Jack is an OTTB  who was rescued by Rosemary Farm Sanctuary. His hoof wall quality reflected his poor diet and neglect, and he had a right front quarter crack that reached his coronary band. With my recommended diet, 24/7 turnout with a herd,  regular trimming, and a committed owner, we were able to help Jack grow some nice feet.

11 Months later...

This reg. QH mare had torn off her left hind lateral hoof wall from mid quarter to her heel. It grew back in two separate pieces. The injury was 5 moths old when I came to see her. She also had a 8 week old filly by her side. She had chronic abscessing at the coronary band, and soon after I started her rehabilitation, she had support limb laminitis in the other hind. Her hoof literally almost fell off. She was quite a challenge- we had many set backs in the beginning, but I will always remember that excited phone call I received when she and her filly ran the field kicking up their heels together!

16 months later...

I love this donkey! Jackie's owner came to my house and asked if I could help her. She was under regular farrier care, but was getting worse. Her job is to guard the beef calves at her owners farm. She had chronic founder in her front hooves and had difficulty walking when I first saw her. With some dietary counseling and regular trimming she is coming along nicely.

After the first trim...

She was sold, I no longer trim her.

Levi is a 17 y/o grade gelding who had been lame for many years. Unofficially diagnosed as navicular, and shod with aluminum bar shoes...and still very lame. He had many problems besides his feet- a dropped back, saddle damage, was unable to engage his hind end, so he began to pull himself with his forehand. He was very heavy on the forehand and very overdeveloped in his trapezius muscles. With a diet change, mineral supplementation and help from my professional team with natural balance dentistry with Wendy Bryant, Chiropractic/ Acupuncture with Dr. Carlos Cortlezzi, Therapeutic Massage with Connie G, and owners who really get a high five for doing everything possible to help Levi, we have together brought him to a place where his life has been turned around. Many have said, he is a very lucky horse. He resumed light and then moderate trail riding with EasyCare padded hoof boots and continues with Carlos and Connie as needed.

I started him in mid winter 2009

Below is late summer 2010

Solana, a 17 y/o Paso Fino mare had a history of founder and laminitis. She was obviously suffering from Cushings, but was not tested when I started her rehabilitation. We pulled her shoes and gave her a rehab trim and put her in padded EasyBoot Edge boots. Her diet was reevaluated, and we made several changes- she was turned out with other horses in a grazing muzzle.  She became more comfortable with her boots on was hand walked and progressed to being ridden before leaving for Florida for the winter. She made great improvements in 4 months I worked with her and her very committed owners. I also requested an ACTH test which proved to be very high, and she was placed on pergolide to bring the numbers down. She is wintering well and under the care of another natural trimmer until she returns in the spring.

Aug. 25, 2010

 Aug. 25, 2010 after shoes and pads are removed

 Sept. 22, 2010.

Oct. 21, 2010.

She has been trimmed through the winter by Jeff Cheers in FL, and will be coming back to her home in the north in April.

August 10, 2011. She had a right front suspensory injusry just before returning to NY, but was placing in endurance rides in her EasyCare padded hoof boots. After several months off she is almost back to where she was before, and much better, healthier feet.

A 9 y/o beautiful buckskin paint mare diagnosed with navicular and possible back problems. Overweight, we changed her diet, owners put down pea gravel in her most traveled areas and began to hand walk her. These have to be the most improved hooves in just 3 trims! Great teamwork. We started Oct 2010.

 

A call for help and some pictures came across my computer screen for Mister. A one time show horse diagnosed with navicular, has been a backyard horse for sometime. Irregular and inexperienced farrier care brought him to where he is now. I just started him, and will update along the way.

before trim

after trim

2nd trim after

Apple is a young 5 y/o QH Appendix mare with severely distorted laminitic feet when we started. With mineral supplementation, regular rehabilitative trimming and time, she is finally showing improvement. Her owner was going to try and find her a new home, and has now changed her mind.This after 2 trims in summer 2010

The gooey stuff is White Lightning gel to help keep fungal/vacterial infections from setting up shop, while her diet heals things from the inside. You can see she abscesses here too. LF after trim.

Early autumn 2010. Compromised wall from abscess falls away. LF before trim.

Feb 2011- we are getting better, but she still has more healing to do. She has not been ridden since training was stopped after lameness. We look forward to seeing her riding this spring in EasyCare padded hoof boots.

Sept 2011- we have come a long way. There is the possibility of some permanent damage of the sturctures within the foot, but she is pasture sound and ride-able in padded hoof boots.

A beautiful, black 24 y/o Tennessee Walker. She foundered, abscessed, and had an infection some time ago. She was very lame and in a lot of pain when I arrived today, March 19, 2011, wearing a shoe only on the damaged foot. Placing a soft pad under her shod foot, I trimmed the other 3 first. Once I removed the shoe and the excess disconnected hoof wall, she was a different horse able to walk in comfort on her bare hoof. There is permanent damage to the coronet, but with some dietary adjustments, supplements and caution with grass, she has a better potential to improve what's there. Both she and her owner were very happy and comfortable when we were done. Her progress will be updated here.

Jed is a young big Belgian gelding, with a big story, who was taken to Rosemary Farm Sanctuary from the Unadilla Auction. If you do Facebook, you can follow the full story there. 

We trimmed him at night just prior to my trip to the AHA Conference  to relieve the pressure generated from his long toes on his front foundered feet. X-rays showed an 18 degree rotation. I came back to trim again 2 weeks later- he was still not able to hold any of his feet up, so everything I've done, I've done on the ground using boards and repositioning him. He has shown improvement daily, and we will keep him updated here too.

Jed has a special place on the Rosemary Farm Sanctuary website "Our Daily Jed" if you would like to see how he is doing. He has been a difficult case, still having a tough time holding his feet up because of pain and no training prior to his founder.

He was just introduced to a sling, so we could ease his discomfort for trimming.

Every case does not always have the desired path or conclusion. After repeated abscessing and a lack of blood flow to produce healthy hoof horn on his right front, the attending vet, Liz Fish and I agreed that Jed's rehab opportunity had passed. The damage was too great. It was a very sad time for us to say good bye to the gentle giant we tried so hard to help. He was let go to the spirit world surrounded by those who loved and cared for him for 9 months. Please read the RF Blog for the full story.