Intueri Equine

09/20/2024

09/19/2024

The best trainers that I’ve worked with have a great sense of humor. See “Dr.” Horse Whisperer’s post below 😜

If you’ve ever experienced working with a therapist, a good therapist peels back your layers to find where the problem lies.

I do that when working with horses, so I’ll only answer to “Dr. Horse Whisperer” from now on. Anything else will be disregarded. 😉

Pictured is Dr. Mariah peeling back some of Mahina’s layers🥰

(We are not doctors, sarcasm!)

09/19/2024

I’ve helped design over a dozen track systems for owners that were seeking the perspective of a hoof care professional for their project. In the rare occasion, when time permits, we offer carpentry/fence services to clients needing help with fence repair and paddock set-up.

Track systems are fantastic at encouraging movement and encouraging hoof balance through movement. Horses receive mental and physical enrichment since they are not following the same “game path” they’ve created in a normal paddock or open field.

However…it does NOT replace the need for routine trims/hoof rebalance appointments.

One common misconception is that once I get my horse on a track… they won’t need frequent trims. 🚫

The horse may wear hooves more but odds are there will still be imbalance (settle or blunt) that would need to be proactively corrected before it creates a larger problem.

If you’re mechanically inclined… think cars. Every so often we get alignments/tire rebalancing to maintain the PROPER function of our vehicle. You can absolutely go without those maintenance appointments but eventually you’ll go in with a dog tracking vehicle with a mean camber. And you’ll be replacing tires more often costing you more money in the long run.

So get your horses re-aligned and re-balanced proactively! Stay ahead of issues don’t wait for them. And as always…. Work with your horses in between trims.

Stay well!

09/17/2024

Long toes only affect the navicular right?

The leg has a series of joints. The metacarpo-phalangeal joint (fetlock), the proximal interphalangeal joint and distal interphalangeal joint (Pastern and coffin). Each one of these joints is a centre of rotation and because of how the digit is not underneath the limb, but in front off, each of these joints is profoundly affected by the distance from its centre of rotation to the point at which the ground acts through the hoof. In the form of the turning force (moment).
An increased turning force must be counteracted by whatever keeps those joints from descending under the load, the tendons AND ligaments.

Hence why long toes affect ALL of the soft tissue structures on the back of the leg. Both tendons and the suspensory!

If you would like this information clarified, explained in simpler terms and would like an introductory lesson in equine digit biomechanics then join myself and The study of the equine hoof on the 3rd Oct at 7pm BST where I will be doing just that.

https://equineeducationhub.thinkific.com/courses/digit-biomechanics-101

09/11/2024

We will never forget.

09/05/2024

Spring time is not the only time to be concerned about laminitis.

09/04/2024

Great visual! When I refer to possible coffin bone remodeling..this is what I’m referring to.

09/03/2024

I am reorganizing my trimming routes to maintain efficiency. All active clients—please be on the look out within the next week for a message with your horse/barn’s schedule along the new pricing and services sheet. Thanks everyone!!! 🐴

09/03/2024

09/01/2024

08/31/2024

08/30/2024

Invite Friday!
Intueri Equine is hoping that all of its followers would click the “invite friends” link on our small business page! My passion, horse, and my family thank you!!

08/29/2024

I admire Warwick and have learned so much from being a part of his subscription. Funny how this stuff can translate into our interpersonal relationships as well 😉

08/28/2024

It used to be that only once you loved them that you could sell them.

And then one of my teachers told the new horse in front of him that he loved them.

He didn't have to know them or go through a hard time. He just loved them from his heart and from the start.

Instead of loving at the end, it was love from the beginning.

A posture of love towards our horses opens the door to trust, partnership, grace and honor.

How we feel about our horses and talk about them matters.
How can we expect a horse to be respectful and trust if we are not first trustworthy and respectful of them.

Loving them from the get go is the back bone of horsemanship.

A love for the horse and all that they are. The gift they are to us we are often undeserving.

08/24/2024

Dropping The Knives

We are going to talk about this meme a bit, because I’ve seen it pop up a lot and it makes me a bit sad.

I’ve been spending a lot of time talking to hoofcare friends around the world lately, and we have all come to a similar conclusion:

This job can be really dang hard, my friends.

For those of us in hoofcare, summer starts “burn out season”- not only does it often feel like 800 degrees in our bodies as we are working to hold up a couple hundred pounds of horse limbs while they try to use us for balance while simultaneously stomping at a fly, but it’s also the season when owners are often riding more, doing more, and wanting more from their horses- and expecting that we will make all their riding dreams come true with our rasp and nippers.

We want that, too. We want to make your horses comfortable and sound. We want to do our best to advocate for your horses and set them up for success.

And I feel like every year, I still have to do a post about how it’s also not all up to us as the hoofcare provider to make that happen.

When it comes to soundness, yes- the trim and whatever we do to the foot as professionals is incredibly important. We can cripple the horse in a second, we can also bring relief. Of course, that’s not the only thing responsible for a horses’ soundness. Their diet, environment, turn out schedule, stress levels, gut health, biomechanics, saddle fit, dental status, metabolic status, and so much more all play a role in how comfortable they are before and after a hoofcare appointment.

I was chatting with some friends today and all of us had stories about how we often are expected to be “Mr. Fix It”- with the silver bullet, magic wand answer to get your horse back out showing tomorrow - and it can be an immense amount of pressure.

Add in the fact that often, if anything goes sideways soundness wise, we are the first to get the blame.. even if the owner hasn’t called us in 3 months, or the horse is fed a straight corn cob diet and kept on lush grass fields during the day with enough fat pads to become a literal couch. It can be hard to not just feel like everyone is throwing the hoofcare pro under the bus (hence the meme).

If we read the foot and do the same trim that kept them sound and comfortable 3+ years in a row, and that horse isn’t happy after we see them, my first thought is “what has changed in their diet? Their environment? Their health or stress or whatever else to cause inflammation in the hoof that hasn’t been there in the past?” But it can be easy to just blame the farrier.

Most of us spend a huge amount of our “free” time reading, talking to others, going to clinics and conferences, sitting in on webinars, documenting and learning to “read” the foot, talking to vets/bodyworkers/trainers/other farriers, and working hard to learn to do the best we can. This job takes a huge amount of critical thinking, decision making that we know can go either way in many cases, and none of us are right all of the time. None of us - hoofcare pro, owner, vet, bodyworker, … no one.

Are there times when our hoofcare decisions aren’t right for the horses? 10000%, absolutely you bet. And as many times as that is true, there are times when something else is causing an issue and we are only able to work with the feet we are presented with- we can’t work miracles.

To the clients who view us as team members collaborating to keep your horse in top shape- you’re the real MVPs. Thank you for trusting us, for working with us, for looking for ways you can improve your horse’s hoof health and soundness and make our job easier. If all of our books were filled with clients like you, our jobs would be a breeze.

I am so thankful to have so many amazing owners and professionals I work with, and working on horses with them makes the hard days worth it.

For others who have had difficult times with your horse and are working to get them sound, remember we are on your team. We want to see your horse comfortable. And we love when we are able to be a part of the collaboration to get that done ❤️

08/21/2024

💚I started trimming Kaylie Eaves Horsemanship competition horse, Sonora, late June of this year. She recieved 2-4 maintenance trims a month along with cranial sacral work, a diet adjustment, balanced training, and full time turn out.

Yesterday, we took some progress photos and the results are amazing!

Today, Kaylie and Sonora embark on their trip to the Appalachian Trainer Face Off to show off their skills to help find Sonora her forever home. Wishing them the very best this week! 💚

08/21/2024

I have 2 openings for equine or canine bodywork sessions or hoof trims this Saturday 8/24. Give me a call or message here if you’d like to book !

08/19/2024

⬇️

There is very little that you can put onto a hoof that will improve its condition. If you want healthy hooves you need to grow them. If you want to grow healthy hooves, you need a good diet.

‘Importance of Nutrition for Barefoot Horses’ is one of the ebooks available in the Hoof Geek Academy FREE resources that will explain what you need to know. Find out more, here https://hoofgeek.com/free-resources/

08/17/2024

Some hooves on my rehabilitation list this morning! So blessed to be able to do this 💚

08/16/2024

Received a heartwarming review in my inbox this morning.💚

08/15/2024

08/14/2024

I’m not anti shoe… what I am is sick and tired of shoes being put on irresponsibly. What do I mean by this?

•Hoof care providers applying shoes knowing dang well that they may get overbooked and won’t be able to reset the shoe before distortion sets in…

•Owners that delay having shoes reset due to budget, schedule, sale, etc… it’s not fair to the horse.

•Lack of individualization when deciding what type of shoe to apply… aka “this shoe cures all” approach.

If we can’t reset on a healthy schedule for that horse… send someone qualified over there to get it done… teach the owner…or don’t apply it at all. Suggest boots instead!

Thankfully, this sweet gelding landed a good bid with a caring and generous owner that gives him everything he needs and so much more🤍. I’m grateful and so honored that we crossed paths. We have a journey ahead of us but I’m excited for the outcome. 🙌⭐️