Hometown Hoofcare

04/23/2025

Spirit 🥰. She gives great back rubs. And has amazing TWH feet!

I would sure take a lot of my client horses home.

04/23/2025

A brave statement to be making right now, and a needed one.

The truth is usually somewhere in the middle.

We often have to feel both ends of the pendulum before we find center.

There can be a lot of power in stillness. But you aren't meant to stay there. Meditation can be found in movement.

There is a time for stillness, and then there isn't.

The nervous system is key, but it's meant to experience the fullness of life.

Horses ARE our teachers, and we owe it to them to provide them guidance when we ask them to join our society. It is too heavy a burden on our horses to task them with being our therapists.

Are we doing this for us, or for them?

Fantasy Horsemanship: Where ‘Doing Nothing’ is Marketed as Mastery 💸

“A safe space for humans. A weird time for horses.”

Once upon a time in a paddock not-so-far away, a horse dragged its owner across the arena to a hay bag.
And lo, the guru said:
“Did you see that? He’s finally feeling safe enough… to express his autonomy.”

And the crowd nodded.
For they were moved.
And the horse, dear reader, was not. 🙄

Welcome to Fantasy Horsemanship — where dragging, balking, spooking, and shutting down are framed as spiritual breakthroughs.
Where confusion is revered, clarity is oppressive, and stillness is sold as “deep integration.”
Where your horse is not trained — but interpreted. 🎭

Let’s take a closer look…

1. The Guru Speaks (And You Stop Thinking)
In this world, the guru is your translator.
You don’t learn to read your horse — you learn to believe his reading of your horse.

A tail swish becomes trauma. A head toss? “Reclaiming boundaries.”
And a shut-down horse staring into space?
That’s “sacred integration through parasympathetic recalibration.” ✨

It’s not horsemanship.
It’s interpretive spirituality with a rope halter. 🧘‍♀️🐴

Sprinkle in some polyvagal jargon, somatic buzzwords, and vaguely-academic pseudoscience, and suddenly everything makes sense… except your horse.

2. Feeling > Function
“I feel more connected.”
“My horse gave me a soft eye.”
“We just stood together and cried.” 😭

Lovely.

But did your horse stop spooking at the mounting block?
Can he walk forward when asked?
Did you learn anything… practical?

Of course not.
Because in Fantasy Horsemanship, progress is an emotional experience, not a behavioural outcome.

If you cried, it counted.
Even if your horse is still stuck, shut down, or silently screaming for guidance. 🐎💤

3. No Tools, No Plan, No Problem
“I could use a tool… but that would betray the trust.”
Translation:
I don’t know what to do, and I’ve built a philosophy around that.

No leadership? Enlightened.
No aids? Ethical restraint.
No plan? A bold rejection of the patriarchy. ✊

Doing nothing is rebranded as depth.
The guru has no method, no map, and no measurable outcomes — and that’s exactly how he likes it.

Where there’s no criteria, there’s no failure.
Only more feelings. 😌

4. The Guru Believes His Own Bull$h!t
And here’s the real kicker:
The guru isn’t running a con — he’s running a one-man theatre production he believes in deeply. 🎤🎭

You’ll see a horse lurching, lame, shut down, clearly miserable —
and he’ll whisper, misty-eyed:

“Wow. That was amazing.” 😍
He’s not evaluating the horse.
He’s performing a show.

And he’s too high on his own narrative to notice the horse is tragically unsound and about to file for emotional leave. 📋

5. Your Horse Is Not Your Life Coach
“I’m forever changed.”
“He unlocked something in me.”
“We breathed together under the stars.” 🌌

Lovely.
But your horse still won’t load on the float.

He’s not your therapist.
He’s not your mirror.
He’s not your trauma doula.

He’s just a horse — trying to survive a training session that’s turned into a TED Talk narrated by someone who’s read one too many somatic healing blogs. 💻🐴

He doesn’t want to co-regulate.
He wants clarity.
And maybe a carrot that doesn’t come with a full emotional disclosure. 🥕

6. Bonus Truth: When Fantasy Replaces Vet Checks
Here’s what Fantasy Horsemanship won’t tell you:

The only time horses aren’t easy… is when they’re unsound. 🚫🏇

Pain changes behaviour.
Discomfort makes horses emotional, evasive, or disengaged.

But instead of checking for pain, lameness, or imbalance, the fantasy reframes it all as “emotional blocks.”

And for women — especially those not feeling strong in their own bodies — this becomes a trap.
When movement feels hard, stillness feels safe.
When strength feels distant, softness becomes the story. 🧘‍♀️🕯️

And suddenly, both human and horse are stuck.
One in pain.
One in fear.
Both being told they’re “healing” — when really, they’re just avoiding.

7. And Still, the Horse Pays the Price
Behind the hashtags and healing mantras is a horse who didn’t ask for this.

He doesn’t get trained.
He doesn’t get listened to.
He gets filmed mid-meltdown while someone whispers,

“This… is integration.” 🎥😬
He’s confused.
He’s burdened.
He’s trying.

But nobody notices.
Because everyone’s too busy being deep.

8. Epilogue: The W**d That’s Spreading
This isn’t just one guru.
Fantasy Horsemanship is everywhere. 🌱🔥

It spreads through spiritual marketing, emotional manipulation, and the promise of transformation without accountability.

It appeals to those who want connection but fear discomfort.
It flatters women conditioned to be agreeable, self-doubting, and endlessly apologetic —
those trying to people-please their horse into loving them,
dreaming of a ba****ck beach ride with wind-blown hair and 100% safety. 🐎🌊💨

But your horse isn’t looking for magic.
He’s looking for someone who knows what they’re doing.
Not someone side-tracked down a rabbit hole to nowhere.

Final Thought
Horses are beautifully simple.
They don’t need make-believe — they need meaning.
They don’t want therapy — they want to be understood as horses, not projected humans.
They don’t care about your journey — they care if you can help them feel safe. 🧠❤️🐴

They are easy to train.
Easy to make feel secure.
Unless they’re unsound — or the human is untethered.

So if the fantasy is fading… if your horse is still wary, still stuck, still waiting…

That’s not failure.
That’s reality knocking. 🚪

Answer it.

Find someone who teaches real horse training and treats you with respect.
Learn to understand horses — and build the skills to influence them.

Because when the fog lifts and the narrative dies…

It won’t be the guru standing with you.

It’ll be your horse.
Still confused.
Still waiting.
Still hoping you’ve finally shown up —
not with a story…
but with a plan. 🐴✔️

If you’ve climbed out of the fantasy rabbit hole — or realised your horse biting you wasn’t over zealous engagement but frustration — you’re not alone. Tell your story. Let’s talk about it.❤

If this said what you’ve been thinking — share it. If it said what you wish you wrote, still… share it. With credit. You’re welcome. 🐴😉

04/23/2025

Turnout is one of the most polarizing topics in modern horse keeping. So, let’s skip the debate. We’ve gathered some results from veterinary science, peer-reviewed journals, and international welfare assessments. These are real numbers, from real studies, so you can make strategic decisions rooted in evidence, not tradition.

-A 25% reduction in soft tissue injuries was found in adult horses turned out for at least 12 hours daily, compared to those kept in stalls greater than 12 hours daily. (Reilly & Bryk-Lucy, 2021)

-Comparing turnout duration, a study found that horses with only 2 hours of turnout exhibited significantly higher energy levels, anxiety, and behaviors such as rearing, bucking, and fence running, whereas horses receiving over 12 hours of turnout were more likely to walk, graze, and remain calm. (Hockenhull & Creighton, 2010)

-Foals receiving inconsistent turnout (9 to 23 hours per day) had 4.6 times more musculoskeletal injuries than those with 24/7 access to turnout. Furthermore, for every extra acre of turnout, there was a 24% reduction in injury risk. (Brown-Douglas et al., 2022)

-A study on 2-year-old horses found that those kept in individual stalls required more time to get used to training activities and showed more unwanted behaviors, like resistance or agitation, than horses kept on pasture. The stalled horses needed an average of 26 minutes of training time, while the pastured horses needed only 19 minutes, to complete the same task. Additionally, the stalled horses were more likely to show unwanted behaviors during training (8 instances on average compared to just 2 for pastured horses). (Rivera et al., 2002)

-Stall-kept livestock experience a higher incidence of hoof-related issues, including uneven hoof growth and lameness, while those with access to turnout demonstrated healthier, more balanced hoof development. (Black, R.A. et al., 2017)

-A European welfare study using the AWIN protocol assessed 315 horses in group-housing turnout systems. Only 2.3% of these horses exhibited signs of lameness, compared to lameness rates as high as 33% in stalled horses across various studies. (AWIN Welfare Assessment, 2023)

-Within just one day of moving from group turnout to individual stalling, equine cortisol levels spike, and their white blood cell count shows significant changes, including a 25% increase in neutrophils (a type of white blood cell) and a decrease in infection-fighting cells like monocytes and T cells. Additionally, behaviors indicative of stress, such as oral manipulation, neighing, pawing, and apathy, became evident in most horses within a week. (Schmucker et al., 2022)

-Horses with regular turnout showed higher heart rate variability, indicating improved balance in their autonomic nervous system and greater stress resilience. (Rietmann et al., 2004)

-Welsh ponies who received daily pasture turnout in a herd exhibited fewer stress-related behaviors, were significantly calmer, less fearful, less reactive, more interactive with humans, and more adaptable in learning tasks compared to ponies housed in impoverished environments (stalls with limited turnout). Even three months after the study, ponies in the enriched group retained these positive behaviors and demonstrated higher curiosity and superior learning performance. (Lansade et al., 2014)

Can you find a single peer-reviewed study that shows horses kept stabled 24/7 are sounder, healthier, or happier than those with regular turnout? Even the most finely tuned, performance-focused horses are still horses. Just like any other, they require room to roam, stretch their legs, and engage in natural behaviors such as grazing and socializing.

It’s important to recognize that no horse truly dislikes turnout. If a horse resists going outside, it’s due to improper conditioning, previous negative experiences, or being overwhelmed by a sudden change in environment: what’s known as "flooding." Horses who’ve been confined for extended periods or who’ve never had proper exposure to outdoor spaces may react with anxiety or reluctance. These reactions stem from fear, not from an inherent dislike of turnout. With patience and gradual exposure, every horse can be reconditioned to embrace the outdoors. After all, instincts tell them to roam, graze, and move, it's in their nature.

Of course, there are times when limiting a horse's movement is necessary, such as during health issues or transportation. In these instances, it’s crucial to understand the physiological and psychological changes that occur so we can minimize stress and discomfort.

Turnout is a biological necessity. To support our horses’ overall health and well-being, we must prioritize their freedom to move. After all, a healthy, happy horse is one that has the opportunity to be just that: a horse.

04/21/2025

I had the coolest experience volunteering for Animal Protection New Mexico and Navajo Nation Veterinary Management Program alongside an exceptional, gritty team of vets and fellow farriers.

What important organizations to support.

And I will tag team with other farriers all day long. It's so much fun and easier on my body (even if it's snowing and raining most of the day).

The tribal members and their horses are resilient and connected in a very ancient way. It was eye opening to see what living out on a range did for the condition of many of the animals that I saw that day. Admittedly, I was humbly and pleasantly surprised.

Free movement on desert terrain lent itself to bodies that were not too heavy, feet that were exceptionally hard, and horses who are sensitive, but thoughtful despite a busy environment.

I worked on several very old horses and ponies who had been with one family since birth and looked more youthful than a lot of similarly aged animals I see at home. They may not have been meticulously groomed or had a SmartPak a mile long, but they lacked much of the dysfunction in their bodies commonly seen in today's domesticated riding horses.

Many also had a certain wisdom to them and as long as you were quiet and considerate of their comfort, you could work on them. Their way of going was taught by other horses. There was a stillness within them that I admire.

It furthers my personal belief that equines have a birthright to movement and a herd.
If you can give them that, the rest falls into place much more gracefully. It is their biology and it is their peace.

Thank you to everyone involved for this beautiful experience. The people and the horses did more for me than I did for them.

04/18/2025

What are the “therapy pads” I mention so often? Imagine a hoof boot with a thick rubber sole, like a cavallo that offers really good protection to weak, thin soles or pathological feet. Those boots protect the hoof and provide good shock absorption. The surface the hoof rests upon inside the boot is flat, hard rubber so the only part of the foot that is loaded is the frog and the wall, maybe the peripheral sole. So, we put a therapy pad inside the boot. Remember that pressure stimulates growth.

The pads I use are “EPS Pads”, which are a dense hard foam about an inch thick that the hoof can **sink into**. See photo. Now instead of just the frog and the wall/peripheral sole being loaded, the weight is dispersed across the entire solar surface of the hoof. Can you imagine how much of a relief that is for a horse that’s in discomfort and needs the cushioning? Or what a difference that can make to a horse who desperately wants to load the toes due to heel pain? He can just load through the toe whilst the rest of the solar surface remains cushioned. I guess it’s a bit like a surefoot pad that the horse can take everywhere with him. The pads in the photo belong to a horse who lands toe first without boots and heel first with boots/pads. He’s still more towards the toe on one hoof, but you can see that despite this, he’s receiving heel stimulation that will help strengthen his digital cushions.

If you have a horse with weak heels, thin soles, pr*****ed frog, laminitis, navicular pain, arthritis etc the pads allow your horse to load weak structures comfortably and stimulate them gradually.

I know i go on a lot about the difference between a “sleek boot” and a “therapy boot”, but if your horse is really comfortable he’s going to move more, and the more he’s moving the better his circulation, lymphatics, quality of life and his recovery. It’s one thing to take shoes off and buy a trendy pair of boots, but pads are the secret to healing.

Massive thanks to for the photo 🙏🏼👌🏽

04/18/2025

There is rarely a red mare that I don't adore and Cally is no exception. She has some of the hardest (literally) feet around, even though she was in metal shoes most of her life and she's now in her teens. She's rock crunching now!

04/17/2025

PEMF, taping, Lazaris nerve release, grinder trims... We have a lot of tools available to us these days. Dusty and Magnum's mom loves them a whole lot. Especially in Magnum's golden years, he deserves it.

I am forever humbled by how hard Magnum tries for us, even when he faces the challenges that come with advanced age. It is not lost on me.

Taping by Cori Deltoro, BEMER by Sam Erdman, and Kloud by me.

04/17/2025

There is an overwhelming amount of horse owners who aren’t aware of the signs for sub-clinical Laminitis, and yet if left untreated without a change of diet or management, can easily turn into a full blown Laminitic attack.

Many owners associate Laminitis with the classic slipper toe, a huge EMS crest and the typical Laminitis stance. In reality, there is a huge amount of horses showing subtle signs of inflammation that continues to go un-noticed. Each owner is responsible for their horse’s overall wellbeing, which should include the ability to recognise the signs of Laminitis, particularly in the early stages when an acute attack can be prevented.

Some signs to look out for:

❌️ Footiness or soreness over various terrain.

This is one of the biggest reasons owners continue to shoe their horses. Once the shoes are removed, any footiness caused by inappropriate diet and management shows (sub-clinical Laminitis) which is typically interpreted as the horse cannot cope without shoes.

It’s super important that if your unshod horse is footy over stones, roads or anything but grass, that you re-assess their diet or management and make the necessary changes. Please do not shoe your horse to ‘fix’ this issue – your horse will still have Laminitis and it will worsen regardless of applying shoes.

❌️ Event lines on the outer hoof wall.

Event lines are lines that form on the outer hoof wall that represent an event in a horse's life that caused an inflammatory response. In an uncompromised horse and hoof, a singular event line doesn’t always necessarily mean any issues will arise from whatever caused the line but it is important to take notice and reflect on why this happened.

If your horse has numerous, reoccurring event lines, then there is something off with their diet or management that is consistently causing ongoing inflammation. An event line is one of the more readily observable symptoms of sub-clinical Laminitis but they do become more prominent in the later stages of Laminitis too. It’s crucial to your horses health that if they do have multiple event lines, that the trigger is identified and removed as soon as possible.

❌️ Blood in the white line.

Catching signs of blood in the white line (they look like bruises) can be particularly difficult to identify if you’re not very familiar with the hoof or have a horse with dark feet. It’s really important to be able to trust your horse’s Hoof Care Practitioner or Farrier so you know with confidence that should they find signs of blood or widening, that you’ll be informed straight away.

Every single horse owner needs to know the signs of sub-clinical Laminitis so should your horse become symptomatic, you can do something about it before their health is further compromised.

Below is our own diagram of the different stages of Laminitis inspired by Jaime Jackson’s ‘Laminitis’ book.

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Please note that this is a generalisation of the most common symptoms at each stage and that different symptoms can appear for different horses at different stages.

04/17/2025

A photo dump of Stoney and baby Junie, because long ears might be my favorite.

Thanks for letting me cover for you, Julianna! Your clients are the best because of the work you pour into them. That baby mule stands better than a lot of adult horses I've gotten under.

Long ears also enjoy the Kloud 🖤.

04/16/2025

When your partner is struggling, do you look to assign blame, free yourself of responsibility, shut down your partners feelings, avoid the situation, panic over your own feelings - or
Do you seek to find a solution? To guide? To find togetherness again?

When our horses are struggling, we often think about ourselves- our comfort, our goals, our safety - what we wanted to happen and how it isn’t happening - and we abandon the horse.

When the horse is spooking, tuned out, calling out for friends, rushing, stumbling, bracing, whatever the case may be - too often we think of ourselves. Much of our descriptions of their behavior makes us out to be the victim of the horse’s behavior -

But a good partner sees a need and seeks to connect. We brought the horse into our lives, and so we are responsible for their wellbeing.

It doesn’t matter whose fault it is. It doesn’t matter what we wanted originally- when the horse is struggling, what are you going to do about it? How will you help?

The only way to have a partnership is to be a partner. This means you need to be a source of reliable guidance and comfort for the horse - and that is an act of constant awareness, guidance and calm.

04/16/2025

Afire - just the best boy.

04/11/2025

Clients, this is a good one for you to listen to, especially if you have a metabolic/laminitic friend :).

Over the years, iron has become quite a controversial topic in the equine world. Why has such a small portion of the equine diet incited social media arguments and heated conversations?

Hoofcare providers around the world have seen changes in hooves based on diet and mineral supplementation, but where is this information coming from, and is there any validity to it? Dr. Eleanor Kellon, Dr. Priska Darani, and Dr. Fran Rowe chat with me about minor minerals in the equine diet - specifically dietary iron - and how it affects the horse and therefore hooves. Is there any truth to the idea of iron negatively affecting feet? Is dietary iron readily absorbed? What is iron overload - and does it even exist? What symptoms do we see in these cases, and how do we mitigate them?

You can hear the entire conversation on any podcast app under "The Humble Hoof" or directly at this link: https://thehumblehoof.com/?p=9682


For listeners of the podcast, use code "thehumblehoof" for 5% off your order at madbarn.com - Mad Barn nutritionists can help you balance your diet and address any mineral issues!

Thank you to our amazing sponsors:

Cavallo Hoof Boots is offering 15% off a pair of Trek hoof boots at cavallo-inc.com with code HRN

A special shout out to Grid as New, Mud Control Grids – they are a game changer for any mud issues, big or small! – mudcontrolgrids.com

Also be sure to check out HayBoss Feeders – haybossfeeders.com – for all your slow-feeding needs. I get my Hay Boss feeders from Mountain Lane Farm in NH!

04/10/2025

04/10/2025

INAPPROPRIATE TOUCHING

I'm reading an amazing book called Amphibious Soul by Craig Foster, the Academy award winning documentary film maker of "My Octopus Teacher".

If you haven't read it, I highly recommend it, it is simply profound.

In the book he says "As a rule, I never touch an animal unless they touch me first".

In my work building relationship with horses, I do this too. Most times a horse will touch you with their nose/muzzle first, and matching that greeting (versus labelling the horse as a biter) is a game changer.

But there's a phenomenon I have noticed going on with people trying to build relationship with their horses that I have labelled "inappropriate touching", and it looks a bit like the photo below.

This picture was taken at a horse expo in Pennsylvania recently, where I worked with a demo horse who has a "biting issue". He would reaching out in a way that his owner was termed as nipping, whereas I interpreted as him saying hello, similar to reaching out to shake hands with someone.

When he reached out I would greet him with a flat hand that he is able to to nuzzle, lick or even scrape his teeth on. After doing this a while his snappy acting motions got less so, and he was no longer needing to say "hey, pay attention" , but was more "hey, how's it going". I was explaining to the audience that I was meeting him in the way that he was meeting me (with his muzzle) and that it's not an invitation to touch other parts (yet).

I then said that it's many people's default to reach up and rub a horse between the eyes, whether that's what they are offering or not, and that if you do, it's inappropriate touching and it gets in the way of connection. It doesn't meet their needs, and is all about yours.

With the horse in the picture, he'd been engaging me with his muzzle, and I said to the audience "watch what happens when I try to rub him between the eyes". As you can see in the photo, he has raised his head up and is clearly indicating "No, not there, on my muzzle".

We had a Connection And Attunement retreat here at the Journey On Ranch a week ago, and I used my wife Robyn to illustrate this point to the participants. I said "imagine I'm at a gathering and meeting Robyn for the first time". We walked up to each other in that way people do when they see someone new and they can tell an introduction is shaping up, Robyn reached out with her hand to say hello and instead of me reaching out to shake her hand, I gently reached up and lightly brushed a wisp of hair from her cheekbone and tucked it behind her ear.

The participants all gasped and the ick factor was high.

Even though it was caring, and gentle, it was inappropriate at that moment.

Now Im not saying you can't rub your horse on the forehead. I'm saying if your horse has a disregulated nervous system around humans because they don't feel seen (and safe), try to meet their needs first, before trying get get yours met.

I recently saw an instagram post from a University in the UK, and the professor was explaining that they were doing studies on horses to determine levels of stress. In the background a horse was standing with his head out over a Dutch door. While he was explaining their investigations on stress, a female student (or maybe another professor, I don't know which) walked up to the horse. The horse reached out with his muzzle to greet her.

She ignored this and reached up to rub the horse between the eyes.

He turned his head 90 degrees to the left to communicate that wasn't what he was offering.

Her hand followed him and kept rubbing.

he then turned his head 180 degrees to the right, saying "No, not like that".

Smiled, gave him another pet between the eyes, and walked of camera.

While the professor was saying that they are doing experiments determining the amounts of stress horses are under, someone in the background was actually creating stress, without either of them even knowing it.

Once you understand how sentient horses are, and how subtle their communication, you can't unsee it.

04/09/2025

Laminitis is already hitting hard this year. I spoke with multiple owners last week who hadn’t started using their grazing muzzle yet because “the grass wasn’t really growing yet”…..are we all looking at the same grass??

The grass is HERE! The time to muzzle is NOW!!
My springtime muzzle rule of thumb is always March 1st through Memorial Day.
Check your horses hoof temperature every day and familiarize yourself with what their normal is.
Are they moving a little slower than normal today? Hesitating to cross the gravel driveway when they don’t normally? Hoof boots don’t fit because of sudden rapid growth?
Don’t wait until they’re full blown laminitic to take action. Being proactive with an ounce of prevention can save your horse!

(Pictures are from a laminitis rehab case last year)