Thursday, 27 February 2014

Cheshire Chester's 3 and a bit week update

Time for an update on Chester, who arrived here at the beginning of February. When I posted about him initially I said that I wanted to see his frogs and heels develop and his toe to shorten.

Comparing these photos, with the original shots at the top and today's below in each case, you can see that he is starting to do precisely that.

Although Chester isn't yet capable of work on tough surfaces time spent on the tracks has already shortened his toe and increased his hoof growth, as you can see from the line which is today much lower in his hoof capsule.

It looks to me as if Chester's frog had been thinned with a hoof knife before he came here. It will take time to recover fully but in today's photo - below - this is already a better looking frog.

Just goes to show that trimming isn't the only way to shorten a toe - and doing it this way has benefits for palmar hoof strength too!

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Rockley Farm's Blog

A diary of whats happening at Rockley, whether its news on rehab horses or on our own horses hunting and competing. All the horses are barefoot, and the blog includes updates on hoof rehabilitation and information about barefoot performance.

You can find out more about research, rehabilitation and our horses on the pages above or at our website: www.rockleyfarm.co.uk.