My first horse was shod because I was told this was what you must do, back then, you weren’t doing it right if you rode an unshod horse!  He had intermittent lameness problems and seemed to have perpetual thrush, but I always felt that we were just unlucky, rather than that there was more I could be doing. It wasn’t until I got my first young horse in my twenties, and witnessed the beauty and resilience of a natural hoof that I started to question things.  It was the farrier I used then that suggested maybe I didn’t need to shoe my youngster when I started riding him, that maybe his feet could cope without shoes – and to my delight – they did!

Under the supervision of an excellent UKNHCP trimmer I started to keep my horse’s hooves “tidy” between trims with an old rasp and this is where my interest in feet started to accelerate.  The more I learned the more I wanted to know.  Why did one of my horses seem to go footsore at certain times of year, but the other one didn’t?  Why did the horse I was riding seem to need a trim more often than the one I wasn’t? The Diploma in Equine Podiatry answered all of my questions and so much more, giving me what I can now only describe as a life consuming obsession with horse’s feet, but also diet, environment and all the other things that contribute to hoof health.

Natural Hoofcare is a journey of continuous learning and I enjoy working with other hoofcare professionals and Equine Podiatrists, as well as attending courses for continuing professional development – every horse is different, it’s all a question of finding the right solution for the individual horse and owner, and I relish each new opportunity to embark on that journey with a client. If your horse is under current veterinary care for a foot related issue I will always request a consultation (this can be via telephone) with your vet prior to trimming your horse, including sight of any radiographs which have been taken.