Hoof & Body Solutions

09/09/2026

I know I’ve had this discussion with so many of my clients/horse friends over the years

I read somewhere recently that the average horse will have seven different homes in its lifetime.

SEVEN.

And that’s the average...

In my job, I meet horses who are four or five years old and have already had an extraordinary number of homes. And more often than not, somewhere in their history, you’ll find the word ‘naughty’.

Naughty to catch. Naughty to hack. Naughty to mount. Naughty to ride. A ‘naughty’ horse.

But are they naughty?

Or have they simply never had long enough to feel safe?

Horses thrive on familiarity and predictability. Familiar horses, people, surroundings and routines.

And when we sell a horse, we know why.

The horse doesn’t.

One minute he’s in his field with Dave, who he’s spent every waking moment attached to for the last two years. Who’s perfected the art of stealing his fly mask.

The next, some woman he’s never met has put him in a box, driven him three counties away and introduced him to Kevin.

Dave has vanished.

Dinner tastes different.

Kevin is a k**b.

And on Tuesday someone gets on him and seems disappointed that he isn’t immediately living up to the glowing description in his advert.

So perhaps he struggles.

Maybe he’s harder to catch. Anxious when left alone. Tense to ride. Doesn’t want to leave the yard.

‘Naughty.’

So he moves again.

New field. New human. New food. New Kevin.

Of course sometimes horses genuinely aren’t right for their homes, and selling can absolutely be the kindest decision. Obvs.

But sometimes perhaps what a horse needs isn’t another home, rider, bit, saddle or training method.

Perhaps he just needs time.

Time to learn that breakfast happens every morning.

That these horses aren’t disappearing.

That this human keeps coming back.

That the rules aren’t going to change tomorrow.

That he’s allowed to unpack his metaphorical little suitcase.

And maybe, before we ask:

‘What’s wrong with this horse?’

we should occasionally ask:

‘How many times has this horse had to start again?’

Thoughts?

08/20/2026

08/20/2026

I had just removed Rosie’s halter after completing her Osteopathic session

08/20/2026

A little friend of mine out doing important work!

Reminder: Back to school is TOMORROW!

SRO Cisneros and Sergeant Nehring joined Oswego Community Unit School District 308 employees today for their Back to School Bash! It was a great opportunity to reconnect with educators and staff we partner with to ensure our schools are a safe place to learn.

And of course we couldn’t pass up the chance to meet Cocoa 🐴 Cocoa is a therapy horse from one of the vendors, Transformative Growth Counseling, and was definitely one of the stars of the event.

We’re excited to welcome everyone back tomorrow and wish all students, teachers, and staff a fantastic school year!

08/11/2026

𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗹𝗶𝗻 𝗟𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗼𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗵𝘆
𝘌𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘳 𝘒𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘯, 𝘝𝘔𝘋

The suffix “-itis” means inflammation. That is not what is going on with insulin.

Johnson, et al., 2004, described changes in the laminae of horses with metabolic syndrome. They were not necessarily obviously sore but the pathology was there nonetheless. These changes consist of cellular proliferation and elongation. This is also seen with toxic and infectious/inflammatory cause of laminitis but is a late change.

At the 2017 NO Laminitis Conference, I spoke extensively on how EMS and endocrinopathic/insulin related laminitis are different. In 2018, Patterson-Kane, et al., echoed those observations in a pivotal paper entitled “Paradigm shifts in understanding equine laminitis”.

In short, endocrinopathic laminitis, such as that induced by an infusion of insulin, does not show the white blood cell infiltration or enzymatic basement membrane damage that characterize other forms of laminitis.

One thing we know is going on is insulin resistance resulting in endothelin-1 excess and vasoconstriction in the feet. (Gauff, et al., 2013) After years of research proposing then discounting the potential role of IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor-1), the latest study (Nanayakkara, et al., 2019) suggests insulin stimulating IGF-1 receptors may indeed play a role in causing the cellular elongation and proliferation.

If there is actual physical damage to the hoof, e.g., tearing of weak laminae and rotation, there will be a natural inflammatory reaction to clean up the damage but otherwise laminitis is not what is going on here, and not the initiating event, so laminopathy makes more sense.

Johnson PJ, Messer NT, Slight SH, Wiedmeyer C, Buff P, Ganjam VK. Endocrinopathic laminitis in the horse. Clinical Techniques in Equine Practice. 3(1):45-56, 2004.

Equine Cushing’s and Insulin Resistance Group Inc. NO Laminitis!
Conference Proceedings 2017 https://ecirhorse.org/proceedings-2017.php

Patterson-Kane JC Karikoski NP, McGowan CM. Paradigm shifts in understanding equine laminitis. Vet J 2018 Jan:231:33-40. doi: 10.1016/j.tvjl.2017.11.011. Epub 201 Nov 22.

Gauff F, Patan-Zugaj B, Licka TF. Hyperinsulinaemia increases vascular resistance and endothelin-1 expression in the equine digit. Equine Vet J, 2013 Sep;45(5):613-8. doi: 10.1111/evj.12040. Epub 2013 Mar 12.

Nanayakkara SN, Rahnam S, Harris PA, Anderson ST, de Laat MA, Bailey S, Sillence MN. Characterization of insulin and IGF-1 receptor binding in equine liver and lamellar tissue: implications for endocrinopathic laminitis. Domest Anim Endocrinol, 2019 Jan:66:21-26. doi: 10.1016/j.domaniend.2018.05.008. Epub 2018 Jun 7.

𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘌𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘊𝘶𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨'𝘴 𝘋𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘭𝘪𝘯 𝘙𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦. 𝘩𝘵𝘵𝘱𝘴://𝘸𝘸𝘸.𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘳𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦.𝘰𝘳𝘨/𝘩𝘰𝘸-𝘵𝘰-𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱-𝘌𝘊𝘐𝘙.𝘱𝘩𝘱

08/07/2026

Today’s apprentice

08/07/2026

I am genuinely horrified that “too much turnout” is being framed as a silent welfare epidemic.

I honestly wasn’t sure this was a legitimate argument until I saw the original post, and then saw people supporting it.

The argument appears to be that horses are spending so much time outside that movement, weather, herd dynamics and life outdoors are physically and mentally exhausting them, leaving “no gas in the tank” for training.

But almost none of the problems being described are caused by too much turnout.

A horse who cannot safely lie down because of herd dynamics needs a safer social environment and appropriate resting options.

A horse who is cold, wet or insect-stressed needs shelter and protection.

A horse who is losing condition or lacks energy needs their health, nutrition, workload and environment assessed.

A horse whose feet are sore from the terrain needs appropriate hoof care, protection or footing.

These are failures in the quality and suitability of the turnout environment. They are not evidence that horses are being allowed to live too much like horses.

And yes, some horses may benefit from a few hours in a comfortable stall.

That is individualized management. It is not a “silent epidemic” of excessive turnout.

What concerns me most is the suggestion that horses are using up too much energy moving, grazing and interacting with other horses, leaving insufficient energy for us to train them.

Those things are not “a job” horses perform before their real work begins.

That is their LIFE.

Our responsibility is to meet their physical, behavioural and social needs, not remove those parts of their lives because they interfere with the work we want.

If a horse is exhausted, unwilling to move forward or collapsing in training, investigate pain, illness, sleep, nutrition, stress, fitness, hoof discomfort and workload.

Do not shrink their life until they have enough energy left to perform for you.

Horses are meant to be horses. If you need something with more gas in the tank, get an ATV or a motorcycle.