The Farriers Wife

06/04/2026

Each month the packing gets easier, Turbo is more relaxed traveling, and the time with my farrier husband makes me love him even more!

06/02/2026

What a great article. So much to think about when the foot is sore, and the VET cannot possibly have all the answers! Ask ALL your equine professionals such as chiropractors, dentists, body workers and farriers before settling with one diagnosis. Second opinions matter. https://www.facebook.com/share/18ZK2QetPQ/?mibextid=wwXIfr

THE SYMPTOM IS IN THE FOOT. THE CAUSE IS OFTEN SOMEWHERE ELSE.

A horse becomes footsore.

The natural assumption is that the problem must be in the foot.

Sometimes that's exactly what's happened.

An abscess is in the foot.

A puncture wound is in the foot.

A crack is in the foot.

The problem and the symptom occupy the same place.

But not always.

A horse lands toe-first.

What you see is in the foot.

The cause may be hock arthritis.

A horse starts wearing one foot faster than the others.

The symptom is in the foot.

The cause may be a change in how the horse is loading its limbs.

A horse repeatedly loses a shoe from the same foot.

The symptom is in the foot.

The cause may be a movement pattern that has changed because the horse is uncomfortable elsewhere.

A horse develops bruising in the same area over and over again.

The symptom is in the foot.

The cause may be altered movement from joint disease higher up.

A horse develops contracted heels.

The symptom is in the foot.

The cause may be persistent avoidance of loading part of the limb because something else hurts.

A horse grows noticeably uneven feet.

The symptom is in the feet.

The cause may be asymmetry elsewhere in the body changing how those feet are loaded.

A horse struggles on hard ground.

The pain shows in the feet.

The cause may be endocrine disease affecting the lamellae.

A horse develops laminitis.

The pain is in the feet.

The damage is in the feet.

Yet the process often begins with insulin dysregulation or other hormonal disturbance long before the foot shows it.

A horse develops recurrent abscesses.

The symptom is in the foot.

The cause may be chronic lamellar damage that has been present for months or years.

A horse struggles to turn.

The symptom may look like foot pain.

The cause may be the hocks.

Or the stifles.

Or somewhere else entirely.

A horse doesn't want to go forward.

The feet may be blamed.

The cause could be orthopaedic pain.

It could be gastric disease.

It could be respiratory disease.

It could be something else altogether.

The point is not that the feet are unimportant.

Quite the opposite.

The feet are often the first place the horse reveals that something is wrong.

But they are not always telling us where the problem started.

One of the most valuable habits in equine healthcare is learning not to stop at the first thing you can see.

The foot matters.

But it is attached to a whole horse.

And sometimes the foot is not the problem.

It's the messenger.

06/01/2026

When your husband is a farrier and adds to the yard sale 😂🐴
They won't all fit in the RV or the shoeing trailer...so here we are!

05/29/2026

What If the Hoof Isn't the Whole Problem?

Join us for a hands-on clinic at Timber Valley Ranch Ohio Guide Outfitters featuring gait analysis, chiropractic evaluation and manipulation, and farriery techniques that help horses move their best.

05/09/2026

Wow! What a great opportunity to recognize your farrier! I hope you take the time to show some love, I know I will 😊🥰

Show Some Love for Your Farrier!
Behind every great horse is an even greater farrier. From the crack of dawn to the toughest hooves, they keep our equine partners sound, balanced, and ready for every adventure.

National Farriers Week (July 5–11) is just around the corner. Let's give them the recognition they deserve! Submit a tribute today https://ow.ly/F2b850YV4ko

05/08/2026

When the opportunity to refine his skills arrives, he takes full advantage of the Wizard. It was a great morning listening to Mike quiz Travis and watch them collaborate for the benefit of the horse.

05/06/2026

Travis is not JUST a farrier. He a kind, soft spoken horseman who takes the time. Time to help unload the horse, time to explain why he chooses the shoes and modifications, time to let the horse rest between limbs, time to listen to the concerns and needs of the owner, time to listen to the horse by reading its body language. He is a horseman who happens to enjoy trimming and farrier work. It’s in his heart and those who are lucky enough to have him work on their horses can see it too💜

05/05/2026

FUN FACT! Maryland consistently ranks #1 in horses 🐴per square mile than any other state in the nation! How cool is that! 🤩
We have been fortunate these past six months to visit the beautiful state of Maryland while also working alongside some fantastic farriers, like AFA farrier Geoff Garcia and visiting other farriers at their job site to learn from them as well. One such person that we have has the privilege of visiting is Mike Poe, an AFA farrier who invited us to join him at the University of Maryland while he worked on some of their equine teachers. (Just being real that the horses there are to teach students as much as the staff on hand.)
What was the best part of our day in University Park? Well, other than seeing a stunning farm set in the middle of the city (the farm was there long before the "city") was watching how Mike Poe can take a premeasured concave straight stock of steel and turn it onto a shoe for the horse in just minutes! I have a posted a few photos of our time there, even the fun "toys" that Mike carries in his trailer, but know that this can't even begin to capture the craftsmanship of this talented blacksmith! To watch him manipulate the steel like an artist does clay was inspiriing.

04/27/2026

“Why would you volunteer your horse for a clinic?”

That was my question to our client, Heather, this weekend.

Her answer stopped me.

“Four years ago, when Wally was 9, he was the horse Mike Wildenstein used in a clinic—and that’s when everything changed.
I watched his topline transform after the trim. His back and pelvis became round and strong. Before, his hind end overpowered his front… now he uses his whole body. His muscling is balanced—even through his neck.

Saddle fitting was a challenge at first because his body was changing so much—but today, he’s doing better than ever.

He used to pull shoes constantly—he couldn’t even go two weeks without losing one. Now that’s no longer an issue.

And the biggest change? He used to NEED sedation just to be shod. We had the vet there, ready… but after that trim, he started falling asleep. No sedation needed.”

Let that sink in.

This is why these clinics matter.

This is what happens when trimming and shoeing isn’t just routine… but intentional, educated, and rooted in understanding the whole horse.

Watching Wally this weekend was powerful.

• Watching Dr. Allison release restrictions and restore movement
• Watching Travis trim each hoof with purpose—while Wally yawned and licked, processing every change
• Watching Wyatt take a Kahn core shoe and turn it into a custom orthotic at the forge
• And watching Mike… quietly observing, guiding, and supporting the next generation of farriers

Even as he steps back, Mike Wildenstein’s impact is only growing—through the farriers willing to learn, apply, and do better for each horse.

Travis French and Wyatt Flint have stepped into that role as dedicated students—committed to the craft, the research, and the responsibility that comes with it.

And being part of that… being part of the solution…

It’s an honor.

04/24/2026

What’s your plan tomorrow? Look in comments for a fun idea!