I have put together this quick guide to help a horse owners or professionals book and prepare for an online consult, especially when you need urgent help for a horse!
In this article you will learn:
who is this service for
where to find information about this service
when this service might be appropriate
how to book an online consult
what this will cost and how to pay
what you can expect
how to prepare for the consult
what images you need to provide
Who is this service for?
Horse owners
hoof care professionals (farriers, equine podiatrists, barefoot trimmers
Vets
Other equine professionals where hoof health is of important to their work (basically any equine professional not already mentioned!)
When might this service be appropriate?
When you need a hoof assessment to help evaluate if your horse has healthy hooves or not and wish to learn the influence of the hoof morphology (shape, form and function), limb and body postural conformation on your horses well-being, soundness, level of performance and resilience for instance
To help determine your horses hoof score and what this means in terms of usability and what is an appropriate exercise or level of performance for long term soundness
To help your horses professional team understand the influence of the hoof morphology (shape, form and function), limb and body postural conformation on your horses well-being, soundness, level of performance and resilience for instance
To have hoof radiographs and/or your horse hoof photos marked up, where objective data can be used to assess hoof morphology and provide information to your horses team of professionals, for diagnostics, to monitor for changes in health, and to objectively assess the influence of interventions used or in use (eg, shoe, trim, boot, rehab, therapy, saddle fit, dental work, etc)
When you are concerned about your horses hoof and body health and want support
When we are not able to attend in person to provide assessment but you still want support and information
To help advocate for your horse and communicate your concerns with your horses team of professionals and help make an informed decision about your horses hoof care
One of the most common concerns raised by horse owners is about starting a conversation with their farrier EP or trimmer, and we can provide support and guidance on this. The marked up image below was used by a concerned owner to help communicate her concerns to her farrier, who called us for advice, which we provided.
Where can I learn more about online equine podiatry?
We have information about our online services here:
How to book an online consult (read the whole article first before taking action)
1. Fill in this online inquiry form so we have all your contact details and information about your horse. This helps us prioritize our consults and help those in most urgent need. Give as much detail as possible. If you already have photos and radiographs, you can attach these here at the end of the form. If you don't know what documentation is required, or how to take these, please read 'how to prepare for a consult', at the end.
2. Book and pay for your online consult in our online diary, but please note: our offline diary isn't 100% synchronized with our online booking diary so we might contact you to re-arrange a more suitable date and time of you have booked an appointment when we are not available.
Alternatively, contact us by email, phone or whatsapp with a list of preferred dates and times, and we will provide you with a mutually suitable date and time for you to book yourself.
What will an online consult cost and how do I pay?
Currently we charge £100 an hour for an online consult. It does not include a metron-hoof report or full set of marked-up photos which are separate services.
You are invited to pay for your consult when you book the service and the payment is non-refundable, unless we cannot provide the service for any reason.
What can I expect?
The online consult lasts 1-1.5 hours. If you require longer, please book and pay for 2 consults.
The booking is created automatically once you check out and you will receive a confirmation email. If your zoom link is not provided, this will be sent by email before your appointment.
the appointment is conducted remotely, via zoom, and you will need access to a desk top internet browser or mobile browsing device. The larger the screen, the better.
The zoom meeting will be recorded which you will receive as a link to access and download after your appointment. It might take several hours to provide the link, which we send via email.
I will share my screen with you so we will both view the images you have provided. These might be annotated and/or marked up.
you will be let into the zoom room remotely at the time of your appointment. If you are late, we might not be able to provide the full hour in this case, and we don't provide refunds. If we are late, which is unlikely, we will be very sorry, and we promise we won't cut short your hour appointment!
I will provide feedback and recommendations based on what I can ascertain from the images you provide and you will given the opportunity to ask questions
you may share the information and forward the zoom meeting link with your horses professional team, or with anyone you choose!
we are also equally happy to talk with your horses professional team after sharing the information you have learned, if this is required, and as part of this service.
How to prepare for your online consult
If you haven't already done so, you will need to provide quality hoof photos or radiographic images (if required) and videos. The higher the quality, the more accurate the assessment.
If you want a full set of marked up radiographs and/or hoof images, please book this service separately and allow for the images to be prepared in advance of your consult. If the support is urgent, for instance, for an acute laminitic or lame horse, please call us to schedule your appointment, and purchase the services you want as soon as possible (links to services at the end of this article)
To learn how to document both hoof, body and radiographic images, please read our guide below and complete our FREE online course on how to document hooves and body.
If possible, please send these to us as soon as you can, and ideally at least 3 days before your appointment. If you need to send them closer to your appointment, that's okay, but please let us know in advance so we may schedule time to review the images you send.
In addition, if the images are poor quality, we might ask you to re-take them and will provide advice and guidance on this.
Images and videos can be sent by attaching them to the online inquiry form, or by online file share link, e.g. One-drive file share. If you need a review, or wish to send photos etc AFTER completing the inquiry form, use the second link below:
What images do I need to provide?
For an online hoof assessment, you will need to send recent photos of your horses hooves and posture. Hoof photos of the following views are required of EACH hoof, and the photo or hoof itself needs to be annotated as either left fore (or LF), left hind (or LH), right hind (or RH) or right fore (RF):
1. A DP view (front) - ensure the hair is not obscuring the coronet band
2. A lateral view (ensure the hair is clear of the coronet band and ideally the pastern is also in full view)
3. A sole view
4. A heel bulb view
5. An oblique sole view
To assess posture, a lateral posture view is essential
You can send additional hoof and posture views, too, such as:
Don't forget to send videos of your horse walking and demonstrating any concerning behaviour or movement
Please browse our most popular online services below, feel free to share, ask questions or reach out for further support!
Beccy Smith BSc ADAEP EBW
Diploma in Advanced Applied Equine Podiatry and now an Independent Integrative Equine Podiatrist, Consultant and Therapist
CEO and Founder of 100% Non-Profit Community Interest Company Holistic Reflections CIC
Holistic Reflections CIC – a 100% non-profit organisation promoting wellbeing and resilience in people, horses and the environment - for the benefit of all.