Natural Hoof Care Inc

04/26/2026

04/25/2026

You should always trim the hoof flat. Right?

There has been interesting debate on farrier discussion pages about trimming methods that create a non-level or non-flat solar surface. Many of the comments mocking the method do so from a lack of understanding of what is actually being proposed, and from a lack of understanding of its genuine peer-reviewed validation through the work of Dr Hagen and colleagues on F-Balance, centre of pressure migration, and hoof loading patterns .

The mistake is thinking the method is simply “trimming the foot wonky.”

It is not.

The hoof is not a flat block of horn. It is a three-dimensional deformable capsule. It loads in the sagittal plane, the medio-lateral plane, and the transverse plane. That transverse plane matters because it is where torsion occurs. When the limb loads off-axis, the hoof capsule does not simply become higher on one side and lower on the other. The dorsal capsule, heels, quarters, bars, sole, and bulbs can rotate in relation to each other. In other words, the hoof can twist.

That twist is not random. It is the result of repeated loading over time.

This is why a hoof can appear distorted in ways that do not make sense if you only look from the bottom and ask, “Is it level?” A sheared heel, displaced bulb, flared wall, upright quarter, migrated heel, or distorted bar is often not an isolated feature. It is part of a three-dimensional deformation pattern.

This is also why simply trimming the solar surface flat can be misleading. If the capsule is torsioned, then making the bottom look flat may actually preserve the twist. You may have made the foot visually neater, but you may not have addressed the mechanical distortion that created the morphology in the first place.

Three-dimensional trimming methods such as F-Balance are trying to read that deformation pattern. They are not saying, “make the foot uneven.” They are saying, “stop assuming the distorted foot should be trimmed to an artificial flat plane.”

The functional sole becomes important because it gives information about how the foot has adapted around load. The sole, bars, frog, wall, and heel structures are not decorative landmarks. They are the visible expression of a capsule that has been loaded, deformed, reinforced, and grown under mechanical demand. When a practitioner follows the functional sole correctly, they are attempting to respect the internal organisation of the foot rather than imposing a cosmetic level surface over the top of it.

The aim is not to create imbalance. The aim is to remove the distortion that is preventing the capsule from untwisting.

That is the bit many people miss.

If a hoof has torsioned under repeated off-axis loading, then the trim has to allow the foot to load in a way that encourages counter-rotation back toward a more neutral state. This does not mean forcing the foot into a shape. It means removing the parts of the trim plane that are maintaining the rotational distortion, while preserving the structures that tell you where the functional foot actually is.

This is why the method can look strange to someone expecting a flat solar surface.

But strange does not mean wrong.

A twisted structure may need a non-flat intervention to return toward a less twisted state. That is basic mechanics. If you only assess the finished trim by whether it looks flat on the bottom, you have already reduced a three-dimensional problem into a two-dimensional one.

Dr Hagen’s work is important here because it showed that trimming strategy influences hoof loading patterns and centre of pressure migration. That matters because it validates the central principle that farriery changes are not merely cosmetic. They alter how force travels through the foot. F-Balance is not just an internet trimming fad. It has been investigated in peer-reviewed work looking at the relationship between trimming, loading symmetry, and pressure distribution.

That does not mean every person claiming to use a three-dimensional method is doing it correctly. It does not mean every non-level trim is justified. It does not mean the foot should be randomly sculpted because someone has learned a few new terms.

But it does mean the mockery is often misplaced.

The real question is not, “Is the sole perfectly flat?”

The real question is, “Does this trim reduce pathological torsion, improve the spatial relationship of the capsule to the limb, and allow the hoof to load more centrally over time?”

That is a much harder question.

And that is exactly why these methods require understanding, not ridicule.

Webinars for further education

The physics and biomechanics of medio-lateral balance…

https://equineeducationhub.thinkific.com/courses/landing

F-Balance

https://equineeducationhub.thinkific.com/courses/f-balance-webinar

Understanding hoof morphology and introduction to 3D trimming methods, webinar with the Hoof Architect

https://equineeducationhub.thinkific.com/courses/understanding-hoof-morphology-1

04/20/2026

Send a message to learn more

04/17/2026

UPDATE on the early career farrier/trimmer workshop series hosted by Liselle Batt
tentative dates and topics are posted below

these workshops are intended for anyone who has completed farrier/trimmer school or apprenticeships and are looking at becoming professionals.

if interested, contact Liselle to get registered to get current up to date information on each workshop as the dates get near

04/13/2026

You cannot force posture onto a horse when the hoof is telling the body to stand differently!?

One of the biggest misunderstandings in modern equine therapy is the belief that posture can simply be “corrected” by manually placing the horse into a new shape. I see it all the time, body work and veterinary treatment being done to a horse while I look at its feet and just sigh.

Stretch it.
Massage it.
Mobilise it.
Strengthen it.
Train it into position.
Jab it with steroids.

And whilst all of those things may have value, there is a fundamental truth people keep missing.

You cannot sustainably change posture if the horse’s proprioceptive system is still demanding the original compensation.

Why?

Because posture is not something the horse consciously chooses.

Posture is the visible output of the nervous system’s constant attempt to organise the body in response to incoming information.

That information comes from everywhere, but one of the richest and most mechanically important sensory inputs in the entire horse is the hoof.

The hoof is not just a block of horn at the bottom of the limb. It is packed with mechanoreceptors, proprioceptive structures, vascular structures, and deformable tissues that continuously feed information into the nervous system regarding load, pressure, deformation, balance, and orientation. 

Every time the hoof meets the floor, it tells the horse’s nervous system something about where the body is in space.

It tells the horse whether the limb feels stable.
It tells the horse whether the load is symmetrical.
It tells the horse whether one side feels overloaded.
It tells the horse whether the system feels comfortable under compression. And this information can be distorted by imbalance.

And the nervous system uses that information to organise posture accordingly.

This means posture is not simply muscular habit. It is an adaptive response to sensory input.

Let me put that another way.

If the hoof is repeatedly telling the nervous system that a certain position reduces discomfort, improves balance, or better distributes force, the body will organise around that signal. In a webinar with Dr Gellman we discussed the horses understanding of upright..

https://equineeducationhub.thinkific.com/courses/proandpos

The horse will stand in the way the nervous system believes is safest.

So if you manually straighten the horse, stretch the horse, or try to train the horse into a new posture without changing the proprioceptive and mechanical signals that caused the compensation in the first place, what happens?

The horse simply returns to the original posture.

Because from the nervous system’s perspective, nothing meaningful changed.

You altered the output temporarily.
You did not alter the input.

This is precisely why so many practitioners see temporary changes after treatment, only for the horse to revert days later.

Because unless the underlying sensory and mechanical drivers are addressed, the nervous system will keep returning to the same solution.

My upcoming book discusses this as a closed loop.

Hoof mechanics alter proprioceptive input.
That proprioceptive input alters muscle tone and fascial loading.
That altered tone changes posture.
That posture changes limb orientation and movement.
That movement then changes loading back into the hoof. 

It is a self-reinforcing system.

Once established, it will continue feeding itself until the dominant driver is changed.

This is why I have repeatedly said hoof balance and posture cannot be viewed in isolation.

If the hoof is imbalanced enough to create altered loading, altered proprioceptive feedback, or altered comfort under load, then the body will compensate around that.

And until that signal is reduced, you are asking the horse to ignore its own nervous system.

That is not rehabilitation.
That is fighting biology.

Imagine trying to stand perfectly upright whilst one foot is on a slope and one foot is on flat ground.

Could you force yourself straight for a moment? Yes.

Would your body naturally stay there? No.

Why?

Because your nervous system would constantly reorganise your body to accommodate the information coming from the feet.

The horse is no different.

This is why I often say, you cannot expect to change the architecture upstairs whilst the foundations downstairs are still crooked.

Now to be clear, this does not mean every postural issue is hoof derived.

Far from it.

The relationship is bi directional.

Higher limb pain, saddle fit, rider asymmetry, visceral tension, autonomic stress, trauma, and pathology can all alter posture first, which then changes loading into the hoof. The hoof may then adapt secondarily. In the same vane, farriers can struggle with the same perpetuations when higher postural drivers are not addressed!

But the principle remains the same.

Once the hoof becomes part of the compensatory loop, it becomes one of the drivers maintaining that loop.

And if you ignore that, you will struggle to create lasting change.

This is why multidisciplinary work matters.

The farrier cannot always fix posture alone. Or hoof balance for that matter!
The physio cannot always fix posture alone.
The vet cannot always fix pain alone.

Because the horse is an integrated system.

But equally, anyone trying to change posture whilst ignoring hoof proprioception is working with one hand tied behind their back.

Because no matter how good your treatment is, the horse will always listen to the signals coming from the ground.

The hoof is the horse’s interface with reality.

And reality always wins.

Something discussed in depth in both my webinars with Celeste-Leilani Lazaris

https://equineeducationhub.thinkific.com/bundles/yogi-sharp-and-celeste-lazaris-webinar-bundle

04/11/2026

You may have noticed over the past several years that an increasing number of horses at the pinnacle of the showjumping sport are competing barefoot, Annika Kortlang writes. This includes highly successful horses such as King Edward, United Touch S, Donatello 141, and more. At the 2024 FEI World Cup Finals, the top three finishers were all barefoot. The 2025 winner, Julien Epaillard, keeps all his horses barefoot. Riders and grooms of these elite barefoot horses have indicated in interviews that they believe their horses benefit from being barefoot.

What might these benefits be?

While I don’t show at the 5* Grand Prix level, I do compete my barefoot horses in the junior hunters and equitation divisions at A shows up and down the West Coast. My horses did not come to us barefoot, and I have been involved in transitioning all four of our horses from shod to barefoot. In the process, I have learned how to seek out science-based information about hoofcare, what transitioning horses to barefoot entails, and how transitioning to barefoot can help some horses.

The equine foot is a marvel of engineering. We usually see just the tough keratin exterior, but encapsulated in the hoof is a complex apparatus of bones, tendons, ligaments, vasculature, cartilage, and other soft tissues that are designed to absorb shock and return energy to the horse. Metal horseshoes, which have changed little in over a thousand years, provide obvious protection to the perimeter of the underside of the hoof. They do so, however, at some cost to hoof function and internal balance.

As explained by Dr Stephen O’Grady and Dr Hilary Clayton, two widely published equine veterinarians and researchers, “The equine foot has evolved as the interface between the limb and the ground. Its functions include accepting the weight of the horse, providing shock absorption, dissipating the energy of impact, and providing traction. A structurally healthy foot in its natural or barefoot state outperforms the shod foot in these functions. Furthermore, the structures of the foot have an inherent ability to change shape, strengthen and improve over time through the process of adaptation” (O’Grady, Stephen and Clayton, Hilary (2024) “Barefoot methodology as a viable farriery option.” Equine Veterinary Education Vol 36(8)). Open-heeled metal shoes concentrate load on the perimeter of the hoof, prevent the heels from expanding and flexing independently, and refer shock back up the leg.

📎 Continue reading this article at https://www.theplaidhorse.com/2025/04/20/are-you-curious-about-barefoot/
📸 Photo © Helen ST via Flickr

03/31/2026

Well put! I love my donkey clients! There are a few though… they challenge me. Whatever happened before me has stuck with them. Good or bad.

If you don't like donkeys, don't work with them. They won't like you back, they'll let you know, and you'll traumatize them with rough treatment.

If you're interested in understanding donkeys, read on.

🫏Donkeys 101 for Farriers 🫏

Donkeys do not like sustained pressure. Do not snub them to anything. Do not rope and hold their leg until they stop kicking. Do not hobble them or tie a leg up. Do not ear twitch them.

If you do any of the above (with the exception of the rope around the leg, that can be done thoughtfully!), that donkey will never trust you and possibly other farriers that come behind you. You may get that one trim halfway done but you've caused so much damage, that donkey may never let you touch them again.

Donkeys DO like being taught to accept appropriate, limited pressure. They do like going at their own pace as they trust you more. They do like treats and scratches. They do like you observing and respecting their threshold. They do like to be trimmed near their donkey friends. They do like praise and affection.

If you meet a donkey, and they've been trained for the farrier, and they like you - great, congratulations, trim away.

If you meet a donkey and the owner can't catch them, they shy away when you reach to touch them, they turn their butt to you like they got goosed, they flinch away from your touch, or they walk away, they are not ready for a full trim.

It's not uncommon for my first trim appointment with a donkey to be a meet and great. I'll bring treats, I'll see what they'll offer me *without pressure* and then that's our baseline to work from.

Next steps - discuss sedation and hiring a trainer.

If the feet are extremely overgrown, schedule a joint vet/farrier appointment and have the vet sedate to get their feet done safely. Then the training begins.

If their feet can wait, start with the training.

If they're in the middle, and/or the owner can successfully sedate, then trim, train, and wean off the sedation over time.

While the donkey is sedated, keep your energy aware but very quiet. Whisper with the owner and the vet/trainer. Limit your touch of the donkey other than lifting/holding the legs and feet. Work quickly. Watch their balance and let them have a break if they need to readjust.

If you get a tail swish, an attempted kick, they drag their mouth on the ground, or they try to bite you, pay attention. They may not be as sedated as you hoped or they're waking up. End your trim before they show too many signs of distress. Walk away early!

If you think any of the above is bu****it, then consider this. Donkeys can kick with their hind legs hard in pretty much any direction including at your head while you're holding up a front hoof. Their aim is good. They will bite if provoked. They are not domesticated horses with the tolerance for poking and prodding and pushing. They hold a grudge. They remember and never forget.

So for your safety and theirs, be smart.

If a donkey tells you to f**k off, listen the first time.

If you have to heavily sedate AND restrain a donkey to get them trimmed, they may not recover their trust in you or the vet.

If the owner will not sedate or train, do not trim for them.

If the donkey really doesn't trust you but loves their owner, teach their owner to trim.

If a donkey likes you, you'll find your heart absolutely melted with how soft and sweet they are. Holding up their feet is like working on air. They rest their head on you while you work on them or a friend. They nose your pockets for treats. They stand nearby, eyes closed, meditating. Donkeys have such a special energy and presence.

What else have you learned about working with our donkey friends?

03/27/2026

03/18/2026

All about jiaogulan from Dr. K's Horse Sense:

Jiaogulan (Gynostemma pentaphyllum) is a vine in the cucumber family, native to southern China. It is nicknamed the “immortality herb” because people who regularly consume it as tea or as a vegetable are known for their longevity. It has wide-reaching effects that trace back to its ability to modulate what is perhaps the most important messenger molecule in the body – nitric oxide.

Nitric oxide, NO, is a simple gas, one nitrogen and one oxygen atom. In the horse’s body, it is produced from the amino acid arginine by three nitric oxide synthase enzymes:

eNOS: endogenous NOS, located in the lining of blood vessels (the endothelium)
nNOS: neuronal NOS, in the nervous system
iNOS: inducible NOS, activated by injury, infection or disease

The eNOS and nNOS are always active and produce low levels of NO. The iNOS is normally turned off unless a trigger is present. Once activated, iNOS produces very high levels of NO.

The active components of Jiaogulan, the gypenosides, have been shown to directly cause the release of nitric oxide from the lining of blood vessels. Nitric oxide released from the endothelium of blood vessels is a potent vasodilator, diffusing easily out of the vessel lumen, which results in relaxation of the smooth muscle. It also activates tissue growth factors in the area.

Nitric oxide is the natural antagonist to endothelin-1, the horse’s body’s most potent constrictor of blood vessels. Endothelin-1 is elevated in endocrine-related laminitis , which makes Jiaogulan a potent weapon against pasture laminitis, fall seasonal rise laminitis and winter laminitis in metabolic horses.

Nitric oxide is also involved in healing processes of tendons/ligaments and also bone . This makes Jiaogulan a valuable support for things like tendon or ligament injuries, DSLD and suspensory problems originating below the hock which are common in dressage and western performance horses.

Research now also points to a potential role for Jiaogulan in horses with osteoarthritis . It offers dual lines of support by helping maintain the positive effects of low level nitric oxide while opposing the harmful effects of activating of the inducible nitric oxide system at the same time. Activation of the inducible nitric oxide synthase enzyme is involved in the degenerative pathophysiology of osteoarthritis.

Benefits of Jiaogulan have been found in virtually every body system where it has been examined and this likely explains the general invigorating effect this herb can have. I vividly remember the owner of one aged Spanish stallion telling me excitedly, “He’s gaiting for the first time in years!”

We appreciate our ECIR Group Inc. Benefactors carrying jiaogulan:
Forageplus (UK)
Mad Barn (CA, US)
HorseTech, Inc. (US)
My Best Horse (US)

Tanner MA, Bu X, Steimle JA, Myers PR The Direct Release of Nitric Oxide by Gypenosides Derived from the Herb Gynostemma pentaphyllum Elsevier, Vol 3, Iss 5, October 1999 https://doi.org/10.1006/niox.1999.0245

Gauff F, Patan-Zugaj B, Licka TF Hyperinsulinaemia increases vascular resistance and endothelin-1 expression in the equine digit Equine Vet J 2013 Sep;45(5):613-8. doi: 10.1111/evj.12040. Epub 2013 Mar 12.

Bokhari AR, Murrell GAC, The role of nitric oxide in tendon healing. J Shoulder and Elbow Surg Volume 21, Issue 2 p238-244 February 2012

Wimalawansa, SJ Nitric oxide and bone 2010, Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences https://doi.org/10.1111/J.1749-6632.2009.05230.X

Hee-Geun Jo, Chae Yun Baek, Yeseul Hwang, Eunhye Baek, Chanyoon Park, Ho Sueb Song, Donghun Lee, Investigating the Anti-Inflammatory, Analgesic, and Chondroprotective Effects of Gynostemma pentaphyllum (Thunb.) Makino in Osteoarthritis: An In Vitro and In Vivo Study Int J Mol Sci 2024 Sep 4;25(17):9594. doi: 10.3390/ijms25179594

Chun-Yan Shen , Jian-Guo Jiang , Man-Man Shi , Hui-Ling Yang, Hong Wei , Wei Zhu, Comparison of the Effects and Inhibitory Pathways of the Constituents from Gynostemma pentaphyllum against LPS-Induced Inflammatory Response J Agric Food Chem 2018 Oct 31;66(43):11337-11346. doi: 10.1021/acs.jafc.8b03903. Epub 2018 Oct 18.

01/22/2026

I’m going to toss out some numbers. If numbers make you go cross-eyed, give it a chance and stay with me- it’s important.

Latest research shows that non-fasted insulin results (with access to a horse’s normal forage) that were above 21.6uIU/mL resulted in a 22% incidence of laminitis within 4 years of the bloodwork results.

That’s a lot of numbers. What that means is that almost a quarter of horses with an insulin result above 21.6 could become laminitic.

What’s even more concerning is a non-fasted insulin result of 45.2 or higher had a 69% laminitis incidence rate within 4 years.

Considering that many labs say “normal” range for insulin is under 40, and considering that many times this bloodwork is taken fasted (instead of the updated recommendation for non-fasted), many owners may see their horse’s insulin result in the 20s or 30s and think their horse is fine, or think their horse isn’t metabolic, when actually their horse may be walking a fine line of laminae issues.

I’ll tell you about a mare here. This picture is of her feet when she was really quite rotated/foundered, shortly before coming to my farm.

This mare came to my property in October 2025 after struggling with founder and rotation for a few years. The owner had been very diligent, getting tested hay, feeding a quality mineral supplement (one I feed to my rehabs here too), and building a grass-free dry lot. She had a consistent trim every few weeks, and diligent boot use.

Her insulin still would run above range, and the owner even used an SGLT2 inhibitor to help. This DID help with her pain, but even while on it she had an insulin result come back at 140 last year.

The vet recommended more movement to see if this would help with comfort and hoof health as well as body condition, and shortly after that, the mare moved here to the track.

Right before getting here, her insulin wasn’t out of control- it was around 36, while still on an SGLT2 inhibitor to help keep it in check. She was comfortable in boots, but quite cresty necked with fat pads.

After one month living on the track, her insulin went down to 24. She was comfortable at this point, and the vet recommended to stop the medication and check in again in another month or two to see how she was doing. With that, in November, she came off the SGLT2 inhibitor, and we watched and waited.

As she continued to move around the track, eating our tested hay in slow feed hay nets and minerals balanced to the hay test, she slowly lost some of her extra weight. Her feet started growing healthier, with a tighter wall connection making its way down.

Last week, her bloodwork was checked again.

With no medication, the same trim as before, and “simply” increased movement and a balanced diet, her latest insulin result came back at 7.7uIU/mL.

7.7 ! Yes, the decimal is correct. Her insulin was under 10. We have seen that with other cases here too.

Does this mean she is not metabolic?
No. It means right now, with diet and exercise, her metabolic status is controlled.

Did we change the trim? No.
Did we drastically change the diet? No.

The key for this horse was movement. The track system increased the movement, and movement lowered her insulin.

Just like with people, often the best thing we can do for our horses is good movement and a healthy balanced diet.

12/21/2025

Winter Hoof Growth

Here in Massachusetts, winter came earlier than usual this year. Inevitably with it come the questions about winter hoofcare cycles -
“how long do you think they can go between trims now that their growth has slowed?”

“They don’t really need another trim in 5 weeks do they?”

Now I’ll try to make this short and sweet. As a hoofcare provider, I am fighting for my life to get horses’ hooves in a better spot all spring, summer, and fall- often fighting against metabolic concerns, grass intake, excessive growth, distortion even on a regular schedule, etc.

But for all the horsekeeping issues we deal with in winter, at least for many horses winter gives us a little reprieve in their excessive growth and potential distortion. This is the time we can get ahead of hoof issues- when we can address the flare before it starts, when we can work on correcting angles without doing too much all at once, when we can get heels to come back under the limb and get breakover in a good spot, and we can get the entire horse moving and feeling better.

Although it’s tempting to want to stretch out a horse‘s hoofcare cycle in winter, and while for some that may be an okay option, I am most excited when l can stick to the same cycle year round and make even better progress all winter and set the feet up to be healthier when the spring growth hits.

Our job as hoofcare providers isn’t just removing excess. It’s addressing hoof balance, supporting the feet for proper movement and comfort, and addressing issues before they become pathological or chronic.

If your hoofcare provider is asking to stay on the same cycle this winter, trust that they’re trying to make sure the feet don’t get into a spot you have to rehab from next summer.

11/25/2025

Look at the toes!