Kira Leese Equine Podiatry

24/03/2026

When we say “balance is bigger than the hoof”, this is what we mean.

A hoof reflects the whole horse. Movement, conformation, environment, nutrition, workload and overall health all influence what we see and how we trim.

Areion trimmers complete a 2.5 year Integrated Equine Podiatry programme, externally accredited by Highfield Qualifications. Our training combines structured academic study with extensive hands on trimming experience and multidisciplinary teaching from equine podiatrists, vets, a farrier, a nutritionist, a physiotherapist, a classical trainer and behavioural specialists.

Because good trimming isn’t about following a formula.
It’s about assessing the individual horse in front of you.

If you’re looking for a thoughtful, professionally trained hoof care provider choose carefully.

Think Deeper. Trim Smarter.

14/03/2026

Just on my way back from Devon after a really interesting 2 days. It’s always great to spend time learning, sharing ideas, and adding a few more tools to the toolbox, especially with such a lovely group of colleagues. Lots of interesting discussions and plenty to think about!

Full post to follow soon 👀

02/03/2026

Spring has arrived with an almighty bang this year. We’ve had two solid months of low pressure weather which brought cloud cover and rain. It’s been mild though, and mild nights enable the grass to grow. The last few days have been exceptionally warm with fantastic sunshine, but that means the grass is not just growing, it’s growing rapidly. The better weather is set to continue too. You might not notice the shoots coming through and you might think it will be a few weeks yet before laminitis becomes a risk, but in my experience this is never the case. It’s so important that owners take preventative measures BEFORE their pony starts to look a bit footy or their pulses become elevated. Last year I only saw two laminitis cases, and that’s because the owners I work with were all over it.

Please be all over it 🙏🏼

04/02/2026

Areion’s Position on the Reform of the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966

The UK Government is currently consulting on reform of the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966 , legislation that no longer reflects modern, team-based animal care. It is vital that hoof care professionals and horse owners have their say in this process. I have included a link to the consultation in the comments.

Areion supports reform that improves animal welfare, public protection, and clarity of professional roles. We also welcome the inclusion of barefoot trimmers within discussions around Allied Veterinary Professions. However, it is important to be clear, equine podiatry is not simply “barefoot trimming.”

Equine podiatry is a whole horse, welfare led approach to hoof care. It integrates assessment of posture, movement, environment, workload, management, nutrition and hoof form, and provides horse owners with a different professional skill set and service choice to traditional farriery.

Traditional farriery is a long established, regulated profession primarily focused on shoeing as part of hoof protection and performance support. Equine podiatry and farriery are distinct but complementary disciplines. Many horses move between them over their lifetime, depending on need. Regulation should reflect this reality, not collapse different approaches into a single category.

Trimming horses’ hooves without shoeing is currently unregulated. Addressing this gap is appropriate and welcome but how it is done matters.

Areion supports regulation that is:
• proportionate
• competence based
• welfare led
• and informed by those who practice and teach equine podiatry.

Routine equine podiatry, barefoot trimming, hoof balance assessment and preventative management advice are non-invasive, preventative activities. They should not automatically be treated as veterinary acts. Clear scope definitions are essential to distinguish routine hoof care from diagnosis or invasive treatment, which must remain within veterinary remit.

Transitional and conditional licensing will be critical. Many experienced equine podiatrists have strong welfare records but trained through non traditional or emerging pathways. Reform must recognise existing competence, allow fair transition, and avoid excluding skilled professionals or duplicating training unnecessarily.

Handled well, this reform is an important opportunity to raise standards, improve equine welfare, protect owners, and support collaborative working across the veterinary team. Handled poorly, it risks marginalising competent professionals, reducing owner choice, and limiting access to appropriate hoof care.

Areion supports reform and a Licence to Practise framework , provided it is inclusive, evidence led, proportionate, and developed with meaningful engagement from equine podiatrists, farriers, educators, and horse owners.

Equine podiatry deserves to be understood, not simplified.

🦄 For horse owners responding to the consultation 🦄

If you are a horse owner and unsure how to word your response, the following statements reflect common experiences. You may use them as written or adapt them in your own words.

• “I use an equine podiatrist as part of my horse’s routine care. This is a whole-horse, preventative approach, not just trimming hooves.”

• “Equine podiatry can provide a different professional skill set to traditional farriery, and having this choice supports my horse’s welfare.”

• “Routine equine podiatry and barefoot hoof care are non invasive and preventative, and should not automatically be treated as veterinary acts.”

• “Access to an experienced equine podiatrist has supported my horse’s longterm soundness and reduced the need for reactive intervention.”

• “Any regulation should clearly distinguish between routine hoof care and veterinary diagnosis or invasive treatment.”

• “I am concerned that poorly designed regulation could reduce access to equine podiatry services or limit owner choice.”

• “Transitional arrangements are essential to ensure experienced equine podiatrists are not excluded when regulation changes.”

Why shared themes matter

Consultation responses are reviewed for recurring themes, not identical wording. Calm, consistent messages from many owners help decision makers understand what truly supports horse welfare in practice. You don’t need to be an expert, just share what works for your horse.

Link to the consultation in the comments - you only need to respond to the "Licence to Practice" section of the consultation to give your views on trimming but can of course share your views on the whole consultation if you wish!

16/12/2025

Love Belongs in Hoof Trimming

“Love” isn’t a word we often associate with professional hoof care.

We talk about balance, biomechanics, angles and pathology. These things matter. Skill and knowledge are non-negotiable. But technical competence alone does not guarantee good outcomes.

Two trims can appear technically very similar and yet produce very different results. Somewhere between the rasp and the horse is a variable we don’t always name but we all recognise when it’s missing.

That variable is love.

What do I mean by love? I’m not talking about sentimentality or lowered standards. Love, in this context, is regard. It is choosing to see the horse as a living, feeling animal rather than a problem to be fixed. Love shows up not in our emotions, but in the choices we make for the horse in front of us.

A horse that does not feel safe cannot fully relax, load its limbs honestly or show us the true state of its feet. We cannot separate hoof health from the nervous system that controls it.

When a horse feels safe enough to regulate, posture changes, weight distribution improves, and the trim becomes clearer. Not because our skills improved, but because the horse could finally show us more.

Love in trimming is not something we project onto a horse. It is a state we hold within ourselves. Horses read our breathing, muscle tone, pace and intention long before we touch a foot. A calm, grounded human offers safety. A rushed or frustrated one offers threat.

The trim does not start at the hoof. It starts in the state the trimmer brings to the horse.

Why does this matter? Because force may achieve compliance, but it comes at a cost.

Love is what keeps power in check. Without it, efficiency can easily slide into harm. It reminds us that we work on animals who cannot always consent, but who feel everything.

Love does not replace skill, it gives skill direction.

Love is the quiet energy that tells a horse it is safe enough to show us the truth of its body. Without that, we are not trimming the horse in front of us, only the one we want to see.

11/12/2025

02/11/2025

Some great progress for just 3 trims.

I thought id share this lovely boy’s progress as an example of what can be achieved with regular hoof care and some small but meaningful changes to diet and environment.

When I first met him, he’d been through bouts of laminitis, and his hooves were quite imbalanced. As a result there was a fair bit of distortion and laminar wedge, along with chips and cracks in his hoof walls.

With consistent trims and a few management tweaks, he has made fantastic progress.

A huge credit goes to his dedicated owner, who has worked hard and followed recommendations to support his recovery.

It’s always a team effort.

The photos show his journey so far
⬅️ left - first trim
⬇️ middle - second trim
➡️ right - third trim

02/11/2025

Keeping an open mind and listening to the individual horse in front of you is so important as a hoofcare provider.

A professional course that fits around your life, giving you the freedom to create a successful business doing what you love while empowering your clients to develop happy healthy horses.

25/09/2025

Laminitis alert 🚨

We have seen a spike in laminitis cases in the last week or two with the flush of grass due to warm days plus rain. Please monitor and manage overweight or laminitis prone horses and ponies carefully.

What can you do :
- Restrict grazing and avoid lush sugary grass (especially after sunny days and cool nights).
- Soak hay (ideally for 6-8 hours, but even 1 hour or 30mins can significantly reduce non-structural carbohydrate content).
- Muzzle if necessary.
- Exercise if appropriate to increase insulin sensitivity.
- Avoid excessive rugging.
- Monitor weight regularly with a weigh tape, ask for and take note of veterinary advice on weight management. If we mention your horse is overweight at a routine visit it is because we want to help avoid future problems!
- Blood sample to test for insulin dysregulation and assess laminitis risk.
- Monitor for early signs including increased digital pulses, footsore on hard/stony ground or on tight turns.

Get in touch sooner rather than later if you are worried - 📞 0345 095 9995.

09/07/2025

🎉 I’m officially a qualified Equine Podiatrist! 🎉

After 2.5 years of blood, sweat, and a whole lot of mud, I’m thrilled to say I’ve made it! What a rollercoaster it’s been, so much learning, growing, and laughing along the way.

I honestly couldn’t have done it without the amazing group of people who shared this journey. Thank you to all the incredible tutors and professionals who supported and guided us, and to everyone who let us learn with their lovely ponies, your trust means the world.

A huge thank-you to Amy Mitchell of Areion Academy! Your knowledge, kindness, endless support, and incredible patience made all the difference. We couldn’t have asked for a better tutor or role model!

And to the brilliant group of women I trained alongside, every one of you made this experience so special. Your endless support and laughs made it an experience like I couldn’t have imagined, I’ll always be grateful.

But this is just the beginning, so here’s to the future, to learning, growing, and helping as many horses (and their humans) as possible!