Category Archives: Natural Hoof Care

NATURAL HOOFCARE HOME STUDY COURSE!

PENZANCE HOME STUDIES w/PERSONAL COACHING!

HOME STUDY COURSE with personal coaching/intruction

If your horse’s hooves don’t look close to what is pictured above then I can almost assuredly say your horse has challenges with his hooves … tender, ouchy on rocks, short strided and more?

Find out how you can FIX these challenges! And, even if YOU don’t want to learn to trim your horses’ hooves yourself you’ll want to learn about the hooves so you can help your farrier or trimmer to get your horse 100% sound on ALL terrain! This is information you’ll not find anywhere else but is an integral part of Whole Health for the Whole Horse — and most importantly, THE HOOVES!


HOME STUDY COURSES



Globally renown PENZANCE NATURAL HOOFCARE – Home Study
10 modules:

Topic 1
The Natural Horse

Topic 2
Anatomy & Physiology of the Equine Digit

Topic 3
Natural Feed & Nutrition for Healthy Horse & Healthy Hooves

Topic 4
PENZANCE – Handling Horses Through Partnership

Topic 5
Pathologies of the Equine Digit Part I

Topic 6
Pathologies of the Equine Digit Pt. II

Topic 7
Alternative and Complimentary Hoof Health

Topic 8
THE TRIM – STEP BY STEP PT. 1

Topic 9
The Trim Step-By-Step Pt. 2

Topic 10 – REVIEW or/FINAL EXAM

JOIN US TODAY!


HOME STUDY COURSES



CYBER MONDAY SPECIAL!

That’s right!  50% OFF regular tuition fees.
THIS WEEK ONLY!

Offer ends Friday Nov. 30th at Midnite.

All courses include personal attention and discussions via email or messaging –  As much as you need.

Each course contains 10 modules and incorporates recordings of LIVE classes to augment visual presentations.

Designed for the older teen and adult who wants to enhance their Equine knowledge or is looking to further their education as a solid base for the career minded.

(The Private Coaching is personally tailored to YOUR challenges with your horse. 4+ hours.)

Globally respected PENZANCE Certificates of Completion are awarded to those who complete all assignments, quizzes and exams successfully.

Just click below to register. Allow 24 – 48 hours for Instructions to be email to you on how to access your course(s).

If you’d like more information, please email to me:  gwen.santagate@gmail.com


Cyber Monday Courses


Thank you for choosing PENZANCE Equine Integrative Solutions for your Equine Studies!

I look forward to working with you.

 

 

TODAY ONLY! 11-23-2018

With a $100 or more donation, choose your HOME STUDY COURSE and learn in the comfort of your own home! Just go here: www.thepenzanchorse.com and make a donation then shoot me a PM to tell me what course you’d like to study. 🙂 Any questions, just holler at me! 🙂

Truth Matters!

The following is a note that I received from a client last night. It just made my heart sing!  THIS is why I do this!  THIS is why I continue to advocate for feeding horses and keeping horses like … well, horses!

Welp. I just got disowned by my first mentor who certified me in trimming. Not for changing the way i trim a bit, but because my horses are out on pasture and I’m feeding them a whole foods diet. In her words, “its irresponsible and she cannot condone such misguided advice for horses, let alone cushings/ir type.”
But i wanted to thank you again, because buck is better than he has ever been and he is so much happier. Fabio is doing great, he can run on gravel even though his hooves are not even close to being good. And my new girl is already debloating and I think her eyes are even less swollen today and its only been three days since i brought her home.
Her and two others like her were saved and are happy and galloping around because of you 🙂 i told my friend we could take a chance on this gelding who was dry lotted, fat, super lame, in shoes and worsening rotation. We took him and turned him out to pasture, did some very specific, barely noticeable trimming and in 6 weeks he was galloping around the pasture. Once that barn learned we fixed him another lady asked us to take her two who had the exact same problems. So we now have three registered rocky mountain horses for free who are sound and no longer in pain. These two we just got we had her farrier not touch since the last trim and they came sound a few weeks ago without her trimming, but they still had them locked up in small dry lots with alfalfa and salt blocks. And both have huge cresty necks, bulging eyes and those weird fat deposits in the shoulders and rump. The first one did too but not as bad and he looks amazing now.
Thanks to you, I now know the truth behind truly healthy, happy horses. It was hard for me to let go and feed Buck all these things that logically seem healthy and good, but had been brainwashed into believing they were culprits… how silly!
Anywho, thank you for being you and for standing up for the truth. –Lacelynn, Peoria, IL
Thank you, Lacelynn, for keeping me posted and stickin’ with the WHOLE HEALTH FOR THE WHOLE HORSE protocol!

WORKSHOPS & CLINICS COMING 2019

I and PENZANCE Partners are now in the planning stages for 2019 Workshops and Clinics.

  • NEUROMUSCULAR DENTISTRY FOR HORSES
  • NATURAL HOOFCARE
  • CONNECTING WITH THE HORSE (PENZANCE PPT)
  • WHOLE HEALTH for the WHOLE HORSE
  • CLICKER TRAINING HORSES

and more … STAY TUNED!

If you would like to be kept informed as to the happenings here on PENZANCE for 2019, please email to:  gwen.santagate@gmail.com and your name and contact information will be recorded for future announcements.

Thank you!

🙂 — We are EXCITED to begin this new journey with PENZANCE Equine Integrative Solutions!

The Quiet Corner

PENZANCE Equine Integrative Solutions is now nestled in the “Quiet Corner” of CT.

A move from Douglas, MA to SW Florida did not pan out the way it was expected. Many factors played into the decision to move back to New England from FL but mostly health reasons for the horses and humans alike.

It was a good move.

PENZANCE now has the room to offer clinics and workshops covering WHOLE HEALTH for the WHOLE HORSE. Equine Natural Nutrition, Natural Balanced Hoofcare, Clicker Training, Faith-based Equine Assisted Personal Development as well as general Equine Connections are all part of what is to come in the spring of 2019. Plans are being put into place to host Guest Experts in the Equine Natural Care, as well. Stay Tuned!

In the meantime, while you are waiting for the exciting new events in 2019, Gwenyth Santagate, founder and owner of PENZANCE Equine Integrative Solutions, offers private and semi-private sessions in all of the above mentioned areas. If you would like to talk with Gwenyth or schedule an introductory appointment (or regular appoinment) please feel free to email to her: gwen.santagate@gmail.com or call her (860) 556-9199.

You are invited to also connect with Gwenyth on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gwenyth.santagate as well as through a number of PENZANCE Equine groups and pages.

Please  — if you have particular workshops or clinics that you would like to see offered here in “The Quiet Corner” of CT, jot them down below in the comments and we’ll see what we can do.

Be blessed.

Thank you!

Just wanted to share this. Received today .. just moments ago. It truly does warm my heart! …

ME: The BEST supplement for hooves is 1. as much movement the horse can get in a 24/7 period of time and 2. RAW FORAGE … supplement 24/7 hay/grazing with fresh veggies, fruits, nuts and seeds. THAT feeds the immune system and will strengthen new hoof growth like you’ve never seen before!

LAURA O: I learned this from you 20 years ago, Gwen and since then I’ve grown a garden just for them every year. Also, as part of the movement plan/rehab, we go for walks or I gather things to feed them. The grass is greener on the other side of the fence and have realized that horses really do love new ground! It’s done wonders for Promenade Walks as well. I’ll start off with coaxing and discomfort and I’ll be thinking enough, maybe we should go back, but then I get 200’ down the road, the ears prick forward, the heel first landings begin and suddenly I’m being dragged forward. With a balanced diet, the trees are no longer getting chewed on any more either. No composting bin needed either. The veggie trimmings that are safe, go straight to the barn. I’ll do a hay test every year, but that’s just a small part of it. What I don’t know, they tell me

BRUISED HOOVES???

Posted on 

I’ve seen alot of inquiries lately from people who are wondering what is that weird red spot on their horse’s sole?  And some showing red on the wall of the hoof.

Well, a red spot USUALLY means the horse has bruised his hoof somehow …

Stepped on a rock or some other hard object causing a bruise on its sole.

A hoof bruise isn’t too much different than you or I bruising.

A bruise can also occur if the horse hits something or something hits the outside wall of the hoof. Or, if there is damage to the laminae at the coronary band causing a bleed of some sort. These kinds of bruises will readily be apparent on white hooves.

So, what IS a bruise?

Basically, a bruise, also called a contusion, forms because the soft tissues of the foot have been damaged. Some hooves bruise easily, whereas others may have tougher soles that are better conditioned than others. When these soft tissues in the hoof are injured, small veins and capillaries (the tiniest blood vessels) break. Blood leaks out of the damaged vessels to form the ‘bruise’.

Sometimes, most times actually, the hoof, the body is able to metabolize the blood cells and no one is the wiser for it.

Other times, however, the bruise will be severe enough that the hoof will form a protective pocket around it and develop an abscess. In the photo above we see an abscess that has vented (finger pointing to vented abscess) as well as a bruise (blue arrow).

An abscess can cause a sound horse to become dreadfully lame overnight – seemingly without cause.  In fact, a horse that does go lame like that overnight is usually suspected of developing an abscess.

Contrary to much thought about horse shoes preventing such injuries, if the shoes do not also have pads to them then a horse can just as easily bruise its hooves when shod as when barefoot. You can see the bruising on either side of the frog in the photo of the shod horse above.

Barefooted horses, that are well conditioned to the environment, will grow thick calluses to protect the soles.  But they can still be injured, somehow, from a strike on the coronary band or hoof wall.

If the bruise is not severe and not causing any lameness then one can pretty much just let the horse go its own way. But, if the bruise is causing some discomfort, it can be indicative of an abscess brewing. The body may reabsorb it in short time or one may have to help the abscess develop fully to vent. Some veterinarians choose to knife out the abscess; I’ve found over the years that abscesses will vent themselves without surgical intervention with homeopathy, some essential oils and soaking – allowing the horse to move around as he or she wishes. Then, once the abscess has burst, appropriate care is given in the way of further soaking, possible poulticing and bandaging with either medication or essential oils and, again, a different homeopathic remedy than used for the un-vented abscess.

We all hate to see our horses in any sort of discomfort or downright pain. We all want to take that pain away. Sometimes that is necessary for treatment and other times its best to let nature take its course.

With barefooted horses, whose hooves are well callused and conditioned, it may take some time for a brewing abscess to fully develop and, as such, may need some intervention. But mainly, for a simple bruised sore or a bruised wall, just allow the horse to be a horse.

Horses and hooves are amazing self-healers. I think sometimes we humans like to micro-manage and cause MORE problems.

Oh, by the way, meant to mention, also … concerning the use of a NSAID for pain? If the horse has an abscess then the pain reliever is just not going to do anything much at all for the horse. The abscess will remain painful until it has burst and released the pressure inside the hoof capsule. It is the pressure that causes the pain.  That is another tell-tale sign that your horse’s bruise is developing into a full abscess.

Again, soaking in some epsom salt water or activated charcoal water will help soften the sole a bit. If the body is not going to reabsorb the bruise and abscess then the softened sole will allow its departure.

Many times, in addition to bruised soles and walls, bruising will become apparent around the white line after a laminitic attack or, even during, an active laminitic situation. This blood is evident in the white line as the bruise will ‘grow down’ with the hoof growth. The horse may never have even exhibited any sort of clinical symptoms, as is the case with the first stage of Laminitis – the Developmental Stage. The old bruise/blood in the white line, coupled with a few rings in the hoof that have ‘grown down’ the wall, tells of a laminitic episode that happened sortly before the observation. In an active phase of laminitis, Stage 2 or Stage 3 (Founder), there will be blood evident in the white line and rings will be still developing at the coronary band. This situation is far more dire than sole bruising or small abscess and MUST be taken care of quickly and correctly.

Bruising and abscessing don’t have to be major events when they are recognized for what they are and are treated appropriately.

If you’re not sure what is causing your horse’s lameness, or you’re not sure if you’re looking at a bruised sole or something else, always consult your veterinarian or hoofcare provider.

ANNOUNCEMENT!  … Join us on our new forum:  http://forum.scootboots.com !!!!  Brand new so let’s JUMP START IT and get it going!  🙂 

 

Gwenyth Browning Jones Santagate is the best-selling author of 10 Secrets to Healthy Hooves as well as a noted author for various international equine publications including The Horses Hoof, Equine Wellness, Natural Horse Planet as well as a contributing author for the 2001 United States Federal Mounted Border Patrol Training Manual. For the last 37+ years, she has maintained healthy hooves with natural trimming on thousands of horses and specialized in pathological rehabilitation hoofcare for the last 20 years. She and her husband John keep a small herd of their own equine in SW Florida and continue to offer consults for horses in need. You can email to Gwen — gwen.santagate@gmail.com or telephone in the US (23)-573-9687. For further information please click here:  www.thepenzancehorse.com/2012/RESUME.pdf

 

LIVE, ONLINE COURSE with Gwenyth Santagate begins Sept. 13, 2017. For more information and to register (limited reserved spots) go here:  http://www.integrativehorsecourses.com/online-classes.html

 

 

NATURAL HOOFCARE!!!

 

A couple more spots left … grab yours before they’re all gone!
Penzance’s NATURAL #HOOFCARE is concerned with all aspects of equine hooves, and is developed for horse owners as well as those who wish to pursue HOOFCARE as a career. Anyone who wants to learn extensive information on the topics of healthy, barefooted horses and their hooves are encouraged to explore this course.

MODULE I: The Lifestyle of the Natural Horse
MODULE 2: Functional Anatomy & Physiology
MODULE 3: Equine Natural Nutrition – Feeding the Hooves
MODULE 4: Handling the Equine Utilizing PPT
MODULE 5: Pathologies Part I
MODULE 6: Pathologies Part II
MODULE 7: Alternative & Complementary Hoof Healthcare
MODULE 8: The Business End of Hoofcare
MODULE 9: The Trim – Step-by-Step Review
MODULE 10: Review and Final Exam

http://www.integrativehorsecourses.com/online-classes.html

For further information or questions please contact me, gwen.santagate@gmail.com

Feel free to share.  Thank you.

Feeding Your Horses Hooves

The natural horse that lives in the wild is a magnificent example of how nature truly takes care of its own. In this post we’re going to examine how the “natural” horse is hard-wired to stay healthy through diet …  Let’s take a close look at what kind of feed and nutrition is exampled by nature for Equus caballus –     Horses are designed to survive on forage.   What is forage? Grasses, seeds, roots, nuts, tree bark, leaves, cacti, flowers, herbs, weeds, and shrubs. Depending on where in t…    READ MORE