Re: RE: Re: Re: club foot (now Swamp cooling)

["Kirsten Price" <splash@dakotacom.net>]

Swamp coolers work really well in dry environments.  Here in Arizona, that
means any time except during the monsoons.  My house is cooled exclusively
by evaporative cooling, which also means that during the monsoons, it
doesn't work worth a cr*p.  But the rest of the time, it works quite well.
Swamp coolers worked really well up in Nevada too.  The marginal increase in
humidity was actually pleasant, considering how low it was.  Plus, to have a
swamp cooler work effectively, you need good ventilation for outflow. I
always leave a window or two cracked to keep air circulating and the
humidity from getting too high.

FWIW, I see quite a number of swamp coolers on top of RVs here in
Arizona.... including horse trailers.

Kirsten

P.S.  Air conditioning systems function by *removing* moisture from the
air... that's why they are the preferred method of cooling in humid
climates.  It's also why that's the best way to defrost your windshield...
even in the winter... flip on the AC but jack the temp up.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Kathy Mayeda" <kathy_mayeda@atce.com>
To: "Jan Mutchler" <jmutchler@h2net.net>; "Kris Hazelbaker"
<shajarah@cybrquest.com>; <ridecamp@endurance.net>
Sent: Friday, July 14, 2000 9:08 AM
Subject: RC: RE: Re: Re: club foot


> From my experience with my guy's "club foot", I totally agree with you.
> There are those out there that I have worked with that say not to change
the
> angulation of the club foot, but to bring the low heel up to help the
horse
> even out the chest/shoulders, which means that they should be shimmed for
> the rest of their lives!  But a change in farrier for me had achieved
enough
> change by lowering the club foot heel that I don't need a shim anymore on
> his low heel.  It does get into a complex set of problems with body
> balance.....  I could be real boring talking about all the stuff I had to
do
> to get my horse straight!
>
> K.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Jan Mutchler [mailto:jmutchler@h2net.net]
> Sent: Thursday, July 13, 2000 8:32 PM
> To: Kris Hazelbaker; ridecamp@endurance.net
> Subject: RC:  Re: Re: club foot
>
> Hi Ridecampers:  This is my humble input on what I have learned about
> clubfoot from researching materials, talking to top vets and farriers
> experienced in the area and through personal experience.  This is only
> my
> take on the subject - I certainly am not qualified to debate the topic
> to
> great length.
>
> Clubfoot can be caused be a variety of different "things", i.e.
> hereditary,
> nutritional, injury, farrier induced, etc.  There are different degrees
> of
> severity.  The mildest form may show the longer heel, smaller hoof,
> smaller
> frog; but not necessarily a rotation of the coffin bone, pressure on the
> navicular bone by the DDF tendon, or dishing of the hoof.  As the
> condition
> becomes more severe, then you see more of the previously mentioned
> signs/symptoms.  You will also see the low heel syndrome in the opposite
> hoof due to the scissoring effect.
>
> There are different forms of treatment such as from the more traditional
> method of taking down the clubfoot heel to a more severe type of
> treatment
> in cutting the chek ligament to using Natural Balance shoeing
> principles,
> which would incorporate using wedge pads.  It appears to me (the
> layperson)
> that any of the above principles can be utilized with success DEPENDING
> UPON
> each individual situation.
>
> For whatever reason, the clubfoot is trying "to do its own thing".
> Which
> is, to make a longer heel and a more "compressed" hoof in that it won't
> look
> as big and full as a normal hoof.  Quite often, the DDF tendon is
> stretched
> too tight.  My understanding (correct me if I am wrong) is that the DDF
> tendon ties into the coffin bone.  When the coffin bone shifts downward,
> it
> pulls the DDF tendon onto the back of the navicular bone, which causes a
> pain syndrome.  To relieve the pain syndrome, you have to trim the hoof
> so
> that it is balanced and with lower heels.  Then, you place impression
> material around the sulci to help encourage the heels to widen.  The
> lowering of the heels helps to bring the hoof back into its natural
> state,
> encouraging blood flow and a healthier growth.  After that you shoe with
> a
> wedge pad.  Sometimes a frog insert is attached to the outside of the
> pad to
> help encourage frog growth.  Raising the heels back up via the wedge
> releases the DDF tendon off the back of the navicular.  The wedge pad
> has to
> be high enough to get the hoof landing more normal, which is heel first.
> Sometimes the low heeled hoof on the opposite side also needs to be
> wedged
> to raise that heel.  That would help the shoulders to redevelop more
> evenly
> and in time help change the scissoring syndrome.
>
> It is also interesting to note that the opposite hoof will sometimes
> test
> sore when using hoof testers due to the overuse of that leg.  Other
> problems
> will also show up in the clubfoot horse such as refusing to take the
> lead on
> the clubfoot, or the horse doing a short step to throw the posting rider
> onto the more comfortable diagonal.  Back problems and other spinal
> related
> problems can also show up.
>
> Anyway, for what its worth, that is my understanding of clubfoot.  Hope
> it
> helps.
> Jan Mutchler
> Littleton, CO
>
>
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