Naturally Equine Podiotherapy & Barefoot Hoofcare

16/12/2025

Now’s the time in Australian weather to treat and manage any conditions that seem impossible to manage during the wet seasons..

17/10/2025

Taking on new clients in and around the areas of Cardinia..

27/10/2023

For anyone looking to expand their knowledge, why not start here..

I’m thinking about doing a sale on the online maintenance trimming course before it gets a big revamp.

You’ll get all the old content plus the new that’s coming.

Comment below or pm me to get your discount code!

18/10/2023

Here’s a little flashback, was good to see pop up on Google while I searched around for a few things..

So I thought I’d share it here of course..

Scoot Boot Stockist, Rachel Tupek’s Stance on the Barefoot Movement Scoot Boot stockist, business owner and barefoot trimmer, Rachel Tupek gives us a special look into her world as a barefoot trimmer. Rachel began trimming her own horses and then realised there is so much more to learn and researc...

18/10/2023

Hello wonderfull people of Facebook, and now Instagram too!

So as many would know, Facebook has made linking social platforms easier to allow access to post on both account, ooohh, so personally I’ve never done that myself, worried about Instagram or trying to keep up with content so it’s at least half interesting.. Well… facebook has made things even easier by linking posts shared on my business page, with my business Instagram to assist.. Sounds ok o guess, so why not..

Well I popped over to share a post today and there it is, Instagram that has been connected to the business account for some time, but lacking big time, and not one follower haha so guys.. If you have Insta and follow me, please jump over and take a moment to follow me there to assist in promoting hoof health in the equine industry.. Even if you don’t follow me yet but want to promote good hoof health then please, show your support and follow along..

18/08/2023

Some great advice that should be shared everywhere..

When is being fat too fat?

When you feel ribs on the horse is he skinny? An apple bum?

I am getting more and more horses to dissect that look fine to me and not fat.
This one I thought was just fine.
A discrete apple bum and quite a lithe young filly.

I could not examine her with my hands as she was unhandled and I was not going to upset her any more. But from looking at her I thought she was fine.

But she was not. Her whole internal organs were encased in fat. Her crest was full as were her eye fat pads. Her apple bum was fat and her gut was encased.

Kidneys and heart fatty

A very difficult dissection due to the need to remove the fat before I could get to her secrets.

Too much hard feed in my opinion. Although when uplifted she and the others were knee deep in mud. Or maybe some endocrine disorder, I don’t know. She was surrendered when her owner could not cope any more due to illness. She was one of a herd.

Please don’t ask me for extra detail on this case. This is sensitive and I myself don’t know all the details except she was euthanised on vet advice due to being dangerous round humans and could not be safely re-homed. She was assessed by many trainers and folk that understand traumatised horses and they all agreed she was too broken.

Please no comments about how she could be saved, trained, loved, etc. This was the hardest one to date. There are 100s of unwanted horses out there in my country and euthanasia is unfortunate and costly. There are not enough homes for them.

Gallop high Bonny. You have given me the gift of education. One that I can pass to others. A gift that will last many lifetimes as mothers tell daughters and daughters tell daughters (and sons).

A big shout out to my Patreon small business sponsors who help me finance my incredible bills associated with this passion.
And my valued sponsors that are supporting me August 2023.

Trimmer and educator-
https://www.espacechevalmoderne.com/ecm-parage

Learn to trim-
http://www.holistichoofcareforhorseowners.com

Trimmer and educator-
https://www.caballo.co.za/

Innovative mud control-
https://www.lighthoof.com

07/08/2023

Taking on a few new clients in and around the menzies creek, pakenham upper, cockatoo and surrounding areas, particularly offering services around correctional hoof trimming..

Hoof care is becoming a passion amongst many, simply because we are beginning to see.. The work I do is specifically personalised to each hoof I work with, always taking into account the overall horse and postural changes that have or will occur simply with changes made during hoof care..

I offer basic trimming services also, although if correctional work is required, it must be attended to, and will be discussed in detail..

Trimming cycles vary greatly for individual horses so I do not work on a set cycle, but rather a cycle that is set around the horses needs..

Priced from $70.00 for ponies
Priced from $90.00 for horses

I am willing to travel for correctional and rehabilitation work + cost/travel..

If you have concerns or questions about your horses feet, don’t hesitate to reach out..

22/07/2023

Removing all leverage and repairing feet the right way, is literally the only way..

Once we understand how what we do externally affects the hoof internally, and in turn our horses overall… progress will be made..

Hoof cracks - how NOT to treat them.

We removed the hoof capsule off this cadaver hoof so we could examine the structures within - we had an inkling it wouldn't be looking too good.

And yep, we were right.

Some trauma had occurred which had severed through the coronary groove in the outer hoof capsule (3), and the coronary dermis underneath (2). This would have damaged the papillae and their sockets, resulting in the formation of a scar, and subsequently no further horn being made at that point.

We see lots of injuries to horses' hooves like this, and in fact the hoof has a huge propensity to recover well, allowing the trauma to close up, leaving behind just a scar, similarly to our own skin.

And that's ok, the integrity of the hoof is not further compromised, and the horse can go on and lead a perfectly sound, normal life.

Unfortunately for this horse, he or she had far more than just the crack problem to deal with. This horse had been suffering from chronic inflammatory bouts, seen here by the multitude of rings, ripples and other hoof wall imperfections (1) - the laminitis was very apparent and had clearly not been brought under control.

So this horse actually had THREE problems:

1. the damage caused by the original trauma which was desperately trying to heal
2. the ravages of chronic laminitis preventing the hoof from healing
3. the damage caused by a person who was continually grooving into the crack - also preventing the hoof from healing

This person was no doubt well-meaning, but what they apparently weren't aware of, is that the constant grooving out of the crack was never going to heal it, it was just making matters worse.

You can see that both the epidermal lamellae (3) and the dermal lamellae (2), had been irreparably damaged from this constant meddling.

We see this a lot too. This constant meddling and fiddling with cracks - grooving, cutting, screwing on plates, filling up with resins etc... it all happens and more!

If only the hoof care professional had understood that this horse was a chronic laminitic, and then had proceeded to advise on how to change the diet and management... and then understood how to trim the hoof correctly to nature's parameters - then this horse could have quite happily survived.

Yet another sad example of misunderstanding in the murky world of equine hoof care.

Thank goodness for the horses under our care, that our HMB Pros have this sort of situation sussed!

HM.

23/06/2023

This post is way too good not to share..

Natures Hoof Hardner.. It’s all in the title..

Horses in their natural environment have hooves that are capable of moving at all paces over lots of different terrains which can often include quite harsh, rocky, and sandy surfaces, whereas our domesticated horses are seldom exposed to much more than a riding arena, a flat paddock and maybe some road work, and most of their movement is usually carried out in a straight line and on a flat surface, so they are never given the opportunity to develop their best hooves because they simply don't move enough over anything even remotely like what they would naturally. In order to develop a good strong healthy hoof that is able to function soundly over a variety of surfaces without the need for shoes or boots, a horse needs a good low-sugar and low-starch diet which is free from inflammatory ingredients, exposure to a variety of surfaces, and time.

Pad walking is a good place to start and we like to use Sole Mate Therapeutic Pads which are made from 1" thick cell foam which regains its shape after every use, so although they're a little expensive they are a good investment. The pads offer a lot of support so would be very useful for a laminitic horse or for a newly barefoot horse that is really uncomfortable. To use them we simply cut them to the shape of the hoof and duct tape them on and walk the horse for 10 mins per day and this usually only needs to be done for around 2 weeks. If you wanted to use these pads in boots you would need to get a slightly bigger boot because the pads are very thick.

To begin conditioning the feet they will need gradual exposure over time using what you have available. In an ideal world, you would begin with soft sand or a menage and only move on to anything more challenging once your horse is absolutely comfortable. A good way to judge the different surface comfort levels for your horse is to try first walking over them yourself without shoes. If you are comfortable then it is likely that your horse will be too but if a surface makes you feel ouchie then a horse with thin, undeveloped soles will likely also feel it this way. When introducing a new surface walk for no more than 10 mins to begin with and always make sure you allow a day off in between to allow the feet to recover. If your horse lives on a track then consider adding different surfaces such as pea gravel, rocks, and sand in different areas and try and place obstacles for your horse to manoeuvre so that all areas of the hoof are fully stimulated. Be guided by your horse, it is far better to take it slowly than risk trying to rush and your horse ending up with bruised soles. If you still need/want to ride your horse during this transition phase then boots will allow your horse to continue working so long as they have been given the all-clear by their hoof care provider.

18/06/2022

It’s not too late so head over and and join this Masterclass!!

https://equineecare.com/horse-wounds-online-masterclass/

26/03/2022

As we come to the beginning of a new week I anxiously wait in wonder, I also carry a little fear, how are the horses going, how bad are their feet and how am I going to go when I see them..

Of course I’m sure many of you are wondering the same things and I appreciate that you are doing the best you can while you watch cracks appear and patiently await my return..

Remember I have a couple qualified hoof care providers backing me atm so if you need someone let me know..
Unfortunately the only areas I haven’t been able to cover is Narre, belgrave, Monbulk and surrounds..

Ok so update… The follow up appointment with the surgeon went well, all is healing well and no more appointments with the surgeon to look forward to 😁

I was then sent to see the hand therapist, I never knew there is hand therapists specifically.. I’ve been given different exercises to do, who would’ve thought touching the tip of your little finger with thumb tip, and running thumb tip down little finger to the palm and back up would be so difficult 🙄 I know, super easy with my other hand…
I’ve been told to push the therapy this week, try everything I do with this hand first to retrain it, I started using my hand differently to compensate once pain was gone, everything gets done between the middle finger and pointer lol so in two weeks at our re visit she expects to see natural movement..
I’ve also been told I can start picking up my tools and moving them around and next week pretend I’m using them to see how it feels..
Personally I’m thinking I will go and play with my own ponies feet first, get my hand around the hoof pick that at the moment I can’t use 😠

My plan is that by the end of two weeks I’m able to have trimmed my ponies and report back with good news..

As you all know, the moment I feel capable to manage your horses I’ll be coming to see you.. There are restrictions for me for a while and of course I’ll be smart, but I think next week I’ll know for sure how many and who I can see.. If I go well this week with my ponies I’ll prob come see yours earlier and use them as therapy also, starting slow but hoping to be back at full speed again soon..

Picture of my beautiful boy Magic