Rhi’s Holistic Hoof Care

19/07/2024

A Toe Bean trim and a massage today for 19y/o Star ⭐️

I’ve been trimming Star’s hooves for about two years now, she has really great feet, but this was her first massage session with me today.

And what a lovely transformation in her posture from a hollow elongated back and an ewe neck to a more neutral posture, a more relaxed neck and less compressed in her shoulders and ribcage.

There is still more unwinding to do, but for her first massage session I’m pretty happy.
😊 🦄 💫 👣 🙌

(Apologies for the poor lighting in the second photo)

16/07/2024

This 🫶🏻

Elevation From Within

P3 elevation shouldn’t come from elevated heels. That approach just disengages the soft tissue and tips The horse’s weight over their toes, depleting live sole and causing bone erosion. P3 elevation needs to come from the support of deep soft tissue and live sole over low heels. This tips the horse’s weight over their heels where it can keep building live depth and strength. When the majority of the weight is behind the widest part of the foot, the internal arch raises. The frog ascends with the internal arch and becomes poised above the ground. This “collects” the foot and therefore, improves collection in the rest of the horse. The horse becomes more “bouyant”, loading their muscles more than their skeleton. This is how you use the horse’s weight for them instead of against them. This can’t be forced. It has to be built.

26/06/2024

A nice before and after of Mr.D’s posture change following his massage today, he was such a dude to work with. 💆‍♂️
And what a beautiful afternoon for it ☀️🦄✨

Notice in his front end how he is camped under in his stance and pushing through his sternum and shoulders in the before pictures and how much more balanced and square he is in his stance after, and notice the angle change in his shoulders too, and generally how much softer he looks overall. 🤍

If your in the North Wales area and would like to book your horse/pony in for a massage please don’t hesitate to get in touch. 😊

25/06/2024

Misty - laminitis rehab
January 2023 - June 2024

Misty is a sweet little section A who I have been helping rehabilitate from laminitis since Jan 2023.

We’ve had a couple of set backs along the way last year where she regressed and came down with laminitis again, but after trimming her today I had to look back at her progress because it’s easy to forget how far you’ve come sometimes.

I’m so happy with her journey so far and even more happy with her owner for never giving up on her! ❤️
Laminitis can be really hard to deal with on so many levels and as owners we can often feel helpless, but I’m here to tell you it does not need to be a death sentence.

Misty has been having 4/5 weekly trims pretty much from the get go to get her weight distributed back over her heels and to keep the laminitic wedge under control.
We still have a little bit of work to do on those front feet but I reckon by next trim they will be looking like normal hooves once more 🫶🏻✨🦄

17/06/2024

Hoof of the day goes to Benny 🦄 gotta love those cob clogs 🫶🏻 👣

17/06/2024

Sam Shire - All 18 hands of him! 🙈😅

Sam is the biggest horse I have on my books and has the biggest hooves I think I have ever seen in my life!!

His feet were terribly distorted, long and pathological when his owner took him on last year as he hadn’t had foot care for quite some time.
We’ve battled and conquered abscesses, under run heels, seedy toes and thrushy frogs in that time.

It’s been a journey to this point to say the least. He has taught me a lot. 😅
And today I feel like we had a break through with his hoof handling and we trimmed his feet at liberty, albeit he had a halter on but he wasn’t tied up.

Great job Sally and Rachel your doing fantastic with him! ❤️🦄

20/05/2024

Monday Morning Massage 💆

Such a gorgeous morning today in the ☀️ giving
31yo Standardbred Star a full body massage. 🙌 ⭐️

What a lovely boy he was, he released a lot of built up tension around his poll, neck shoulders and rib cage which you can see from his after photos, his overall posture and musculature is a lot softer and more relaxed. Look at that neck!!
He looks years younger! 😃 Looking forward to treating him again. 🤎

Taking care of our horses into old age is important and not to be underestimated just because maybe we aren’t riding them anymore. Wear and tear on muscles over the years, joint/arthritic pain, poor posture can all be alleviated with regular massages and bodywork and improve flexibility in the muscles, joints and tendons.

A small price to pay when they give us so much.
🤍🦄✨🙌

17/05/2024

Did some CPD at the beginning of this week down in West Sussex at Healing Hands for Horses with Osteopath Louise Vernet.
Deep diving into the anatomy, biomechanics and dysfunction of the equine ribs and rib cage and the relationship with the rest of the body (including the feet!!) along with some techniques to help release and rebalance the structures.

Such a fantastic day! 🤓 with some more tools added to the toolbox to be able to help your horses as much as I can. ❤️🦄✨

10/05/2024

I think I like this little life 🤍🦄

Hoof trim and massage in the sun for Bella aka Small, helping her release the tension in her hamstrings and gluteal muscles today. I think she likes this little life too! 🫶🏻

08/05/2024

🦄 Northern clients 🦄

I highly recommend Rosie from Pony Talk Academy if you are looking to strengthen your relationship, learn new skills and do something a little bit different with your equine partners. 😃🙌🐎

🦄 Learn Liberty & tackless! 🦄

👩🏼‍🏫 Discounts available for yard and group bookings, riding school visits etc.

Beginner liberty/trick training/tackless riding lessons available in Manchester - Learn how to start communicating effectively with your horse/pony, how to start becoming attuned and improve your overall relationship. Improves ground manners and teaches skills that transfer to ridden work.

🐴 - All ages welcome! Starting to learn more about how to speak to your pony is an essential part of your horsemanship journey and will give you skills for life.

🐴 - Suitable for all horses. We can cater lessons to suit you and your horses needs and combat any issues you run into during ground/ridden work.

🐴 - A great aid for non horsey parents and first time pony owners to get a well rounded understanding of horse body language and common problems.

Message for details and to book.

17/04/2024

Post hoof trim releases for the gorgeous Sir Lancelot ✨🦄🤍

14/04/2024

01/04/2024

🎠✨ Charlotte Wittbom Dressage Clinic ✨🎠
******* SPACES AVAILABLE ********

Take advantage of Charlotte Wittbom being in North Wales this April 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 😃

Sunday April 28th 2024 at Bryn Derw Farm Caernarfon, LL55 3PD

🎠 Shared lesson - 2 riders only per shared lesson (45 mins) £50pp

🎠 Private lesson (45 mins) £80

You can incorporate in-hand work into your lesson if you wish, Charlotte teaches both in-hand work and ridden.

Charlotte Wittbom is a rider, trainer and teacher specialising in classical approaches to horsemanship. She is based in Cheshire, England. Charlotte travels internationally to deliver clinics and demonstrations and periodically welcomes guests for riding holidays and training in Portugal. Charlotte works with a diverse range of riders from around the world, spanning all equestrian specialisms, with abilities from novice to advanced.

Classical dressage training, clinics, schooling and brokering services.

31/03/2024

Moomin and I are wishing you all a very Happy Easter! 🐣🐇🌸

Hope you’re all having a wonderful bank holiday weekend whatever you are up to.

Maybe take a leaf out of Moomins book over this long weekend and factor in some rest and relaxation for yourself too 🫶🏻🤍🦄 🌊😌

29/03/2024

A nice little before and after of Tommy’s posture change after a massage this morning. 🦄

Tommy is a sensitive little soul who is a little worried about life at times, especially new people and new things and had spent a lot of time in flight mode with a dis regulated nervous system.

It’s my third visit to Tommy today but only his second massage, and we’ve made great progress with unwinding not only on a musculoskeletal level but also on a mental and emotional level too, Tommy had some lovely releases today and has let go of a lot of tension especially around his poll, neck, shoulders and thoracic sling area.

He’s come a long way from the horse that couldn’t handle me standing at his shoulder a few weeks back, think he’s starting to trust the process and me. 💫

His owner has been working incredibly hard with him in between visits too to give him the tools to help him be able to process and self regulate when he finds new things a challenge and it’s really paying off ❤️

20/03/2024

Here’s to new beginnings! ✨🦄🌸 🙌

I’m now officially qualified and insured as an Equine Sports Massage and Rehabilitation Therapist and will be covering the Llyn Peninsula, the rest of North Wales and surrounding areas. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

I qualified a few weeks back at the beginning of March but I’m only now getting around to sharing about it, and thought what better day to share it than on the spring equinox where it’s a time of new beginnings, new life and growth.
Oh, and of course, what us horse people have been longing for the most, lighter, longer and hopefully drier days where we will spend more time in the saddle! 🙏 ☀️ 🐎

So I’m really looking forward to being able to assist bringing your horses back into balance not only through their hooves, but by easing tension in their bodies and relaxing their minds. ☯️ 😌

So what are the benefits of massage?

Massage improves posture, circulation, hair coat and muscle tone,
Reduces stress in the body and mind,
Reduces muscle tension and soreness,
Reduces muscle spasms,
Greater flexibility and range of motion,
Increases range of motion and stride length,
Enhances blood flow,
Injury prevention and reduced fatigue,
Immune system support,

If you want your horse or pony to have a massage treatment ready for the Spring/Summer season ahead to keep their bodies in check, please get in touch to book 😃

Thanks so much Wolds Equine Sports Massage Approved Courses Olivia Renshaw for such a fantastic, in-depth course, I highly recommend to anyone wishing to take the leap.
And Lisa Sharp Sports Massage Therapist - Balancing Horse & Rider for being a fantastic tutor on my practical days, I learnt so much!
And for all my existing clients for letting me use your horses for case studies, I’m very grateful to you too! Couldn’t have done it without you! 🙏

And to my Moomintroll, my soul horse who keeps pushing me to become better and to never stop learning. 🤍🦄

03/02/2024

Some more positive feedback from my lovely clients over this past week 🤍 I appreciate you all!
Thanks for the lovely comment Hugo Fletchergrove

02/02/2024

First visit to the gorgeous Tommy today, he is a 3 yr old Welsh cob.

I was contacted by his owner to try and help with Tommy’s anxiousness and worry when it comes to his hoof care as he’s had a bad experience previously with farriers where force has been used to just “get the job done”, which has led to him being skeptical of having his feet handled…and rightly so!!

When I arrived he was anxious and he immediately went into a defensive posture with his head high in the air, eyes wide with worry, snorting, he wanted to leave.

I could see he was holding a lot of tension in his body but particularly at the base of his neck/shoulder junction which will not help when picking up the front feet, so instead of going straight in to his feet I wanted to work on gaining his trust by trying to help regulate his nervous system a little to help him breathe deeper and bring him down from flight mode by doing some gentle massage around his neck and shoulders letting go of the tension he was holding.
I also found an area of tension around his latissimus dorsi which is a muscle of the horses back that attaches to the humerus in the front limbs which aids in front leg movement as it flexes the shoulder and retracts the limb.
You can see some nice releases of this muscle in the video here, lots of yawning, licking and chewing and head lowering. I also don’t mind that he moves about. It’s all part of the process.

Just by having a massage at the start of his hoof trim, and gaining his trust it made a massive difference to the end result, I made a decision with his owner to only trim his front feet today and picked out his hinds with minimal stress, which will hopefully set us up for success next time.

🐴💆✨🫶🏻🦄🤍

02/02/2024

For all my Manchester/Lancs clients, definitely a date for your diaries!!
I highly recommend Jo Gardner and Rosie Gardner from Pony Talk Academy 😃🦄❤️

31/01/2024

Miniature horse feet are just the cutest 🥰🫶🏻🦄

23/12/2023

Well that’s a wrap, and tools down for 2023! 🦄✨

I would just like to say a massive thank you to all my clients, friends and followers for the continued support this year and entrusting me with your beautiful equine partners. I love them all as if they were my own, and I look forward to continuing working with you all into 2024.

This past year has been a great one in so many ways, it’s the year where I have probably worked with more horses than I have previously, growing my client base steadily where I live here on the Llyn Peninsula in North Wales and also in surrounding areas in the North West of England and for that I am so, so grateful! 🙏

It’s also the year I decided to further my skills and knowledge and study to become an equine massage therapist so I can assist bringing your horses back into balance even more, not only in their feet but in their body and mind too, so I look forward to being able to more of this in 2024. 👣 🙌 😌

So as I reflect on this past year I have lots to be thankful for and look forward to this Christmas time, that I get to do what I love everyday thanks to the support of each and every one of you. ❤️

So on that note, from my horses to yours I just want to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, and of course for my Welsh clients Nadolig Llawen a Blwyddyn Newydd Dda!

And thanks to each and everyone of you that’s given me gifts and cards. Very much appreciated 🤍🙏

Have a wonderful festive time, and be safe, from me and my Moomintrolls.

See you all in 2024 😊🐎

🦄🎄✨🎅🏻🦌☃️🥂🤍

15/12/2023

It’s Toe bean trim day for Rolo and Sprout! Just how cute are these boys! 🥹
Swipe to see little Rolo voluntarily showing us one of his many tricks 😆

Look out for these spotty boys doing their thing at some shows next year! 🎪🎠

And what a view from the office today ☀️ ⛰️ 🦄



The Mini Pony Show

13/12/2023

Had the most gorgeous and unexpected Christmas gift today off my client and friend Sue Howes! How talented is she?!! Thankyou so much Sue! ❤️🙏🎄
Moomintroll approves, it even has his name engraved 🥹 and doesn’t he look fab in it?!
Even if he does resemble a hairy bog troll at the moment! 😆

I’m sure Sue takes on commissions, if anyone is interested in a head collar for your horse/pony or dog collar for your dogs, pop her a message. 🦄 😊

24/08/2023

Three trims in for this lovely mare and I’m ecstatic with the changes we have already!

She’s no longer crushing her heels, soft tissues are developing and the back of her foot is getting stronger and her heels are opening up, we have healthier frogs and much improved hoof pastern angles.

Top pictures are May 23’ and bottom pictures are Aug 23’

🦄❤️✨😀🙌

10/08/2023

A full hoof capsule restoration for this now ex-laminitic pony. 🦄✨🌈 🤍🫶🏻🥰

I’m so ecstatic with how her feet are now, we’ve finally got rid of the last of the laminitic wedge this trim and they are now looking better than ever, and she’s moving better than ever! 🤩

It’s been just over a year between the top and bottom pictures.
So proud of this lovely mare and her owners. It was very touch and go at the start, and it’s been a real team effort to keep this mare on the right track with her diet, environment, trim and TIME to not relapse

09/08/2023

Never stoop down to anyone else’s level…unless it’s for a cute little Sheltland pony called Nugget of course! 😉🐴❤️🥰
kent.5249349

28/07/2023

Thats better! That Hoof Pastern Axis looks much more correct.
Right hind of a Welsh mountain pony.
April (top pic) - July (bottom pic)

28/07/2023

April-July progress on this Donks right fore. (Top pics are April and bottom are July).

I’ve been keeping her on a 4 week schedule since my first visit back in April. This is her fourth trim with me.

You can see from the top pics how her hoof capsule is shifting medially (to the inside) due to that lateral (outside) heel being crushed and folding over and you can see also how contracted her hoof is.

My focus every trim has been to get her back on her heels as they were run forward (due to length of toe and having not had hoof care for some time), and to get that lateral heel to come back and stand up and not collapse.
Now she’s further back on her heels you can see how that frog is now beginning to open up and her soft tissues at the back of her foot are getting fuller because she’s stimulating and using the back of her foot properly, and we have a healthier angle growing in from the top.

We still have a way to go with these feet but happy with her progress nonetheless. She’s running and moving about a lot more than she has been according to her owners which is something they haven’t seen her do for some time. 🙌
Happy Donk = Happy Me 😃

🐴💫❤️🙌✨