I want to tell you about our horses and will start with Florida, whom my mother and I have owned the longest of our current bunch. We own 7 in total with 4 being permanent members of our family and the latest 3 being more like adopted kids which may have to be loaned out once they are fit and well. They are a mixed bunch from a variety of backgrounds and questionable health! They have all, to a certain degree; suffered with their health as a result of the harsh or unsuitable environment afforded by their domestication. That is; they have to some degree been spoiled my man....Flo is a stunning beautiful Dutch Warmblood mare. She is quite small in her frame and size and reminds me of a deer! Her legs are fine and her feet seem tiny...so small that I used to ask my farrier and vet if she was normal as her feet were so small. Flo was going to be my super shiny competition horse and was carefully chosen as a 6 month old foal for her natural athleticism and super gait. I collected her at 9 months old from the breeder to find she had an acute worm burden! Vet bills, liver enzyme tests and sleepless nights followed but she made it! Flo was always a slow developer but a very pleasant horse to have around. She can be a bit quick and has waved her back legs around a few times but nothing out of the ordinary! She was born into a very large mixed herd of horses, with youngsters of all ages, to grans and uncles (gelded I hasten to add!) and so is socially very balanced.
She had an unfortunate injury as a 2 year old and damaged her right hind stifle. We didn't know this happened at the time and it only became apparent in the months after. As a 3 and 4 year old she spent time at veterinary hospitals and the biggest vet centres in the country as she wasn't quite sound. During this time her vets thought it would be a good idea to shoe her with a lateral extension shoe on her right hind. She hated being shod and we had to sedate her for the farrier and even that became dangerous. Eventually keyhole surgery found a healthy right hind stifle but she still wasn't fully sound, however she got a clean bill of health from the Animal Health Trust and I was advised to begin work with her.
Flo was an easy and straightforward horse to back and she trusted me entirely. However I was convinced all was still not right and I took her to see back and lameness expert vets in Banbury. She was then treated for the following 9 months by chirpracters and vets in Banbury and even had a general anaesthetic for chiropractic manipulation on her neck and shoulders; a practice which couldn't be done in a standing and awake horse! I questioned the vets in Banbury (as I had all other vets she had seen) about her foot balance and they said it seemed okay...but I was not convinced still.
In the spring of 2008, I decided to remove the shoes of my TB mare; Sun (her story comes soon!), but she got laminitis. I thought at the time this was due to her having naturally poor feet and eating grass so resorted to the only thing I knew then...heart bar shoes and pads. They helped with the laminitis but didn't heal the foot and I knew soon after that if your horse is lame out of shoes then it is still lame! I began to consider again going barefoot....but how?
In October that year, mums mare Milly started with acute laminitis and after a short and painful illness, she was destroyed. She was 19. I thought..."enough is enough....what am I doing wrong and what do I have to learn to do it right?"
After attending a 5 day course on equine biomechanics with expert Dr Hilary Clayton in January 2009, and after much research on holistic horse health, I decided to take a good hard look at how I managed our beloved horses. As a professional equine body worker, I was already frustrated with results which seemed to make my work look insufficient...and it was! I couldn't help my clients horses and our own if all I was doing was keeping them together with sticky plasters...I needed to fix the foundations which meant addressing their whole health...and ultimate their environment. This meant taking responsibility to what I had done to contribute to the demise in their health. It wasn't nice but I'm glad I did it.
Research seemed to point towards barefoot practitioners as being more successful at fixing horses feet so I looked for one in my area. The only one I found were UKNHCP trimmers (natural barefoot trimmers). I explained to my farrier that I wanted to try this option, given that we lost one horse and almost lost another and had a further 3 which weren't particularly sound too; despite thousands being spent on investigation and treatment on them too in the previous 12 months! Lets just say my farrier wasn't supportive and not another word on that subject!
I was pleased at first with how things were progressing but very quickly began to doubt even my trimmers ability and believe their methods were flawed. After countless hours researching I decided I had only one choice...I do it myself! I found a Degreed Applied Equine Podiatrist (DAEP) in Linconlshire who visited and explained to me why my horses feet were unhealthy and how we were going to make them better. I had never in my whole life had anyone tell me about hooves in that way and was inspired! I signed up straightaway for the professional course in AEP and the rest as they say, is history!
Florida made miraculous improvements and I began training in earnest. We were taking regular lessons with top trainer Giles Carridine and even started early jump training. However, after escaping into the barn and spending a night trapped on very stony ground, she became bruised and abscessed in her right hind. Attempts to bring Flo back into work since have been unsuccessful. She dislikes being ridden and I believe she tries her best but despite recieving the best care I can give her, she is currently a beautiful pasture ornament!
Her foot health has at the moment, reached it's maximum potential. I believe she has early Cushings and at best has an imbalanced endocrine system. She cannot tolerate grass at all and most of the time I cannot understand what triggers a raised immune response (indicated by increased soft tissue swelling above her eyes and slight footiness). I think early worm damage followed by conventional feeding methods of so called top quality branded compound feeds and haylage has permanently damaged her immune and endocrine system. I believe she would be healthier if we could find a year round supply of good quality organic hay and I am hopeful we will do so this summer. But regardless, she will be loved and cherished and has a permanent life with the rest of the herd at Fenland Lodge!
It's funny hope you start with great ambition for one thing and it turns out another way. Flo was going to be my super competition horse and certainly has the talent for it! But now my goal for her is to help her be as healthy as she can and if I ever ride her again...well that's a huge bonus! And if she becomes super healthy and STILL doesn't want to be ridden, then that's fine too!
Thank you Florida for the important lessons you have taught and are teaching me still xxx
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