Case Study #1: Introducing Poker, the Minature Horse

One of the highlights of my job as a barefoot trimmer is helping the little guys - miniature horses, ponies and donkeys. All too often, people have trouble finding farriers willing to trim the short ones, which leads to a lot of bad feet. I love the minis. They are some of my favourite clients!

In May, I was blessed with a miniature horse of my own to care for. I was contacted to see if I would be interested in taking in a little guy named Poker. Poker had bad feet, was laminitic, and hadn't been able to trot in about two years. His owners wanted him to go to someone who would be willing to help his feet, and I agreed to take him on.

Through out my blog, you will get regular updates on how Poker (or Pokie as we often call him) is doing. He has come a long way already since May 20 when I gave him his first trim. I am learning a great deal through my case study on his feet and am happy to share what I am learning with you.

Poker is somewhere around nine years old, is trained to carry kids, and is the sweetest pony you will ever meet. When I did my initial assessment, I noticed that he was definitely sore, tender on gravel, and was very bunched up in his muscles. He was a prime example of two of the most common issues I see in ponies and minis:

1. His heels were very high - many people who trim their own minis are afraid to take the heels down to the level they need to be, which results in a lot of pressure on internal structures and an inability to properly utilize the entire hoof.

2. He was definitely laminitic - ponies and minis are prone to laminitis as they metabolize their food differently than a larger horse. We've all heard that ponies "look at food and get fat," and it's fairly true! Pony diets need to be closely monitored to prevent laminitic attacks.

In spite of his issues, we quickly fell in love with this sweet guy.

I gave him his first trim on May 20, and have been trimming him every two weeks so we can stay ahead of any issues he might have as well as monitor his growth and the effects of any dietary issues he might have. We have already seen some great changes in him (other than shedding that winter coat). He can now trot regularly, something he hadn't been able to do before, and is less tender on gravel, although he still greatly prefers to walk on a softer surface. As he gets feeling better, his pony-tude is coming out, and it is fun to see his sassy personality.

I look forward to sharing Poker's progress with you!

Welcome to The Barefoot Hoof

Welcome to my new blog, The Barefoot Hoof.

What can you expect to find in the posts that follow? I will share with you my adventures as a barefoot trimmer, my thoughts on hooves, their form and function, and how to help your horse maintain four healthy feet. You can also expect a lot of cute pictures of horses, donkeys and ponies.

Who am I? I am a small-town girl with a love of horses that only grew as I grew. I was raised in a tiny hamlet in Saskatchewan, where I dreamed about owning horses but had no opportunities. When I graduated high school, I took a very practical route - I went to university and obtained my mechanical engineering degree. I followed that with sixteen years, working as an engineer in the Power Industry.

In 2006, I finally realized my dream and became a horse owner. From the moment I bought Joker, I was fascinated by his feet. I wanted to learn everything I could about hooves. In 2007, my sister, Laura, and I bought our ranch, and from there our horse count expanded. As of 2018, we have eleven horses, four donkeys, one miniature horse, four goats and numerous other animals. I kept learning about hooves and started trimming my own horses in 2014, after my farrier moved away.

In the spring of 2017, I had one of those moments - you know, the kind you look back on and point to, saying, "That was when everything started to change." I signed up for a weekend clinic with the Hoof Geeks, Christine Tomlin and Francine Labossiere. At the clinic, I devoured the knowledge they presented, pushed myself to learn and understand, trimmed cadaver hooves and finally applied everything to my horse, Breezy. To say I was hooked was an understatement. I was standing on the edge of the cliff, ready to leap into the future and become a hoof geek.

I went home from the clinic and immediately started applying what I had learned. I took pictures of all my horses' and donkeys' feet and set to trimming them correctly. I flooded my new mentors with questions and pictures. And a dream was born. I wanted to become a full-time hoof trimmer "some day."

But how does one transition from a professional engineering position to a full-time barefoot trimmer? I had been an engineer in the same company for sixteen years, working my way up from a lowly engineer-in-training to a senior engineer. But I had become disillusioned with it. I loved the engineering work, but didn't love the politics and stress that were a day-to-day part of life. My health had taken a downhill turn because of stress, and I was near my breaking point. In late June of 2017, I hit it. Realizing I needed a change, and fast, I gave my notice at my "safe and secure" job and started down the road that would lead me to my calling instead.

By August 1, 2017, I was a full-time barefoot trimmer.

It was terrifying. It was exciting. It was the craziest thing I had done in my relatively safe life. But it was also a change that dramatically dropped my stress levels, improved my health and gave me a reason to get out of bed in the morning.

Since quitting my safe job, I have continued my education, taking more clinics, dissecting hooves, trimming cadavers, trimming live horses and reading countless articles and scientific studies related to hoof care. I have been under hundreds of horses with problems ranging from severe laminitis and founder to club hoof and badly underrun heels.

My learning is ongoing, and I am excited to share that with you through this blog. Welcome to The Barefoot Hoof.