Whole Horse Perspectives

  • Home
  • Whole Horse Perspectives

Whole Horse Perspectives NBD equine dentistry, hoof care, certified trust technique practitioner, certified holistic nutritionist, ethical herd management

04/08/2025

DON’T LOSE YOURSELF IN THE REVOLUTION…
(or, That’s Not a Rabbithole, That’s a Sinkhole!)

I’ve lived through a few.

The natural horsemanship revolution…
The barefoot revolution…

And three years ago, I got pulled into a maelstrom revolution that nearly stripped me of my identity as a horseman.

A new method was taking off, and everyone around me was using the same buzzwords, tagging me, urging me to try it, talking about how it was revolutionizing everything. It happened almost overnight. It was like being hit by a tsunamic wave. A good friend even gifted me access to it, and I felt like I couldn’t say no.

At first, it seemed helpful. But then the originator reached out privately and demanded I tag them in my posts. They began steering how I talked about it. They discouraged me from using my own words, or sharing from my own lens. This went on for months, until I finally bronced under the pressure when they tried to take credit for the work I’d already been doing.

I cut off communication and stopped the work cold turkey.

And when I finally stepped back, I realized the things I’d been excited about weren’t actually working the way I thought they were. And I saw myself and my horses re-stabilize.

But the aftermath was brutal. I got private messages. People associated with the method targeted me and my work, both training and trimming, in spaces where I had always felt safe. I left a hoofcare group that I had helped build for 10 years because of it.

I never once made a public post condemning the method or any of the people harassing me. I just quietly stepped away.

I’m not much for calling out individual methods. I think it’s much more helpful to identify problematic trends in the industry in general, instead.

But even that took time.
It took a long time to feel safe enough to speak about this, even indirectly.

For years, I avoided certain terminology. I kept my recommendations vague. Even subtle references felt risky.

Since then, I’ve had quite a few people reach out once they read between the lines, to share their own experiences. And they confirmed what I’d already felt- that what goes on behind the scenes can be very different than public personas and presentations of safe, empathetic spaces.

I felt better realizing it wasn’t just me.

But in a way, it WAS.

It was my own lack of belief in myself that allowed an opening.

And taking ownership of that changed me as a person.

What I came away with is a much more grounded sense of my own horsemanship. A hard-won respect for my own experience and understanding. And sometimes that’s going to come off as arrogant, and I’m okay with that.

I used to be a little too teachable.
I wanted to learn from everyone. I would let anyone teach me, and I would l let anyone talk over me, even if it contradicted or diminished or disregarded my own experience.

That’s why classical training grounds me. When things get noisy or uncertain, I go back to the work. It reminds me who I am.

And I’ve learned- it’s okay to say no.

A good friend of mine is currently recovering from a similar experience with clicker training, and that’s partly why I wanted to finally share this story.

But honestly, I should’ve shared it earlier.

I’m ashamed of the times I stayed silent while friends and colleagues questioned themselves, questioned their experience, questioned their methods.
I watched some of them get lost.

One even abandoned their profession completely because of the maelstrom methodology. And I regret not speaking up.

Which is why I’m speaking up now.

It’s kind of a landmine out there, whether it’s training systems, barefoot methods, bodywork approaches, or nutritional think-groups. Some of them help. Some of them harm. And some do both.

As a recovering groupie of several of these systems myself, I know better now. So whenever I see familiar patterns- language being policed, identities wrapped tightly around a modality, people told they can’t possibly understand from the outside -I pull back.

That doesn’t mean I think those systems can’t help. But I do understand the limits they impose, especially when they revolve around a single originator.

And I now value my own experience enough to choose what I bring into my work.

I want other people to know that’s okay, too.

Yes, it’s important to stay curious.
To try new things.
To challenge yourself and your current paradigm.

If you get excited about something new, I’m going to be excited for you. But if you see me also being a little guarded, rest assured, it’s not you. It’s me.

I’m also going to get excited when I see someone stand firm and say…

“I love that for you.
But it’s not for me.”

I’ve been so busy recently that I’ve been relying mostly on drafts and no new content, and this one’s been sitting in drafts for awhile. In fact, I’d almost forgotten about it. But in light of my friend emerging from the sinkhole of their experience with clicker training, I think it’s perfect timing.

(Yes, I love clicker training.

Just don’t lose yourself in it.

In fact, we see FinnDragon below spontaneously offering an absolutely goofy piaffe for a cookie. He’s so unserious. 😅)

04/08/2025
01/08/2025
31/07/2025

🙌 Myth busting Monday! Hoof care is about trimming hooves - FALSE 🙌

True story - many years ago, I used to think this was true.

Then I began documenting and objectively assessing horses AND hooves before, after and sometimes during trimming to understand what was happening to horses and their hooves as a result of a myriad of interventions.

What I discovered blew my mind!

The changes I documented in horses bodies and hooves made me realise the tensegrity and behaviour of the horses fascial chains is highly influential in creating posture, which can be healthy, or pathological (associated with disease), and it is dictated by many things, but largely by the health and state of the autonomic nervous system and emotional state of the horse.

And yes, how the hooves were impacted by hoof care methods and management imposed on the hoof also had a huge impact on the orientation of the hooves, limbs, spine, neck, sternum and rib cage also.

I have come to understand that efficacious hoof care really is about facilitating neutral posture through balance in the horses neuro-muscular system, which is intricately connected to the horses mind and emotions.

THIS is an integrative approach.

If I can help a horse feel safe and sound, this will automatically create a shift in their posture, and this in turn will load the hooves in the best possible way for optimum blood flow, bone health, growth and wear.

IF YOU FOLLOW A HORSES WEAR PATTERN YOU WILL PERPETUATE THE CURRENT STATE, WHICH MAY NOT SERVE THE HORSE.

The lesson from this story is this:

Objective assessment of the HORSE using objective welfare parameters is necessary to lean the chronic welfare state of the horse, and the impact of domestication, including hoof care imposed on the horse, as well as their reaction to changes and interventions imposed over time.

DO NOT assume that because the horse has a professional visit for hoof care appointment that optimum welfare is being promoted!

ALWAYS ASSES THE HORSE WELFARE PARAMETERS (PHYSIOLOGICAL, POSTURAL AND BEHAVIOURAL) TO ENSURE THE CARE AND INTERVENTION IS HELPING THE HORSE FEEL SAFE AND SOUND, and to check if hoof care goals are being met.

Trim horses, not hooves.

Photo evidencing improved posture immediately post trim on a 4 year old warmblood with hoof and body imbalances, including a club foot.

To learn more and train your eye with me, visit: Www.holisticequine.co.uk/events

Www.holisticequine.co.uk - supporting and promoting compassionate equestrianism for the benefit of all 💚🙏🐴

30/07/2025

Interested in reading studies about barefoot hooves? We have put together a listing here, which we will try to keep up to date.
Barefoot Hoof Studies, scientific studies that deal specifically with barefoot hooves, natural equine hoof form, and/or barefoot trimming:
https://www.thehorseshoof.com/barefoot-hoof-studies/

29/07/2025
Great article
26/07/2025

Great article

Does your horse's coat bleach or fade in the summer? Find out why your horse's diet might be mineral deficient!

25/07/2025

When dealing with laminitis, one of the metrics used to determine if a treatment is working is to look at sole depth-per the teaching of Dr Ric Redden.

If there is no increase in sole depth, seen on xray after say 4 weeks, then the treatment plan must be re-evaluated.

Sole depth is the number one priority in deciding if healing is taking place or not. Growth of sole will indicate that the vital blood supply is being re established. Without blood, tissues cannot grow.

Look at the before and during X-rays and look at this important parameter when you see these shown in internet land. For folks not experienced in looking at X-rays, just measure the tip the coffin bone to the bottom of the foot, straight down. It will give you a measurement of the true hard sole plus the sole corium -the life giving blood supply.

Measure it, and compare it to the ‘after’ X-rays, 5 or so weeks later. In many cases there is ZERO sole growth. This means the treatment package is not working.

If sole is growing then it means the pressure is being lifted from the sole corium, and the blood supply is being re established.

Correct biomechanics will create healing and sole will grow at an incredible rate.

24/07/2025

Explore the concept of self-trimming hoof care inspired by the movement of wild horses in diverse terrains.

So many in the industry
21/07/2025

So many in the industry

Giving Horses Choices is Dangerous.

A Social Media Template To Scare Your Clients Into Compliance

Insert dynamic self deprecation statement about how lowly and humble you are.

Insert dramatic overstatement of how many thousands of colts you started.

Mention sore back, bad knee, arthritic hands or similar in a manner that reinforces how much you have suffered in your horsemanship journey.

Make a toxic anthropomorphic generalisation that breeds deep mistrust of horses.

Back that up with soft language you poached in secret from the Horse Hippies that confuse you and that you deeply admire, but resent your admiration for them like a guilty little secret.

Reinforce the Late Stage Capitalist Hellscape, but project that onto a horse, making them responsible for compliance and obedience by any means.

Bypass ethics by half inferring that harsh or mildly harsh training is the only thing that is effective and results are more important than process used to obtain them.

Frame Effective Results as The Horse Person Getting Exactly What They Want Right Now.

Scare gentle people into believing their deep craving for kindness is a fault they should squash, and frame gentleness as a lack of competency, so that they will accept you at your most harsh, most vulgar, most unfair towards horses, because (Shrugging Shoulders) that is just the way it has to be done.

Appear to be well informed by mentioning erroneously that horses do not have the mental, emotional or cognitive sophistication to understand nuance, understand social exchange or rapport, thereby case building for escalating pressure and behaviour augmentation that railroads the horses social connection, cognitive capacities and nuance. Practicing this creates a confirmation bias loop where your practices reinforce and co-create your own prejudice you use to harm horses with. And people.

Make a totally unnecessary veiled homophobic or mysogynistic analogy in regards to any training that does not uphold the thin playbook you got to play with.

Make an exhausted and exasperated complaint of social media, saying your business is 100% word of mouth, bypassing the fact that social media IS word of mouth for 21st century.

Accidentally reveal your soft side. Which garners empathy from gentle horse folk. You didn't mean to do that.

Address


Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Whole Horse Perspectives posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Practice

Send a message to Whole Horse Perspectives:

Shortcuts

  • Address
  • Alerts
  • Contact The Practice
  • Claim ownership or report listing
  • Want your practice to be the top-listed Clinic?

Share