The study of the equine hoof

Today I carried out a simple dye pe*******on experiment on a lower limb specimen.

I first removed approximately one centimetre from the bottom of the foot and then placed the limb into a dye solution. The aim is to see how far the dye penetrates into the various tissues over time.

I was also interested in whether the dye might help differentiate between tissue types and make some of the internal structures easier to identify.

As I was setting it up, I realised it would also be interesting to see just how deeply the dye could move through the foot. In this photograph you can already see that the digital cushion has taken up the dye remarkably well.

This particular foot also has several significant wall cracks, so I am curious to see whether the dye is drawn up through those defects and, if so, how far it travels.

Of course, this is not a living foot. There is no blood supply, no circulation, and no active physiological processes occurring. What I am observing is simply the movement of fluid within a closed tissue compartment.

Whether any of these findings have relevance to the living horse remains to be seen. At this stage, it is purely an exercise in observation and exploration. Sometimes the most interesting discoveries come from following a question and seeing where it leads

Lindsey.

Here is a miniature horse foot. Living semi feral and had no hoof care.

Note redness in the hoof wall

On sagittal section the redness is quite focal in specific places.

I think this reflects laminitic attacks.

18 years old and skinny.

Fetal membranes

This photograph shows part of the fetal membranes from a premature foal. It’s called the amnion. The amnion is the foal’s “water bag.”

The red branching structures are blood vessels that originated from the foal and spread throughout the placenta. These vessels carried blood between the foal and the placenta, allowing the exchange of oxygen, nutrients and waste products during pregnancy.

The membrane shown here is highly vascular, which is why the network of vessels is so clearly visible.

The umbilical cord connected these vessels to the developing foal, forming the lifeline between the fetus and the placenta.

It is remarkable to see just how extensive this vascular network is and how much of the developing foal’s survival depended upon it.

They were highly convoluted. I wonder if that was to allow for growth- to allow them to stretch as the foal grows?

The 2027 registration is open.
Now is your chance to build your dream if you want to become a hood care practitioner.

I recommend.

Over the last few months I have been completely rebuilding the Integrated Equine Podiatry prospectus and in all honesty it has become much more than simply updating a brochure. It has really been an opportunity to stop and properly reflect on what Areion has grown into over the last few years, what we stand for, and the kind of practitioners we are actually trying to develop through this programme.

I have always felt that hoof care education needs to go deeper than simply teaching techniques. Horses do not live in isolation and hoof health does not exist separately from movement, behaviour, physiology, management, environment, nutrition, or the humans responsible for making decisions around them. If we only look at the hoof in front of us without understanding the wider picture, there will always be limitations to the outcomes we can achieve.

The Integrated Equine Podiatry programme was built around that belief. It is designed to develop practitioners who can think critically, assess carefully, communicate well, and work responsibly in real world situations. Yes, students learn trimming skills, but they also learn how to understand the horse standing in front of them and how to make informed decisions within the complexity that real horses inevitably bring.

This is not a quick course and it is not designed to be. It is a 2.5 year professional training programme with a strong emphasis on progressive practical development, whole horse understanding, ethics, communication, and professional responsibility. We are externally accredited by Highfield Qualifications, one of the UK's top awarding bodies.

The new prospectus for the January 2027 intake is now available and I am genuinely proud of how clearly it now reflects the direction and identity of Areion as a training provider.

We intentionally keep intake numbers small in order to protect the quality of practical training and support, so there are a limited number of early enrolment places available.

If you would like to explore the programme further, you can download the prospectus below.

https://areionacademy.systeme.io/iepsp

And my Australian peeps!

Another wonderful opportunity!

No- I’m not in the pay roll.

I have popped a video on my Patreon page looking at different cuts through the red pigment in this hoof wall.

I offer a free 7 day trial to see if my Patreon content suits your needs.

It’s easy to join and easy to cancel.

Binge watch if that works for you.

And if you stay then your support helps me to continue my equine study as my monthly ongoing costs are huge. I need to continue to work my day job as a clinical researcher to help fund my passion.

Patreon membership is the cost of a cup of coffee per month.

Will you buy me a coffee? 🙏🙏.

Details in the comments.

Thank you!!

Lindsey.

UK peeps!

I have known Amy, the owner of this trim school for a while now and have been watching quietly for years.

This school is incredible.

Amy sponsors my equine studies and that does not influence my belief in her.

I do not promote unless I truly agree. Those that know me will vouch for that.

Find out for yourself. Contact her.

Lindsey.

The goldilocks trim, is it out there?

I have been asked a few times recently “What is the Areion Trim”? Truth be told, there isn’t a single Areion Trim. I know from a marketing perspective, that’s probably not great but there are so many trims out there, how can they all possibly be “the one true trim that will save us all”? Ok, I’m being a bit facetious, but many trim “owners” really do insist that their trim is the one and only way to correctly trim a hoof and that anything else is wrong. Unfortunately, much as having an Areion Trim would give me a great marketing platform, I just can’t get behind that idea.

Take a look out there or post a photo of a trimmed hoof for comment and you will get all the following I can almost guarantee: the heels are too long, the heels are too short, the toe is too long, the toe is too short, the bars are too long, you haven’t trimmed the bars enough….. And on and on and on. It actually blows my mind reading all this stuff so if you are an owner trying to evaluate, it’s a bit of a black hole. These are comments from people who have never met the horse, haven't seen it move, haven't looked at it's environment, haven't looked at it's posture.

Here at Areion my interest is in developing strong healthy feet and in teaching students to be able to look at what they are seeing, understand what they are seeing, and implement a plan that fits for that horse, in that environment for that owner.

To begin, I teach a good solid basic trim that respects biomechanics and aims for good balance and alignment of the internal structures. It’s a trim that won’t cause harm, that uses landmarks to apply and still respects the parameters of the individual foot.

Then as the course progresses, and we start teaching students about hoof pathologies, body pathologies, leg and body lamenesses and imbalances, we start to look at other trim techniques that could help. We consider what are the strong structures that we want to preserve, what are the weak structures that we want to protect and develop? What is being over stimulated, what is being under stimulated and what is available to us to help with this. Hoof boots? More movement? Nutrition? Better quality movement? Bodywork? A less stressful environment? Slightly more toe, slightly more heel?

Really importantly, I want people to think how this might feel for the horse, and to watch the horse and their body for feedback.

I want people to think, to create a plan and to evaluate. What do I want to achieve in this trim cycle, in 3 months, in 6 months? What constitutes success and progress? Are we seeing success and progress? If not, what needs to change? This is what continuous improvement is all about.

I also want people to be open minded, to talk to others, to learn from others experiences. To get more tools in the box for when the thing you normally do doesn’t work for that horse. Build a network of other trimmers and yes, farriers too, whether they learned the same as you or not. Knowledge and experience, the wisdom of others, is so valuable if we want to be fully rounded competent professionals.

I’m sorry if that doesn’t tell you what the Areion Trim is, but I hope it tells you how an Areion Trimmer thinks.

Interested in finding out more? Our January 2027 intake prospectus is ready to download here https://areionacademy.systeme.io/iepsp