Epona's Hoofcare Services by Natalie Herman

05/16/2026

Credit Dr Mark Caldwell

The wedge isn’t the wall

When you look at a chronic laminitic foot from the side, you see a long, often slipper-shaped toe that has grown out at the wrong angle. The new hoof wall is coming down from the coronary band at a healthier angle, and below it is the older, distorted toe.

The protocol being defended online tells you that this older, distorted toe is “the toe wall”: a structural part of the foot, a “pillar of support” that should be preserved at all costs.

It isn’t.

What’s actually sitting between the outer wall you can see and the coffin bone inside your horse’s foot is something called a lamellar wedge. It’s the pathological tissue that forms when laminitis tears apart the bond between the hoof wall and the bone. It is made of stretched, disrupted, scarred connective tissue and disorganised horn. It is not structural.

It cannot transfer load between the wall and the bone the way a healthy lamellar bond does.

It is, in plain terms, the disease, not the structure.

Think of it this way. Imagine a fingernail that has partly lifted away from the finger, and the gap between them has filled with a layer of dead, fibrous scar tissue over time. Would you call that scar tissue “the fingernail”?

Would you protect it as a structural part of the hand?

That’s what’s being preserved when the protocol tells you not to take the toe back. The outer wall is still there, but it’s no longer doing the structural job the protocol claims.

Beneath it sits a wedge of pathological tissue that grew when the lamellar bond between wall and bone failed. Wall without that bond is wall without a job. The protocol is preserving the assembly and calling it a pillar of support.

And here’s where the two things connect. By preserving that wedge, you’re keeping the effective toe long. And by keeping the toe long, you’re keeping the lever long.

Every stride, more force on the deep flexor tendon.

More force on the navicular bone.

More tension on the lamellar bond that’s trying to grow back together at the top.

The protocol denies that the toe is a lever because that’s the only way the wedge can be preserved without admitting that preserving it perpetuates the original damage.

05/14/2026

A viral post is telling owners that toe length doesn’t matter for laminitic horses, and that the vets and farriers recommending you take the toe back are wrong. The published research, the r…

05/04/2026

"ISO farrier who doesn't charge an arm and a leg"

This essay will be a compilation of thoughts that have been swirling around for awhile..... in which I'll attempt basic math with loose interpretation of some numbers. If you're going to be a nerd about my numbers, you're missing the point.

First, being a farrier is a niche skill in high demand. The United States has the largest horse population in the world with 6-10 million horses. With only 28,000 farriers estimated by the American Farriers Journal, every farrier should have 285 or more horses on their schedule to ensure all horses have hoof care (assuming an average of 8 million horses).

285 horses = 71 horses/week, 10 horses a day, 7 days a week.
Don't want to work every day with no break, forever and ever?
Then it's 15 horses a day, 5 days a week.

Some farriers can handle that workload. I personally cannot.
Assuming all your clients live 0 minutes away from you, everyone stands well, horses are ready for you, and you have no shenanigans, you're looking at 5 - 7 hours/day for barefoot trims on 15 horses. That's the most unrealistic math I've ever done 😂.

If you're doing half sets, full sets, or glue ons, I'm not sure many farriers could/should do 15 of those a day. And you're looking at a 15 hour day minimum without any travel time or interruptions.

Farriers come to you, so add in realistic travel time and their hours spent working get longer, with less horses they can get to in daylight.

Second, you want a GOOD farrier. General standards would be: shows up, communicates, is reasonably skilled and knowledgeable at the craft, is friendly to you and your horse. Rates will vary. You can have fast, good, and cheap but never all three at the same time.

Out of those 28,000 farriers, not all of them are good.

Third, some of you have never run your own business so you don't understand what happens behind the scenes.

When you go buy a new car and you don't like the price, you shop around or negotiate with the sales person. But you know the salesperson ultimately isn't in charge or control of the market rate. When you go grocery shopping and prices have gone up, you may put something back on the shelf, but you don't yell at the cashier on your way out. They have nothing to do with rising costs.

But those are big corporations. Your farrier is a small business. You're looking at the person who sets their rates. When you say things like "I can't believe what I'm being charged for shoes these days...." you're saying you don't think your farrier should be able to pay their bills and run a successful business. You won't find the email address of the Toyota CFO and write them a strongly worded letter about the price of your new car. But you will fuss and complain about your farrier bill to their face or behind their back.

Make that make sense....

There is a difference between saying "that's not in my budget right now" and "I can't believe you charge an arm and a leg for nailing on some shoes."

I don't personally know a single farrier who is overcharging for their business model. Whether they are talented at their craft is up to you to decide. But farriery is a career. Our business must be profitable for it to be sustainable.

Fourth, hoof care is essential and every horse needs it on a regular basis. So we're back to the original dilemma - millions of horses and not enough (good) farriers.

Solutions?
Farriers: insist on safe working conditions, charge whatever you need to, and take care of yourself so you can go the distance.
Owners: get your horses trained to stand better, don't have more horses than you can afford, and consider yourself lucky (considering the aforementioned math) if you have a good farrier.

If you made it this far - the image I chose is of my new composite toe boots to protect my injured foot. Fitting, I think.

PS - if this comes across as unsympathetic to owners....I can see why. Owning horses is becoming more and more expensive, prohibitively so for many people. But that isn't due to farrier prices.

PPS - if you think my little Grinch heart has shrunk too small, don't worry. I'm still kissing pony noses and loving our equine friends. Perhaps this is just the beginning of my seasonal depression 🙃 summer is almost here.......🐎

12/09/2025

One thing I see all the time is how much a long toe can change the way the whole limb functions. When the toe runs forward, it creates a longer lever the horse has to pull over every stride. That extra leverage doesn’t just slow breakover—it increases strain on the structures in the back of the foot, especially the deep digital flexor tendon (DDFT), the suspensory ligament to the navicular bone and the navicular apparatus. Every extra millimeter of toe adds more tension the horse has to overcome before the foot can leave the ground.

This is why proper breakover placement matters so much. According to evidence based guidelines, the point of breakover should sit roughly ¼” ahead of the tip of P3 (the coffin bone), not way out in front of the hoof capsule. When breakover is set in this zone, the limb can unload smoothly, the toe lever is shortened, and the strain on the flexor tendons and the navicular region is significantly reduced.

A balanced foot with an appropriate breakover isn’t just about looks—it’s about protecting the soft tissues, improving stride efficiency, and keeping the horse comfortable for the long haul.

12/04/2025

THE ENDLESS BATTLE BETWEEN HOLISTIC, CLASSICAL, NATURAL, FUNCTIONAL, CORRECTIVE METHODS…

…AND “I JUST TRIM THINGS.”**
(A geopolitical conflict fought exclusively on Facebook at 2am.)

Welcome to the hoof-care landscape, a place where adults with professional qualifications behave like rival cult leaders fighting for control of a small island nation made entirely of frogs and coping mechanisms.

Every method has followers.
Every follower has opinions.
Every opinion is defended with the ferocity of a starving terrier guarding a stolen sausage.

Let’s meet the factions.

THE HOLISTIC HERETICS

Float into the yard like a barefoot druid performing an exorcism on a pastern.
They trim by moon cycle, planetary alignment, and vague “energetic feedback.”
Will confidently announce your horse’s hoof is experiencing ancestral trauma.
Horse yawns.
Owner weeps.
You stare into the distance, reconsidering your life choices.

Their followers post things like:
“Science hasn’t caught up to us yet.”
Yes. Because science is busy.

THE CLASSICAL FUNDAMENTALISTS

Everything they know was chiselled into stone tablets by a dead cavalry officer in 1872.
Believe the hoof should be “exactly 52° because that’s what the book says.”
Have never met a horse who read the book.
Own compasses, rulers, and calipers that could measure tectonic plates.
Say things like:
“The toe should align with the cosmic axis.”
Nobody asks what that means because nobody wants the 40-minute explanation.

THE NATURAL EXTREMISTS

Your horse must live exactly as horses lived in the wild…
…except in the UK
…on clay soil
…in February
…in rain that can dissolve metal.

They will insist shoes are the root of all evil, forgetting that their own horse is currently 3/10 lame because the track turned into custard overnight.

Their mantra:
“He just needs movement.”
He can’t move.
He’s stuck in the mud.
He’s been in the exact same place for two hours.

THE FUNCTIONAL ENGINEERS

Do not see horses.
Only algorithms.

Carry iPads, graphs, overlays, and software that could run a satellite.
Trim according to lines drawn by a man in Ohio who hasn't touched a horse since 2014.
Say things like:
“If you just zoom in, you’ll see what the hoof should have done.”
Meanwhile, the horse steps in a bucket.

THE CORRECTIVE WEAPONISED BRIGADE

Arrive in a truck the size of a warship.
They have forges, anvils, welding equipment, a full Iron Man workshop.
If a problem can’t be solved with steel, wedges, or fire, they are uninterested.
Will attach more metal to a horse than the average Victorian bridge.

Their motto:
“Better living through hardware.”

AND THEN THERE'S YOU

Covered in hay, mud, regrets, and yesterday’s coffee.
You’re not here to join a faction.
You’re not here to recite scripture.
You’re not here to perform interpretive spiritual hoof theatre.

You just… trim things.
You show up, look at the feet, use your brain, use your tools, fix what needs fixing, and leave before someone corners you with a printout.

When asked for your “method,” you say the most triggering words imaginable:

“I use whatever works.”

This phrase alone could start a civil war.

THE COMMENT SECTION WARFARE

The battlefield.
The arena.
The place where hope goes to die.

Someone posts a frog.
Within six minutes:

A Natural Extremist says it’s thrush.

A Corrective Specialist says it needs a bar shoe.

A Holistic Practitioner suggests grounding exercises and Himalayan salt.

A Classical Purist quotes a cavalry manual from 1904.

A Functional Engineer draws 19 red arrows.

Two people start fighting about diet.

Three more argue about trimming cycles.

Someone blocks someone.

Someone reports the post.

An admin says “Ladies please.”

A rogue chiropractor enters the chat.

You turn off notifications and lie face down on the floor.

THE OUTRO — THE REAL TRUTH (WHICH THEY’LL ALL IGNORE)

All the factions — every last one — are absolutely convinced they’re doing what’s best for the horse.

They’re all right sometimes.
They’re all wrong sometimes.
And none of them, not one, has ever improved a hoof through Facebook combat.

Meanwhile you’re in the stable, being the quiet, unfashionable heretic who just… works.

You are methodless.
Factionless.
Religionless.
Faithless.
But your horses are sound.

And that, ironically, is the only doctrine that ever mattered.

11/14/2025

Been seeing this go around. Here is my take. Basically, genetics has influence, but humans (particularly early intervention and lifelong consistency for the less genetically gifted) has a lot more influence.
It’s conformation for sure.. longer, softer, sloping pasterns will tend to run a foot forward and under run heels. Upright, stronger, and shorter pasterns will make better hoof angles. Sneezy doesn’t have the best conformation as we see in his hind legs too. That said, having raised a horse with longer and more sloped pasterns (sure made her a smooth riding horse though 🤣) and trimmed her from the start myself. Her feet tend to lower angles and am always backing off toes, BUT they are correct angles and a near 50/50 after her trim. They are good walled, great frogs, and serve her well. But if I had NOT correctly trimmed her, she’d totally be a long toed and under run heeled horse with negative angles and bad frog/DG.
Also, having had enough foals through adulthood in my clientele over the last 20 years and taken on yearlings and 2-3yos, I can not stress how important EARLY and frequent trims are on babies, ESPECIALLY on those with worse conformation. And those need to be corrective trims.
In the video he says frequent trims “since they got here” but didn’t say when that was. If they were left to their own devices, even starting as young as they look in this vid is too late and of course you’ll have a long road of catchup work.
Another thing I see missing in early trim work, is that folks don’t address the toe/distortion created by the softer ‘birth foot’ a foal has. As the hoof grows out, that less hardy and hard horn gets pushed forward and out at the toe (it looks a little like a mild laminitis toe distortion). If the farrier is NOT addressing that distortion and only perimeter trims (a common occurrence), then this ‘pulls’ the toes forward (again, much in the same way a laminitic wedge that is not addressed, continues to pull a foot forward even once the cause of laminitis was addressed). This sets up the horse for a lifetime of long toe/low heel ESPECIALLY if its conformation predisposes it to that morphology. Upright foals can get away with it and tend to wear off the softer horn themselves if they have enough movement and hard ground. But Sleepy would not.
So while genetics play a role, CORRECT, early, frequent trims are much more import and correct trims for life are as well.

10/26/2025

This. 20 years working on horses in Humboldt (land of cattle, dairy cows, and dairy goats) has taught me diet is VITALLY important! Above all else (though yes, trim is important too, you can’t trim yourself out of metabolic and dietary laminitis, without first addressing causes and triggers). Please, PLEASEdo not listen to folks who tell you otherwise. Sure, we’d love to believe that you can toss your IR horse out in the pasture to ‘live like a horse’ if only the correct trim was present, but that’s not how biology works. Sorry.

🙌 Compassionate equestrianism includes raising awareness on false information which might lead to poor welfare states in equines or people 🙌

Of late I have continued to post about inappropriate behaviour on social media and the negative impact on BOTH equine and human welfare.

Yesterday I shared a post to raise awareness of UNTRUTHS ABOUT LAMINITIS shared by another professional and I want to provide some info on laminitis to help owners and professionals make INFORMED DECISIONS AND BETTER ADVOCATE FOR THEIR HORSES AND OPTIMISE WELFARE.

The spreaders of such information would have you believe inapporpriate trimming is the only cause of rotation of P3 in the capsule, and diet is not the cause, this is false information and lies. The followers of such beliefs claim I am being mean for pointing out such facts and continue to ignore the truth which is in plain sight. I am sorry if this causes anyone distress. This is of course not my intention.

I cannot support lies, or propaganda in order to validate anyone’s feelings hurt by posting truths and highlighting inappropriate behaviour which might lead to poor welfare in equines or people - this is unhealthy emotional validation and doesn’t serve anyone. So if your feelings are hurt by reading this or other posts about facts about hoof health, equine welfare, or opinions based on my personal experiences because it goes against the information you choose to believe, I CAN absolutely validate your feelings per se, because they are yours and real, but I CANNOT support the reason for them. POINTING OUT THE TRUTH IN ORDER TO SAVE HORSES LIVES IS AN ACT OF KINDNESS, NOT HATE.

In the comments is a link to a video about a pony I worked on who recovered fully from acute and chronic laminitis and several years later, has not had another episode of laminitis and continues to live on grass 24/7. An integrated approach was adopted, correctly and appropriately addressing diet, movement and hoof care.

These are the 3 basic pillars of recovery for equines with laminitis. Medication in this instance was not required but many DO, if endocrinopathic disease is confirmed or suspected, as this is another established cause of laminitis (IR, PPID, EMS).

Poor hoof care CAN induce laminitis, and there are many other causes too. Saying diet is not a cause is extremely unprofessional and irresponsible.

You will find a link to ECIR group, which is a recommended resource for anything related to endocrinopathic laminitis and laminitis in general. You will also find a link to Daisy Bicking, a hoof care provider and education provider who has successfully treated hundreds of horses with laminitis and has an extensive database of radiographs of around 750,000!

PLEASE BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU READ AND ESTABLISH FACTS FROM FICTION FOR YOURSELF FROM ORGANISATIONS WITH A PROVEN TRACK RECORD OF SUCCESSFULLY TREATING LAMINITIS IN HORSES.

Your horses life might depend on it…

Www.holisticequine.co.uk - supporting and promoting compassionate equestrianism for the benefit of all 💚🙏🐴

10/17/2025

Friday Funny 😜

10/03/2025

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