Bluebonnet Equine Services

10/09/2026

Research spreads hope for new osteoarthritis treatment in humans and animals. Read more below

07/09/2026

05/08/2026

🧊🧊🐎HOW TO COOL HOT HORSES IN PICTURES 🐎🧊🧊

As there still seems to be confusion on cooling 🔥HOT HORSES🔥I've produced a simple (I hope!) series of images. Please ↪️SHARE↪️this to people, pages or organisations that need it!

These should be self-explanatory. The only possible additional explanations needed are:

🫁MONITOR BREATHING - Your horse’s respiratory rate and depth are the best indicators of how hot they are both at rest AND after exercise. But they are slightly different. A hot horse at rest with have an INCREASED RESPIRATORY RATE - PANTING!

🫁A horse that is very hot after exercise will be BLOWING (DEEP BREATHS, FLARED NOSTRILS). This is often mistaken for trying to get more oxygen in, but it’s actually driven by body temperature.

🫁As you cool a horse its breathing will recover. At rest = slowing of respiratory rate. After exercise blowing reduces BUT may turn to panting before respiratory rate decreases.

🔥For very hot horses in hot weather you may need to cool them aggressively/continuously for 15-20 minutes!

FREE RESOUCES ON HEAT & COOLING........ https://askanimalweb.com/tag/cooling/

↪️↪️↪️PLEASE SHARE↪️↪️↪️

16/06/2026

09/06/2026

04/06/2026

It’s interesting how quickly a conversation about what is possible for horses becomes a defence of what is currently normal.

Bridleless riding is not “taking talent away” from riders competing in tack. That’s not the point, and it never was. Skill, dedication and results exist across the sport, that’s a given, but acknowledging that doesn’t mean we should stop questioning how those results are achieved, or whether there might be a better way.

Saying that, whilst “different horses having different learning abilities” is true, it’s also often used as a convenient full stop rather than the beginning of a deeper question. Why do some horses appear “hardier”? Is it purely innate ability, or could training methods, management, pressure, discomfort, or misunderstanding play a role in that description?

What the bridleless competition showed, very clearly, is that when horses are given the opportunity to move without restriction, to respond without force, and to be genuinely listened to, a level of harmony emerges that simply cannot be manufactured through equipment.

That doesn’t mean every horse must go bridleless. It doesn’t mean tack has no place. But it does challenge the idea that restriction is necessary for performance, and that’s where the discomfort seems to lie for some.

Because if a horse can perform willingly, calmly and consistently without it… then we are forced to ask some uncomfortable questions about why so many cannot.

This isn’t about diminishing anyone. It’s about raising the standard of what we consider acceptable, and recognising that welfare and performance are not mutually exclusive, even if that challenges what is currently completely normalised.

If anything, the riders in that arena didn’t take anything away from others. They simply showed what’s possible when nothing is there to hide behind...
..and that’s worth paying attention to.

13/05/2026

If Equestrian competition was outlawed tomorrow, would it change your desire to continue to have horses?

Why or why not?

I understand that this is a tough question to sit with and that it might trigger anger in some.

But, I think it is an important one.

Because, ultimately, in the journey of advocating for better welfare for horses, we need to unpack what is driving our desire to take care of them.

Competition does not have to be an inherently bad thing.

But, it can become a problem if it is the sole drive behind people’s choice to have horses.

If we no longer want to take care of them, when they cannot be vehicles for competing, that does say something about the industry, and it casts a reflection that is problematic.

We need to love the horse first and the port second.

So, if Equestrian competition ceased to exist, what would you be doing?

Would you still have horses?

22/03/2026

What creates the matrix – hoof geometry and limb conformation relationship

Hoof geometry – limb conformation relationship goes both ways... but it is not symmetrical.

Hoof geometry can influence DDFT tension and fetlock position to some degree (the second one being very individual and quite unpredictable).

On the other hand, from what I’ve observed, it is the baseline DDFT tension and the individual fetlock biomechanics that shape the long-term morphology of the hoof. This baseline is the result of the entire limb configuration (conformation + posture + body mass + movement patterns + use).

Fetlock position depends on multiple factors (suspensory ligament, SDFT, and to a lesser extent DDFT and more) – and in turn influences the tension in both tendons.

What we are dealing with is not a simple cause-and-effect, but a complex system.

Trimming and shoeing change hoof geometry directly and can influence that system. However, angles and alignment at one moment are not the same as morphology.

Two hooves can show identical angles right after trimming, yet have completely different load distribution and internal relationships.
Alignment may look similar - but each hoof will continue to grow in its own direction.

There are feet that stay stable for weeks or months with almost no intervention.
There are those that rapidly grow the toe, chronically crush the heels and overload the frog.
And those that grow excessive heel, compress the toe and tend to flare.

Some improve quickly after correction and stay that way. Others remain persistently painful in the heels, under the navicular region or at the sole. All of them may have been trimmed to exactly the same angles.

This is where the asymmetry of the hoof geometry - limb biomechanics relationship becomes critical.
Changing geometry can influence the system - but the system responds differently depending on its setup and limits.

Lowering the palmar angle and lengthening the toe does increase DDFT tension - but increasing tension in a low-angle foot (one with insufficient baseline DDFT tension) will not create a club foot (which comes from excessive baseline DDFT tension).

Baseline tension is one of the factors that defines the range we can actually work within and the natural tendencies of that specific hoof.

Can we help distorted feet? In most cases – yes, sometimes a lot.
Should we correct them? Absolutely – but while respecting the limits of the tissues.
Are we able to create ideal morphology on every hoof? Unlikely.

We need to find the best possible form for each foot, define the best trimming cycle and optional shoeing solutions.

A corrected, fully functional foot may still have a bit of underrun heels. It may still be a bit elongated or steep in PA if the DDFT doesn’t allow it to go lower. Some bowing in the coronary band may persist. The HPA may not be fully alignable.

When we leave different feet unattended, they distort in many possible ways depending on the factors above. This is exactly what the 3×3 matrix illustrates – different distortion tendencies depending on limb biomechanics, showing where the hoof is being shaped from internally.

The colours represent different DCA tendencies: yellow - normal range, red - narrow, blue - wide.

P.S. Funny how someone in the comments called limb and body conformation ‘external’ factors in reference to hoof morphology. A little reminder – the hoof is part of the horse, that's the point.

Link to Part 5 of the DCA series that elaborates on the above mentioned aspects in the comment.