Steele Horsemanship and Farriery

04/19/2025

Evidence that I can, in fact, hit something other than my thumb.

Sometimes. 😂

Check out Steele Horsemanship’s video.

04/19/2025

A “little” laminitis rehab project 🥰 this sweet girl is feeling much better and well on her way to continued progress. She’s been such a lovely patient!

04/15/2025

LIMITED EXPERIENCE

People seem to have different ideas of what makes an experienced horse person. I am often told by new students about their level of experience and it always seems to be assessed by the number of years they have been riding.

Several years ago I was asked to go to a lady's property for help with her Andalusian mare. She had only had it a month and was already seriously questioning her decision to buy the mare. It was a very nice horse and I would not have complained if somebody had dropped off in my paddock. However, the lady asked, “What’s wrong with her? Why does she behave so crazy?”

I responded, “Nothing is wrong with her. She is a super nice-minded mare but needs a little help because you are not being very clear with what you are asking.”

“Well, I’ve had horses for over 30 years and I have never had a horse as difficult as this one,” she explained.

I asked, “How many horses have you trained in 30 years?”

Her answer was, “Three.”

She had worked three horses in thirty years and she thought she was a very experienced and accomplished horse person.

I’ve worked with maybe a couple of thousand horses in my career and I question my level of experience. I mean, I am very inexperienced when it comes to training polo horses, cow horses, or plow horses. Despite my years of working with horses and the number of horses I have ridden I would never consider myself experienced at anything more than using my horsemanship skills to resolve inner conflict between a horse and rider. I am not the bloke to go to for help in establishing the perfect piaffe or the most amazing sliding stop. But I am the bloke you go to for help getting your horse ready for the perfect piaffe or amazing sliding stop.

We are all experienced horse people in a limited way. And for most of us, it is more limited than we realize.

04/07/2025

‼️ Dissection Photos‼️

Another amazing dissection and anatomy clinic by Shearer Wludyka Cjf Asf and Palmetto Equine Veterinary Services on the books!

This is one of my favorite forms of continuing Ed because each horse is so unique and teaches you something new each time. Thank you to Shearer and Dr. Tracey for sharing your hard earned knowledge with us! Also, thank you to the owners of these horses for allowing them to teach us valuable lessons that will be used to help other horses down the road.

04/01/2025

04/01/2025

In order to help my clients keep up with the rising cost of horse ownership, I’ll now be offering a DIY discount. If you’d like, you can save 25-50% off your total farrier bill for having the shoes pulled prior to the appointment. Save even more by getting a head start on the trim! I will have tools available or you can supply your own. 😄

03/29/2025

Had the BEST time today learning about making hoof knives from Chris Gilham! I’ve been pretty religiously using his knives for a couple of years now, so getting to go through each step to create my own was so cool! Thank you Chris for teaching the SCFA members and to Dusty Newby for hosting!

03/20/2025

She got it from her mama 💁‍♀️ and her daddy 😏

03/09/2025

Spent another amazing week in the heartland. I learned so much that I can’t wait to apply in my everyday work! Thank you to my awesome clients for being flexible. You all make it possible for me to go continue to raise the bar!

Thank you to Shearer Wludyka Cjf Asf for being an amazing mentor and road trip buddy. And a HUGE thank you to the Gregory’s for sharing your wealth of knowledge with us and always setting the standard so high. 🔨🔥🐴

03/06/2025

02/28/2025

Super satisfying trim from this week 😋

57 likes, 10 comments. “Trimming an overgrown hoof 😄”

02/28/2025

🔥 Ever wondered why farriers burn shoes onto the hoof? It’s not just for show! When we burn the shoe onto the hoof it helps us create a custom fit, reveals any remaining sole pressure, seals horn tubules to ward off the invasion of bacteria and helps set clips safely into the hoof wall. 🔥

02/27/2025

Mini snuggles for the win 🥰 I mean, look at that face!

02/21/2025

Just a quick message from our massage client Shiloh to never, ever forget how important the thoracic sling is on your kiddos! Abandon this area during body work (and exercise) and you are bypassing one of many crucial systems to how our horses move with balance, symmetry, and strength.

The thoracic sling is a real fancy way of referencing the group of muscles, tendons, and ligaments that form the connection between the forelimbs and the body of the horse. Seeing as 60% of your horse’s weight is carried on the front end, this system is particularly important. It’s responsible for helping our horses move in multiple directions - forward, bending, jumping, and turning just to name a few.

Since your massage therapist works on muscles, let’s focus there. The TS is made up of several muscles - and by several I mean 9+. These muscles include the pectorals, serratus ventralis, rhomboideus, trapezius cervicis, trapezius thoracis, latissimus dorsi, brachiocephalicus, omotransversarius, and sternocephalicus. Shew. A million dollars to anyone who can say those nine words fast three times in a row. To simplify, the TS makes up your horse’s chest, shoulders, neck, in front of the withers, and the girth area. That’s a very watered-down visual but it helps us non-doctorate horse people get a small understanding on a big topic.

That’s A LOT of muscle and responsibility…all those pieces of the horse working together just to make sure our horse has proper balance, coordination, stability, posture, and shock absorption during movements they participate in almost every single day. We see the signs of a weak thoracic sling all the time in horses (falling/heavy on the forehand, lack of engagement and push from the hind, trouble navigating hills, reduction of stride length and flexibility, and even girthiness) and as a result it is so, so important body workers address this region but it is just as vital that we recognize how to advise owners on continuing to strengthen those areas in between visits with us. Exercises like hill work, raised poles, backing, and lateral flexion can all improve muscle function and posture in the thoracic sling.

Thanks for sharing, Shiloh! 👏🏻

01/27/2025

A while back I posted about having entered my first forging contest in the hopes of bolstering my preparation for the journeyman exam. It was such an amazing experience! The team at Hoof House put on a great contest. I learned so much from my fellow competitors and got some great feedback from the judge. The shoe list was mostly shoes required for the journeyman test, so I got a really great read on what I need to focus on moving forward.

Thank you to everyone that guided me and welcomed me to the contest world! I’m always in awe of this community. Congratulations to all of the winners! It was a pleasure to forge with you! 😄

01/01/2025

Happy new year everyone! Thank you to all of my clients for your business and support throughout 2024, can’t wait to see what 2025 brings! 😄