Hoof Girl Natural Hoof Care

02/18/2024

My clients are on a 4-week trim cycle.

08/16/2023

Horses are struggling in this heat.
Normally a horse’s body temperature is 99°F-100°F.
When the ambient temperature is over 100°, horses have a difficult time cooling off.
This can lead to non-sweating, rapid breathing, muscle soreness, dehydration, respiratory problems, and more.
One thing that will help them cool off is watermelon rinds.
After you eat a watermelon, take off all the red ”meat” and cut the rind into chunks.
You can keep it in the fridge and use it as treats.
It’s a cooling food for horses and can help them thermoregulate.

Also make sure they have fresh water at all times.
Ponds are stagnant and hot right now, so that’s not the best source of drinking water.

Hopefully this weather will break soon.

09/02/2022

Barefoot Performance

I've seen more and more barefoot horses competing at higher levels in the last few years. I think this is great! I personally have seen some hard-working horses do really well barefoot.
That being said, I think a lot of the recent press around barefoot performance horses might set up unsuspecting owners for disappointment if they aren't ready for the maintenance and dedication growing strong bare feet entails.

As many of you know, pulling shoes and "going barefoot" is rarely if ever just about pulling shoes and going barefoot.
Nearly all the horses I see who have been uncomfortable without shoes in the past need significant diet adjustments before going barefoot, to allow a healthier laminae connection, wall, frog, and sole to grow.
Many might need an adjustment period and can't just start back at the same level of work they were doing prior. The hoof is a neurosensory organ, and the internal structures respond to input from the horse's movement and environment... And the hoof likely will need time to strengthen without shoes adding stability.

Whenever I pull shoes on a horse, I always consider expectations and management from the owner. Is the owner willing to adjust diet, troubleshoot issues, adjust workload, or consider support if needed for comfort?

Of course, there are some horses that come out of shoes as if they never had them on, but that just isn't always the case.

When the owner is properly prepared, I see a significant increase in success transitioning to barefoot. It's not always a walk in the park, but with proper preparation and transition time, we can see previously weak feet doing some pretty awesome things.

Do you have a performance horse working barefoot? Share a picture in the comments!

📷 credit Sara Shier Photography
The Plaid Horse

08/21/2022

Belgium's Pieter Devos triumphs in the London Longines Global Champions Tour grand prix, while Ellen Whitaker is best of the Brits in fourth

08/07/2022

07/21/2022

** edit to add**
(In reading some of the responses to my post, I think some are assuming that this is a barefoot vs shod post. It is not. If you read my full post you will see that. I am just pondering why it has taken so long for this shift to happen. I am all about working together with the common goal being to help the horse. That's really all I care about in the end.) ☮️

Bracy Clark published this in 1809. That's right, over 2 hundred years ago. I remember reading about Bracy Clark when I first started studying the hoof. I was stunned to see that a veterinarian had published about the damage that shoeing was doing to the hoof way back then and still, nothing changed. Thankfully, I am now starting to see a shift. More people are starting to prioritize their horse's well being. Owners are educating themselves and seeking out better hoofcare. Hallelujah. I see advancements in shoeing practice and I see more clinics focusing on getting a proper trim under the shoe and shorter shoeing cycles. This is progress. 💪 Keep advocating for your horse and choose your farrier wisely. There are farriers out there who take soundness seriously and continue to learn and better themselves. Seek out these professionals or, better yet, become one yourself.