Rehabilitation Case study…
Kiri was diagnosed with navicular Syndrome and the instructions from the vet were to have specialised shoeing & trimming using aluminium shoes with a rocker affect. So with this advice I started this very expensive process. Three months later she became lame again so I sourced another opinion from a leg specialised and he advised me the same but didn’t like to label her a typical Navicular case but more of a foot conformation that requires mechanical assistance. So we carried on with adjusting her shoeing, another 10mths later she started to show signs of lameness then again another four months on.
During this time, I have been getting Raymond Eade from Eaden Equine Wellness Centre to trim my other two horses as they are kept barefoot with one having a club foot that has progressed very well with his technique. This prompted me to ask Raymond what his opinion was on Kiri.
Eaden Equine Wellness Centre is a family run business run by Raymond, Rae and their three sons. I found Raymond to have a very professional approach, he asked for any reports or X-ray’s I had in relation to her problem. Raymond emailed me back that night with his thoughts and a plan on what he would like put in place for Kiri. He suggested to take her on at his property that is set up especially for rehabilitation of lame horses for an 8-week period and put her in a lane way that they have designed for the purpose of keeping the horse moving with regular trimming each week.
I went with what I felt right and that was to give it a try with Raymond. When I arrived with Kiri I instantly felt my horse was going to be well cared for. Rae has very calm presence around the horse’s. She spends most of the day moving the horses around for feed time, making sure they are all safe and in their own yards to eat in their own time. Putting on fly vales and checking them over and spends time with to them.
They also have great facilities to use while your horse is in rehab and they are more than accommodating. You can be sure your horse will be well cared for. Raymond & Rae both attend and host lots of clinic’s to better their knowledge. I find they are very pro-active and always learning.
After leaving Eaden Equine Wellness Centre I sent Kiri to a trainer for some tuning up as she had been out of work for four months being lame prior to her 8 week rehabilitation. During the three weeks at the trainer Kiri was ridden four times a week without any sign of soreness other than the odd rock under foot. It’s now been one month since being at Eaden Equine Wellness Centre and Kiri has regular trimming by Raymond with things looking very positive. Kiri is home now and she is looking and feeling great. Raymond is very happy with her progress.
I would highly recommend Eaden Equine Wellness Centre for those unfortunate horses that need help. Please feel free to be in contact with myself or the Centre if you would like to talk about the progress of Kiri.
Ilka Chapman - ilkachapman@gmail.com 11/04/2016
Testimonial
When I purchased my thoroughbred gelding four years ago, I agreed with his previous owner that we would continue on with his existing farrier. He had always been shod, and had very soft hooves. If he threw a shoe his hoof would immediately chip and crack very badly.
Raymond had already been looking after our other pony, barefoot for quite some time. He supported us through an incident of laminitis, and his skill and commitment to our weekly appointments during her recovery has resulted in a healthy 18 year old Welsh Mountain mare, five years on.
Despite my faith in Raymond, I was initially very reluctant to try my thoroughbred barefoot. I felt he was a horse that would not do well without shoes. On each of Raymond's visits to our pony we would discuss options, but I continued with shoes for the first year. Unfortunately my riding time was often limited, as he would lose a shoe within two to three weeks of being shod. Our farrier, often could not get to us immediately and we would have further damage to the hoof whilst waiting. Eventually our farrier needed to refer us on to someone closer, because we needed to be visited so often, and he proved to be very unreliable.
At this time I decided to take the plunge, and put my faith into Raymond's ability. Three years ago we removed his shoes. The first thing I noticed after his first barefoot trim, was the change to the shape his hoof. He was much shorter in the toe. Initially, even riding on our grass arena, we needed to use boots. He was very tender and at first I wondered if we had done the right thing. Raymond had explained to me that the change would require patience. I first realised we were on the right track a few weeks after his first trim when I noticed he had not once stumbled during a ride. When shod he often tripped, for no apparent reason.
So we stuck it out. It's been three years now. He now has healthy looking hooves. They do not crack and chip like they once did. He is definitely still a tender footed horse, but no more so than when he had shoes on and he can now be ridden happily on most terrains. I still use boots for trail riding, a solution that works perfectly for us.
We are very thankful to Raymond, for our two healthy hooved horses!
