Equine Podiatry Services - Teresa Wilson DEP MEPA

03/09/2026

Such a great post

Slow down and watch.

If I could tell every horse owner one thing, it would be this…

Your horse is communicating with you every single day!

Not just through obvious signs, but in the small moments we might overlook👀

How they stand, how they move across the field, how they respond to touch, or how they carry themselves on an ordinary day.

Every horse has its own personality, preferences and way of responding to the world.

The more we understand them as individuals, the better decisions we can make for their wellbeing.

I think some of the most valuable lessons horses teach us have nothing to do with riding or hoof care, they teach us patience, empathy and the importance of really listening.

I'd love to hear your thoughts, what's one thing horses have taught you?

23/08/2026

Day 2 - David Landreville Clinic 2026. Fantastic couple of days. A big thank you to Amy of Aerion Academy for hosting.

22/08/2026

David Landreville Clinic Day 1 - I learnt to trim to be able to help horses. I’m a great believer of just because we’ve always done it this way doesn’t mean it’s right. David’s trimming is a perfect example of that, he really is another level of trimming.

21/08/2026

Hoof Appreciation Friday

I realised I haven’t posted in awhile and this picture is by no means the finished trim but I had to stop for two mins to take a picture and appreciate a good hoof with lots to like about it. I’ve only trimmed these hooves 3 times and already seeing good changes.

31/07/2026

Love this post

Every horse is different, train your eye to see that and look deeper. Have a ever growing toolbox of methods, ideas, theories that may not make sense when you first see, watch, hear them because one day you may get a light bulb and think - that’s what they were talking about.

We all see things differently and just because we’ve always done it that way doesn’t mean it’s right…..I’m a great believer in watching the horse after and during trimming they will be subtly telling you whether you’re getting it right!

Things get really messy when we trim or shoe to a diagnosis.

And I’m sticking my neck out saying that, but I can’t tell you how many times I’ve met horses that just weren’t doing well, are not sound, are uncomfortable, “but their radiographs showed ABC, so we did XYZ- that’s what they need!”

And then, instead, when we simply give the horse a say, stick them on some Sure Foot pads, ask them what may feel better, walk them around and watch their movement, and do something different, they seem to get better.

Now if you’re thinking you’re going to use this post to prove that your special trim/shoe/whatever-you-do method is “the next best thing” because you’re bucking the system and not doing the traditional approach: I’m talking to you. You’re the one this post is aimed at.

For example, if you think that just because a horse is, oh, say, laminitic or foundered, that you are SUPPOSED TO (insert: lower heels, raise heels, leave toe, bring back toe, shoe, leave them bare, fill-in-the-blank): stop. Take a breath. Turn off autopilot.

Another example: there have been countless navicular cases I’ve seen come up sound and back to work once the caudal hoof was engaged with lower heels.. instead of a more upright angle.

Again- that doesn’t mean every single navicular case needs that.

The second we apply the same thing to the same diagnosis in every case, we stop seeing the horse.

It’s why I so strongly believe we shouldn’t give trim advice from pictures alone (even if we have radiographs, even if we have a “diagnosis”)…

That’s my Friday thought for the day. /rant.

26/07/2026

How are your horses looking at the moment? Cresty and carrying extra weight even though the grass seems to have no goodness in it to look at?

When the grass is in drought mode it is highly stressed. Highly stressed because it’s trying to stay alive.

Prolonged dry spells combined with high temperatures can cause plants to accumulate "stress sugar." When water is scarce, growth slows while photosynthesis continues, leading to the storage of sugars as fructans. Soluble sugar levels can also rise, and sugars are often shifted to the roots for energy reserves. This stress can result in pastures appearing brown and lacking fresh grass, resembling dry hay. While extreme rain also presents challenges, drought-affected pastures can be highly stressed and retain little vitality.

The short stressed grass is no good for horses to be on at the moment. I treat this grass we have at the moment as bad as lush spring grass. My shetland pony’s are off of it completely and my big horses are off as much as possible and getting through as much hay as they were mid winter with good body condition scores.

When the environment is wrong management is key to keeping horses healthy.

Sanoanimal

21/07/2026

01/07/2026

Pleased to announce I now have the floating boot fit kit to add to the ever growing list of fits kits for Hoof Boot fitting appointments.

27/06/2026

Hindgut dysbiosis

Having had a few conversations with equine owners this week it seems that many people do not understand how to know if their horses hindgut is in dysbiosis.

Dysbiosis does not necessarily show in the shape or formation of the dropping but actually is a shift in ph in the hindgut. This shift could be temporary or more chronic or acute depending on the ph value presented and for how long it is presented for.

Long term dysbiosis is unsustainable and could eventually lead to colitis, respiratory issues, colic, grass sensitivity and a number of other metabolic conditions such as insufficient biotransformation in the liver and so the list grows from there……….

Lots of factors contribute to hindgut dysbiosis but main considerations are -

Stress - this could be short term ie travelling, change of yard or long term ie herd dynamics or lack of herd dynamics.

Feed and roughage - this will affect the ph hugely, so again long term or short term. The answers to this are routed in equine physiology the how/where feeds are digested along with how feeds presented/processed are huge. The difference just between feeding a grass nut to a grass chaff even though it’s made from the same grass will have an effect on the ph.

How could that be? The answer lies in Equine Anatomy and Equine Physiology……..so to understand equine nutrition we also need to study equine anatomy and physiology.

All my trimming clients receive this knowledge and more as part of my commitment to improving their horses hoof health.

As most know I’m more than happy to chat hoof health and the links between nutrition and hooves at any boot fit appointment too if the owner would like.

Together we will get horses healthier in these times of epidemic metabolic issues. 🐴 ❤️

Please feel free to share away 😊

Sanoanimal

26/06/2026

Exactly this ❤️

Just the right shade of green for spotting in the undergrowth……but of course your hoof boots are more likely to stay firmly on your horses’s feet when you use a hoof boot fitter.

We check which type of boot is the best match for your horse’s hoof and heel bulb shape.

Avoid scrabbling about in the undergrowth 😁.

Go to ‘find my nearest fitter’ at The Hoof Boot Shop