Rebel horse care

Horses need fiber as their main source of food.They are hindgut fermenters and designed to ferment and digest huge amounts of fiber in the large colon. If you have acres of land with native grass species allowed to grow long and stalky, your horses will probably be able to get enough fiber and chewing time from that, but for most of us, we need to feed our horses hay. Placing a big bale of Horses need fiber as their main source of food.They are hindgut fermenters and designed to ferment and digest huge amounts of fiber in the large colon. If you have acres of land with native grass species allowed to grow long and stalky, your horses will probably be able to get enough fiber and chewing time from that, but for most of us, we need to feed our horses hay. Placing a big bale of hay on the field for the horses is not the best solution though. Because horses need movement and feeding them in one spot makes them stand still for hours at a time. As I do understand that having the hay in one place is practical and saves time, I encourage people to at least have two spots with a big bale of hay with distance between them, to get more movement in the horses. I feed my horses in many small haynets. They live in a track system, outside 24/7 and they have access to hay always. I have 12 haynets spread around all over the track, because I want to motivate my horses to move as much as possible, and food is the biggest motivator for movement. Also I believe that walking around in their environment, searching for their forage, makes their lives more interesting. My track runs up and down a mountain side and has many trees, so the horses can never see the whole track from one spot. I fill the haynets once a day in the morning, and then the horses spend all day and night emptying them. I try to have more than one type of hay at a time, so I can mix it and make sure my horses get hay with great plant variety. If we create an environment for our horses in which they have the possibility

Remember to celebrate the little victories. I’m not getting much horse training done these days. We’re in a very warm period, plus 30 degrees every day and my husband and I are doing house renovations which takes up a lot of time. Yesterday I spent some time with Vinta. She had her hooves trimmed in the barn which was an accomplishment as she has not felt safe and secure enough in there to be able to stand relaxed for trimming, and I have been trimming her outside instead. But with lots of practice she can now stand for trimming in my little humble barn, which feels so good, especially in the warm summer. Afterwards we said hi to Thomas and looked at his sawmill which Vinta found very noisy but very interesting. And then a little walk up the road to practice being away from the herd.In periods where I don’t have much time with the horses, I try to be creative and think about how we can spend quality time together and at the same time have progress with some of the different challenges we have in our life together. Little time spent well together is much better than no time spent together. #younghorse #younghorsetraining #hoofcare #hove #horsetraining #horsetrainer #hovtrim

As hoof care providers, sometimes we have to adjust to the situation and the abilities of the horse.Older horses or horses with injuries or chronic illnesses often need us to adapt our ways of holding the hooves and the amount of time we hold the leg up. I have to adapt to the needs of the horse, not the other way around. This is hard on my body. Holding a hoof very low to the ground for an older horse for instance, means I have to bend more and put more strain on my lower back. This is part of the job and I do it happily because the horse’s well-being is important to me. It can become a problem though if every horse I have to trim on a given day is difficult and puts extra strain on my body. If your horse is healthy, please teach him or her to stand for trimming. It makes a huge difference for your hoof care provider and the more horses we trim, that are well trained and able to stand relaxed and calm for trimming, the more energy we will have for those older, injured or ill horses that need extra care and time. It might not seem like a big deal if your horse is pulling or pushing a bit while being trimmed, but at the end of the day it can be a big deal to your hoof care provider and the other horses in that persons care. #hesten #horsecare #hooftrimming #hooftrimmer #Hovpleje #hovtrim

Horses on grass. There is much to be said about this topic. So much that it is impossible to fit into a post like this. Laminitis is a world wide problem for horses and a very painful and debilitating condition, so it matters how we manage our horse’s grazing. If you have a horse who has been laminitic in the past, is currently laminitic or has the signs of being predisposed to become laminitic, please don’t let them graze, but feed them dry grass hay instead. My horses live in a track system with hay in haynets spread around on the tracks. They are fed hay all year round and they get lots of movement. I view grass as a supplement and an enrichment for them, rather than part of a feeding plan. I do not let my horses graze on short, bitten down, stressed grass with high sugar content. ( apart from what is there in the track system). I have different places where my horses can graze and I wait until the grass is mature, long, stalky and has a high fiber, low sugar content. My horses graze for a couple of hours every day over the summer. If your horse is lean and healthy, I do think that being allowed some grazing can be beneficial to them. -Eating a large variety of plants helps the micro biome in the gut and strengthens the immune system. -Biting off the grass is good for the incisors (front teeth). -grazing calmly with the herd is great for the horses mental health. There are many different types of grass, some better for horses than others, and many factors influence the sugar content in grass, so please learn about these things if you want to let your horses graze, and you will know how to keep them safe and happy. #hesten #horsecare #horses

Workshop om naturligt hestehold og hovtrimning d 24-25 august. Afholdes i Otterup på Fyn. #Hovpleje #hovtrim #hestehov #hovbeskæring #vandrefold #hesten

In this video I’m answering a question from my friend Anna. She asked me how I can see if this hoof is healthy. The hoof I’m trimming is the right hind hoof on my 29 year old gelding Junick. If you want to determine if a hoof is healthy or not you need to look at the hoof from the outside as well, here I’m just talking about some of the characteristics of a healthy hoof, when looking at the bottom of it. To help our horses develop healthy hooves, there are several factors we need to consider: 🔹environment 🔹diet 🔹movement 🔹herdlife 🔹hoof care 🔹 stress triggers Hooves are constantly growing and changing, mirroring the condition of the horse and being shaped by the surrounding environment. Health is not a constant, unless we make sure that the conditions are as optimal as possible. #naturalhoofcare #hooftrimming #hoofcare #hooftrimmer #Hovpleje #hovtrim #barfodshest

Track system only for the horses?

Here on the farm we try to take care of nature as well as our animals. We have a track system for the horses running up and down over several terraces and through wooden areas. The horses are hard on the ground where they walk. They wear off the plants and grasses and they stomp the ground rock hard so nothing can grow there. This is good for the horses, we want tracks with little grass and gravely ground for the hooves. But we need to allow other areas to become green and full of plant life. We need the trees and plants to give us oxygen, we need the pollinators and insects to keep the planet alive, we need to give wildlife places to hide and find forage. We make sure to have green areas in between the tracks, places where the horses can never enter. In here we plant trees and let wild plants and grasses grow as they wish. It’s good for the planet, it’s beautiful to look at and it’s a joy to listen to the insects buzzing in these green areas in the summer. 💚

In this clip I’m talking about bruising in a hoof caused by hoof wall and heels left to grow way too long, and the hooves being neglected. It can be tempting to leave your horse’s hooves to grow too long in between trims, but it might be causing more damage than you think. Walking around on a hoof wall that is left too long causes several problems for the horse. ✖️ causes bruising in toes and heels. ✖️ the horse’s base of support is moved too far forward and no longer support the bone column the way it’s supposed to. ✖️causes friction around the navicular bone. ✖️ inhibits the development of the digital cushion. ✖️lifts the frog and sole off the ground and prevents them from strengthening, due to lack of stimulation. ✖️inflict unnatural strain on the tendons and ligaments in the horse’s legs and hooves. ✖️ obstruct the horse’s natural movement and gaits. ✖️causes tension and possible pain in the horse’s body. Keeping your horse’s hooves short and balanced is essential for his/her health and wellbeing. #hoofcare #naturalhoofcare #hooftrimming #hooftrimmer

One of the things I experience the students in my workshops struggle with the most, is how to trim a mustang roll correctly. The mustang roll is one of the most significant and important characteristics of a naturally shaped, healthy and sound horse hoof. It has gotten its name from nature, wild or feral if you will, free living mustangs wear their hooves like this, rolling the outer hoof wall, so the inner hoof wall (water line) is the most distal part of the hoof capsule when the hoof hits the ground. This is extremely important because information about the amount of wear happening at the bottom of the hoof is transmitted through the horn tubules to the papillae in the coronary band, which will then respond by producing more or less horn. Knowing how to trim a mustang roll correctly can mean the difference between a sound or a lame horse. It can mean the difference between a horse needing hoof protection or not. #hoofcare #hooftrimming #naturalhoofcare #horsecare #horses #horsehoof #barefoothorse

There are still spaces available for my natural horse and hoof care workshop in Iceland from may 31st til June 3rd. This is a rare opportunity to attend both module 1 and 2 at the same event! You can sign up for all 4 days or just the first 2 days, module 1. You will learn about nutrition, diet, movement, and track systems. You will learn about anatomy, hoof function and hoof boots, and you will learn basic hoof trimming techniques on both cadaver hooves and live horses. Come join us. 😊🐴🐴🐴 #icelandichorses #islandshest #islandshäst #hoofcare #hovtrimning #hooftrimming #naturalhoofcare

There are still spaces left for my workshop in northern Iceland in June. If you live in Iceland it would be greatly appreciated if you would help me share this video. 😊 #iceland #icelandichorse #hoofcare #naturalhoofcare #hooftrimmimg

Today I sat on Vinta for the second time. It’s been a while since she had me on her back for the first time. It just hasn’t felt right to continue until now for several reasons. I’ve been busy, the weather has been very windy and we’ve had plenty of groundwork to play around with, some of it as direct preparation for riding. I keep saying this over and over, because I find it so very important. Take your time. Prepare the horse well. Build a language from the ground before you start riding. If you don’t prepare your horse properly from the ground, chances are that you will need to push, pull and kick to get your horse to understand your riding cues. I don’t want that. I want my riding to be based on gentle, soft, precise cues right from the start. I want my horse to feel happy and safe. Today I sat on her for 5 minutes. We will slowly build it from here and I will continue to educate her from the ground so we have a language we can bring with us into our ridden work. I love this little mare so much my heart’s about to explode. ❤️

From unfocused and spooky to calm, relaxed and listening in a 20 minute training session. Take your time. Stay focused. Be consistent. Be persistent without being rigid or open to change. Be patient. Stay calm. Reward the smallest tries. Be kind. Tell your horse how amazing she or he is. Sense the joy and love for your horse in your heart. Have fun. Keep learning together. #younghorse #younghorsetraining #arabianhorse #horsetraining

Bringing a calm spirit to work helps the horses. Thank you to Sándalo for being such a good boy, thank you to my client Laura Souto for the kind words and thank you to Anna Butter for making this video. #naturalhoofcare #naturalhoof #hoofcare #hooftrimming #caballosdescalzos #hovtrimning #Hovpleje

Yesterday 7 months old baby donkey Ruda had her first ever hoof trim. My client Laura Souto adopted this little rescue donkey, taken from her mother at only 3 months old. Laura has done an amazing job of preparing Ruda for trimming, and her little hooves were getting very long so we needed to get the job done. With patience, kindness, calmness, persistence and rewards we got all 4 hooves trimmed in 30 minutes. Manhandling, tying down, locking up an animal that needs attention of some kind, can be necessary in rare situations, but generally it is completely unnecessary if we take our time. Animals learn nothing from being forced other than being even more scared of the situation than they were before. You might get them to a state of learned helplessness, but this is the animal going into a state of apathy to survive and has nothing to do with interactive learning. It was hard to get good hoof pictures taken, but in the end of the video you can appreciate the difference in the pastern angle on the already trimmed left front and the not yet trimmed right front. It will get even better over time. #caballosdescalzo #Hovpleje #naturalhoofcare #hoofcare #hooftrimming #donkeys

I’m going back to Iceland this spring to do the third natural hoof care workshop in the beautiful country. This time it will be in the north at my friend Ásta Lóa Madslund’s farm near Husavik. I’m so very grateful to be able to help spread knowledge about natural horse and hoof care to a new corner of the world. If you know any horse interested people in Iceland, please share this with them and help me work towards a kinder, healthier horse world. #icelandichorses #iceland #icelandhorses #naturalhoofcare #hoofcare

For the last couple of days my student Anna and I have been trimming cadaver hooves, because it is an excellent way to learn tool handling, trimming technique and understanding the hoof without bothering a live horse. I have trimmed and handled hundreds of cadaver hooves throughout the years, first during my own education and later when teaching others in workshops etc. The hooves we’ve been trimming in the last couple of days are not looking good. They are extremely overgrown and neglected. And once again I am reminded of the importance of getting the word out there about proper hoof care. Hooves should never be allowed to grow long. They need to be kept short and balanced in order to function well and support the horse. If the horse is not wearing the hooves enough to self trim, regular hoof trimming is necessary. If you can’t afford to pay someone to trim the hooves of your horse, learn to do it yourself. #naturalhoofcare #hoofcare #hooftrimming #hooftrimmer #Hovpleje

Yesterday was a lovely day, with lovely people. Trimming and teaching, talking and laughing, spending my time with horses and likeminded humans makes me feel blessed. 🐴❤️ #hoofcare #hovtrim #naturalhoofcare #hooftrimming #Hovpleje #hovtrimmer

Giving a light maintenance trim. #hoofcare #naturalhoofcare #hooftrimming #hooftrimmer

In this video I talk about the simplicity of a maintenance trim. Trimming hooves little and often is the best way to help build strength and balance. When hooves are left to grow too long in between trims, it is very difficult to work towards a healthy, balanced state for them. ❌An overgrown hoof capsule moves the horse’s base of support too far forward. ❌It obstructs the horse’s natural gaits and creates tension in the body. ❌It lifts the frog off the ground so it gets no stimulation. ❌it lifts the sole off the ground so it doesn’t build callus. ❌It prevents the development of strength in the back half of the foot. ❌it can create bruising and abscesses. How often the hooves should be trimmed depends on the lifestyle of the individual horse. How much movement does the horse get and over which kind of surfaces. My experience is that most domestic horses need a trim cycle between 4-6 weeks. talk to your hoof care provider to find the right balance for your individual horse, or learn to maintain your own horse’s hooves in between professional visits. #hoofcare #Hovpleje #hovtrimmer #hovtrim #naturlighovpleje #hooftrimming #barefoottrimming #naturalhoofcare