Barefoot North Hoof Care

07/08/2024

Hay for Sale. Te Hana-Mangawhai road. 300 bale's available $15 each.

Contact Grainne on 0275215271

18/07/2024

Great special

Winter Special for our Warkworth Area clients. First date locked in is Tuesday 30th July. Please email for a booking spot. Remember no hoof, no horse! We look forward to getting you ready for the season. Email [email protected] for one of the limited spaces

12/07/2024

Really cool little mare belonging to a local client if anyone is looking for a nice young horse that's already been well started!

06/07/2024

Sticky Balls! Finally made a first batch of the copper sulphate beeswax putty for treating seedy toe and white line disease.

Still working on the recipe but I quite like how these turned out. They are not quite as sticky as I intended but much easier to handle without gloves so going to give them a whirl next week.

I have a few pots of samples for clients to take for free IF you actually use them and report back- do they need to be firmer? Stickier? Or just right? Best in individual balls like this or prefer a block? Effective at treating seedy toe? Or needing more active ingredients? Bonus points for supporting photographs showing progress growing out seedy toe or Whiteline disease 👍

Contains: beeswax, pine rosin, tea tree oil, olive oil and copper sulphate.

If you would like to get your hands on some sticky balls just hit me up at next trim 😁

03/07/2024

🐸 Well the green frog paste is proving quite successful! 🐸

It was getting tiresome ordering Artimud in from Aussie so got to making my own brew and have been trialling it on client horses and my own over the last few weeks and it's doing a great job of dealing to the soggy thrushy situations.

It's similar to the artimud but different- more of a cream consistency like cream foundation rather than sticky clay.

Contains Zinc Oxide, Honey, French Green Clay and Tea Tree oil. Will have a few pots on me for clients if you want to grab one at your next trim.

15/06/2024

Thoroughbred hooves 🐎🐎🐎

29/05/2024

MIA this week sorry guys. COVID finally caught up with our household after however many years of dodging it! Planning to be back to work next tuesday but unlikely to be hitting the ground running at the usual pace so please bear with me. This week off is likely to affect the next 2 weeks of appointments.

Still testing positive today but the brain is starting to function again so will be getting in touch and trying to sort out the next few weeks of bookings.

Thanks for your understanding 🙏

13/05/2024

The secret ingredient to healing hooves!

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Time, consistency and... 👏 time 👏

If you are doing everything you can to help your horses feet and it's still not looking great. Give it more time!

It takes time to get them into a mess and it takes time to build them back up out of it.

19/04/2024

TGIF

Big week this week. Definitely looking forward to our family holiday! Back on deck on the 29th. Enjoy the rest of the school holidays everyone. 🐴

05/04/2024

ConTact C.A.R.E

There is something magical about treating baby horses. They almost seem to change before your very eyes.

I almost didn't recognise this little guy when I returned today for his second visit. He was also so very happy to be treated second time around after being very guarded the first time.

15 month old clydie x nati x Northland bush pony. I can't wait to see how he continues to develop over the next few months.

If you are noticing issues in your young horses development it's a great idea to get body work done early so that they can flourish and grow the way they are supposed to without flinchlocks and compensations holding them back and distorting the body.

Flinchlocks in the skeleton can cause obvious issues like skeletal distortions but it can also affect temperament, overall ability to thrive, ability to cope with stress and changes, coat health, hoof balance and development, gut health, coordination, muscle development, breathing and so on. Some of the biggest changes can sometimes be internal and not obvious in a photograph.

More photos in the comments just because :)

19/12/2023

Hey everyone. Unfortunately I've hurt my back on the weekend... Horse riding of all things! Not trimming 🤦‍♀️ it looks like I'm going to be out of action for the rest of the week so I won't be able to do anything until the new year. Apologies for the inconvenience. I hope you all have a great Xmas and I'll see you in 2024 😊

04/12/2023

Just letting everyone know that I am off work for a holiday break from the 22nd of December to the 8th of January.

If your horses are due trims around that time please get in touch to book in for my last week at work or first week back. I am endeavouring to get my schedule sorted to accommodate everyone but with so many horses on the books I may miss a few so feel free to help me out and get in touch to book a time!

Hope every has a great Xmas and New Year and manages to get some good family and horsey time in!

25/11/2023

Did a really fun horse and rider session with Pepe and Pops over the weekend ☺️ awesome to see the changes in Poppy's movement after the session. It's amazing how flinchlock combinations between horse and rider can affect the big picture and it is so cool to be able to make positive changes in a single session. 🐎

21/11/2023

**Change of work hours**

Due to increasing workload I need to limit my hours in order to keep some semblance of balance in my life! Going forward I will need to be home for the school bus. So if you are local to Te Arai that means the latest appt time I can schedule is 2pm... If you are further away it will be earlier to allow for increased travel time- as you know... My old ute does not do high speeds! So I cannot make up time by breaking the speed limit 🚓

The other change is that I now WILL be available from dawn ☀️ so if you are needing to schedule in around your work day you can book in early morning :) earlier the better! This way we get to avoid the heat of the day going into summer also.

I won't be available for weekend appointments.

I really need to prioritise some down time with my family going forward and limiting my hours in this way makes room for that. If unfortunately you are unable to make this time frame work I can give you contacts for other trimmers or farriers in your area.

Thank you for your understanding 🙏🏾

18/11/2023

It's been a wonderful start to the season for my little team- I don't want to jinx it but maybe, just maybe... We will get the summer we have been so desperately hoping for!

I just want to say a huge thank you to Healthy Horses Inside Out for your support in providing the right nutrition for my horses. These barefoot horses are looking and feeling wonderful going into the season fuelled by HHIO's 'Performance' mineral mix and 'Support' for digestive health and settled behaviour.

Highly recommend these products for healthy horses and hooves!

30/10/2023

Had an amazing time of learning at the Equine ConTact CARE Practitioner clinic this weekend. Thanks so much Camille and Lisa for facilitating a weekend packed with so much learning in spite of the horrific turn of weather. Juggling a change of venue in the mix on top of everything else!

So much new learning to put into practice! I am especially looking forward to doing some horse and rider treatments over the next few weeks and also getting a better understanding of the interconnectedness of the different systems that can be affected by impact injuries.

Feel free to get in touch if you would like me to visit your horse or would like a horse and rider treatment. 🐎🐎🐎

25/10/2023

I was about to write my own PSA but Anna beat me to it.

Please prepare for fly season. Fly spray your horse ready for trimming and have extra on hand and fly sheet, mesh sheet if they are still twitchy.

Too many farriers and trimmer getting injured lately so would like to minimise risk factors wherever possible. No one wants to be caught in the crossfire of a belly kick or whipped in the eyes by a swishy tail.

I will be carrying ripcord in a spray bottle to use as fly deterrent if necessary measures aren't taken. If you don't like the use of Ripcord then please ensure you have an alternative already sorted out 🙏

🪰🦟 Fly season is coming up 🪰🦟

People often exclaim that my job must be hard in winter when it’s wet and muddy. Honestly I would take mud, rain, soft feet and no flies over rock hard feet, dripping in sweat, being whipped in the face by horses swishing at flies and horses jerking, kicking and stomping any day!

Flies make our work more difficult and dangerous. Having horses pulling and yanking legs away all day takes a big toll on us, and even quiet horses can unexpectedly kick at a fly - one of the most dangerous is when they kick at their belly with a hind while we’re working on a front.

Please have your horse accepting of the spray bottle and fly spray on hand for top ups. Particularly sensitive horses may also need a fly sheet and boots / socks for extra protection.

Thank you for keeping us safe!

18/10/2023

Really enjoyed giving this little mare her second ConTact CARE Treatment today. We are working with her to help her with girthiness, overall touchiness and grumpiness and symptoms of gut issues/ulcers.

She's very good at communicating where she would like me to work and where she would not! Gotta love mares for their clear communication style ;) she also really wanted her little human close to her or in clear line of sight today for comfort and when we gave her that she was happy to be worked on and the flinchlocks just melted away ❤️

05/10/2023

Yes laminitic ponies CAN recover and grow back 'normal looking feet'. I posted about the pony 'Echo' almost a year ago. In the first picture he had been given two set up trims and a diet and management overhaul and although it looks ugly he was COMFORTABLE and all set to grow out that ugly lamellar separation at the toe.

These days he is trotting over stones and galloping up to the gate when I arrive to trim him 😊 the torn lamellar wedge is fully grown out!

03/10/2023

One of today's trims... what breed of horse do you think this hoof belongs to? 😁🤔

02/10/2023

Sometimes hooves go through weird awkward stages on their way to improving! Here you can see a kind of kink in the heel. Where the old further forward heel is on its way out and the new and improved bigger heel is growing in. When this 'new heel' hits the ground it will be further back under underneath her-, stronger and better able to support her. Trust the process!

Ft. Cali's near hind hoof

02/10/2023

Cali's cute little front hoof 🐴

29/09/2023

Can't find the old school canvas soaking boots in stock anywhere? Check these out. Versatile and easy to use as well as good quality and locally made! Ideal for wet poulticing or protecting a dry hoof as well.

25/09/2023

One of the most heartbreaking things as a hoof care provider is watching ponies go through, or lost to, preventable laminitis.

It is far too common for the warnings of hoof care providers to fall on deaf ears because “they are doing okay at the moment”, or “it’s difficult to keep them off the grass” and “it’s practically no grass”.

For us to warn at every appointment that your horse is at risk and needs to be managed appropriately, only for nothing to be done until the pony finally eats one grass blade too many and can hardly walk. While the owner exclaims “I just don’t know what happened, he was fine yesterday!”

Trust me, I know the challenges of keeping a horse off grass, but I also know the pain and devastation of laminitis.

This sort of laminitis does not happen over night, it simmers away with subtle warning signs that your HCP has probably told you about; being overweight, cresty necks and fat deposits, growth rings in the feet, bruising in the whiteline, being “just a bit off”. It could be months or even years of this, until their system reaches breaking point and they become acutely laminitic “over night”.

🙏 Please love your horse, pony or donkey enough to mange them appropriately and save them the agony of laminitis 💔.

19/08/2023

Due to amalgamating my run into a smaller service area I am now able to accept a small number of new clients in the following areas only:

• Mangawhai
• Wellsford
• Kaiwaka
• Warkworth
• Waipu
• Maungaturoto

$60 per trim for multiple horses and donkeys $65 single horse or donkey. +$10 for heavy horses. Group discounts available for miniature horses

Regular recurring appointments every 5-6 weeks ie. 9am Tuesday every 6 weeks

Best contact is facebook messenger or 02102416042

12/07/2023

Anyone missing their magazine? I believe it's in Dutch? I was excited until I realized I cannot understand a word 😂

03/07/2023

Boy is very expressive this morning after his contact care session yesterday 🙈 he will be processing for a few days I think. Quiet lunge this morning- day off tomorrow I think ☺️

08/06/2023

Thank you for some good thoughts and discussion. I find that thrush goes largely unrecognised.

The real question is, how invasive is the thrush? The bugs are always there in the environment, so it is not a case of a one time wonder cure, but consistent management and maintenance.

A: Deep central sulcus thrush, deep collateral grooves, soft frog tissue.

B: Some bugs present in grooves, but a healthy, resilient, functional frog.

C: This is what most people tend to recognise as thrush, that black stinky stuff - and yes it is. But often that black will get washed out in a very wet environment and then the thrush goes unrecognised.

D: As for B.

E: Invasive thrush eating away at the frog. This is a very “washed out”, thin, vulnerable hoof. I find this all too often goes unnoticed, because of the lack of black and stink.

F: Severe deep central sulcus thrush, you could poke a stick right up through the heel bulbs. Also a very thin, eaten away frog.

02/06/2023

👑 KINGS BIRTHDAY STOCK CLEARANCE SALE! 👑

Due to limiting my boot fitting service to existing clients only I am clearing BRAND NEW stock at reduced prices.

Scoot Boot sizes available on clearance:
⭐ 7 slim
⭐ 6 slim SOLD
⭐ 4 regular SOLD
⭐ 4 slim SOLD
⭐ 3 slim SOLD
⭐ 1 regular SOLD
⭐ 0 regular
⭐ 0 slim SOLD
⭐ 000

CLEARANCE PRICE: $225 (down from $270)

⭐ Medium mudstraps x2 SOLD
⭐ Large mudstraps SOLD
⭐ XL mudstraps

CLEARANCE PRICE: $25

⭐ Navy pastern strap pack of 4- L
⭐ Emerald pastern strap pack of 4- M SOLD

CLEARANCE PRICE: $20

⭐ Front straps packs (6 per pack)
Aqua SOLD
Mulberry SOLD
Navy

CLEARANCE PRICE: $20

⭐ Endurance gaiter size small
⭐ Endurance gaiter size large

CLEARANCE PRICE: $40

Over the week I will be adding more items to the listing including second hand pairs and new and second hand accessories such as endurance gaiters, mud straps, coloured straps etc. If there is something in particular you are looking for feel free to ask.

👑 Have a great long weekend! 👑

01/06/2023

Some filthy but functional winter feet belonging to an older Kaimanawa. He's doing well thanks to good management by his owners and frequent trimming- especially since he is very prone to sub clinical laminitis flare ups causing rotation in his front hooves and separation in the white line at the toe which we stay on top of.

Keep on top of treating thrush! With this extreme wet environment horses feet are softer, weaker and flatter than usual and more prone to bruising, thrush and white line separation. Whilst we cannot order ourselves a cold dry winter we CAN treat thrush. A healthy frog goes a LOOOONG way towards building a strong back of the foot for the horse to land on and this helps tremendously with their comfort, circulation and functionality as we battle thru this crappy wet season. If you can get the frog to grow faster than it is getting eaten by thrush- you are winning!

I highly recommend the red horse products:

- 'Artimud' for thrush and any shallow white line seperation
- 'Hoof Stuff' Hoof Pack for deep central sulcus thrush, deep white line disease and seedy toe.

You can order them online from Australia at https://guardianhorseproducts.com.au/
or you can get in touch with me and I can order you some next time I do a bulk order (the postage is a bit spendy so I try and order in bulk)