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Quo Vadis
Name: Quo Vadis
Livery Type: Retirement
Arrival Date: 17th August 2026
Age: 22
Breed: Unknown
Height: 16hh
Medical Issues: Navicular Syndrome, Asthma, Arthritis
Rehabilitation: Navicular Syndrome and general hoof rehabilitation
Arrival:
Quo Vadis is here for his retirement but will automatically be undergoing some rehabilitation first for a Navicular Syndrome diagnosis, shod to barefoot transition, general hoof health and hopefully, help with his overall bodily stiffness. He is currently very stiff.
First trim - 20th August 2026:
Newbie Quo was seen by our resident ISNHCP practitioner today, Kelly.
Upon his first trim yesterday, we found he has:
- Brittle, thin hoof walls
- Under run heels
- An old abscess in his back hoof
- Some bull nosing (caused by rasping of the outer wall)
- Been balanced heel to heel but not heel to toe
There is a lot of room for improvement with these hooves so we're excited to see how they progress and how that affects his comfortability, soundness and general stiffness. The pictures show before and after his trim.
10th September 2026:
A few days ago, we captured Quo trotting for the first time since his arrival less than a month ago. This lovely lad has a long road ahead of him but we are making positive steps in the right direction.
Quo has a diagnosis of navicular syndrome and arthritis and has had his shoes removed to join us in his retirement. His owner explained that his previous livery were struggling with their management methods and his navicular treatment, so this is something that we really wanted to focus on and try to help him with.
Upon arrival, Quo was quite shut down. It was clear he had not had much turnout or socialisation amongst other horses at some point in his life, and was generally disinterested in the other horses in the herd. Thankfully we have seen a small improvement in his mental health in the short time he has been here, and he is now choosing to spend some of his time with other horses. Sadly, he is still exhibiting signs of stress whilst staying in our feed pens, where he has been observed repeatedly ‘box walking’.
Whole body stiffness has been another initial concern of ours and we noted his legs were filling up with fluid. A vet had previously seen him at his last place of care, who suspected it was due to the heat the UK was experiencing at the time.
However, to be sure, he was seen by our own vet who suspected it was due to a lack of movement. This was quite bizarre as he was seen walking up and down the track, using it exactly as we intended, so we suspected he was having trouble lying down to sleep. He has since been on some daily painkillers and the fluid build us has gone, and he is generally a lot comfier in himself.
Today, Quo was trimmed by K.R.H Natural Horse Care for the 2nd time since he arrived, as he is on a 4 week trim cycle to avoid large changes to his hooves and body. He has made positive progress already and generally seemed more comfortable to trim, along with some positive hoof changes. He does however have little hoof wall on his front feet which will be compromising his comfortability and the support of his overall hoof and body. We are hopeful that the longer he is here, the better this will become and the more comfortable he will be walking.
Something as simple as a trot is so precious in sick or hurting horses. It was great to capture his first trot since his arrival and a clear indication that he is feeling a little bit more comfortable.
15th October 2026:
We celebrate all the little wins here!
Quo had another trim yesterday by our fabulous resident hoof care practitioner Kelly Higgins of K.R.H Natural Horse Care. One of the first things we noticed about Quo is his whole body stiffness. Initially, we believe he was struggling to get up and down to sleep or move enough and as a result his legs filled with fluid. Since having a visit from our vet and a low dose of daily painkillers, this has gone away.
Fast forward to today and we're seeing positive improvements with his hooves. His hoof wall is thickening up, which reflects the increase in movement he's getting, although he does has some old white line separation to grow out. Quo's owner and his previous carer exhausted all traditional go-to treatment and shoeing options for Navicular but we're hopeful we can atleast improve his overall comfort.
The video below shows Quo's walking, which has subtly started changing. He's moving more freely and doesn't stiffen up like he did, so this is great news and a little step in the right direction. The first video was taken on the 25th August 2026 and the second video was taken today.
He is being seen by our resident chiropractor next to address his wonkiness and an old injury behind, so we're hopeful this too will improve his movement and hoof health.