EquusSynergy Hoof Care & Horsemanship

21/02/2025

This is the biggest thing missing in almost all of the horses I see today!

04/02/2025

Are We Really Seeing Our Horses?

Yesterday was my first day back trimming hooves after a few weeks of brutal, arctic-like weather. The kind of cold that stiffens everything—hands, joints, even thoughts. But today? Today was perfect.

65 degrees. Sunny. Calm. The kind of day that makes you pause and just breathe.

I was at a client’s place, trimming her horses and meeting a couple of mustangs for the first time. Rescues. Horses from bad situations—some neglected, some abused, all shaped by experiences that taught them humans weren’t safe.

As I trimmed hooves of the other horses, I watched them in their corrals. The way they carried themselves. The way their eyes darted, just for a second, before settling. The way their muscles tightened before relaxing if they relaxed at all.

There’s a moment when you reach toward a horse and they shift away just a hair, so small most people wouldn’t notice. But I do.

There’s a moment when you slip the halter over their nose, and they squint an eye just slightly as if bracing for something they’ve learned to expect.

There’s a moment when they take a treat, but their breath catches, their body stays rigid, and they aren’t really there with you.

What I rarely see is a horse that is truly soft. A horse that is content. A horse that is breathing deeply, responding without tension or resistance not out of compliance, but because they feel seen by their human.

Horses don’t lie the way people do. They don’t say one thing while meaning another. They don’t tell you they’re fine when they aren’t.

But if you don’t see the tiny signs the breath they hold, the way they slightly brace, the fraction of a second delay before they move then it looks like they are masking. It looks like compliance when, in reality, they are just surviving in the only way they know how.

When people say a horse is "shut down," what they really mean is that no one noticed the thousands of tiny moments before that happened the early signs that they were uncomfortable, overwhelmed, unsure. If no one listens long enough, eventually the horse stops speaking.

But the truth is, they never stop. We just stop seeing.

I see this disconnect in both positive reinforcement and pressure-and-release training.

Positive reinforcement teaches horses to offer behaviors for rewards. But just because they engage with us doesn’t mean they feel safe with us. A horse can be reaching for a treat while their body is braced, their mind still guarded. If we aren’t paying attention, we might reinforce compliance rather than true connection.

And then there’s the frantic offering of behaviors the way some horses cycle through everything they know, desperate for reinforcement, not out of joy, but because they don’t know what else to do. They’re trying to get it right.

Pressure and release asks the horse to move off pressure. But if we’re not careful, we can focus so much on getting the right reaction that we miss whether the horse is responding from confidence or fear. Are they learning, or are they simply avoiding the wrong answer?

Neither method is wrong. But both can fail if we aren’t truly seeing the horse.

Maybe I’m thinking about this more lately because I’ve been learning what it means to be neurodivergent in a world that doesn’t always make sense to me.

For a neurodivergent person, the world is overwhelming. Too loud. Too fast. Too full of expectations that feel impossible to meet. The unspoken rules of conversation, the weight of social niceties.

Someone asks, "How are you?" and I know the proper answer is "Fine, everything is good."

Even when it’s not. Even when I want to say, "I’m tired. The world is too loud today. I don’t know how to exist in it without feeling like I’m walking through a storm." But that’s not what people want to hear.

So I say fine.

Horses see through that in people. And so do I.

That’s why I notice the way their breath catches when they take a treat. The way they hesitate, just for a second, before following a cue. The way their eyes dart—not in defiance, not in disrespect, but in a silent question: Am I safe?

And I know that feeling.

I know what it’s like to be "easy to be around" because I’ve learned how to move through the world without making waves. I know what it’s like to have people assume I’m fine because I’ve learned to act fine. I know what it’s like to be seen as calm when inside, my mind is anything but.

And I know what it feels like to finally be seen for who I am, instead of who I’m pretending to be.

That’s what I want for these horses.

I don’t want them to just tolerate humans. I don’t want them to go through the motions of training without ever feeling truly safe. I don’t want them to comply because it’s easier than resisting.

I want them to trust. To feel safe. To feel like they don’t have to be anything other than who they are.

Because isn’t that what we all want?

So next time you’re with a horse, slow down.

Watch the way they breathe.
Feel the energy between you.
Notice the tiniest shifts in their body.
And ask yourself—are they truly with you? Or are they just surviving you?

Because seeing a horse means more than looking at them.
It means understanding them.

And that kind of understanding—it changes everything.

03/12/2024

Saying Goodbye Is the Hardest Part 💔🐴

Every day, I work with horses in pain—it’s the reality of rehabilitative farrier work. I see their struggles up close, and it breaks my heart. I feel the loss of every horse I work on as if they were my own. I grieve alongside their owners because I know how much these animals mean to us.

Horses do so much for us. They carry us—physically and emotionally—through life’s ups and downs. They are our friends, partners, and confidants. They meet us with soft eyes and steady hearts, asking for nothing but care in return. That’s why saying goodbye is so unimaginably hard.

But as much as we want to hold on, we owe it to them to honor their dignity and comfort. Often, I can see it’s time to let go before a vet might because I feel the little changes—the growing stiffness, the deeper exhaustion, the moments when a horse can no longer pick up a foot, even with medication. By the time they reach that point, their bodies have been in pain for a while, and they are simply tired.

I know it’s tempting to hold onto hope, to say,
“They’re eating fine,” or “They’re still in good

weight.” But these things don’t always tell the full story. Pain is quiet and relentless, and it wears them down long before they outwardly give up.

How to Know When It’s Time
If you’re struggling with this decision, consider creating a Horse Health Observation Calendar:

Each day, honestly evaluate your horse.

How are they moving?
Are there signs of pain in their eyes?
Did they eat well?
Can they rest and get up without struggle?

On bad days, mark a red check. On good days, mark a green check.

When the red checks begin to outnumber the green, it’s time to have that heartbreaking conversation with your vet.

Choosing humane euthanasia is never easy, but it’s far kinder to say goodbye one day too early than one day too late. It’s the final gift of love we can give our horses—a peaceful passing after a lifetime of giving us their best.

You’re Not Alone
I know how hard this is because I’ve walked this road with so many horses and their owners. I grieve every horse I’ve had the honor to care for, and I know the weight of this decision. If you’re facing it now, please know I’m here to support you in any way I can.

Our horses give us their hearts; let’s honor them by putting their comfort and dignity first. ❤️

Have you faced this decision before? Your story might help someone else walking this same path.

Photo Credit Brenda Vankeuren

08/11/2024

Let me start off by saying I absolutely dont want to make this post. Sharing this makes me feel weak and needy in and industry that says i need to be tough. But I have to respect my body.

To all of my amazing clients. It seems winter is starting early and cold. Please understand that I will be doing my best to keep your horses on a regular schedule however if it is too cold for me I will be rescheduling for warmer days.

I suffer from Raynaud's disease which makes me extremely sensitive to the cold. Last year I roughed it out and pushed myself to trim on days that were too cold for me and it resulted in quarter sized ulcers on the balls of me feet that lasted all last winter. I compensated for the pain with how I walked and would stand resulting in other strain injuries that have bothered me all year.

I hope to be a farrier for at least another decade and I am very passionate about my job and to that I have to take care of my body. If the universe is willing next year I will have a heated barn here at the house that you will be able to haul into for winter trims.

22/10/2024

Love this idea! You have to build and nuture strong hooves.

Rock load number 2 into the rock palace today! It’s been 4 months since I added the first load and here are the things we’ve learned:
- I rotate a horse in this paddock for a day session and an evening session. Two different horses.
- Has made huge changes in both horses feet.
- Both have increased sole depth and callous.
- Bars have laid down more in both.
- Central sulcus has become more shallow and dimple like in both.
- Both are landing more heel first consistently on hard and rock footing/trails. Both are moving better in soft ground.

* I would be lying if I told you maintaining this pen was easy. We *literally* pick rocks out of the p**p twice daily, as well as blow it off with a leaf blower to clear out dried p**p and hay. We are coming into late fall, and I’m not quite sure how this will fair during our wet/snow season. Stay tuned!
So far, I would do this over again and wish I had done it sooner. I am eternally grateful to my entire crew that helps me keep this experiment of mine going. Thank you!

02/08/2024

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

14/07/2024

A must watch on the value of hoof handling and why it's important. When I was a kid I did this with the horses I was starting under saddle before I ever rode them. If they wouldn't let me do this with all 4 feet I wouldn't even think about getting on.

02/04/2024

In 2014 we analysed the mineral content (in collaboration with the organic chemistry department Bangor University) of 13 grass species including 3 Perennial Rye varieties, 2 which were bred for high sugar content and the other one was originally bred 40 years previously (identified by IBERS), the remaining 10 species were a mix of native grasses found in meadow and old lea pastures.
The individual grass species varied immensely in mineral levels, being higher in all species in those fields backing onto woodland or surrounded by a hedge.
The modern perennial ryegrasses were highest in iron and lowest in magnesium and lacked many other vital micronutrients, however, the mixed native grasses combined had higher and more balanced levels of minerals.
The reasons for this are not only found in the soil but in the rhizosphere and the hyphosphere of the plant roots, the place where minerals are stored and absorbed.
The rhizosphere is soil root interface it contains a variety of micro-organisms called mycorrhizal (the word means fungus-root) and is a rich place of nutrient manufacture and recycling which directly influences mineral levels.
The roots provide the fungus with glucose and sucrose, the grass sends the sugars from its leaves to the roots and out to the fungus. In return, the grass gains better access to water and the whole spectrum of minerals. Different grasses attract different communities of these microorganisms and create unique environments around themselves called hyphospheres. Many different grass species equals a higher and wider range of minerals, of much greater benefit to the horse.
A horse grazing in a field surrounded by a hedge or in a field containing trees will have better and more balanced mineral levels from the grass than those without. Three of the best trees to have either in the hedge or field are white willows, silver birch, and poplar, these trees encourage a varied community of microorganisms into the grass which will spread into the root systems across the whole field providing that field contains a mixed variety of grasses.
Tree root systems are incredibly important for the health of horse pasture as they are far-reaching and can spread their good bacteria and fungi across the pasture to improve the mineral levels of the horse as it grazes. Grass mixed with trees is likely to be healthier, contain better nutrients, have faster growth and perhaps more importantly will have a reduced sugar content as some of the sugar will go to the roots to feed the mycorrhizal.
Pasture and hay for that matter containing only one or two types of grass, particularly if they have been bred to hang onto their high sugar yield rather than translocate the sugar to the root system to feed the mycorrhizal community will not contain the spectrum of minerals that a meadow type of pasture will.

06/03/2024

One of my fellow farriers has all his clients convinced that horses hooves don't grow from December till April......this is totally false! Their growth does slow down but it's doesn't stop.

But as I sit here sick as a dog from catching whatever cold bug is going around having to cancel a whole week of work .....staring at my calander and the weather forcast trying to to work out my schedule..... so clients with barns who have horses who are used to being in the barn can be trimmed on bad weather days and those who don't have dry places to work can be trimmed on good weather days. I'm about to loose my mind.

I'm kinda envious of that other farrier relaxing and kicking his feet up in front of the fire till the grass turns green lol.

For all my clients thank you for your patience and understanding while I'm 🤧🤒. I promise your horses are all on my mind!