Wild Hearts Farm Horsemanship

05/31/2026

The scratching post is quite possibly the best thing I’ve built for Samson.

05/29/2026

Wednesday we made the decision to send Rufus over the Rainbow Bridge. For the last 6 months, and with the help of the oncology team at UF, he fought hard against an aggressive mast cell cancer. He made it almost 18 months past his original diagnosis- quite a feat for a 14 year old dog. I remember when he was young and a man at the gas station asked what kind of dog he was. “A catahoula/cur,” I said. He responded “Oh, they don’t quit!” And Rufus didn’t, he never quit. He had a few rough days, but every time he pulled through. In spite of having multiple surgeries, chemotherapy, and monoclonal antibody infusions the cancer persisted. Rufus continued on as if it didn’t bother him. He still woke me up at 5:30 every morning, rolled in manure, and stole all of the eggs from the chicken coop. And as soon as he stopped doing those things I knew it was time. I promised him “no bad days.” He ate Swiss rolls, cheez-its, salami, a burrito, and spicy sausage before we made our way to the hospital. Rufus passed quietly, giving both of us the rest and peace we desperately needed after this long, hard journey.

05/27/2026

If you have an equine with PPID and/or EMS/IR, we are here to help you. A fundamental strength of the ECIR outreach group on groups.io is the ability to discuss in-depth individual cases, background, science and evidence. Volunteers work to be clear regarding solid scientific or medical evidence versus personal theory, observation, or experience. This is unparalleled by other groups. If you'd like individual help with your equine with PPID and/or EMS, join our free outreach group: https://ecir.groups.io/g/main/

05/22/2026

This was the first trim for a laminitic mini. Her owner is older with some health complications, but as soon as she was able to see her mini’s hooves she started looking for help. Pearl and the 3 others are on a dry lot, but since Pearl is the only one with so much growth (and due to her age~27) I suspect PPID is the culprit of her laminitis. She had her first trim yesterday, bloodwork is scheduled for next week (resting Insulin and TRH stim), and she’ll be trimmed every 2 weeks to get her hooves back in shape. Her owner reported that she is moving comfortably

05/16/2026

05/11/2026

The mission of the ECIR Group Inc. is to improve the welfare of equines with metabolic disorders. A primary objective of the ECIR Group Inc. is education through outreach (https://ecir.groups.io/g/main), the NO! Laminitis Conference (https://www.nolaminitis.org/), webinars, our website (https://www.ecirhorse.org/) and social media via Facebook and Instagram. We are an evidence-based organization, meaning that protocols, advice, and recommendations are rooted in science. We believe real-life clinical experience should drive research, both in generating hypotheses and in the evaluation of treatment. As a non-profit organization, donations are used to further science related to equine metabolic disorders and to support various media to advance the group mission. Free support is provided by vetted and trained volunteers.

Our posts on Facebook are increasingly being dominated by people linked to a group of hoof care providers that push an opinion that laminitis is due to hoof imbalances, claiming that “diet doesn’t cause laminitis.” This oversimplified and naïve statement is steeped in ignorance, highlighting a complete lack of understanding of the physiology behind equine metabolic disorders and effect on the foot. It is well established scientifically, clinically, and through the personal experience of literally thousands of ECIR members that hyperinsulinemia is the direct cause of endocrinopathic laminitis. Exercise and dietary control of hydrolyzable carbohydrates (simple sugars and starch) are the most effective methods to reduce insulin and thereby prevent laminitis. Trimming the hoof capsule correctly to realign the boney column and soft tissue structure is critical to facilitate recovery.

We promote scientific discussion and debate when there is equal sharing of evidence-based facts. When commenters deviate from discussion and use our site to advance their unproven and unsupported theories, especially those that may cause harm, it gives the appearance that the ECIR Group supports their position.

We do not.

It is an unfortunate fact of life that there will always be equine marketers who are not giving you the best information to guide you through your journey to help your equine. We hope followers continue to benefit from what ECIR members have learned from 25 years of experience with equine metabolic disorders.

Kathleen Gustafson, PhD
President and Research Advisor

Eleanor Kellon, VMD
Veterinary Advisor

Cindy McGinley
Vice-President

Nancy Collins
Executive Director

Jodie Jensen
Treasurer

Jannalee Smithey
Secretary

Fran Metzger
Director

Ulrike Gast
Director

Sherry Morse
Director

05/11/2026

This difference shows the value of educating an owner and appropriately testing for metabolic disorders- in this case this horse came up positive for PPID. The photos on the left are from November 2025 before the diagnosis, but I had strong suspicions. Fortunately his owner advocated for him and pushed for TRH stim testing early in the year… in spite of push back from the vet. He still has a way to go in his rehab, but is making good progress. If you do not treat PPID (Equine Cushing’s disease) you CANNOT fix the hooves or the body. Treating this disease is not optional, it’s absolutely necessary.

05/04/2026

As a trimmer myself, barefoot is my preference- HOWEVER that is not always in the best interest of the horse. Which is why I also offer cast, glue ons, or other therapeutic support products like Squish Pads. Boots are usually my first go-to form of protection if it works for the owner. But the bottom line is none of this matters if the trim isn’t correct in the first place. None of this matters if there’s an underlying metabolic disorder not being treated. None of this matters if we aren’t prioritizing proper biomechanics and bony column alignment. And, perhaps most importantly, none of this matters if the horse doesn’t like it. As the hoof care professional we may have an idea of what we want to do, but the horse may have a different opinion and we need to respect that.

04/21/2026

Heading home from UF. We switched up the chemotherapy because vinblastine wasn’t slowing the tumor growth, but Rufus is still going strong. We’ll see what next week brings