Heavenly Hooves

There is help out there. ECIR is a fabulous group and Dr. Kellon is constantly researching and staying on top of what these horses need and require. If you have a metabolic horse or your horse has or is currently going through laminitis or founder, go here, learn all you can, do better. 🫶🏼🐎

The story of Beau from his owner, Nancy.

This long post is to honor my horse Beau, who brought me to the ECIR Group. No one comes to this fully ready to deal with the issues metabolic horses present, yet there is so much to be hopeful about.

I met Beau in 2000 when I went back to riding after a 20+ year absence. After an unscheduled dismount and snapped humerus, in a Percocet-induced haze, it was decided he should be here. He arrived in July of 2001.

Beau was not well-liked in the community, with a reputation of being too forward, kicking barn staff, vets and farriers. Luckily, he never kicked out at me. As I learned going forward, he was in pain — yet he was always ready to run, to do the work. His intelligence always struck me. He was a very smart horse. Always skinny, he had a gorgeous face with a smile. He may have given me the middle finger first, but he always did what I asked to the best of his ability.

When I first started on this journey, a "founder specialist" pulled shoes and trimmed Beau after rotation in January 2003. This was back in the day when you were supposed to keep them on Bute and in the stall for months on end. I shudder to remember just how long we did this. Just from shoe removal and a trim, Beau was bucking in place in the stall from the relief. He certainly was not cured of the rotation. We put shoes back on, not really addressing the trim or the trigger for his laminitis.

In late winter of 2003, I was not able to help him through the continued laminitis and founder. A cyber search for magnesium brought up a post from Dr. Kellon on the subject. From there I was able to find The Equine Cushing’s Group (who is now the Equine Cushings and Insulin Resistance Group, Inc.). IR was not even recognized as a separate issue yet.

At the time, I was working on a 28k modem, knew nothing about the metric system, nothing about nutrition, nothing about chemistry, elemental and weighed amounts of minerals, nothing about equine physiology, or the foot. Nothing. I knew what a frog was.

Over the years, as we worked with Dr. Kellon, Dr. Robert Bowker, my sainted farrier, our group founder Robin, and many, many others, both Beau and I got better at what we did. I made countless mistakes but learned from this group what we needed to know to correctly help him. He got better and we were able to continue to work together for nearly a dozen years. For years we’d come out of the winter okay and get back to ground work or riding.

The last few years it became harder to do this. We used to play the “come please” game — come over to me when I ask. If he felt good he would play. I knew when I had his seasonal rise under control because he would roll all the way over. Slowly these positive events declined. In the end, he made it easy for us, telling us it was his time.

Over the years, I’ve heard echoes from my seventh grade English teacher chastising me when I failed to live up to her expectations: “You’ll never learn anything from horses.”

Really?

This beautiful Morgan boy taught me more science, math, writing, and communication skills than my whole school life ever did. I learned how to read my horse, ask for what I needed, be a better rider, pull blood, massage and trim his feet. All because of his spirit and the help of those who traveled the road before us. It is unbelievable how far the ECIR Group has come and how much we are able to do today. I am forever grateful to everyone who shared their story to help us learn more.

Upon Beau’s passing my farrier remarked, “He changed your life.”

Yes, he certainly did. Times ten.

I share this message to show those of you dealing with equines with PPID, IR/EMS (or both) that what may at times seem impossible to manage with these special equines can be managed with the right tools. Dr. Kellon, Dr. Bowker, my farrier, and the ECIR Group did that for me. ECIR is there for you too. If you haven't already, please check out the website at ecirhorse.org. For individual help, please join our free outreach group on groups.io, where specially trained volunteers will walk you through the steps you need to give your metabolic horses, donkeys, ponies, and mules their best lives: https://ecir.groups.io/g/main. We are a nonprofit organization and our services are free.

If ECIR has touched you in any way, please consider a donation to the ECIR Group Inc. nonprofit to help the work continue. It’s easy on Mightycause: https://www.ecirhorse.org/how-to-help-ECIR.php.

With many thanks, and best thoughts for all of you who continue to fight the good fight.

I know you are running free, sweet Beauman. You will be forever missed.

Always advocate for you horse! I don't mind adjusting things if you tell me how your horse feels. I'm never there just to make money, I'm there to help you and your horse be healthy and comfortable and do the job you need them to do.
Also....rehabbing feet in extreme distortion takes time, upwards of 2 years sometimes, and there's usually speed bumps along the way, be patient but prepared with the process. Hoof boots are amazing now, there is so many many kinds, some with interchangeable padding, and many can adjust as your horses feet change.

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Not bitter or upset about this as there is always another horse, another barn and another new friend to make elsewhere, but this is the truth and reality, and sometimes if you're the client I dread coming to because your horse is unruly, always dirty, you don't listen to my advice on feeding/bodywork movement, and you have 0 consideration for where we trim.... you're probably the one going to get fired. 🤷🏻‍♀️
(99% of my clients are true gems and I'm so blessed to know each one of you and your lovely horses 🫶🏼)

This is long and very deep and scienc-y, so read if you're that person, if not, I will summarize:

In a healthy hoof the limbs/tendons etc are better able to withstand extreme force. In a laminitic hoof this is not the same thing as the hoof integrity is compromised already.
So a long toe on a healthy hoof will hold up for a quite a while. However a long toe on a compromised laminitic foot will not.
In either case long toes create a lever arm (see the man holding the bar and weights - toe getting longer) and getting the hoof in balance is the goal.
How you go about it (shoes, trimming, glue-ons, boots) is entirely up to you and your hoof care provider or vet.
I will say this also, the toe cannot be shortened extremely and immediately if the back half of the foot is not functional or healthy. Ie; weak/contracted heels, thrush in the central sulcus, etc. or you'll be setting the horse up for failure and pain.
🐴

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