Photo courtesy of Dawn Westcott

Well! there we go. The first talk of our Winter Series is done.

A big thank you to all those who turned up on Tuesday evening. I believe we all had a good time. The yurt was a great venue. Nice and cosy. I will bring more wood for the fire next time, although I believe everyone was warm enough.

Some of the feedback I have had was wondering if the talks were just for barefoot horse owners. The answer is NO. The talks are for everyone interested in healthy feet and healthy horses. It was good to have an informal question time at the end, and I encourage everyone to join in.

Really looking forward to the next one. Here is a brief run down of the talk for those of you who were unable to come.

During the talk we looked at why the foot is the shape it is, how it is the product of successful evolution.

We briefly looked at the function of the foot and how all the parts of the foot come together.

We explored the role of 'intelligent tissues' within the foot and how the foot responds to stimulus.

We looked at how the foot dissipates energy and the vital role that soft tissues play in the overall health of the foot.

Source material for those interested in the topics covered are:

Charles Darwin (Darwins finches)

Andrew Van Epps (laminae)

Dr R Bowker (haemodynamics of the equine foot)

Dr D Taylor (role and function of the soft tissues of the foot)

Don't forget the next talk - Balance of the Horse and Hoof - 13th November 2018.