What is an Equine Podiatrist?

An Equine Podiatrist is a specialist in the anatomy and physiology of the equine foot.  As we believe in a holistic/whole horse approach to hoof health, Equine Podiatrists also look at the bigger picture of diet, environment, management, medical history, work load and other factors that could play a part.

In order to provide the optimal trim for your horse, as an Equine Podiatrist I will assess your horse’s movement and conformation, and take note of any details in the hooves that could provide me with background information – this could for example be event lines or the structures growing faster in one area of the hoof than another. This gives me a good idea of what is going on and what could be improved to contribute to healthier hooves.

Both my trim, trim schedule and recommendations are tailored to your horse and I keep detailed notes of every trim, as well as photographs to track hoof progress.

I can support with transitioning your horse to barefoot, hoof rehabilitation, cracks, poor horn quality, slow hoof growth, seedy toe, thrush, navicular related problems, abscesses, underrun heels, laminitis and other issues and questions you may face.

I am happy to work with your vet to establish a programme and plan of treatment to make your horse better.

Another area close to my heart is offering sympathetic hoof handling for all horses; special care and adjustments for elderly or arthritic horses or horses that have physical restriction due to a present or past injury, as well as young, minimally handled or foot-shy/nervous horses, ponies and donkeys.

So much more than just a trim!