Sound & Simple Hoof Care

08/23/2024

👻 White Feet & Strong Hooves 👻

There’s an old wives’ tale that claims light-colored hooves are weaker than dark ones.

However, this fancy horse—and science—proves otherwise! Adequate movement, a balanced diet, and routine hoof care are the true foundations for strong hooves, no matter their color.

08/01/2024

💖 Drab to Fab! 💖

When I met this horse, she was sound and had been barefoot without any major issues. However, I noticed a few areas that could use improvement. Her digital cushion was a bit weak, and her toe had been allowed to get a bit too long, causing everything to be pulled forward.

A few months later, we're seeing some incredible changes. While there are still some improvements I'd like to see, the foot is functioning much more correctly so it's just a matter of time now!

These seemingly small adjustments can make the difference between a horse simply "being barefoot" and "thriving barefoot."

07/24/2024

It takes a village! 🏘️

This sweet (and absolutely massive) boy was recently acquired and his history is largely unknown. He started off anxious and was unable to safely hold his feet up for a trim. Based on the limited knowledge we have of his background, it’s possible that he was never taught to stand calmly for trims outside of the stocks.

Christine was called in to help get him prepped for a safe and pleasant trimming experience.

A few weeks later, Atlas stood beautifully for his trim. No restraints and he really seemed to enjoy his experience.

Shoutout to CA Equestrian LLC for her incredible horsemanship, and to the owners for being fully committed to their horse, my safety, and doing the homework! ❤️

07/09/2024

Going, going... almost gone! 👋 👋 👋 Just 1-2 more trim cycles, and this worrisome crack will be a thing of the past!

Setting young horses up for success with solid feet is essential for promoting a long, sound, and healthy career. This sweet youngster is showing improvements all around, from learning his "big boy" manners during trims to developing healthier, happier feet! Youngsters are so fun to work with, especially when they have great owners who are committed to giving them a leg up in life.

Accepting clients from in North East Georgia, from Athens to Augusta!

07/01/2024

This handsome horse was presented as a typical pigeon-toed case. 🐦

Cases like this are often told, "This is just the way he is; it's their conformation."

The more I studied this horse's leg, hoof, and how he moved, I was not convinced that this pigeon toe was just from conformation. While he does have very slightly crooked limbs, the majority of the twist was actually happening from the hoof/trim, not higher up the limb!

With a change in trim style, I was able to set the horse up and watch the magic happen. When given the chance, the body is incredible at correcting!

This change is over 15 weeks / 3 trims. He will likely always have a slight twist and uneven wear pattern, but being mindful of that will help it from getting needlessly worse.

His dedicated owners have kept him on a regular schedule and report that he has been more comfortable lately. 😍

06/24/2024

Big feet, big changes! ✨ Set up trim on a lovely horse with big, healthy feet. Excited to see the improvements over the next few months.

06/16/2024

Adorable, teeny-tiny mini donkey striking a pose- showing off his newly trimmed foot.

So much cuteness, it couldn't all fit into the pic. 😍📸

This itty-bitty jack stays on a regular trimming schedule. His owner prioritizes his hoof health to make sure he is always feeling his best! 🫏

06/07/2024

🌱 🌱 Summer grass can mean TONS of growth for your horse's hooves! 🌱 🌱

Benefits of Regular Trimming:

☑️Enhanced Health: Prevents overgrowth and promotes healthy hoof structure.

☑️Improved Comfort: Reduces the risk of discomfort in the hooves and body due to an unbalanced hoof.

☑️Better Performance: Supports a more even gait and improved overall movement and loading of the hoof.

Now Accepting New Clients from Athens area to Augusta!
Reach out to get your horse on a regular and routine schedule.

06/06/2024

A beautiful hind hoof!

This foot has a strong, healthy, thrush-free frog- all important factors in promoting blood flow and an overall healthy hoof.

06/04/2024

Uneven heel bulbs! ⚖️

When I met this young horse, he had really interesting wear patterns and growth. He did not load or wear his foot evenly, resulting in one heel bulb being overdeveloped and one resembling a flat tire. 🛞

Considering this was a healthy, sound horse with no history of lameness, we jumped right in with a different trim style.

It's incredible to see how quickly the hoof corrected itself when given the chance!

05/24/2024

This pony has awesome rock-crunching feet! 😍

It's a pleasure when you show up to trim after 5 weeks and they've had this much growth, but are still very balanced throughout their foot. A sign of a happy and healthy pony!

05/19/2024

Set-up trim on a really lovely horse with some run-away quarter flares. 🏃‍♀️‍➡️ 🏃‍♀️‍➡️ 🏃‍♀️‍➡️

Tucking those flares in and adjusting the trim style made a big difference for this horse. He had quite a beautiful foot hiding in there! Even more improvement to come!

05/17/2024

More donkey love! 🫏 🩵

Sweetest donkey getting a set-up trim and feeling like a brand-new lady!

She will need a few additional routine trims to restore her feet to full health and balance, but she is well on the way.

05/15/2024

Stronger, straighter heels! 💪

In about 2 more months this more correct heel angle will make contact with the ground, further strengthening the hoof!

A few fun takeaways from this hoof:

1. Striped hoofs are so fun to work on! You can clearly see where a change was made a few months back. For this situation, it was about finding a hoof boot setup that fit his needs and shortening the trim cycle.

2. Patience is a virtue. Had we veered off of the plan in the first 3-4 weeks, there is no way we could've predicted the improvement to come!

3. Don't be afraid to make changes. For years now- this horse has had its diet tuned in, bodywork, ulcer treatment, dentistry work, and the absolute most top-tier hoof care. This horse was sound, happy, and loving life, but this small change of shortening the trim cycle unlocked a missing piece for his tootsies!

05/10/2024

Tiny donkey feet need love too! 🫏❤️

05/07/2024

🐴✨ Athens to Augusta: Rachel Thompson, Barefoot Trimmer and Hoof Care specialist, now accepting new clients! 🐴✨

04/29/2024

Event lines have a story to tell, don’t buff them away without taking note! What could be sabotaging your horse's progress?

This young OTTB had many big changes/events that could've caused the event lines:
- a move across states into a new environment
- going from racehorse to lighter work
- removing the shoes
- a round of antibiotics after an injury
- from a grain-heavy diet to a forage-only diet
- recovery from castration

Management changes that helped stabilize this horse as he grew a new capsule:
- more frequent trims
- refined diet- all-forage, all the time!
- postural work to relieve back tension
- ulcer treatment
- maximized turnout
- regular dental care to ensure a balanced mouth

He is very close to growing out that last event line, leaving him with a much-improved foot!

04/28/2024

The magic of a good set-up trim! ✨

My first trim on this youngster left him in much better alignment.

Though it may seem like a small change- these improvements in angles should provide benefits throughout the horse's body as its training continues until the next trim.

04/14/2024

Set up trim for a precious gelding with a great starting point. He walked away heel-first and happy! 😍

Stay tuned to see how just a change in trim style can further improve these feet. 😄

Accepting new clients from Athens to Augusta!

03/27/2024

🎉 Hey everyone! 🎉

Big news – I'm officially expanding!

It's finally time to take my long-term hoof-junkie passion to the next level and take on additional clients.

I will be offering barefoot trimming in the NE GA areas.

Contact me at the info below to get on my schedule.

Rachel Thompson

Certified Whole Horse Hoof Care Practitioner

Equine Barefoot Trimming & Rehab

Athens to Augusta- NE GA

03/26/2024