martin morris farrier

Is toe length really that important? In short yes. Very often I see reasonably aligned feet that externally don’t look that bad. But when you actually objectiv...ely measure the hoof proportions it can sometimes tell you a different story. Weller discussed the implications of the forward migration of the centre of pressure on the flexor structures. With a long lever arm at the toe, the ground reaction force acting on the limb moves further away from the centres of rotation, this increases the collapsing force which has to be counteracted by an increase in the strain on the flexor structures. Inevitably this strain is transferred directly onto the fulcrums the flexor structures pass over, the navicular being one of them. Thinning the dorsal wall in my experience leads to further negative morphology and weakens the integrity of the hoof capsule, while fitting under the toe and blunting the dorsal wall enables proportions around the centre of rotation while maintaining integrity and in my experience encourages positive morphology. Caldwell discussed morphology as a product of the direction and magnitude of forces acting on the hoof. Reducing leverage not only protects the flexor structures but also creates an environment for positive or maintained morphology. Jim Blurton Farrier Products Mustad Hoofcare

Synovial fluid is a Non-Newtonian fluid which means it’s viscosity isn’t constant, it can and does change under force or load. Time taken to correctly ‘warm up’... your horse before working it, will not only allow the soft tissues that provide you with movement and stability to reach their full elasticity, it will allow the synovial fluid inside your horse’s high motion and high shear force joints to fully reach their optimum level of viscosity to fully protect the more sensitive and delicate structures such as the articular cartilage, remember, articular cartilage cannot repair when damaged. Degenerative joint disease is progressive and certainly career ending, sadly for the horse it’s eventually life ending. For us humans, we can and do get new plastic or metal joints, the horse does not have that luxury. As so often in life, it’s the little things that count. See more

What’s the difference between over reaching and forging? Both over reaching and forging are interference issues when the hind foot comes into contact with the ...front foot. The difference is where and when. Over-reaching is when the hind foot comes down on top of the front. This can be at varying heights, bad over- reaches can cause lacerations to the bulbs. More common would be damaging the heel of the hoof or pulling shoes. Forging is when the hind toe hits the front while travelling forward. It can be the toe of the shoe or the toe of the hoof that makes contact. This gives a distinctive clicking sound. Constant forging can create bruising and damage to the dorsal wall of the hind foot. We have two cases below. One over reached and lost a shoe and damaged the medial heel, resulting in the need for a bar shoe to float the damaged and lower medial heel. One had caused severe damage to the toe of both hinds with constant forging. So I protected them with hand made toe cap hinds. This horse we suspect was working beyond its fitness level with long front hooves, this can be one of the many reasons why these interferences occur. Mustad Hoofcare

I was asked to pull shoes on this horse for an MRI at a local clinic today. Although this is an extreme case, it's a perfect example of what happens when you s...hoe a weak healed horse with no support. It's even further exacerbated with a wedge applied. This horse was crippled with the shoe on and worse once removed. It will be a challenge for someone attempting to bring this foot back around. This is a trainwreck. Everyone have a great weekend See more

Why is it important to manipulate ground interaction when treating soft tissue injury in the shod horse? Suspensory and collateral ligament desmitis case study.... The interaction of the foot with the ground can lead to active flexion of the distal interphalangeal joint, which increases strain in the suspensory. If the toe sinks into the ground more then the heels , the distal interphalangeal joint will be placed in flexion (Staller 2019). This could be why there is a high prevalence of hind limb suspensory injury in dressage (Murray et al. 2006) where horses are working on soft surfaces. Ooman et al. (2012) found a significantly larger toe contact area of an adapted shoe resulted in a significantly lower total vertical pressure in the toe region which would lead to a reduction in sinking of that area. Egg bar shoes have also traditionally been recommended to reduce fetlock drop on hard surfaces, however have their own set of implications and the active component is thought to be the increased length over the formation of a complete circle. Distal limb conformation plays a large role in force distribution on the hoof during the stance phase. Toe-out horses were shown to have a increased load on the medial aspect of the foot during mid-stance when the highest amount of load is applied to the hoof (Mokry et al. 2021). On soft surfaces this could lead to medial sinking of the hoof during mid-stance straining the medial collateral ligaments. Using the same principle as shoeing for suspensory injury, increasing the surface area on the affected side of the foot has been historically recommended as a shoeing treatment for horses with collateral ligament desmitis regardless of causation (Dyson and Murray 2003, Trope and Whitton 2009). Here we have a case study with both Suspensory desmitis behind and collateral ligament desmitis in front. See this previous post for more info. https://www.facebook.com/419693468786673/posts/934791900610158/?d=n Mustad Hoofcare Staller, 2019, A Discussion of the Importance of Shoeing and Footing in the Development and Management of Suspensory Ligament Injuries in Sport Horses, The Clinician, NEEAP online MURRAY, R.C., DYSON, S.J., TRANQUILLE, C. and ADAMS, V. (2006), Association of type of sport and performance level with anatomical site of orthopaedic injury diagnosis. Equine Veterinary Journal, 38: 411-416. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2042-3306.2006.tb05578.x A. Mokry, E. Van de Water, H.T. Politiek, D.A. van Doorn, F. Pille, M. Oosterlinck, Dynamic evaluation of toeheel and medio-lateral load distribution and hoof landing patterns in sound, unshod Standardbred horses with toed-in, toed-out and normal hoof conformation, The Veterinary Journal, Volume 268, 2021, A.M. Oomen, M. Oosterlinck, F. Pille, D.C. Sonneveld, F. Gasthuys, W. Back, Use of a pressure plate to analyse the toeheel load redistribution underneath a normal shoe and a shoe with a wide toe in sound warmblood horses at the walk and trot, Research in Veterinary Science, Volume 93, Issue 2, 2012, Dyson SJ, Murray R. Collateral desmitis of the Distal Interphalangeal Joint in 62 horses (January 2001December 2003). Proc Am Assoc Equine Pract 2004;50:248256. Trope, G. and Whitton, R. (2009), Medial collateral ligament desmitis of the distal interphalangeal joint in the hindlimb of a horse: treatment with cast immobilisation. Australian Veterinary Journal, 87: 499-502. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1751-0813.2009.00518.x

How does conformation create poor medio-lateral balance in the front feet and how does that affect the horse? Poor medio-lateral balance can of course be create...d by poor podiatry, but as always we have to appreciate that the hoof is a product of the forces from above and below and as such often the podiatrist is managing poor balance due to conformation. Dr Simon J Curtis discusses the effects of angular limb deformities in his books. They discuss carpal Valgus conformations having a hoof capsule that is distorted laterally, flaring on the lateral wall with an upright or under-run medial wall and may have the medial bulb shunted proximally. Its action will dish, and it will probably land on the lateral hoof wall, smack down hard on the medial side during the weight bearing phase and breakover on the inside toe. If its uneven landing is severe it will be prone to corns and even quarter cracks. Curtis 1999 A similar stance phase can be seen in a fetlock valgus and laterally off set hooves. Mokry et al (2021) recently quantified that toe-out horses At the end of the stance phase, had significantly higher loading of the medial part of the hoof. This again will have implications for morphology. so we can clearly see that the hoof morphology in these valgus/laterally off set horses is a result of both loading through the stance phase, but also due to the increased and constant medial load when static. Kilmartin (2014) discussed the effects of medio-lateral imbalance on higher musculature. Looking at the sole of the hoof the medial wall is higher than the lateral wall. In these cases, the Transverse, Ascending, and Descending Pectoral muscles are working along with the Subscapularis and Brachiocephalic to keep the fore limb under the body. These horses again consistently show pain or reactivity over the cartilage of the scapula. There is no pain or flinching at all after correct adjustment and permanent resolution with levelling hoof trim. These muscles are pictured in my illustration below. We can see from the case below these morphologies in a barefoot horse. The medial wall has been worn and the medial heel bulb shunted upwards and inwards, leaving the lateral wall significantly higher when viewed on the long axis. This also caused the horse to stand base wide, perhaps in an attempt to level the base of support, but in fact exacerbating the issue. A spiral trim took down the lateral wall but floated the medial heel to the extent of the shunt. Shod in a heart bar with medial support and impression material to allow floating of the medial heel. To centralising the base of support, enable a level foot fall and allow for relaxation of the medial heel bulb. Now it’s back over to Baldwins Equestrian Rehabilitation & Rider Fitness for the rehabilitation program after recognising rehabilitation couldn’t begin while the feet were wrong! Team work!

Synovial fluid is a Non-Newtonian fluid which means it’s viscosity isn’t constant, it can and does change under force or load. Time taken to correctly ‘warm up’... your horse before working it, will not only allow the soft tissues that provide you with movement and stability to reach their full elasticity, it will allow the synovial fluid inside your horse’s high motion and high shear force joints to fully reach their optimum level of viscosity to fully protect the more sensitive and delicate structures such as the articular cartilage, remember, articular cartilage cannot repair when damaged. Degenerative joint disease is progressive and certainly career ending, sadly for the horse it’s eventually life ending. For us humans, we can and do get new plastic or metal joints, the horse does not have that luxury. As so often in life, it’s the little things that count. See more

I was asked to pull shoes on this horse for an MRI at a local clinic today. Although this is an extreme case, it's a perfect example of what happens when you s...hoe a weak healed horse with no support. It's even further exacerbated with a wedge applied. This horse was crippled with the shoe on and worse once removed. It will be a challenge for someone attempting to bring this foot back around. This is a trainwreck. Everyone have a great weekend See more

Should you elevate for suspensory issues? Dyson (2007) expressed how a long toe, low heel conformation of the hinds could predispose to suspensory desmitis. How...ever it is widely accepted that raising the heels increases strain on the suspensory ligament. In the hind limb horses tend to compensate for poor dorso-plantar balance by adjusting their posture, bringing the limb toward the trunk in a camped under posture. This posture negates the function of the stay apparatus, means that they need to use muscular effort to hold themselves up and also increases strain in the suspensory as it is in a continuous state of loading. When the limb is in the correct orientation the tensegrity of the limb is in balance, structures are bearing load as they should and importantly the metatarsal is counteracting gravity in pure compression acting as the vertical support column for the network of tensile structures, including the suspensory. It is my experience now that the amount of increased strain by elevation is far less then the increased strain from the posture and therefore we have experienced a reduction in suspensory inflammation by the application of elevation in negative plantar angles and generally poor hind digit alignment. Here is the latest case of negative plantar angles. We struggled to get the horse to stand remotely square as it’s preference was to camp the off hind drastically underneath itself. When asked to stand square both hinds had a reduced metatarsal angle and distinct broken alignment. We expect to see a reduction in suspensory inflammation from the new ability to stand vertical with increased comfort. So to answer the question, it depends and should always be discussed with the vet but sometimes we have to appreciate the bigger picture and wider influences on structure strain.

Are negative plantar angles and the associated pathologies the cause or the effect? There is already a long list of pathologies associated with negative plantar... angles. That is a negative angle to the pedal bone in the hind foot, usually associated with poor caudal hoof health and crushed heels. Mannsman et al (2010) suggested a posture linked to this hoof conformation creating gluteal pain and many of my posts have discussed the links along the dorsal myofascial lines. A question that plagues the veterinary and farriery industries is what causes what? There is a link but what is the catalyst? In my experiential opinion, backed by emerging studies and something I am studying myself is whether neither of these are the cause. While what we see in the feet can be a causation much of the time both the hoof conformation and the associated pathologies are all secondary concurrent and cyclic issues initiated by a more abstract cause of postural adaptation. When we treat the feet and/or the associated pathologies we are treating, in a lot of cases, the result and not the cause. Perpetual cycles therefore persist. Could what we are seeing, again in some cases, possibly not be initiated by pain but by proprioceptive and Neuro-muscular input? The body has some key neurological areas responsible for posture which are affected by domestication. Could these be the areas of pathogenesis? Posture has huge implications for hoof morphology, in negative plantar angles, we can see how the heels become overloaded in a camped under posture. The hoof suffers from viscous creep as does any keratin structures so they are affected by the accumulative load and decreased perfusion of the caudal hoof. The hoof therefore negatively morphs and hey presto becomes a secondary distorted neurological input perpetuating the posture. More on The chicken and the egg coming soon.

Frog, caudal hoof and sole support, are they so vital? The caudal structures of the hoof play a vital role in the proportions and geometry of the hoof (Dyson 20...11) Taylor (2020) suggests that many of the negative morphologies seen commonly in the adult horses frog and digital cushion are in part due to the lack of stimulation of these structures. This study and my experience show improved adaptation of these structures when they are re-stimulated, the hoof adapts in response to stimulus of the nervous system, which Bowker has shown to be extensive within the caudal hoof and positively remodels in response to new loads. The ability to efficiently dissipate the forces of locomotion directly affects hoof morphology (Gunkelman and Hammer 2017), therefore having well conformed and utilised structures involved in this mechanism can dictate the longevity of functionality and hoof conformation. Further reading at these links.. . https://www.theequinedocumentalist.com//the-hoof-it-is-wha . https://www.theequinedocumentalist.com//haemodynamic-mecha . https://www.theequinedocumentalist.com/post/barefoot-vs-shod

What is the ideal heel height? I have seen lots of discussion around toe to heel ratios and people trying to establish exact numbers for the ideal hoof. We ca...n not give an exact number for any parameter of hoof balance because we are dealing with nature and biodiversity. Some horses will have ideal hoof balance at 45 degrees and another may have ideal at 65 degrees. When it comes to toe to heel ratios there are studies stating different ideals. Recently I discussed Dyson (2011) which cited earlier studies stating 3:1 as an ideal, while we have other studies stating 2:1 as an ideal (Back et al 2001). Toe to heel ratios directly affect hoof Pastern axis and heel height of course plays a role in whether we have frog contact. I’m my opinion trimming protocol should be directed by consideration of multiple parameters and not looking at a single number in isolation. Alignment, for me is an important factor, balance around the centre of rotation and haemodynamic function. Trimming to create heel to toe ratios that create a straight hoof Pastern axis, a toe to heel base support of no more than 60% / 40% and the frog and heels on the same plane. But again, compromise may need to be made to account for natural biodiversity. Natural base split around the COR and hoof angle are natural variations, base split is correlated to the slope of the hoof Pastern axis, the more acute slope will have a 60/40 toe:heel while a very upright may have a 40/60 toe:heel. And there will be everything in between. Again showing we can’t force exact numbers on hooves, but we can create ideal individual proportions. Having seen these questions I decided to do a small cohort study on heel to toe ratios. Firstly I instantly discovered that there needs to be a clarification of what heel height is, true heel height and height of the coronet at the heels are not the same thing (fig.1-2). From a lateral view it becomes very difficult to differentiate true heel height, so for the purpose of the study I decided to use height of the hairline at the heels. From the study I found that heel:toe ratios between 3:1 and just under 2:1 were able to create established balance parameters. Some people have suggested 3:2 as an ideal, however I found that this ratio was either found on club feet or created a club foot look and distortions. Dyson (2011) and other studies have already suggested greater than 3:1 as collapsed heels. It would seem that there is a range of heel:toe ratios that create established ideals and should be individual to the horses conformation. Of course this is a very small study with inaccurate measurements and further studies would need to be done under more objective circumstances, but this does fit with my experiential opinion and daily practice. Further reading in the captions.