After Kim mentioned finding a Holistic Vet, I did some Google searches and found Dr. Amy Hayek. I contacted her and she agreed to evaluate Talon.
At the appointment, Dr. Hayek observed Talon from head to tail and tried to explain to me everything she was observing…
I was very surprised when Dr. Hayek’s main observation was an issue with Talon’s hooves; specifically, she said Talon’s heels were too far forward. Talon’s hooves had always looked healthy, he always received regular farrier care, he was never sensitive to hoof testers, no other veterinarian had ever mentioned any issues with his hooves, and his hooves appeared balanced based on the basic knowledge I had about hoof care...what on earth was she talking about?
I could tell Dr. Hayek had to explain this before as she came prepared with props and literature to help me understand. I very much appreciated her taking the time to explain everything thoroughly, and I could start to see what she was talking about once she explained it to me. However, I still could not immediately grasp how exactly his hooves needed to be changed and how this change would solve any of his issues.
Her recommendation was to pull Talon’s shoes and rebalance his hooves. She then explained I would never really see significant improvement until I corrected the hoof issue. She also emphasized that it would take time before I noticed any results from this work; she provided no guarantees or predictions on how much time as there was no way to predict how long Talon’s healing would actually take. I never would have guessed pulling Talon’s shoes and rebalancing his hooves would have been a recommendation based on the history I had provided. At that time, I believed shoes were a necessity for Eventing, so I was not eager to pull them and have Talon be barefoot…
Well…
I felt that way for a moment, but then I remembered I could not Event Talon anyway...Actually, I couldn't even get Talon to trot sometimes, so what could it hurt to try? If it didn’t help I wouldn’t be any worse off than I already was, and there was a possibility it could help as it is something I had never tried. Sometimes hitting rock bottom is a blessing in disguise—it made me open to considering trying things I never would have tried otherwise…
After thinking it over and doing some of my own research, I pulled Talon’s shoes and found a barefoot trimmer that would be in the area a few days later.
Talon saw Dr. Hayek again the following month. At Talon’s second visit with Dr. Hayek, she said his heels were still too far forward. I was thinking, “Great, now I have to find yet another farrier!” Dr. Hayek did mention that she can trim; however, she was upfront that the cost of her to trim a horse was (very) expensive. I appreciated her being upfront and giving me the option to find someone else. After this appointment, I began my search for another farrier.
During my search for farriers, the thought occurred to me, “What if the next farrier doesn’t trim him how she wants either?” With that thought, I decided I would suck it up and pay her to trim him exactly how she wanted. This way I could see if what she was suggesting would result in any change in Talon.
At Talon’s next appointment Dr. Hayek trimmed his hooves. She told me that Talon might be sore, not necessarily from his feet, but from the change in how he has to balance himself and use his body. Dr. Hayek told me that Talon needed as much turnout as possible over the next few days, and that I could cold-hose his muscles and soak his feet.
Talon did move a bit awkwardly after his trim. However, he began looking more and more comfortable with each passing day, and I was starting to notice changes in him…
In general, he just started looking happier and acting more affectionately, which was VERY unusual for him–Talon’s nickname while I was competing with him was, “The Angry Red Pony,” to give you an idea of his typical demeanor— I thought it was funny at the time…sigh :/ (hindsight is always 20/20)
I also noticed changes in his appearance and posture…
The photo of Talon’s hooves and legs shows how Dr. Hayek’s trim affected the alignment/balance of Talon’s entire leg. In the before picture Talon is standing way under with his front legs (legs angled backwards), and in the after picture his legs are nearly vertical (the before picture was taken after I had Talon trimmed by the first barefoot trimmer). In the past, I would just assume standing under is a conformation fault–not something that could be changed; in reality, it was a stance Talon had developed in order to feel balanced and avoid discomfort due to the way his hooves were being trimmed.
The whole body photos show how the change in hoof balance affected his entire posture. Again, notice the change in his stance; he is standing under with front and hind legs in the before picture and almost perfectly vertical in the after picture. Also, notice how it looks like his muscles are bulging/tense in the before picture and smooth/soft in the after picture. The softness of the after pictures shows his muscles are relaxing as he is now more balanced and does not have to use unnecessary muscle tension to hold the unbalanced, compensatory posture he had in the before picture.
I was now realizing Talon’s hooves could very well be a root cause to his issues, and this would explain why no matter how hard I tried to rehabilitate him through groundwork, riding, and bodywork I would never be successful while he was compensating for poorly trimmed hooves.
Having Dr. Hayek continue to trim Talon would not be financially sustainable, so I had to come up with a solution to keep Talon’s hooves balanced. Since I had already struggled to find a farrier to trim him the way she wanted, I thought perhaps I could learn to trim him myself…
I asked Dr. Hayek for recommendations on resources to learn more about hoof care and one name she suggested was Cheryl-Henderson. So, I bought Cheryl’s book and started reading it and everything I could find on hoof care.
I also signed up for one of Cheryl’s Hoof Care Clinics. I was fascinated by learning how all of the different pieces of the hoof capsule grow from the internal structures.
After meeting Cheryl at her clinic and seeing what a wealth of knowledge she had, I wanted to learn even more from her, so I went to her school in Oregon.
There was soooo much more to properly trimming a hoof than I ever realized and so many ways it can go wrong! Even subtle distortions to the hoof capsule can cause progressive damage to the hooves, legs, and body over time.
I still remember how scared I was the first time I trimmed Talon myself, but I’m so glad to have learned this skill and gained this knowledge. I was also very thankful Dr. Hayek was willing to check my work and offer suggestions to me during her visits.
In addition to helping me improve Talon’s hoof care, Dr. Hayek helped me understand how other areas of Talon’s life might be affecting him as well. Her goal as a holistic vet, was to get the WHOLE horse healthy, not just treat symptoms. Holistic treatment plans can include diet, lifestyle, dentistry, hoof care, and equipment comfort–all of the “Core-Care” horses rely on humans to provide. She showed me I had to look at Talon as a whole; which meant I had to be willing to accept that every aspect of Talon’s life was contributing to the symptoms I was noticing...EVERYTHING in his life is interconnected.
In this beginning stage of Talon’s hoof rehab I did not ride him–I wanted to give him time to adjust and heal on his own. I was so hopeful based on the positive changes in Talon’s demeanor this was the missing piece…
Talon's Story Blog Series Navigation
Part VI: Holistic Horsemanship & Hoof Care
Part VII: The Transformation
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