Achaina
​Holistic Equine Services
​Kathy Ladendecker

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Thanks to Pete Ramey for allowing me to study his many cadaver specimens at his clinic in Ledyard, CT, hosted by PHCP. ​

Bisection of a feral horse hoof - perfection!

Bisection of a foundered hoof with coffin bone penetration through the sole

​This two-day clinic provided lectures and live trimming with one of the top hoof rehabilitation specialists worldwide.

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Geri White's two-day clinic at Hoofbeats Holistic in Sharon Springs, NY provided valuable hands-on training including cadaver dissections and live horse trimming.

The epidermal laminae on the interior of the hoof wall (top), the interior side of the frog, sole, and bars (left), and the corium that lies beneath the sole and frog, covering the coffin bone, digital cushion, and lateral cartilages (right)

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​Sadly, many of the cadavers were likely terminated due to severe hoof pain, which provided us with very educational specimens.  Some of those hooves were downright horrific, and completely preventable with proper care.  

The navicular bone

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The dermal laminae attached to the coffin bone

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I am so pleased to announce that I have completed Dr. Eleanor Kellon's 10 week advanced equine nutrition course, "NRC+". 

Dr. Kellon is a well respected authority in equine nutrition, and an expert in the care and feeding of horses with Insulin Resistance/Laminitis and Equine Cushing's Disease/PPID.

The course was very in depth, right down to the cellular level.  It has given me the understanding of how the various nutrients are utilized by the body and the functions that they support.  It has also given me the tools to build balanced, healthy, natural diets that are best for the horse.  It is the knowledge needed to grow healthy hooves and sustain happy, healthy equine bodies.

I have also completed Dr. Kellon's 10 week course Reading Radiographs.  This class has given me the necessary education to work closely with veterinarians and utilize radiographs (xrays) as a tool in trimming to treat hoof pathologies, especially founder.

I will be taking additional courses with Dr. Kellon.  Stay tuned!

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It was so cool that the cadaver hooves had all been radiographed. This allowed us to compare our external findings to the radiographs and what was going on inside.

The PHCP clinic with Jeannean Mercuri provided an enormous amount of information and hands-on training.  Cadaver hooves, live horses, trimming, anatomy, booting, casting, grinder trimming... we did it all!

A sampling of the plethora of hoof boots that are available from different manufacturers.

Applying "glue-ons".