Rebecca’s Farrier Service

I love working with up and coming farriers. Helping set them and the horses they work on up for success!

This sweet little guy had hip surgery. Helping him with the healing process through Acuscope/Myopulse therapy! Thanks Rock Solid Equine Therapy

Radiographs help give me a better idea of how my know how and daily practice is helping or how it can be adjusted for long term soundness!!

Why is it important to control soft ground surface interaction? Surfaces have been shown to be huge factors in the pathogenesis of soft tissue injuries in the ...horse. Hobbs et al. (2014) stated that surfaces a horse trains, works and competes on play a crucial role both in enhancing or limiting the horse’s ability to perform and in determining the risk of injury. Farriers can play a role in reducing that risk from the foot - surface interaction. We know that the orientation of the digit affects soft tissue strains in the distal limb and this holds true for their orientation when loaded on soft surfaces. Changing the surface areas of certain parts of the shoe can manipulate how much that area sinks into the soft surface. This can help to prevent and treat common soft tissue injuries. Further reading in the captions... Mustad Hoofcare

New business cards/appointment reminder cards are in the works. If you have a picture of me working on your horse please send it in for a chance to be the new face of the cards New business cards/appointment reminder cards are in the works. If you have a picture of me working on your horse please send it in for a chance to be the new face of the cards

What I’ve struggled with- Self doubt, fear of failing, fear of being successful, fear of not being liked or accepted, fear to take action because I wouldn’t be enough or I knew that I would quit or give up. Feeling unworthy. Guilt that I wasn’t taking action. Overworking myself and not making time for my own stuff What’s helped me-... Hiring a life coach, researching on my own of how to books, self help books, journaling, daily affirmations of telling myself I’m meant for greater things and being aware of that little voice in my head that’s been so good at bringing me down and CHOOSING not to agree with it, and instead learning how to negate its negativity and kill it with kindness towards myself and others. Being patient with myself and forgiving myself for not being where I thought I should be by now. FOCUSING ON MY NUTRITION and taking care of myself because I only have this one body! (I may look fit, but I had high bad cholesterol and issues with blood sugars and lethargy) I can now say that even my bad days aren’t even that bad because I’ve really found what works for me and I’m so grateful

May 2020 to October 2020

The face you make when you get your wearable nutrition patches, lifestyle capsules and APPLE PIE shakes #thriveexperience #thrive

New supervisor at work is keeping a sharp eye on me #farrier #cat #kitten

Bruises #farrier

#buckbrannaman

6 months difference

What effect does changing the angle of the hoof and therefore phalangeal alignment have on the soft tissue structures of the digit? I am often questioned as to... whether artificially aligning the hoof Pastern axis over loads the suspensory ligament and/or superficial digital flexor tendon and whether therefore it is not good practice. There have been studies in favour of artificial elevation and some against. Hinterhofer et al. (2001) stated there were smaller deformations of the hoof with a 5 degree increase. But acknowledged the risk of further crushing to the heels supported by the finding of increased load on the heels with wedges (Wilson et al. 1998). Thompson et al. (1993) found that the Deep digital flexor tendon (DDFT) strain decreased with elevation and that the superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT) and suspensory ligament (SL) strain were NOT affected, however strain on the extensor branch of the SL increased rapidly. Riemersma et al. (1996) also measured an increase strain in the SL. Other studies have measured increased intra articular pressure with elevation, showing that joints and ligaments are also affected by these changes in angle but that’s another question. With these findings it’s understandable why the increased load on the SL and other structures is often a concern. However what remains unclear from all of these studies is what the phalangeal alignment was at the time of an increase or reduction of hoof angle. Also what hasn’t been quantified is what the strains are of those structures in an ideal. Many studies have linked a broken back alignment with increased load on the DDFT. Broken back HPA (BBHPA), has been shown to predispose the horse to navicular syndrome. Waguespack and Hanson (2010) outlined the biomechanical considerations of a BBHPA and stated that the primary source of pressure on the navicular bone (NB) is compression from the deep digital flexor tendon (DDFT), Ruff et al. (2016) expanded on this, expressing the increased compressive force on the NB from the DDFT in conformations exhibiting increased dorsiflexion, this was supported by Uhl et al (2018) which stated conformations described by Ruff et al. (2016) as being mechanically predisposed to navicular and that DDFT lesions corresponded with areas of increased load. Many other papers have expressed the importance of a good HPA, (Witte (2014), Zani et al. (2015), Logie (2017), Turner (2020), Brown (2020)), outlining its importance in optimal performance and the predispositions of a BBHPA If you raise the heels in a broken alignment, perhaps you will get an increased strain reading in the SL or SDFT but the question is have you over loaded those structures or returned to a more even strain share of all the relevant structures, especially in the light of all the papers just stated. More research needs to be done to quantify what appertains to ideal strain share and whether that is obtained at aligned. But my hypothesis is that ideal strain share would correlate closely with ideal alignment. The image below shows an illustration of that theory. Aligned has ideal strain share of the 3 structures. Broken back, increased strain of the DDFT and broken forward has increased strain of the SDFT and SL. Increased strain shown by thicker lines. For more information on alignment feel free to watch and read at these links. . https://youtu.be/xggVpfmO9BI . https://www.theequinedocumentalist.com//hoof-pastern-axis-

Did her 10th ride with no bridle. Such a good 3 year old

Mini’s need regular trims too! These girls are looking much better after their pedicure

Something I've always been interested in is finding out what hoof a horse needs to be comfortable and sound. A few days ago I quoted Steven Leigh: "I love seein...g a perfect hoof, but I love seeing a sound horse an awful lot more." I decided to do a podcast episode about determining if what we as hoofcare providers are doing is servicing the horses well, and ways to evaluate that! I spoke with Krista Jones, ESMT and owner of From The Ground Up rehab, and Steven Leigh, hoofcare practitioner, over the last few weeks about the roles that movement and biomechanics play in soundness and hoof rehabilitation. In this podcast episode, Krista and Steven mention things to look for to assess your horse's movement as well as ways to ensure your horse is on the correct path to soundness. We also chat about navicular rehabilitation, track systems, bodywork, and hoofcare decisions based on movement and wear patterns! The episode can be heard on your favorite podcast app under "The Humble Hoof," or at the link below! https://thehumblehoof.libsyn.com/dynamic-balance-rehabbing- For more info, see: www.fromthegrounduprehab.com www.natureswaynhc.co.uk

Hard to believe this is the same horse. She’ll be 3 next year #APHA