Whole Horse Protocol facilities - providing everything under one roof to resolve hoof and lameness issues in your horse

FACILITIES

The home of the Whole Horse Protocol and as such the only professional practitioners in Andalucia. Rejuvenating horses with chronic or acute lameness, laminitis, founder or navicular by returning their hooves back to the physiologically correct form, designed by nature. Healing begins immediately the horse receives it´s first trim and continues aided by correct feeding and exercise on our custom pea-gravel walkway and course grained sand round pen to bring their hooves to rock-crushing health.

As barefoot health implies, we practice the Whole Horse Protocol and therefore also offer the services of a qualified equine massage therapist, chiropractor, dietary and exercise advise, along with the services of our professional equine podologist. The majority of horses suffering hoof problems also suffer tension, muscle-misalignment and general soreness. All these things can be addressed and resolved at our clinic.

Programs are custom designed for the needs of the individual horse.

We have a large specially prepared recuperation stall for horses so affected by laminitis or founder that they need to spend more time than usual laid down and subsequently provide around the clock care for these clinical cases.

A pea-gravel track, the optimum surface for the rehabilitation of hooves, provides controlled walking for horses in the immediate stages of transition and those afflicted with particularly painful pathologies. Our 16m diameter walker also benefit from the same surface, stimulating blood flow and new cell growth, whilst being so wide, and open a horse does not walk shoulder-in, or suffer any kind of claustrophobia. Turnout is provided in very large paddocks with natural and man-made shelters, fresh constant water and, of course, ad-lib hay.

In 1984 the Veterinary Medical Faculty of the University of Zurich conducted research with the Swiss Cavalry into the effect of shoeing. Studies showed that the impact force a shod hoof receives on hard ground is 10 to 33 times that of an unshod hoof. The vibration in the hoof from the shoe is approximately 800 hz. This level of vibration is enough to destroy living tissue.

Upon arrival - contracted, almost sheered heels

From contracted & necrotic to wide, load-baring healthy function in 4 months

Just 4 months later - Sound, solid, functioning

Pea gravel walkway to stimulate healthy growth

This is hoof porn

A true BFB - Bare Foot Beauty

Hoof porn - a truly healthy hoof

Pea gravel base to assist in transition

CLINICAL TRANSITION - is offered for clients whose horses are suffering hoof debilitation like laminitis, navicular, quarter cracks etc and for those who are unable to assist in the rehabilitation of their horse. This service provides all necessary treatments (hoof and body work) as and when required, quality forage feed (fibre) available around the clock, quality hard feed to administer natural supplements when necessary for the promotion of healthy hooves, daily exercise (according to the stages of transition), livery in a rubber matted stall with micro-spray cooling system, automatic water and daily cleaning, assessment by a qualified equine massage therapist and complete overview of the whole horse, as is our protocol. Radiographs and other veterinary medication or assessments are not included, but we work with 3 vets that specialise in various areas of equine health so there is usually nothing we can´t organise on behalf of the client, and always assure that your horse is receiving the correct and best possible care.

Sending your horse to us here, in southern Spain, is the ideal environment to aid a speedy recovery, with so many warm dry days as opposed to the often constant damp of countries like the UK or Ireland.

Your horse is treated as one of our own and a full report of progress is maintained throughout their stay. Each as individual as the next we have no fixed routine. As previously mentioned, programs of rehabilitation are designed around the specific requirements of each horse, both physically and mentally.