Fox Hollow Farm

05/16/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1TbkFdGRaA/

05/11/2026

Back from the horse show at Brave Horse Dawson couldn't believe his good fortune. A new friend (Jake) and just across the fence two beautiful ladies (Pearl and Touche)!

05/10/2026

Happy Mother's Day!

05/07/2026

THE CHEMISTRY OF NOT OVERDOING IT

THE HOOF WALL HAS A SECRET

It doesn't need what's being sold to it.

The outer layer of healthy hoof horn acts as a permeability barrier. Work by Susan Kempson at the University of Edinburgh showed that intact hoof wall significantly limits the pe*******on of water-soluble substances, even under prolonged exposure. The hoof regulates its moisture internally, via blood supply to the corium beneath it — not through what's applied to its surface.

That principle is widely accepted. And it sits in direct contradiction to most of what's written on most hoof product labels.

WHAT THE PRODUCTS ARE ACTUALLY DOING

Oil-based products sit on the surface and repel water. They're not moisturising the horn — they're coating it. Lanolin-based products behave similarly, while glycerin-based formulations act differently again, drawing moisture rather than supplying it.

Some formulations include solvents or alcohols that can be drying in effect, despite being marketed as conditioners.

Some cause active damage. Formalin, harsh solvents, and certain tar-based products can compromise the outer horn layer — the permeability barrier itself. Once that barrier is disrupted, moisture moves in and out of the wall more freely than it should. The product has undermined the mechanism it claimed to support.

Poor quality horn — cracked, compromised, structurally disrupted — is already more permeable. In Kempson's research, damaged wall allowed moisture to pe*****te far more readily than intact horn. The horses most likely to have products applied are often the ones least likely to benefit from them — and most at risk from the wrong ones.

THE PARTS OF THE FOOT WORTH THINKING ABOUT DIFFERENTLY

The sole is more permeable than the wall. It responds to environmental moisture in ways that directly affect sensitivity and bruising risk.

The periople — the thin waxy layer at the coronary band, bridging skin and horn — behaves differently again. Under repeated wet-dry cycling it can become compromised. Supporting the skin and periople with a simple water-based emollient is a more defensible approach than oiling the wall. Different target, different rationale.

Genuine Stockholm tar — pine tar produced by slow distillation, not coal tar substitutes — is one of the few traditional products where chemistry and use align. Its phenol and terpene compounds have antimicrobial properties. Applied to the sole and frog in persistently wet conditions, it can help reduce microbial pressure on vulnerable tissues. That's not conditioning horn — it's a different mechanism with a different purpose.

WHAT HORN QUALITY ACTUALLY DEPENDS ON

Nutrition. Horn quality reflects diet. Copper and zinc are often more relevant than biotin in practice, and quality protein provides the building blocks for keratin. Topical products don't replace them.

Management. Repeated wet-dry cycling creates mechanical stress within the horn matrix. Reducing that through drainage, dry standing areas, and turnout management directly improves horn integrity.

Movement. Consistent movement supports blood flow to the corium, natural sole exfoliation, and appropriate loading of the hoof capsule.

Trim cycle. Imbalance and excess wall length create mechanical forces no topical product can correct.

The hoof wall is not waiting to be conditioned from the outside. It is already doing that work from within. The label is not the biology.

05/07/2026

Food for thought

THE CHEMISTRY OF NOT OVERDOING IT

THE HOOF WALL HAS A SECRET

It doesn't need what's being sold to it.

The outer layer of healthy hoof horn acts as a permeability barrier. Work by Susan Kempson at the University of Edinburgh showed that intact hoof wall significantly limits the pe*******on of water-soluble substances, even under prolonged exposure. The hoof regulates its moisture internally, via blood supply to the corium beneath it — not through what's applied to its surface.

That principle is widely accepted. And it sits in direct contradiction to most of what's written on most hoof product labels.

WHAT THE PRODUCTS ARE ACTUALLY DOING

Oil-based products sit on the surface and repel water. They're not moisturising the horn — they're coating it. Lanolin-based products behave similarly, while glycerin-based formulations act differently again, drawing moisture rather than supplying it.

Some formulations include solvents or alcohols that can be drying in effect, despite being marketed as conditioners.

Some cause active damage. Formalin, harsh solvents, and certain tar-based products can compromise the outer horn layer — the permeability barrier itself. Once that barrier is disrupted, moisture moves in and out of the wall more freely than it should. The product has undermined the mechanism it claimed to support.

Poor quality horn — cracked, compromised, structurally disrupted — is already more permeable. In Kempson's research, damaged wall allowed moisture to pe*****te far more readily than intact horn. The horses most likely to have products applied are often the ones least likely to benefit from them — and most at risk from the wrong ones.

THE PARTS OF THE FOOT WORTH THINKING ABOUT DIFFERENTLY

The sole is more permeable than the wall. It responds to environmental moisture in ways that directly affect sensitivity and bruising risk.

The periople — the thin waxy layer at the coronary band, bridging skin and horn — behaves differently again. Under repeated wet-dry cycling it can become compromised. Supporting the skin and periople with a simple water-based emollient is a more defensible approach than oiling the wall. Different target, different rationale.

Genuine Stockholm tar — pine tar produced by slow distillation, not coal tar substitutes — is one of the few traditional products where chemistry and use align. Its phenol and terpene compounds have antimicrobial properties. Applied to the sole and frog in persistently wet conditions, it can help reduce microbial pressure on vulnerable tissues. That's not conditioning horn — it's a different mechanism with a different purpose.

WHAT HORN QUALITY ACTUALLY DEPENDS ON

Nutrition. Horn quality reflects diet. Copper and zinc are often more relevant than biotin in practice, and quality protein provides the building blocks for keratin. Topical products don't replace them.

Management. Repeated wet-dry cycling creates mechanical stress within the horn matrix. Reducing that through drainage, dry standing areas, and turnout management directly improves horn integrity.

Movement. Consistent movement supports blood flow to the corium, natural sole exfoliation, and appropriate loading of the hoof capsule.

Trim cycle. Imbalance and excess wall length create mechanical forces no topical product can correct.

The hoof wall is not waiting to be conditioned from the outside. It is already doing that work from within. The label is not the biology.

05/03/2026

04/23/2026

Barn Swallows are back! Eating hundreds of bugs daily they are welcome at Fox Hollow Farm. Help yourself guys.

04/17/2026

Well said. Good boarders are a blessing. And we've been fortunate over the years to have great people here at Fox Hollow. So thank you...and keep up the good work!

Now that I finally own my own barn after years of boarding, there’s SO much I didn’t realize as a boarder that I TOTALLY get now, Jamie Sindell writes.

Dear Barn Owners of My Past:

I would sincerely like to apologize for believing it was appropriate to grab hay whenever I wanted. I had to stuff Precious Pony’s face full. Heaven forbid she stands for an hour deprived of hay. What I didn’t realize is that Precious wasn’t wasting away. Hay is freaking expensive. Every. Single. Flake. Is money.

It was obnoxious to snag hay. If I believed you were truly starving Precious, I owed you a conversation. Sorry!

I also extend an apology for not thanking you regularly. I now comprehend what it takes to haul my butt out of my cozy bed on a frigid morning. I feel the pain of wrestling a frozen hose and slinging manure pucks into the wheelbarrow. I would absolutely prefer to skip chores and arrive in my heated vest to ride Precious Pony. You never had the choice to ditch the horses and sip a latte by the fire. Instead, you were out there caring for the herd.

In the summer, scorching fly-filled days when sweat soaked every fiber of your clothes, you ensured the horses stayed comfortable and healthy. I’m genuinely sorry I didn’t express my gratitude enough or bring you a Strawberry Acai on the regular. What I understand now is that one thank you or kind gesture makes a stressful barn day less painful.

I would be remiss if I didn’t say MY BAD for believing everything in the barn should look like an Instagram reel. Days the stalls weren’t done ASAP, water was lowish, or the ring wasn’t dragged with a pretty pattern…. Well, now I recognize crap happens! You have a life beyond Precious Pony, and gasp, maybe even a family to care for too!

Things come up. I’ve had sick kids upchucking into bowls, a spouse stuck at the airport, and busted-frozen pipes cramping my watering style. Crazy days make it extra hard to get everything looking just so. If the horses are regularly getting good care, blips aren’t a crisis. Precious Pony will survive to trot another day!

Turnout! Ugh. I was a brat. When I believed Precious Pony MUST go out to frolic, but the fields were a mucky mess, that wasn’t my call at your barn. In fact, Precious Pony would not only destroy your sopping fields, but she might pull shoes or come in limping.

Currently, my fields are moats. Every time the horses gallop through the mud, I cringe. Turnout all the time isn’t always feasible or a solution.

I am also sorry if I didn’t respect your barn rules. Your barn is your pride and joy (when you can muster up joy after caring for Precious Ponies all day). I know I now savor my crossties clipped, halters hung on a bias, and aisle neatly swept. At the end of a longggg day, these details matter. Forgive me for the days I left my brushes strewn about or my muddy blanket heaped in a mountain on the floor.

Finally, my biggest regret… I wish I lent you a hand more often. On days you were overwhelmed and rushed, I wish I hadn’t zipped out of the barn. An extra set of hands for turnout or holding Precious Pony for the farrier goes a long way. Presently, those extra free minutes mean I can grab my daughter from preschool on time instead of dashing in late, a hay-covered-mom-failure.

Let’s face it. Most people don’t board because it’s a cash cow. They do it because they love horses, even if down the line they become a little jaded. If I disagreed with some of YOUR decisions at YOUR barn, I hope I was respectful and kind. If I wasn’t, shame on me. No matter how strongly I felt about Precious Pony’s care, hushed whispers among disgruntled boarders wasn’t the way to go.

Now, when I take on a boarder at my farm, it is my choice. Though I will tolerate the owner and love Precious Pony like my own, at the end of the day, I own this joint. I want respect. You deserved the same.

Sincerely,

Jamie Sindell (Exhausted Owner of Wish List Farm est. 2022)

📎 Save and share this article at https://www.theplaidhorse.com/2024/04/17/dear-barn-owners-of-my-past/

04/07/2026

https://vetmed.illinois.edu/pet-health-columns/spring-pasture-induced-colic-in-horses/?fbclid=IwVERTSARB40hleHRuA2FlbQIxMABzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAwzNTA2ODU1MzE3MjgAAR5c1Nt0bnxp79A0qFYVuO-USurnEbrDpoH9JY3-YZxxGyuCwcfOuiL4XyILoQ_aem_dWBw3DU4wn9Rbfg7ADxYxQ

Horse owners should watch for signs of colic and take steps to prevent colic brought on by high-carb spring pastures.

04/05/2026

Happy Easter!