33 +0200 <p>Giddy seems comfortable, she is moving well in the field, and I may be imagining it, but she looks like she is dishing less when trotting?!</p> <p>A little bit ouchy on the gravel on the yard, I have to really tell myself that I would be ouhcy too with my shoes off!! I know it will take some time to get past this, but overall, she seems to be ok so far </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://barefoot-haflinger.blog.co.uk/2007/03/28/22_23_march~1993613/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://barefoot-haflinger.blog.co.uk/2007/03/28/22_23_march~1993613/#commentshttp://barefoot-haflinger.blog.co.uk/2007/03/28/21st_march~1993566/tag:barefoot-haflinger.blog.co.uk,2007-03-28:/2007/03/28/21st_march~1993566/Wed, 28 Mar 2007 20:31:22 +0200 <p>Today marked the beginning of a journey to a truly natural haflinger, and Giddy's shoes have been removed, so I now, after 2 years of thought have a barefoot horse!!</p> <p>She was really very cuddly whilst farrier was here, and after he left and I took some photos; I may well be anthropomorphising, but maybe she was thanking me for taking the metal off her feet!!!</p> <p>Walked out nicely in the yard, and had a good old run around when I turned her out</p> <p>Have been feeding a "food state" type biotin supplement rather than an isolated one and hopefully this will help</p> <p>I really hope we have a smooth transition, and that this could perhaps be part of the puzzle with this very challenging mare </p> <p> <small> <a href="http://barefoot-haflinger.blog.co.uk/2007/03/28/21st_march~1993566/#comments">Comments</a> </small> </p>http://barefoot-haflinger.blog.co.uk/2007/03/28/21st_march~1993566/#comments