STB Equine Services

12/07/2022

It's interesting how the overgrown foot will just peel away easily when given the chance.

All 4 feet came off like this without actually cutting with the nippers. The foot will tell you what it needs if you know how to listen 🎶

11/13/2022

To my winter competition friends! Don't forget that I offer body clipping services for show season! Trace clips or full body clips available just shoot me a message!

10/04/2022

The only difference in his life between the first ~2" of hair and the rest/older growth is the addition of copper/zinc in his diet!

He has crumbly hooves, but you can see the stronger growth towards the top! 2 months on Mad Barn's copper and zinc blend and his coat is shiny, his mane is thicker then EVER and his heel bulbs are finally beginning to develop after years of contraction!

This is a very budget friendly option to help your horse grow better hoof (and help their overall health).

08/14/2022

Never forget where you began 💜

Dear Joey,

You don't count except as my first fall 😆😆😆

Princess,

You made my butt the most sticky thing ever and played hide and seek. Miss you old lady 💜

08/12/2022

Quite a few years ago, I was idling away some time reading the then-current issue of The Chronicle of the Horse magazine (a weekly sport-horse publication). While skimming a pretty dry article abou…

07/21/2022

Open heeled shoes should not be the norm! Caudal support needs to be there whether it be manufactured (if the horse's own system is already collapsed) or naturally grown!

** 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.

05/08/2022

Happy Mothers day to all Moms 2, 4 or More legged!
My first kid Silky sends sloppy kisses and hopes you have a wonderful day!

04/03/2022

Something to remember as the grass grows in!! Sugar is a hoof's greatest enemy! Divide your pastures, rotate as they grow and NEVER let them graze super short grass!

Not a joke...

Have you ever wondered why you can have a 15 acre field and part of it is chewed down to nubs and the other part has grass a hand high, But your horse is constantly grazing in the chewed down part?

Grass 6 inches and taller has less sugars than grass under 6 inches.

For every inch drop below 6 inches, the fructan (sugar) content rises.

Grass under 6 inches is stressed like it's a Monday morning with a project deadline. It uses sugar to repair itself.

Stop mowing your fields short.

Stop grazing your chubbys on chewed down grass. (this is why grazing muzzles are so touted...they keep the horse from being able to get much short grass)

(We aren't saying let your fields be 3 feet tall, by the way. The optimal thing to do is keep them 6-8 inches tall and graze them in small areas there)

04/01/2022

This is so true!!
Y

I recently saw a video posted by For Farriers By Farriers with a really cool story attached. I'm not sure how true it is, but I'll paraphrase it here.

Pablo Picasso was having a drink at a cafe one day when a woman recognized him. She approached him and asked if he was really the famous artist Picasso; when he nodded that yes, he was, she handed him a pencil and napkin and insisted he do a quick sketch for her.
After a few minutes of drawing, he handed the napkin back to her, asking for a large sum of money for the sketch. The woman was shocked, and asked him how he could charge so much for something that took him 5 minutes.
Picasso replied, "My dear, you're wrong. It took me 40 years to be able to do this in 5 minutes. If it was simply a matter of a pencil, a napkin, and 5 minutes, you would have done the sketch yourself."

With recent talks of hoofcare pricing, I think the conversation needs to shift away from simply a matter of time, tools, and materials. We need to consider the years of work, perspective, and experience it takes to get to that point. Often, 10% of what you pay is for what is removed from the hoof, and the other 90% of what you pay is for the experience and knowledge of recognizing what to leave where, and why.

02/05/2022

Little does Adam know as the weather gets better I will start his refresher course 😉 in this picture he was just hoping I had another treat 🍎

12/11/2021

12/11/2021

10/18/2021

09/29/2021

If any of my lovely followers/clients have wondered why I do not use metal shoes, here it is!
This happened 4 years ago when I had a long 2yo flip on me. The pommel of the saddle broke my collar bone and luckily that was the worst of it.
However that means that I cannot hammer a metal shoe reliably to properly shape it to your horse's needs.

However I am willing and able to help with casting, booting or plastic shoes (which are shaped with heat and a grinder) either glued on, or nailed on :)

I adore helping horses reach their Barefoot goals when it is possible but any horse that walks off sound makes me a happy camper 🥰

08/20/2021

Some before, during and after helping an elderly laminitic miniature. She started with some serious elf shoes and ended up walking off much more sound 😄

08/08/2021

I have recently had the pleasure of working/volunteering at Equus Rescue in Millstadt. They are a wonderful group of people who are so very dedicated to the horses in thir care 😊

Today was a trim for an older mini names mystery that came in on Monday. She was wearing a solid set of elf shoes, complete with rotation (previous lami).

If anyone in the area wants more info about this wonderful organization and how to adopt, volunteer or donate visit Equus Rescue , check out their website, upcoming fundraisers and clinics and see how to help out ❤

04/28/2021

Today was a gorgeous day to play with ponies!
Failed to bring along my pivo, but had 2 good rides on the bay's this morning (minimal rearing and spinning) and closed the evening out with a spicey red pony mare and 2 riding lessons. 💜 I love my work!

04/11/2021

This is one of my favorite pictures of sunshine process 💛
This mare is very sensitive, she can be overly reactive at times but also reads body language very quickly. One small step, lean or even hand position a few inches off is all it takes for her to respond!
It's makes her a very challenging horse to work with, but also quite fun.
I work with a pressure and release system (must be perfectly timed) along with rewards like pets, rubs and occasional treats. Sometimes though the best release is taking any pressure away, and in her case that includes my eyes and my body.
This is her bad direction, extremely hard for her to move this way quietly and relax, so when I get a good halt I give a TON of release! It's nice to see her looking to me instead of just catching a glimpse out of the corner of my eye.
Photo creds to my husband

04/05/2021

The aftermath.
4 weeks my mare wore these casts. 4 weeks of wear on a plaster cast from a 900lb animal out of work.
She suffers from both contracted heels and contracted soles (yes the whole sole can contract). This is partly due to old shoeing issues that are slowly healing and new health issues we are finding (liver problems).
She will be 22 this month on the 22nd! Still acts like a youngin, bucking and sassy, running around every chance She gets.
Because of casting She feels good enough to even trot around on rocks, something she used to never be able to do shod.
Pm me for more info on this wonderful way to help unique problems in your horse's feet!

04/05/2021

Lance has to be shaved every year since he stays too hairy in the spring/summer. But that doesn't stop him from shedding like the rest of the herd!
For body clipping services message me. From a trace clip to an ears to tail buzz cut at your own barn or even before a show!

03/17/2021

A day spent with is never a day wasted.
I had the pleasure of trimming 4 of the sweetest little paints this morning. They were a bit overgrown but had pretty decent feet all around. Each of them got a good dose of my desitin/copper sulfate mixture for their muddy season thrush stuffed into every little nook and cranny where that nasty stuff hides.
Next check is in six weeks, hopefully we will see some healthy frog growth!

02/28/2021

This lovely ladies' progress in just 2 trims reminds me of why I do what I do. She was walking better afterwards and we have high hopes to keep her laminitis free for the rest of her days 💗. Even though I left today with a kick to the knee (hazard of the job) I'm still quite happy with how the day went.
I hope by the next trim she will be sound and comfortable enough to allow me to hold her right front up to get it trimmed. I was able to nip off a large amount of flare today by walking her to the edge of a small patch of concrete, so that the flare hung over. Sometimes is the only way to get things done!

02/14/2021

02/12/2021

This lovely lady has a long way to go in her rehab process. She was rescued and is currently healing from a tendon injury (with a laminitis history), causing her fronts to not be trimmed for a bit too long due to her inability to hold them up longer then a few seconds.
I was able to trim one quite well, shedding nearly 1/4 inch of old buit up sole. Unfortunately her left front could not support her weight for me to do the same for the right......so we got creative.
I learned this trick from Jim Dudley, watching him trim a sweet mare who had horrible knees. I put her foot on a block, low enough and sturdy enough that she could support her weight, with enough of the hoof wall off the edge that I could nip right through. It is not the most ideal way to trim of course but it is FAR better then nothing! I can't wait to see her progress when I come back!!!

01/04/2021

Does your horse suffer from contracted heels? Thrush that constantly and consistently will not quit no matter what you throw at it or how often to keep them inside a dry stall? Thin soles? Flares and stretched white line?

One of the best ways to help them grow a better hoof is to know what they actually need in their diet. Too much iron can throw everything off balance, and iron often comes from their water source. Filtering water, adding minerals like zinc and copper (ukele makes a realatively cheap version of each) and testing your hay and water and then balancing to its values is the best way to grow a better, stronger, rock breaking hoof!

Of course proper trimming must also happen, but it will be an uphill battle if their diet is fighting against you!

Pete Ramey writes a well organized article here, including a diet for the financially challeged at the end. Help us help your horse!

Contact me for barefoot trimming following Pete Ramey's methods!

https://www.hoofrehab.com/Diet.html

01/01/2021

Adding some recent videos of a sweet QH mare I was working with. Due to weather problems we are taking a break (I travel to their home to train and trim) until the weather turns up again. She was barely halter broke when I started working with her. Everyone, meet sunshine

12/25/2020

Merry Christmas! Happy holidays!
Be safe everyone and enjoy the season 💗
Let's all start 2021 landing heel first ☺