Gill Furman and ‘My Island Rose’ (AKA ‘Turtle’) – East Yorkshire.
Turtle made her race course debut on Friday the 4th March 2011 and it’s really due to your total commitment to horses that she was able to go back into training.
Turtle is a very intelligent horse who is interesting to work with and hard not to like. I will always think of her training me and not the other way round! But she can be difficult at times and although she has no intention of actually kicking you she can be handy with her back legs by applying just enough pressure to get her point across.
So when I asked you to help me with her I would have perfectly understand if you had declined. But I am so glad that you agreed to take us on board.
It wasn’t long before I was to witness your dedication when I contacted you for advice regarding the treatment of foot infections as I suspected that Turtle had an abscess in her hoof.
I didn’t expect you to come out to me but straight away you offered to help which I was very grateful for as my husband was out and I didn’t fancy my chances of getting a poultice on by myself. You explained that the holistic approach is about the body healing itself and our job is to support that healing process. Once you had established that the cause of pain was probably an abscess, you soaked the foot in water and Epsom salts [horse handling skills required here with a young thoroughbred filly] and applied a poultice with a pad underneath her foot to make her more comfortable and to encourage her to move around. You also wanted her to drink as much as possible so she had Epsom salts added to her drinking water and you gave me some homeopathic remedies to administer.
With in 24 hours she was more comfortable and within 48 hours she was sound the abscess having come out through her heel. Of course she could have blown the abscess herself but the point is you helped me when I needed help and you made the horse much more comfortable than she would have been and without putting a great big hole in her foot.
I suspect like a lot of horse owners I assumed that hoof care is about having your horse shod regularly and picking out the hooves once a day but equine podiatry is so much more. When you do an equine podiatry consult you don’t just trim the feet and collect the money and go home. You look at the whole horse’s health in relation to the horse’s feet making notes and taking photographs. As well as trimming the horse’s feet you give advice and home work which is great as I can work towards improvement prior to your next visit.
It’s your constant quest for answers that led you to help us improve Turtle’s health. When we first discussed Turtle she had unidentified right hind lameness and you suggested that we enlist the help of Fiona Varian a structural and movement consultant. It was quite a surprise when you both thought that the lameness might be because she had a metabolic problem and in particular a painful caecum which is located on the right hand side. Turtle had been moving with her right hind stifle turning outwards which had resulted in extra stress on her back hips and so on.
You suggested that we contacted Dr Deborah Carley from Thunderbrook Feeds which we did and under her guidance we gradually introduced Thunderbrook essential base mix and Thunderbrook gut restore and I would be lying if I said we weren’t sceptical but Turtle soon started to improve and we were so impressed that we put all our six horses on Thunderbrook feeds with great results.
Through out the summer and autumn you and Fiona worked on Turtle while we hand walked her daily until she was sound and healthy and able to return to training. Turtle may never win a race but I will always thank her for introducing you to us as all our horses have benefitted. I can honestly say that since meeting you I have felt an inner calm towards my horses and I look forward to your monthly visits knowing that as well as your equine podiatry skills I will be receiving advice from someone I respect and trust.
Beccy you are brilliant.
Thank you from every one.
Gill Furman.
Notes: AEP does not replace veterinary advice and DAEP’s do not diagnose. All owners are advised to contact their vet if they are concerned about their horses welfare. Generally for abscesses, we recommend Hydropathics abscess formulas or hydrate and detoxify (HD). We can also supply Horse Quencher. However in the example above neither were at hand and a small amount of epsom salts were suggested for use to encourage hydration and detoxification. Please consult your DAEP and vet if you are concerned about your horse’s foot health.
For more information about AEP visit The Institute of Applied Equine Podiatry’s website or click here
For AEP services provided by Beccy and Holistic Equine click here
To learn more about Hydropathics click here or for supply in the UK click here