HorseTenders provide both Farrier and Natural Horse Trimming services. Farrier certifications were received upon successful completion of Farrier studies in residence at the respected Shur Shod Farrier School, Missouri.
As a result of in depth study of Farrier practices and principles, coupled with experience garnered from ongoing and extensive Natural Horse Training, HorseTenders realized that traditional farrier approaches are not necessarily in the best interests of the horse. HorseTenders resultantly developed Natural trim approaches among their farrier customers that were found to be of greater benefit to the horse.
While engaging in continuing study in natural horse trimming approaches and principles taught by world leading experts in varied equine disciplines, HorseTenders has attended various clinics, and certification programs throughout the United States, England, Scotland and is continuing to travel the world in the pursuit of enhancing Natural Trim expertise and education.
HorseTenders wholeheartedly believes that natural approaches in Trimming and Training, produce a far more confident, healthy, and natural horse.
Please contact us for any additional details, pricing information, or to schedule an appointment.
HorseTenders LLC was formed in an attempt to deal with the complete horse, not just parts. As a result, our holistic horsemanship practices evolved into our “Mettle without Metal”™ training philosophies and approaches. Being certificated farriers, we soon realized that in the absence of any serious malady, having a horse barefoot is the most natural way to keep horses.
Horses obviously have not always been shod. According to “Shoeing: A Necessary Evil?” by Dr. Hitrud Strasser and independent research, the following provides a brief insight into the history of shoeing horses. It is unknown who invented the first horseshoe. Early Asian horsemen used “horsebooties” made from leather and plants. During the first century, the Romans made leather and metal shoes called “hipposandals”. By the 6th and 7th centuries, European horsemen had begun nailing metal shoes to horses’ hooves. Around 1000 AD, cast bronze horseshoes with nail holes had became common in Europe. The 13th and 14th centuries brought the widespread manufacturing of iron horseshoes. Hot-shoeing, the process of heating the horseshoe before shoeing the horse became common in the 16th century. As feudalism developed, the practice of stabling horses with exposure of feet to ammonia, which softens them (occurred as a result of seldom, if ever, cleaning of the stables) and the breeding of larger horses with broader softer feet and the punishing demands on these horses would all have contributed to the spread of the practice.
Does your horse deal with these “ammonia laden, unclean stables and punishing daily demands” issues which drove our fore bearers into shoeing their horses? Many more horse owners throughout history remained unshod and still managed to quite successfully plow fields, mine, cover continents and go to war with their horses. The Native Americans did not use shoes and they are perhaps the greatest horsemen our nation has ever known. Their horses ran through all types of terrain and ate nothing but local native grasses.
Starting in 2004 Kris and Stephanie Kokal started their journey to learn about the horses hooves by becoming certificated Farriers. Nik Kokal joined in 2006 when we started with the barefoot mentorships all over the US and Europe. What we discovered after it all, is that the hooves are the essence of the whole horse and a reflection of whole horse’s health. We have learned to read the hoof. We can read about every change in feed, location, injury and owner during the last year just by carefully observing the hoof. Horses do not lie because they make statements and their hooves do not lie either. The hooves are their recorded history.
Barefoot trims start with informed and knowledgeable horse owners. Owners in general want to trail ride or pleasure ride their horses. Most owners do not compete in competitions that require shoes. Even now, those disciplines are changing and accommodating barefoot horses!
Going from shod to barefoot is easier than most owners realize. Although it can successfully be done at any time, we recommend changing over in the winter when the ground in New England is hardest. The cold temperatures naturally help reduce any inflammation and the ground is very hard. Both of these environments are perfect for a horse that has always been shod. Then during the spring melt when temperature rise the ground is usually softer from mud and spring showers. Using boots on the front hooves also helps when the horse is taken out on the roads during this time and for the first season without shoes. By the end of the fall season, most horses are perfectly comfortable being ridden without any boots.
Changing a horse’s diet is also a very important element in going barefoot. We liken the massive carbohydrate load people give their horses to a human diabetic eating a cake. Like a diabetic person, too many carbohydrates are very bad for the circulation. It causes inflammation and swelling in the extremities. The horse’s hooves are a long way from its heart. When a hoof swells there is no relief because the whole hoof is like a well fitted hard sided boot. There simply is no room for swelling. That is very painful and horses become lame and ouchy. If your horse is not exercising for hours every day and burning loads of calories, then feeding excessive calories is detrimental to their overall health. Fiber calories on the other hand need extra energy to be digested. That energy is also a great way for horses to keep warm on the inside during our New England winters. Feed extra fiber not extra carbohydrates. Your horses will thank you.
In our experience with barefoot trimming, trims should be done fairly often. Our horses and our client’s horses simply do not get abscesses. Sure, there is the occasional abscess from a trauma, but not from just being barefoot in general. It is a hard concept for owners to grasp. We prefer trimming every 5-6 weeks in the winter and 4-5 weeks in the summer. If the horse waits too long between trims and then suddenly gets trimmed severely, it hurts. We prefer to only take a little hoof off at a time every 5 weeks instead of trying to make up for not trimming for 8 weeks. The hooves look horrible at the end of 8 weeks without being trimmed, and it does not matter who is doing the trimming. An overgrown unhealthy hoof looks and feels terrible.
The owners of shod horses are used to waiting 8-12 weeks between trims because that is what their farrier did when they were shod. Even trimming every 5 weeks is far more economical than shoeing every 8 weeks. By comparison with some general figures (Trimming & Farrier rates are variable): 10 trims a year for $50 equals $500 and 6 shoe jobs a year for $165 equals $990. That is before the reset fees that generally occur about 4 times a year and those always happen when the horse is out on a ride. The savings is huge both financially and emotionally. How would you like to be able to go anywhere at any time and not worry about how your horse’s hooves will do? It is very empowering! There are way too many reasons to go barefoot. I hope that these will provide some carb free food for thought.
There are copious amounts of research that explains, in more technical terms, the benefits of barefoot trims and frequent trims. The whole mechanism of the hoof works better when it is properly maintained by knowledgeable trimmers. An excellent way to gain better insights and become more familiar with your horse’s hooves is to visit hoofexplorer.com This interactive site provides valuable perspectives on how vascular the hoof is, where the coffin bone is and what the frog actually does for a barefoot hoof!!
Additionally, using a business like HorseTenders LLC that is insured for liability and carries their own health insurance is also a must for horse owners. Horses can be dangerous and owners and people who work with horses need to be fiscally responsible.
If you have always wanted to go barefoot but were unsure on when or how, please contact us. We will be happy to come evaluate your situation and help you with developing a constructive plan of action.
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