Thomas Straw Equine Podiatry Student

17/05/2026

13/05/2026

13/05/2026

Can you guess the location of one of our latest jobs?

I’ll give you a clue - 🦄🦄🦄

21/04/2026

Want to travel around Scotland with either of these two handsome hunks?

It's only an email away 😁

15/04/2026

Sometimes it's the little things that bring you joy and more often than not. I should listen to my body when joints may be aching a little more than usual. It usually means the tools become blunt

The little bit of joy I get is opening up a fresh rasp attaching it to the handle and getting back to work. These brands of wraps are my favourite and probably a favourite by many proof care providers

Whilst you do pay a little bit more for the quality, I also feel they last longer than cheaper alternatives

Heller Legend Excel

But not only rasps nippers are also an important part of the toolkit, when I got my pair of GE nippers it was also much easier on the hands and a smoother cut when dressing feet

GE 14" EZ Nippers

13/04/2026

Today for a bit more of a serious subject.

The last month has seen fuel prices rise by 30p/l (pretty much 25%), which is a big worry for everyone.

Travel and motoring costs are my highest regular expense. I manage these by planning my routes carefully and sticking to prearranged schedules in most cases.

I don't charge extra outside of a certain distance; I find that closer to home actually often accumulates more miles per horse because I drive somewhere for a horse or two, instead of going there as part of a bigger route.

So thank you all who make space in your schedule to be there at the allocated appointment, time and time again. You contribute to me being able to tend to your horse and the other horses on the route, even if you are at a distance further from where I come from.

I have had the disclaimer on my website for years that visits outwidth scheduled times may incur a travel charge, but in 99% of cases I haven't applied any.

In the current climate however I will need to be more sensible about this rule; so please make sure you know when your next appointment is, and if there are any issues, let me know in advance so we can find an arrangement that is easy on your purse and mine.

12/04/2026

06/04/2026

Preparing Your Horse’s Feet for the Season Ahead

Spring is a good time to review your horse’s overall hoof care and management.

Healthy feet are influenced by many factors, including:�

• Regular trimming or shoeing�
• Consistent exercise�
• Good stable and field management�
• Balanced nutrition�
• Regular monitoring of hoof condition

Taking a proactive approach now can help support hoof health throughout the busier months ahead.

A useful discussion with your farrier could include:
- Are my horse’s feet developing as expected?
- Should we review the shoeing or trimming interval for the coming season?
- Are there any seasonal factors we should consider?

Working together with your farrier helps ensure your horse’s feet are well prepared for the months ahead. The farrier is an essential part of your team, ensuring your horse's wellbeing by caring for its feet.

06/04/2026

When I'm not driving around the central belt of Scotland looking after horses hooves, I like to moonlight as a mediaeval Knight, this Easter has seen 3 days where I was able to talk to the public about arms and armour through the 1300s, everybody loves swords and I've been getting some wonderful questions from the small folk about life as a knight

If you travel around the hes sites over Easter, hopefully you will also bump into characters from history that can bring to life the lives of people through time

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29/01/2026

Do you have the feeling that horses are communicating more than many of us realise?

Are you ready to start understanding and responding to that communication?

Join me for a LIVE webinar, with time for reflection and Q&A when I will share what I have learned about how to meet horses, rather than ask them to meet us.

Tuesday 3rd February at 7pm, sign up at https://touching-wild-academy.circle.so/c/public-webinars/ethology-horse-in-context