Annie Rose EP - Barefoot Equine Podiatrist

23/11/2025

Kingsbridge/Dartmouth based?

I cover your area 🙌🏼

And isn't it beautiful?! 😍❤️

22/11/2025

☔🌦️Are you giving your horse the best chance this winter?🌱🌿 Familiar with a soaking wet day? 👀 Read on...

A strong and nutritionally healthy hoof wall is nearly impermeable, meaning it's naturally water repellent with only a minor rate of absorption. It's designed to maintain moisture levels of between 20-30% (the inner wall being the highest moisture content). However, prolonged exposure to a boggy / waterlogged environment, paired with nutritional deficiencies that co-occur in winter pasture from these conditions, lead to a compromised hoof wall and leave the hoof susceptible to oversaturation, damage and infection.

What can you do?

🌱 Diet - Get a good winter vitamin and mineral balancer and check it against the nutritional content of the rest of the forage you provide your horse during winter to ensure the nutritional balance is correct. Check out Forage Plus's Winter Balancers (Use code AnnieRose10 for 10% off Forage Plus orders - I love this company because they're science backed 🧪🧬🌿 are open to talk about your individual horses needs and also offer analytical services for accuracy of balancing your horses forage). Talk to them or a highly reputable nutritionist about your pasture situation, what symptoms your horse is experiencing and what will best suit your horse.

☔ Environment - Provide your horse with dry areas to allow the hooves to fully dry off. A shelter such as time in a stable or barn where they can dry their feet (a deep shavings bed is highly absorbent) for a few hours a day if not stabled overnight is a big benefit to their hoof health and integrity in winter.

🐎 Trim Cycle - Your hoof care provider will be able to tell if the hoof is being compromised and will be able to advise on appropriate measures to prevent a hoof condition worsening. An appropriate barefoot trim cycle (average 4 weeks) will allow the hoof care practitioner to keep an eye on the hoof quality, progress or maintain hoof health and allow timely adjustments to their recommendations for the best outcome for your horse.

02/11/2025

🥰 On the road again 🚗♥️

The wet weather can't be avoided but with the ground now turning to bog, you can make a huge difference to my day! ☺️

I understand some situations can't be avoided and most of the time I'm fine picking out (because I'll be down there anyway 🤷🏼‍♀️) 😅 but it does make a huge difference to my day if I show up to freshly cleaned off feet and limbs with the horse on hard standing or simply an area that's at least clean e.g. horse can be stood on mats or carpet in their field whilst I trim.

This helps me with the accuracy of my trim, accuracy of records (I don't typically take pictures of feet with mud smeared over them because it skews how you read the picture/what you think you can see), helps me avoid excessive wear on my tools - their lifespan is shortened in winter despite the WD40 because mud is so abrasive! It also keeps me and my car a bit more decent 😉 haha. 😅

Your extra effort will be greatly appreciated. ☺️

X

27/10/2025

Keeping to more regular trim cycles really does make a difference. 🐴

"🦶 At this time of year we also see an increase in number of foot abscesses and foot related emergency problems. Having regular visits by a qualified farrier or foot trimmer makes the likelihood of needing to see us for a foot emergency much less, if you have concerns about your horse, pony or donkeys foot then speak to them at these visits - ask them what can you do as the owner to help the health of the foot?

If you are at all worried about your horse, donkey or pony, we are only on the end of the phone and are always more than happy to have a chat and provide advice 🐴🐎🏇"

How to... avoid an emergency! 🐴📞🚑

Following on from our 'when is an emergency an emergency post'... here is how to avoid an emergency!

Sometimes an emergency call out can't be avoided such as a freak accident, however there are sometimes incidences which could be avoided or at least the risk decreased by following some basic steps.

The key way of avoiding emergencies is by keeping up to date with routine care such as teeth, worming and regular farrier visits. This may sound obvious but a proportion of the call outs we go to could have been prevented by keeping up to date with routine care.

Any type of change can also cause an emergency to happen, this may be in the form of management changes such as feed which can cause colic or even turning different horses out together which can cause wounds. Often 'change' is something we try to prevent with our horses as we know they are creatures of habit! We have even seen colic due to changes in owner behaviour such as feeding slightly later, this can really upset some horses and in turn cause stomach discomfort.

🦷 Missed routine dentistry care can contribute to horses not wanting to or being unable to eat which can increase the risk of colic. A dental exam should be done at least every 12 months and then rasping of the teeth done if needed. Not eating normally or grinding fibre properly can also contribute to choke.

💩 Inappropriate worming programs can contribute to the incidence of colic occurring or other parasite related problems such as weight loss and diarrhea. We can advise clients on appropriate worming plans and incorporating faecal worm egg counts - just give us a ring on the office number!

🌱 One of the most common emergencies we see now all year round is laminitis so using the winter to help bring weight under control and using appropriate grazing can really help prevent these laminitic episodes occurring.

🐴 At this time of year another very common emergency we are called out to is the older horse stuck down in a field not able to get up. This can be for various reasons but often is due to arthritis pain. Older horses do have different needs so having a health check with us to discuss this and make sure they are comfy can be really useful.

🦶 At this time of year we also see an increase in number of foot abscesses and foot related emergency problems. Having regular visits by a qualified farrier or foot trimmer makes the likelihood of needing to see us for a foot emergency much less, if you have concerns about your horse, pony or donkeys foot then speak to them at these visits - ask them what can you do as the owner to help the health of the foot?

If you are at all worried about your horse, donkey or pony, we are only on the end of the phone and are always more than happy to have a chat and provide advice 🐴🐎🏇

25/10/2025

Quickfire causes 💥 and triggers ⚠️ of Laminitis - always ask your equine veterinarian if you're concerned or want to learn more.

💥 Endocrinopathy - underlying hormonal and metabolic dysregulation such as PPID and EMS, resulting in compromised nutrient processing. ⚠️ Diet & Illness
💥 Infection - resulting in sepsis/toxemia or systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) from recent viral, bacterial or fungal infected horses such as those who have suffered influenza, pneumonia, strangles, epizootic lymphangitis, colitis and more. ⚠️ Illness
💥 Trauma - resulting in sepsis/toxemia or systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) from injuries. ⚠️ Injury
💥 Toxins - such as from plants, mycotoxins in feed, acidosis and KPU leading to build up of toxic nutrients. ⚠️ Diet
💥 Mechanical Overload - favouring one limb over others due to compensation or simply preference, or even frequent/excessive amounts of time on hard standing such as concrete ⚠️ Illness, Injury & Environment.

Laminitis can occur in the forefeet and hindfeet though often most prevalent in the fores.

The Signs:

Seek a vet immediately if you have any of the following-

❤️‍🩹'The Lami Stance' - the horse leans back when stood to avoid loading the toe area, also known as standing 'camped out'.
❤️‍🩹Lameness / Resistance to move.
❤️‍🩹Excessive heel first gait.
❤️‍🩹Heat in the affected hooves and raised digital pulses - with or without swelling.
❤️‍🩹Prominent or frequent event lines.
❤️‍🩹A stretching of the white line.
❤️‍🩹Blood/bruising in the white line.
❤️‍🩹Bruising and/or build up of sole under the tip of P3.

23/10/2025

👈🏼 See my previous post for a great podcast relating to this ☺️

22/10/2025

Is your horses Laminitis and other Metabolic-linked Conditions (PPID, EMS, KPU etc) not improving this season?

Take some time with me listening to a great podcast 👇🏼
⌚ just 26 minutes for some fantastic advice.

Sit back with a cup of tea ☕ and digest this podcast alongside your biscuit. 🍪

https://sanoanimal.com/en/2025/10/08/podcast_7_laminitis/

Attended a lecture by Dr Christina Fritz - 'The 'Never Quite Right Horse'. Simply superb. ☺️

#100%forage

16/10/2025

I couldn't be happier to share that after 3 years of super hard work, I've finally completed my Level 5 Diploma in Equine Podiatry! I'm practically running around now exclaiming that I'm an Equine Podiatrist!!!! 🤠🎉💓🤣

Without my client base and the support of my colleagues, friends and family, I wouldn't be where I am today because I've faced more than just a career change over the last 3 years (quick kudos to my boy Buckleigh for dealing with half of that and coming with me to every client trim for the first year or two). I can only thank every single one of you for believing in me and giving me my purpose each day.

I've had an incredible time studying through Equine Podiatry Training Ltd and learning more than I ever fathomed for this line of work. I cannot wait to continue learning, meeting new horses, owners and experiencing my career continue to excel.

Now, let's try and prevent myself from obtaining a horse in celebration.

🐴🎉🤣

12/10/2025

Some fun facts about horse hooves:

💓 They're called the 'second heart' because they're designed to push blood back up the limb with every stride.

🍊/🫒 Horses fores are more round than their hinds. This is said to be because forefeet are designed to weight-bear and hindfeet are designed to have more traction to propel the horse forward in motion.

🐸 They have a structure called a frog and there's multiple theories on why it's called a frog - the fact it looks like one, the colloquial name for a V-shaped railroad connection and some German and French terms to describe it that sound like frog... Frosch and Forchette... 😅

⌚ It takes 3 months for the sole to grow out from corium in a healthy foot.

👩🏼‍🔧 Horses lay down 'repair horn' which is a weaker structure to normal hoof horn but mimics its function, to quickly recover damage to areas of the hoof.

01/10/2025

❗Important scoop of knowledge to remember! 🌾

Adding something to the diet for benefits can impact the overall balance of nutrients that your horse is consuming - and you may not realise it's actually causing a deficiency or a toxicity elsewhere because of the other nutrients present within it that you may not know about or have considered.

Great example - Linseed. ☺️

30/09/2025

😍 Trimming my way across beautiful Devon. 🌿🍃🌳

Based in Devon? Then I trim and boot fit in your area.

Feel free to say hello and ask any questions if you spot me in your local pub after my trims! 👋🏼

On Sunday I stopped in The Clovelly Inn for some chow and a chinwag with the staff & locals who were very welcoming.

Loved the decor. 🐎🦊

Top Tip: Scrubbadubdub 🪥🥰
Help exfoliate and stimulate healthy soles by brushing with a stiff wire brush for 2-5 minutes daily. You'll love the difference it makes, and so will your horses. 🐎☺️

27/09/2025

In Equine Podiatry we use a holistic 'whole horse' approach and this is fundamentally why we see improvements with stubborn pathological cases where only focusing on the trim of the hoof has failed the owner. We make further recommendations and work towards whole system support; we get involved with nutritionists, herbalists, physiotherapists, alternative bodyworkers, discuss activity levels, stress factors, living conditions, environmental management and work alongside your veterinary professional to include essential healthcare considerations.

One of the most vital components of an equine podiatrists role is to never stop asking; what? and why?

A lot of these notions are continuing to be debated and explored scientifically, which has its own realm of difficulties that I'm not going to address here. There are horses out there that cannot wait for answers, so we must play private detective, case by case.

Where do we start? One of the prime places is with educating ourselves to see, feel and observe subtle differences in individuals. Knowing the individual horse; the way they stand, move, present physically and behaviourally each day - you as the owner are key in this because nobody spends more time with your horse than you. So, you need to learn your horse and do your best to share what you're observing and thinking, with your equine professional; we are a team in this.

compliment this holistic approach beautifully by introducing a hoof wear pattern schematic diagram to visualise how the hoof shows that the horse may be experiencing difficulties and how one or more variables can cause a cascade of changes and 'blockers' throughout your horse and hinder their health/performance.

The schematic is a great way of tracking your hoof care and seeing what subtle differences can be made holistically, when working with the recommendations and treatments from a broad team of experts and paying attention to everyday care and management; which I always promote.

Some differences will be seen a lot faster than others. Patience and trusting the process is key. There are a multitude of variables, therefore a lot of observations and changes to make.