Heart & Sole Natural Hoof Care LLC

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Heart & Sole Natural Hoof Care LLC

My name is Cassie Moreta. I'm a natural barefoot farrier! See my pinned post for more info about me!
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02/07/2025

Shoes off, corrective trimming, support in composite glue on shoes. I'm hoping to bring this horse barefoot after a few rounds in glue on shoes. One step at a time.

27/06/2025

SOLE DEPTH!! I found this very interesting. I know there's a lot of talk and confusion about sole depth. What does it mean to have thin soles? And why is it such an issue?

A healthy horse hoof should have a sole depth of approximately 1/2 to 3/4 inch (12.7 to 19 mm). I want you to have a visual, what does 12.7mm (the MINIMUM) look like?? I'm holding it in my hands! This gave me perspective, and I want you to have it too! What does 9mm look like? 6mm? 4mm? 3mm? Take a look! Next time you have x-rays taken & your vet says, "He has thin soles", ask your vet for markup measurements on the x-ray (they'll know what you mean). The vet can give you the estimated mm depth as well from the xrays. Then take a look here for a nice visual reference of what that actually looks like. Does my horse have adequate sole?? A horse with 12+mm of sole has a good amount of protection. Now think about a horse traveling with anything LESS- All the sensitive structures including the corium and coffin bone are just above that barrier. Ouch. Now, combine that with wet weather and mud, which softens the hoof, and we have issues.

There are a couple things that can be done to help the horse build sole: forage based diet (removing processed feed, and adding minerals), regular exercise, regular trimming cycle, dry & clean environment, removing excess sugars from diet, identifying & treating metabolic issues, using hoof hardeners, treating thrush (removing inflammatory response from the hoof), to name a few. Some horses persist with thin sole regardless of what we try to do to help. This can be due to a number of things including internal hoof damage, coffin bone remodeling (chronic laminitis, founder), reduced blood flow within the hoof, subclinical laminitis episodes, sugar overload, over-trimming the sole, metabolic disease (chushings, PPID, IR) and more. That's when casting, boots, and glue on shoes can be used to support the horse.

** edit to add**** This is sole that popped off a horse in shoes. This is not live sole, it's excess sole that could not naturally exfoliate due to the protection of the shoe. So it was no longer attached to the live sole. (normal process, no harm done). It popped off foward of the apex (tip) of the frog. That's why you can see the V shape where the frog would have been. This is the area that is most susceptible to making thin soled horses "footy" if it thins out. So this is a GREAT visual to sole depth in the area most important for coffin bone protection.

27/06/2025

This is a beautiful functional barefoot hoof. Maintained on a 4 week trim schedule. ❤️

20/06/2025

Very interesting. I agree with her thoughts on the ridge being sole. I also agree that the clean up looks pretty, but would the horse be happy? In barefoot trimming it's a delicate balance between doing enough, but not too much. The horse doesn't care what it looks like, he wants to walk pain free. Generally speaking I think less is more. I often remember what I was taught by my mentor- it's not about what you can take off, but what you should leave on the hoof.

17/06/2025

Caudal Failure & Pr*****ed Frog?? Is it a BIG deal?

Here is an example of a hoof rehabilitation that I am working on with the most recent progress pictures from last week. I started this rehab by removing shoes and using PHW casting/polywrap to create a custom "boot". Then transitioned to barefoot, and boots as needed. The owner reports that he is doing the best he has in a long time.

But this isn't about me. The horse does the work. Look at the amount of healing he's done in the past 8 months. This is HUGE to his soundness journey. Because what you see in these pictures is the visual evidence of healing. 🙏

What exactly are we looking at here???

Pr*****ed Frog- (seen in the before pic taken after shoe removal, before trim) Pr*****ed frogs occur when the frog tissue becomes weakened and fails to maintain its proper position up within the hoof capsule. It's a downward displacement, out of position (see markups in the pictures). A weakening of what should be firm and dense. The frog and digital cushion play a crucial role in weight distribution, shock absorption, and protection of the bones & sensitive structures above. Can I say a bad word- navicular syndrome? Think about that. In other words- heel pain without "known origin".

Then see the 8 month progress photo. He's still a little low on the medial (inside) heel. But he was much more meteorlaterally imbalanced to start. I'm happy to see that medial heel rising to the occasion. Most exciting part for me- look at that digital cushion getting strong & firm! We can clearly see that weak downward displaced frog, now becoming stronger, bigger, & returning back into proper function. That's got to feel SO MUCH better for him!

There is a time and place for shoes, so I'm not bashing, but I often see this in horses who are in shoes. All the weight is dangling from the peripheral wall. The frog is not in proper use. The hoof isn't expanding and contracting like it's made to do. If you don't use it- you lose it. I see atrophied frogs and caudal failure on barefoot horses, too. But that's for a whole different post. I will say- TREAT THAT THRUSH.

This is what I love about hoof rehab. The healing. 😍 How great is He who designed us, giving our bodies the ability to heal. 🙏

13/06/2025

Why is round penning so important? Because it establishes you as the leader to your horse. You are speaking their language, and when you allow them to "join up" with you, it's developing a partnership. The horse is agreeing to follow you. It's fundamental- building trust, leadership, and an understanding for one another. I am no trainer, but I know the basics of natural horsemanship.

Seeing Ellie and Frankie figure this out together, melts my heart ❤️ Frankie is following Ellie here without a lead line, basically saying he accepts & respects her as a friend, partner, leader.

31/05/2025

What do I mean when I say the mustang roll (bevel around the outer hoof wall) "reduces leverage".

Leverage refers to the constant forces on the outer hoof wall. Wild horses walk hundreds of miles, in the process they naturally roll the walls of their hooves. That's why we call this technique the mustang roll... So if we do not mimic this roll (bevel the outer hoof wall) then there's a constant pull or force on the hoof that's continuingly pulling it away from the internal structures (causing flare, distortion, chips, cracks, ECT)... When we bevel the wall & keep a routine trim cycle, we minimize those forces (leverage) & mimic natural wear. This relief on the hoof wall helps the hoof maintain a good connection internally, provides proper breakover, & minimizes hoof distortions & pathology (cracks, chips, flare, long toes, underrun heels, ECT).

29/05/2025

A beautiful, functional barefoot hoof. She's a great trail horse! Maintained on a 5-6 week schedule.

19/05/2025

Can your performance horse jump in composite glue on shoes? YES! I'm so proud of these two! 😍

EasyCare Inc. Protective Hoofwear we're LOVING these shoes!!

Address

Easton
NJ
18353

Telephone

+19083397560

Website

https://www.heartsolehoofcare.com/

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