EQUIPOD

Natural Hoof Care Specialists

The way nature intended

ABN: 18 678 184 907

My Story

I have always been interested in all aspects of my horses’ health. As part of this interest I was keen to learn how to care for my horses’ hooves.

After studying Veterinary Sciences for three years in Germany and completing a Bachelor of Science degree at Murdoch University in Western Australia, I tutored at Murdoch for a short period of time.

After that I moved to Broome, where I lived for 2 years. I became the CEO of the Broome Horse Rider’s Club and enjoyed long rides along Cable Beach. It was hard to get hold of a farrier up there, and I made my first attempts at trimming one of my horses myself, but found it physically very demanding and almost impossible.

When I returned to Perth I became more serious about Endurance Riding. I competed with metal shoes to start with and continually had  problems with concussion on the hard gravel roads until I decided to try the barefoot approach. This was my first introduction to Easycare Epic boots, which I used on my 80km rides.

I also decided to read, learn and study as much as possible about barefoot care so that I could start trimming  my horses’ feet on a regular basis.

It took me about a year to slowly change the shape of her feet from very ‘high-heeled’ and partly ‘contracted’ to ‘low-heeled’ and naturally balanced. In 2008 I managed to qualify her as an endurance horse with a yellow log book.

I soon started trimming some of my friends’ horses’ feet, and giving advice to those friends on boot fitting. I want to promote a trim that is most closely related to the shape of a wild horse’s foot with low heels, a concave sole and a healthy white line. My approach is to take the time that is needed for the hoof to adjust slowly. I would rather trim quite often and achieve small changes at a time (most people are surprised about how fast barefoot feet can grow). This guarantees that the horse remains sound at all times. I am very skeptic towards any barefoot trimming techniques that regard lameness or soreness after the trimming as ‘normal’.

After a balanced trim the horse should land heel-first with all four feet, rather than toe-first or flat footed. This ensures that all the leg joints are fully extended in a downward curve before the foot hits the ground.

With a healthy white line and a concave sole the horse will become more comfortable walking on gravel.

How  I became involved with barefoot trimming

EQUIPOD

Natural Hoof Care Specialists

The way nature intended