Moondew Meadows' Hoofcare Providers

02/21/2023

Fairly Accurate 😜

02/21/2023

The Easyboot LC hard at work! Glue-ons are suitable for all conditions including snow. Ellen shares that this set was "still holding for logging work six weeks later." Nice work, Ellen!

02/21/2023

𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘀 - 𝗟𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗮𝗿 𝗩𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗲: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗹𝗲𝘅𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗮 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲'𝘀 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸

🐎 The lumbar region is composed of 6 vertebrae, which are flatter, wider and heavier than those in the thoracic region.

🐎 The large, horizontal transverse processes provide extensive areas for muscle attachment offering strength and stability.

🐎 Any power produced in your horse’s hind end is transmitted forward to the rest of the body through the 6 lumbar vertebrae.

🐎 Lateral movement is progressively restricted in the direction of your horse's tail (caudal).

🐎 The lumbar region is supported neither by the pelvis or ribs making this area prone to muscle soreness and strain.

02/21/2023

02/21/2023

Don’t over complicate it....

There was a time when you were just happy to ride, happy to be in the company of horses. It didn’t matter if you could execute a perfect lead change or jump double clear rounds. You were just happy to have two feet in the stirrups and ears leading the way.

You didn’t care about having the best tack, the coolest boots, or the newest hi-tech breeches. An old ex-racehorse, your favourite, and wearing a worn out pair of jeans with a colourful t-shirt did the job just fine.

You didn’t spend the days between Christmas and New Year planning a heavy schedule of training sessions, clinics and competitions. You threw tinsel round your pony’s neck and went hacking with friends. The new year was just another 365 days to go riding.

Don’t forget that you started this sport because you loved the animal. You loved the rush of galloping across open fields and the serenity of watching horses quietly graze in the sun. You do this because there is nothing on this earth that makes you feel more alive than being on the back of a horse, so don’t overcomplicate it.

Enjoy the little things, because one day you will look back and realise... they weren’t little at all.

02/21/2023

02/21/2023

Many of you know my hoofcare journey started with a navicular horse, and my passion is rehabbing navicular cases back to comfort!

So when Wendy Murdoch asked if I would do another webinar with her, the only topic I could think of was just that... Navicular.

This FREE webinar takes place THIS FRIDAY, February 24th, at 1pm EST.

While it does include a basic intro into what navicular disease/syndrome is, and how it is diagnosed, the bulk of the webinar talks about a whole host of other triggers of hoof pain that could be "masquerading" as navicular issues - and how to rule them out as the cause of lameness.
..Because while a horse may have navicular bone damage, that may not actually be causing them any pain, and addressing the true cause of pain may reveal a sound horse in the end 😉

I hope to see you there this Friday! You can register for free at this link by adding the webinar to your cart (it will come up as $0, unless you opt in to add my Rehab Guide journal as well).

https://murdochmethod.com/product/feb-24-alicia-harlov-navicular-disease/

02/17/2023

𝗧𝘂𝗲𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗧𝗶𝗽 - 𝗪𝗮𝗹𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗮 𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗲

This is a great exercise to do in-hand. Walking over a raised pole requires greater flexion in your horse's joints than trotting.

Place a raised pole, or small log in a place where you can regularly walk your horse over it - for example to and from the field.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗶𝗺
✅ To lift and flex the back, hip, shoulder, elbow, stifle and hock.
✅ Strengthen the muscles and structures involved in engagement, hip flexion and pelvic stability.
✅ Improve suppleness and flexibility through the shoulder, elbow, hip, stifle and hock.

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗼 𝗶𝘁
🐴 Walk your horse over a pole on the floor.
🐴 Gradually raise it until it's around knee height.
🐴 Encourage your horse to lower his head to look at the pole.

To really see the benefits do this on a daily basis

02/17/2023

02/17/2023

HOOFCARE ISN'T CARPENTRY

Listen, we need to talk about trim. I may get some heat for this, but I feel pretty passionate about it.

I see a lot of cult-style followings of various "gurus" and hoofcare providers and it makes me feel a bit ... "icky." To be clear, I think it's incredibly important to learn from others and have mentors in the field - especially learning from those that have seen more hooves and more cases than we have. There's always something to learn!

Now I am going to say this next statement with the utmost love possible: if you think one trim will work for every hoof and every horse, you likely haven't seen enough horses/hooves yet, or maybe haven't seen horses in different environments yet.

And the reason I say that I say that with love is - that was me. When I first started I thought I knew it all and had a trim for every horse and thought I would know what to do in every case I came to. I got humbled real quick (no pun intended!).

Not to mention, if you have years and years of experience and think one trim approach will work for every horse, it's possible you're ignoring soreness or discomfort post-trim.

You can't just apply the same trim to every hoof, and if you think you can, you likely aren't doing the best for each hoof.

There are all kinds of "camps" and methodologies when it comes to hoofcare, and some people get pretty zealous about a particular style or way of doing things. I assume if they are that passionate about it they've seen it work. But has it worked just for their horse? Just for one horse? Just for a group of horses in one spot? In one environment? Under similar management? And if not under similar management, are the feet looking the way they want - to the detriment of the comfort of the horse?

These are all questions I ask when I see specific trim "methods."

Ultimately, the horse is our final judge, and they will let us know if we are doing the right thing. If you are seeing comfort and soundness, then I applaud you! But if you're sticking to a vision or an ideal, despite discomfort, it might be time for a re-evaluation.

02/17/2023

01/05/2023

Could what you're feeding your EMS/IR equine be causing problems? On side 2 of this printable PDF is a list of the bagged feeds and ration balancers that are safe choices for EMS/IR equines. Most feeds and balancers are NOT on this list, but you will see there are still many safe choices. Side 1 covers Effective Management of EMS and PPID (including The Emergency Diet). Share this important flyer with your vets, hoof professionals, barn managers, friends -- anyone who works around equines. https://bit.ly/2SRUa34. Note: this safe feeds list is mostly for those in the U.S. and Canada. For safe feeds in the U.K. contact https://forageplus.co.uk/. For safe feeds in AUS contact https://balancedequine.com.au/