Thursday 11 June 2015

Max's first 3 weeks

Max has been here just over 3 weeks and its time for an update. I have video footage to upload as well but that will have to wait till later - I will add it here once its available. 
Max arrived in remedial shoes but the overall impression he gave was of not being very balanced.  He is still at a relatively early stage of rehab and is definitely still finding his feet, quite literally, but there are some signs that we are heading in the right direction - for instance, the fact that he can now stand more squarely is encouraging. 
There are also some good changes in his palmar hoof - an improving digital cushion as the hairline is no longer collapsing towards his heels and a frog which is receiving stimulus. 

You can also spot the bulkier digital cushion from lateral shots. At the moment his heel is still under-run but that should change as his new hoof capsule grows down. 

 Sole shots from his arrival (above) and next day (below) show a reasonable frog on this foot.
His heels are still weak today (below) but he is able to land heel first which is essential at this stage and will allow him to develop a stronger hoof. 

The RF is his weaker foot and as you can see its at least partly because of the central sulcus split which was evident in shoes as well. You can still clearly see it today and its something which will prove stubborn to get rid of. There is some improvement in the digital cushion but the split has meant slower progress than on the LF.

Nevertheless, as with the LF, a better profile to the palmar hoof. 


The frog on this foot is also likely to shed the top layer fairly soon. A better landing is the best way to encourage healthier growth and so continued work on surfaces which he is comfortable on will be Max's to-do list for the next few weeks. 
For completeness here is his footage comparing landings on day one and after 3 weeks.
Max from Nic Barker on Vimeo.

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