The Horse's Sole

07/10/2025

07/10/2025

07/10/2025

06/25/2021

Sometimes, I'll work on a horse, and just by how their feet grow I can tell something is off internally or metabolically. When the hoof quality feels different under my rasp, or the angles suggest laminae weakness and alignment changes inside, I often ask the owners a few other questions to see what might be going on.

Is the horse ever footsore on various surfaces?
Has the horse been losing topline, or is he/she labeled as a "hard keeper"?
Does the horse seem to drink or p*e excessively?
Is the horse slow to heal from injury?
Has the horse had any behavioral changes recently?

Now, I am NOT a vet, but the answers to these questions can be clues to what's going on. If even just one of these sounds overly familiar, I usually suggest the owner speak with their veterinarians about testing for PPID (also called Cushing's).

Most people think of PPID by picturing a horse with a long coat that doesn't shed normally in the spring. The problem with this association is that coat changes are usually the last thing to occur in the more advanced stages of the metabolic problem. That means the horse can be silently suffering for years without a diagnosis, just because the coat has remained normal.

Dr. Andrew Van Eps at New Bolton, one of the leading experts on laminitis and metabolic related issues in the horse, recommends that every horse is tested yearly for PPID with the TRH stim test, a more sensitive diagnostic test, starting at age 10. Yes, you read that right, age 10! Catching the issue early can prevent some of the more advanced symptoms and can help get the hormones under control with treatment before they can wreak havoc.

And as a hoofcare pro, I like when PPID is under control, because it significantly reduces the risk of metabolic related laminitis. I like anything that can keep those feet healthy and the horse happy!

(Pictured is a comfy elderly pony with a PPID diagnosis whose owners have been great!)

03/12/2021

03/12/2021

03/12/2021

Dissections showing underlying bone loss can help hoof care professionals know how to manage different types of hoof capsule damage.

03/12/2021

Dissections show that a well-developed caudal foot maintains it shape and does its job protecting the hoof and joints from concussion.

02/11/2021

How many boxes do you check off?

While saddle fitting is no joke, it sometimes helps to add a little lightheartedness to the convo to help get certain points across.

People can be defensive, especially when faced with the reality that they're hurting their horse. Our job and goal is never to make them feel awful, but to help them, make them feel like there is a light at the end of the tunnel.