Amber Williams Hoof Care.

08/30/2025

Roughly five thousand years ago on the Eurasian steppe, people began selecting horses not only for their strength but also for traits hidden in their DNA. A new genomic study points to two key regions of the horse genome that may have determined which animals could be saddled and steered. One gene, ZFPM1, influences anxiety and stress in other species. Its rise suggests early breeders favored calmer, more manageable animals.

The second, GSDMC, appears tied to the shape and stability of the spine. When this variant spread between 4,700 and 4,200 years ago, horses likely developed stronger backs and sturdier forelimbs. Such changes would have made them better able to carry a rider, a development that transformed human mobility and warfare. Ludovic Orlando, who led the research team, explained that the rapid spread of these traits shows how quickly people recognized and reinforced them through breeding.

Archaeological traces of early saddling and wear on horse teeth line up with the genetic timeline. The match between the physical record and the DNA record provides a compelling case that humans were deliberately shaping the rideability of horses at the dawn of the Bronze Age. While other genes and cultural innovations surely played a part, this discovery helps explain why wild herds became the trusted partners that carried humans across continents and into history.

08/27/2025

🔍 Getting Hoofcare Advice on Social Media: A Word of Caution 🧠🐴
As a farrier, I’ve always made it a priority to educate my clients and keep the lines of communication open. 💬 You’re the one providing daily care for your horse—you notice when something feels off, and that insight is incredibly valuable. 👀
I’m confident in the hoofcare advice and approach I offer because I see the horse in person. I assess their environment 🌿, movement 🐎, nutrition 🥕, and more. That kind of context simply can’t be captured in a photo or a few sentences online.
While I understand the urge to turn to social media for answers—especially when it’s hard to find a good hoof care provider locally—it’s important to proceed with caution ⚠️. Not all advice shared online is safe, accurate, or appropriate for your horse’s unique needs. I’ve seen advice passed around that could cause serious—even long-term—damage if applied without the proper context or a professional evaluation. 🚫🩺
Every horse is an individual. There’s no one-size-fits-all formula—and generic advice can do more harm than good.
Hoofcare has a direct impact on your horse’s soundness and overall well-being. A good farrier does more than just trim hooves—they're a key part of your horse’s health team, offering insight based on experience, education, and hands-on assessment. 👨‍🔧👩‍🔧
So ask questions ❓ Stay curious 🔎 But be thoughtful about where your information comes from. Your horse deserves informed, individualized care—not generic advice from social media. ❤️

08/21/2025

WATCH OUT FOR POISONOUS ACORNS!

Acorns can be fatally poisonous for horses and ponies.

I've noticed a few dropping from trees next to my horses's fields, and I've had a couple of owners sending pictures through of fallen acorns in their fields.

Toxicity seems to vary so there is no known quantity that is poisonous.

It's especially important to remove poisonous plants - including sycamore seedlings, acorns, ragwort - where there is very little grass available, and even more so if you are not supplementing with conserved forage (hay, haylage, straw).

Best practice is to remove access to acorns by fencing areas of pasture under oak tress off and/or raking up and removing the acorns daily.

Please help spread the word; thank you
🐴🍏

08/21/2025

08/20/2025

We are almost out of insect season (I hope!) but our horse friends may still be having some trouble with sweet itch.

Check out these tips for prevention. Need help or have more questions? Give us a call!!

🐴🌸🦟

08/16/2025

A True Work of Art 💅✨️

Whiteline Disease, Thrush, and other hoof issues are inevitable in this east coast climate. We know first-hand how difficult it is to stay on top of these issues with muddy pastures, afternoon showers, super dry then tsunami weather. We are so proud of the Hooves on our Jenny and the work it has taken to have what you see in this picture.

Thank you so much to our friend and farrier Amber Williams Hoof Care. for your kind nature with our personal equines and professionality with mutual clients. Team work truly makes the dream work and keeps our animals as comfortable as they can be in any given set up.

It takes time but the commitment to regular trims, hoof picking in between farrier visits, dietary needs, and dry footing options will pay off.

08/14/2025

Carla Enriquez fills a gap in emergency care available to horses as veterinary college expands proven model at its Leesburg hospital to Blacksburg campus.

08/14/2025

It’s been a minute, and I apologize for the lack of posts!
I’ve been quiet because it’s summer… and most in hoofcare know that summers can be a bit hectic. It’s when hoofcare pros are most at risk for burn out, and when the heat, humidity, bugs, and hoof issues can get to us.

I’ve made an observation lately that there are two kinds of hooves I see emerging in summer… ones that seem to get healthier and stronger in dryer weather, with rock hard walls and frogs, and feet that seem to absolutely fall apart and become less and less comfortable.

I think many of you would be able to pick out what causes the difference between the two…
Grass and metabolic issues.

The vast majority of the time, horses I see on grass in the summer, especially overgrazed paddocks, will have issues - whether as “benign” as thrush, hoof sensitivity, or some “seedy toe,” or as serious as laminitis and founder. The sugar levels in the grass push so many horses over the edge into uncontrolled metabolic issues, and we see the feet suffer.

But some horses seem to have feet that fall apart in July/August without explanation - no access to grass, no change in diet, even those with the best living environments… and in those cases, I typically end up seeing vets diagnosing PPID (Cushing’s) or seeing that their bloodwork is above range due to the seasonal rise and that their pergolide dosage needs to be adjusted. These horses can become sore “out of nowhere” or suddenly have hoof issues they didn’t have earlier in the year.

If your horse suddenly can’t handle walking over gravel, or has thrush you just can’t kick even with treatment and a good environment, or maybe they’re losing some topline or drinking and peeing just a bit more than normal…. Consider their metabolic health. Test them for non-fasted insulin and an endogenous (baseline) ACTH test and rule out metabolic concerns.

Your hoofcare provider will thank you!