Hoof Care Provider/ Farrier Services

Should horses have duck feet?

Denys Antonenko • Nov 21, 2022

This is a subtitle for your newOne Minute Discussions #13


Discussing Natural Hoof & Horse Care


SHOULD HORSES HAVE DUCK FEET?


Silly question? Not at all! It’s unbelievable how many “duck feet I come across on horses. They look so similar! Check out the photos!


But seriously, why is this “pandemic” of duck feet so popular in the horse world?


Its a combination of different factors… 1)diet 2)trimming 3)movement. 


1)When the horse is eating a high sugars/starch diet the internal structures suffer from inflammation and they can deform. Since the hoof is such a flexible structure it can deform into a ducks foot.


2)If the foot isn’t trimmed properly by a professional then we start to notice horrible changes to the feet. We’ll start noticing flares, bad white line connection, cracks, thin soles, trushy frogs and weak caudal structures. 


3)No movement = No horse. That’s the saddest part of this “pandemic”. Horses are getting locked up in stalls and don’t have the movement they should have. While standing in mud and fecal matter they develop bacterial infections. 


As you see, quite a lot to think about. Believe me, 99% of the time all these hoof problems are man made. When we correct them we start seeing changes. 


So next time you come out to see your horse take a look at their feet… who knows, perhaps you have a duck in disguise!😆


Denys A. ï»¿

How to build a dry lot

By Denys Antonenko • 23 Apr, 2024
Click on the button below to download the free PDF step by step guide to building a dry lot or scroll to look at the guide below!

Leave or remove the lamellar wedge?

By Denys Antonenko • 21 Apr, 2023
One Minute Discussions #66 Discussing Natural Hoof & Horse Care LEAVE OR REMOVE THE LAMELLAR WEDGE? The lamellar wedge is the adaptation of the hoof to internal problems. And although it’s a sign of inflammation, it may still serve a purpose during rehab. It’s still responsible for “glueing together” the wall and sole, but that “glue” is not as strong as it’s supposed to be. So how do we address it in the trim. Everything depends on the horses comfort level and the condition of the lamellar wedge. It won’t be a wise decision to totally remove the lamellar wedge if it is soggy, weak and not fully keratinized. But in a lot of cases it is safe to remove most, if not all of it, if the lamellar wedge is keratinized, dry and sturdy (especially if we’re putting the horse in therapy boots). In some cases it is a good idea to trim the bottom, flared growth evenly with the well connected top growth in order to reduce leverage on the lamina as much as we can. Denys Antonenko

What causes lamina separation?

By Denys Antonenko • 21 Apr, 2023
One Minute Discussions #65 Discussing Natural Hoof & Horse Care WHAT CAUSES LAMINA SEPARATION Yesterday on my group I posted a question… what causes lamina separation? And although we’re used to hearing the most common things that separate the lamina, such as poor diet, metabolic problems, excessive toe leverage, etc, we don’t often hear about the less common things that can lead to a path of lamina failure without us noticing it. You’ve heard me say it many times before that lamina failure is not a result of just one thing. There’s always multiple factors contributing to the problem. As an example, bacterial and fungal infections weaken the foot, and that can result in lamina separation. Mental and physical stress can increase hormone levels which may result in poor hoof health. Many different problems happening elsewhere in the horses body (skin issues, allergies, dental problems) can be a factor that leads to a weak lamina. Denys Antonenko
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