Barefoot and Balanced Hoof Trimming

15/08/2023

I knew this post was inevitable and this decision has not been an easy one. I’ve honestly pushed on for as long as possible and often at my own detriment, but the time has arrived for me to pack up my tools and move on from my trimming career.
It’s been a wonderful journey and I’ve made so many wonderful friends and had the privilege of getting to know many beautiful horses ❤️.
I want to thank everyone that has supported my business along the way - I’ve been blown away by the kindness and thoughtfulness of so many of my wonderful clients.
I will miss the freedom that I’ve enjoyed. I won’t miss the aches and pains, but then I feel like a lot of the aches and pains won’t be leaving me anyway 😩.
I’m excited about new opportunities that have presented to me.
So that’s me signing off, thanking you, saying goodbye to a job I have loved, but not saying good bye to the friends I’ve made along the way.
Shanie 😘😘

02/02/2023

PRICING UPDATE EFFECTIVE MONDAY FEBRUARY 6 2023

It had to happen but I wanted to give my clients an opportunity to get over the expense of Christmas and the school holidays, but effective from next Monday I will be increasing my trimming prices. I will confirm my new price for your area as bookings are made, or if you would like to know the cost in your area in advance of any booking then please message me and I will advise you.

I understand these are difficult times for us all, but as with everything the cost attached to doing my job have also increased and so this price rise is necessary 😬.

23/12/2022

And that’s a wrap on 2022 ! The last client horse has been trimmed for this year and I’m feeling as exhausted and as content as my beautiful old girl Lotty looks 😊
Thanks to all of my clients for your support and patience throughout 2022, particularly those that have been shuffled around this past week as I work through some horse health issues here at home.
2022 has been tough in so many ways, but here we all are almost at the end and still standing (in my case ‘just’ 😬).
I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas break. Ride lots and enjoy every moment you get with your horses and ponies. They are the reason we work so hard so let’s all take some time out to leave behind the hustle and bustle and just love and enjoy them.
Looking forward to 2023. I’ll be back working again from the 3rd of January 🤠🐴❤️.

29/11/2022

Fly repellent reminder time 🪰🪰

The days are warming up and the rain seems to be giving us a break BUT that means that the flies are beginning to be a nuisance and the horses are getting agitated. Please ensure that all horses have been sprayed prior to me starting work on your horse and that you keep,the repellent close by just in case you need to reapply it before I’ve finished the trim.

Stompy, agitated, cranky horses make my job even more difficult and put a lot more pressure on my arms, legs and back. Please help me out by spraying your horse. My body already aches 24/7, and doesn’t need to be any sorer because I’m trying to wrestle with the leg of a 500 kg animal 🐴.

23/11/2022

I bought my 2023 diary yesterday which led me to thinking that I should start planning my Christmas break and time off for early next year.
I’ll be taking a shorter break than usual this Christmas, because I plan to take time off a little later in January 2023 (so that I can spend time with Flame when she is home from being started under saddle ❤️).
I plan to work up until the 23rd of December and to return to work from Tuesday the 3rd of January. I’ll then take a couple of weeks off from Monday the 16th of January 2023.
If you haven’t already made contact with me to book your horses in for their pre Christmas trims, please do so ASAP. Also if you’ve had your horses trimmed recently and your due date will fall into that short window that I’ll be working in January, please make contact so that you don’t miss out. 😊

28/07/2022

We are finally resurfacing from a week of Covid hell here 😫. To those that have had appointments cancelled this week, thank you for your understanding and patience.
I plan to be working again from next week and so will be scheduling and possibly rescheduling some already booked appointments for next week. Its probably going to take me 2 weeks to catch up properly, as I’m still trying to catch up on the weather cancellations from the previous week.
Please be continue to be patient and I will get to you as soon as I can.
It’s nice to be feeling a little more alive this morning that’s for sure 😊🤞.

17/07/2022

It’s ‘reminder time’ and I’m adding a new condition or two…..

🐶 Please have your dogs tied up or put away when I come to trim your horse(s). I cannot work safely with dogs in my work space.

🐴 If I’m trimming in an area shared with other horses, then the other horses must be tied up away from the space where I’m working. I can’t work safely with other horses wandering freely around the horse that I am working on.

👩‍🌾 Please make sure that your horse is caught and ready to be trimmed when I arrive. I am working to a schedule and do not have time to wait while you walk out to catch your horse.

🪰 If there are bugs about, then please spray your horse with an insect repellent prior to my arrival and have repellant on hand to reapply if necessary.

🌦 If I deem the weather conditions unsafe then I will cancel work. Please don’t argue with me on this point or try to convince me it’s ‘ok’ at your place or your horse is quiet enough to deal with the hurricane conditions. I’m considering my safety when I make this call, and will not take risks with my own safety.

🏠 This is a new one, but effective immediately I will no longer work on horses that are tied up to fences, rails, wash bays etc. The horse must have a human standing there holding it and an in an open area. Of course if it’s raining then I’m happy to use a shelter providing there is enough space for me to be able to move safely out of the way of a horse that may decide to move suddenly.

🌧 If it’s been wet and your horses legs are muddy, then please have the mud wiped off them before I arrive. I will not work on muddy legs. Be mindful that your horse is probably not my last for the day and whilst you can pop inside for a shower, I have to get in my car and drive to my next client. I do not want to be covered in mud.

📆 All horses on my books must be kept on a regular trimming schedule. I will not do adhoc trims and any horses that I feel creeping out more than 8 weeks will be removed from my books.

You’ll notice that a pretty common theme in the points listed is ‘my safety’. I love my job and I take pride in helping your horses, however I will not do this at the detriment of my safety and comfort. Unless you as the horse owner can respect and appreciate this, then I’m not the trimmer for you. You love to ride and spend time with your horse - I love to ride and spend time with my horses. I cannot do this unless I am working in conditions that are safe and allowing me to return home injury free 😊

24/05/2022

Hi guys, just giving advance notice that I’ll be taking a planned break from Wednesday the 22nd of June through until Sunday the 3rd of July. No one is booked in between these dates yet, but please be mindful that if your horse is due within these dates you’ll need to adjust your trim cycle to accommodate my time off work. Ideally you should shorten the cycle (given the wet weather and increased risk of hoof pathologies that this weather attracts). If you choose to push out the cycle and problems develop, extra charges will apply due to the time taken while I assist you in resolving these problems 😬.

Send a message to learn more

05/01/2022

Happy New Year !!! And isn’t 2022 shaping up to be an interesting one already 😳……
I’m still on leave for another week and a half and will be back at work from the week commencing the 17th of January.
I’ve started booking appointments for my return to work. Because I’m not sure if you had your horses trimmed whilst I was off work recovering from my fall, I’m not sure where many horses are at in their trimming cycle so won’t be proactively contacting all clients as I normally would. If your horse(s) need to be booked in for trimming please pop me a message so that I can schedule their trims in. As mentioned I’m still on leave so may not get back to you immediately, but your request will be noted.
Please note that horses that haven’t been trimmed and kept on schedule whilst I wasn’t working may incur an additional charge due to the extra work required by me to get the hooves back in order.
During 2022 I will only be working 3 days a week so please be prepared to be organized and book in advance.

21/12/2021

Well that’s 2021 all done and dusted 😊. It’s been an ‘interesting’ year that’s for sure 😳. Thank you to all of my wonderful clients for your support, patience and understanding this year whilst lockdowns were in place and more recently, when I needed time to recover from my riding accident.
Here’s to 2022 being a lot less eventful and a much easier year for everybody 😎.
I’ll be riding my way into 2022, and do not plan on returning to work until the 17th of January 😊. The time at home with Dave and my horses is exactly what I need ❤️. I don’t plan on spending too much time with my phone, but will respond to messages every couple of days.
Merry Christmas everybody !! Enjoy the time with your friends and family. Stay safe, be happy and do what you love 😘.

28/11/2021

This is a difficult post but I think it’s better to ‘make the call’ now rather than assessing how I’m feeling from week to week and having to shuffle people and appointments around depending on where I’m at in my recovery. I have decided that I am closing my diary for the remainder of the year. Bookings that have been made will be attended, but I won’t be taking anymore bookings for 2021. I want people to feel certain that their horses will be trimmed and whilst I’m comfortable with the horses I have booked in at the moment (probably 1/4 of my usual workload) I cannot guarantee that I can manage a greater workload than that in my current situation. I am still in pain, my gait is still what can only be described as a ‘hobble’ and my chest and back are still very sore.
For those of you that do have appointments booked, please ensure that you have your horses ready for me when I arrive and that I am able to park as close to my work space as possible. If there are flies please ensure that you have fly repellent on your horse and available to reapply as needed, and please have legs clean and free of mud.

23/11/2021

Thanks everybody for being so patient with me whilst I’ve been recovering from my little riding spill. I will be back on deck next week (from Monday the 29th) 😊. All bookings for next week and the following weeks will remain. For anyone that I’ve had to postpone while I have been off work, I will be in contact with you to reschedule. Here’s hoping for some sunshine and lovely days so I can catch up on work and get those hooves back on track 😊.

And as for Ammy……time for her to leave that haynet and get back to work 😎🦄

14/11/2021

Well it’s true that as we get older we don’t bounce as well, and I’ve now also found that as we get older recovery takes longer 😫.
I had a fall from my horse last weekend. After accepting that working last week was out of the question, I was optimistic about returning to work this week. Unfortunately that won’t be happening. Although I’m improving, the recovery is slow.
I’ve now pushed my optimism towards next week and will start contacting clients this week to make bookings for next week shortly. Thanks for being so patient with me. ❤️
A pic of where I hope to be again really soon ❤️❤️

12/10/2021

Hi guys, we are heading back into that time of the year (particularly after the rain we are experiencing at the moment) where the flies are about and horses are going to be getting agitated. Please be mindful of this and be ready with fly repellent (or your preferred, but effective method of protecting your horse from the flies) when they are booked in for trims. Working on a horse snatching his / her feet away to stomp flies isn’t easy and doesn’t allow for my best work, not to mention puts stress on my body.

I would also like to remind you all that dogs must be kept away from my work space. This is to protect MY safety and is non negotiable. I cannot work safely with dogs under my feet or around the horses feet.

I will be continuing to work only 3-4 days per week and whilst I will always try to be flexible and accommodate the times that work best for you, I would also appreciate this flexibility being reciprocated. I’m organising my time around the needs of many and so cannot always work to the windows of time allocated by individual clients. I respect that this won’t work for everyone and that you are all seeking work / life balance. So am I 😊.

06/10/2021

Wollondilly clients 😊 - Thanks for your patience and I’m so excited to let you know that I plan on coming back to work in your area late in October. If you require an appointment please shoot me a message or give me a call and I will schedule in some dates. At this stage I’m only planning on heading that far north one day per fortnight and depending on how things go, I may make that one day a week. Please be prepared to be flexible. 😊

10/08/2021

Well it seems that the lockdowns aren’t going to be ending anytime soon ☹️. I know many of my Wollondilly clients have been waiting for me to be able to come back to work in your area and whilst I appreciate your support and loyalty it’s also very important that you consider the well-being of your horses. As I won’t be coming back to work in the Wollondilly until the lockdowns have been lifted, it would be best for your horses for you to use another trimmer for the time being. Luckily I have a colleague who resides in your area that has agreed to help my clients where she can. If you would like me to pass on her details to you please send me a message. Please at this time do what is best for your horse and do not let their feet suffer because you want to wait for me. I’ll be back and happy to see you all and your horses once the lockdown is over. Stay safe and healthy everyone 😘

03/01/2021

I’m a few days late, but nonetheless Happy New Year to my clients and of course their much loved steeds !!! I hope that 2021 is a year full of health and happiness for you all !!

As per my previous posts, I’m on leave until Monday the 11th of January, but wanted to take a moment to remind everyone of some old, and update you on some new, working arrangements that I am mandating for 2021. For some of you these changes may not fit with how we have done things in the past, however as we move forward (for a number of reasons, but primarily my safety and well-being) they will be ‘not negotiable’ from my first day back at work.

Hours of operation - I will be working Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday mornings. My reduced hours will mean that you will need to ensure that your horses are booked in well in advance to secure a time and day in your area that works for you. Please remember that I cover a number of different areas so I will not be in your area every Monday etc.

6 weekly (maximum) trim cycle - to ensure that your horses feet are maintained and healthy a maximum 6 weekly trim cycle is essential. Waiting for the feet to look bad, means that they have been left for too long. Some horses will require a cycle which is more regular than 6 weekly and when I think this is necessary I will advise you of that, however from 2021 I will not be accepting a cycle which extends beyond 6 weeks and suggest that if you are more of a ‘I’ll book a trim when the hooves look like they need one’ client, then you don’t fit my client profile and I’m not the trimmer for you.

Dogs in my work space - you all know that I’m a lover of dogs, and whilst I’ll happily say ‘hi’ to your pooch as I arrive and unload my tools, your dog cannot accompany us into my work space. Dogs under my feet and the feet of your horse present significant danger to me. I don’t care how much your dog and horse like each other, your dog cannot be in my work space at all and I will ask for it to be removed.

Fly and insect management - please ensure that if there are flies about (during the warmer months) you have applied insect repellent to your horse and you have some on hand to re-spray if necessary.

Open work space - it is always my preference to work on your horse in an open and uncluttered area. Protected areas such as stables and shelters are great when it’s windy or raining (so long as your horse is comfortable and happy in that area), but my preference when the weather allows, is always for an open area so that I can move out of the way of your horse if I need to. Please note that I will not work on a horse that is tied to a fence, gate, or cross ties. This is dangerous to me and the horse must always have a handler on the end of their lead rope. Please also ensure that your horse is wearing a properly fitting halter that is not likely to slip off or break.

Company for your horse - if your horse requires for their companion to be present whilst they are trimmed, that’s completely ok. I want your horse to be calm and happy whilst I’m working on him / her. The companion must however be out of my work space and not wandering around in the same yard which I am in working on your horse.

Your horse’s manners - we all have bad days and so does your horse. Please assess your horse before I arrive and if you think your horse may be going to have ‘one of those days’, then please do the ground work before I arrive. It is important that you understand that I have horses booked in after you and I have allowed time to trim your horse, but not time for the required tune up to take place throughout the trim.

Payment - if you are not paying in cash, then please be prepared to make payment electronically immediately after I have finished working on your horse. I’m trying to make more time for myself by reducing my hours of work and ideally would like to reduce the amount of time I spend on admin and following up payments. Chasing payments is confronting and uncomfortable for us all.

As first mentioned I understand that for some of you, the arrangements listed above will be a change to how we’ve done things previously, but in considering what I’ve listed, nothing is unreasonable and everything is achievable without too much inconvenience. Happy to discuss with anyone that thinks otherwise after the 11th of January. 😊