Grounded Equine

11/05/2024

Five months without shoes! Such exciting progress for this Rocky Mountain, Syon. He is very high/low in the front which we’ve made lots of progress on. The solar surface of his hind hooves were extremely small for his size and very imbalanced, that has since improved with consistent 5 week trims and 24 hour turnout. His overall hoof quality has improved tremendously as well, can’t wait to see his continued healthy hoof and body development!

15/04/2024

I had previously quoted Dr. Bowker from his seminars as saying that every hooved mammal on earth bore its weight primarily on the pads of its feet; why would the horse be any different? Definitely something to think about. We do modify their hooves due to captivity, but what are the consequences?

07/04/2024

One of the first things I look at before I start trimming, especially a new client horse, is wear patterns. How is this horse moving? How are they landing? Where are they breaking over? This all tells me what parts of their hoof they may be protecting or biomechanically what may be going on in the leg, shoulder, hips, etc. This particular horse is landing toe first and his break over is off center. The caudal hoof is atrophied and underdeveloped as a result of landing toe first. My goal with him is to bring his toe back, lower his heels incrementally, and encourage the use of the caudal hoof again. I will also round off the hoof and encourage a more centered breakover with a shorter trim cycle on my side. Being mindful of how a horse uses their body is very important when trimming. Something may not look “pretty” or follow specific guidelines but if you take it off it may have been something they needed. The best thing to do is slowly nudge them in the right direction and overtime they’ll show you what works best for each of their hooves individually.

01/04/2024

This is why short trim cycles are so important!

24/02/2024

True story, there have been many horses who have kept me up at night! 💚

05/02/2024

Sometimes you just gotta roll with some ugly!! 😀

20/01/2024

Monty’s taking notes so he can take over when my hands get cold 🥶

27/12/2023

Sorry guys I don’t specialize in cloven hooves 🤷🏻‍♀️

17/12/2023

One week without shoes!! The hoof never ceases to amaze me. Just by removing the metal shoe from the hoof, the structures were able start working like they were designed to again. The frogs are already plumping up to help with shock absorption and the heels are returning to their proper angles. The coronet band has relaxed allowing the lateral cartilages to do their job again. His heels have even started to expand a little bit after being so contracted. It’s amazing how fast the horses’ hoof can adapt and how much better their structures can function when they’re not held in a rigid cast by a shoe. 🥳🎉

17/12/2023

Eriskay pony demonstrating how surefooted they are 🐴🐴 The Eriskay pony is one of the oldest and rarest breeds in the UK. It is the last remnant of the western isles pony and survived extinction due to isolation by sea of Eriskay. It was utilized by the islanders until better connections were made to Uist and the Mainland. During this period, machines became more available replacing the work of the ponies, threatening their existence. These ponies are critically rare and hardly found outside the British Isles 🐴⛰. There were around twenty left in the world during the 1970’s, and due to the hard work of the crofters and locals, they saved the breed and formed the mother society and studbook (). Eriskays have a very dense coat that is shorter than most of our other natives, most likely an adaption for living by the sea. They are prized for their lovely temperament and willingness to work, which makes them an ideal family pony and working partner.
Eriskay ponies are categorised as priority by 🐴🌄

©Ruth Chamberlain aka Ruth on the Hoof. Any usage (including art references) must have prior permission from the author/creator.

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17/12/2023

😂 Great plan!

08/12/2023

Please stop looking for ‘enrichment ideas’ for entertaining your unhappy and bored horses who are locked up in their stalls for 12+ hours a day.

Instead, look for a way to get them out of the stall and into a PP track system where they are free to move 24/7 while living with other horses in an environment that somewhat simulates their natural, adaptive habitat.

With the holidays approaching, if you are reading this, please consider giving the gift of 'health and happiness’ to a horse by giving a copy of the book, Paddock Paradise, to a horse owner, a pony club, a boarding facility owner or manager or your local library. Help someone find out about a whole new way of life for their equine companions. 💕- Jill

Photo taken by

28/11/2023

Always grateful for a complimentary back rub

26/10/2023

Working on a straighter more functional hoof capsule while also keeping in mind comfortability and the natural way this individual horse moves. Seeing lots of structural improvement in the hoof walls as well as in the frogs and heel bulbs. Looking forward to continuing progress!

02/10/2023

Big smiles after Gladdy’s trim! She’s always a super star 🌟 Check out those new fancy boots she’s got!

02/10/2023

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)

23/09/2023

Joking, not joking.

The moment you see your equine who has a history with laminitis and metabolic conditions please dry lot them and contact your vet. Testing and medicating can save their lives!

10/09/2023

31/08/2023

Your horse is not giving you a hard time, he is having a hard time.

When we shift our mindset about the behavior of our horses from that of negativity (he's being bad, being ignorant, being stupid) to difficulty (he doesn't understand, he's physically unable, he's anxious, he's confused), we're able to break the cycle of punishing the behavior and instead start helping our horses overcome their struggle.

This can, and should be applied to even the smallest of tasks such as:
Standing square - physical discomfort and/or imbalance, regardless of whether it stems from the body or feet, could make this seemingly simple task impossible for the horse.

Haltering - Pain in the poll, dental issues, tension, pinched nerves or discomfort anywhere around the head/neck could make even wearing a halter painful.

Picking up feet - Again, any imbalances or dysfunction in the body could make it seem like your horse "doesn't like" having their feet picked up/held up, but in reality the horse either physically can't offer you the foot at all, or for more than a few seconds.
Grooming - Biting, shying, pinning ears while grooming are clear indications of discomfort in the body, and can even be warning signs for ulcers.

We've said it before and we will say it again, regardless of how simple of an ask you believe it to be, every answer your horse gives you is the right one. That doesn't mean it's the answer that you want, but it's the answer you need in order to help your horse, and most of the time it's a pain issue, not a training issue.

Not to mention, letting a horse "buck it out/sacking out" is in no way a form of training. It is dangerous, it is abusive, it is as far from training as bicycles are to F1 racing. With social media full of abusers "training" horses by flooding them and calling it desensitizing, to jumping on a horse nowhere near ready for a rider and causing the horse to panic and risk injuring itself and the rider, we as an industry need to call out the BS.

15/08/2023

Still have some work to do and laminar wedge to grow out but this pony sure has brand new hooves! She had pretty significant rotation and distal descent but that has since improved and she is much more comfortable. Her frogs and caudal hoof are stronger than ever!
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12/08/2023

Happy Gotcha day to my hoof trimming clean up crew! ❤️

18/07/2023

Very happy with the structural improvements of this little Icelandic! Due to laminitis his hoof wall connection was compromised in all four hooves which has improved tremendously since September. From the lateral view you can also see the difference in his hoof wall angles and heel height. 🥳
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15/07/2023

You need to hear about more benefits?

Your horses will suffer less - along with your bank account - due to fewer vet bills when they are 'managed' under the pillars of Natural Horse Care, which includes 'housing them' in a Paddock Paradise track system. You will have more time to enjoy them when you don't have to 'condition them' or 'exercise them' in order for them to be fit or ready to be ridden. They will have their needs met and live a nice life when you are not around which means you will sleep well at night knowing you are doing the best for them.

When managing domestic horses using the healthy, fit and sound horses living in the U.S. Great Basin as the model, the risk of laminitis is virtually eliminated. The same with Navicular Syndrome. The Paddock Paradise track system cannot always reverse every bad thing that has happened to them through the many conventional and unhealthy practices but it is the best chance they will have going forward.

Pic by

27/06/2023

Flip the script.
Many horse owners often have other pets, such as cats and dogs. When a dog suddenly becomes aggressive, or a cat becomes more reclusive or shows aggression, we *should* be asking "What is wrong to cause this change?". Flipping the script from "The dog is bad" or "The cat is an as***le" to taking the change in behavior for what it is, a sign that something isn't quite right. The same applies to horses. If their behavior, posture or way of going changes, or they difficulty with something, bite your tongue to keep from blaming the horse, and instead put the responsibility back on yourself to investigate the root cause.
So, so many horses end up for sale because they tried desperately to tell their owners that something hurt, they couldn't do what was asked, with a few reaching their breaking points and being labelled dangerous or difficult.
You too could be difficult and lash out if someone made you run everyday with a thumbtack in your shoe. You'd do everything in your power to alleviate the pain or discomfort, eventually either shutting down, breaking down or just snapping.
There are too many bandaid "solutions" and people shifting the blame. We live in a society with a disposable mindset, where if something is wrong, we toss it and get a new whatever, only to repeat the cycle.
That needs to change, and it needs to change now.

22/06/2023

Set up trim for this handsome new client! Excited to see his future progress.

08/06/2023

Hooray 🎉 for a years worth of progress! So happy to see how far this sweet mare’s hooves have come.

19/05/2023

‼️The importance of a healthy diet‼️

This is only three months worth of growth after removing traditional grain from this horse’s diet. You can see a major improvement in not only the quality of the hoof wall but the connection as well. Processed grains contain many inflammatory ingredients that do your horses more harm than good. They are exposed to high heat that deplete it of any natural nutrients. Artificial vitamins and minerals have to be added which are less bioavailable (that goes for your doggie kibble as well). Not to mention the sugar and molasses that are added to make it more palatable. This is only the effects we are seeing in the hooves, imagine everything else that goes on in the body that we can’t see.

18/05/2023

Royal Windsor jumping: barefoot, bitless mare wins Windsor jumping class