HoofSense                                        ...because natural hoof care just makes sense!   

Welcome to HoofSense - a website dedicated to the practice of Natural Hoof & Horse Care.   

I have recently left the business of trimming as a profession, but am still very passionate about natural hoof & horse care practices, and will always remain an advocate for the horse.  The horse is always right!  I still trim my own 12 equine and am constantly working to improve my farm to create a more "natural" environment for my barefoot herd.

This website is in the process of changing from the typical "barefoot trimmer's" website  to more of a "window" into the perspective I now have from the many eye-opening experiences I had as a professional hoof care practitioner.   I feel compelled to share the many injustices I witnessed that horses face in the confines of domestication.  Without realizing it, our human ignorances severely affect the health of the horse.  Most of the time, it is simply an innocent lack of knowledge, inexperience or following past traditions that cause many of the problems domestic horses face.  People don't realize how complicated horses really are before they assume the responsibility of them!!  We tend to think they just need some grass and grain, vet care & a farrier and then we saddle up & ride!!!  I hope that others can learn what I have learned through my experiences & through understanding the horse in it's most natural state.  

It is a privelege to be the care-taker of horses or other equine and shouldn't be taken for granted.    Horse owners need to become informed!!!  If you don't, you risk placing the health of your horse in someone else's hands - and believe me, most vets & farriers haven't yet learned the truth about the horse!!  Tradition has a strong hold on the equine community!!

There is so much more to focus on than just riding a horse.  They are a living, breathing animal forced into confinement and an environment not natural for them.  If you don't learn to understand & respect their nature, it will ultimately cause them to break down.  Ray Hunt said at a clinic I attended that "the horse survives most of the time in spite of us...not because of us."  In my opinion, this is a cryin' shame.  We should strive to give the horse what is natural for them since they give so much to us.

In addition to barefoot information, I will be adding ways to improve your management practices to benefit the barefoot, natural horse and clear up many myths about horse keeping, hoof problems and the "barefoot trim".  

I believe that if you own a horse, you should strive to be as knowledgeable as possible about every aspect of the animal-not just focus on riding it.   The problem we have with doing this, though, is that there are so many myths, misinformation, and misunderstandings out there about horses it is almost  impossible to know what to believe!!!  The one saving grace any horse owner can have is to refer back to the wild horse -this is the horse in its most natural state of being and its most natural environment.  The natural horse can answer all of our questions.  I hope to show you how!

The Wild Horse is Our Model....It is In Domestication that We Fail the Horse....Strive to Find a Happy Medium...

Cadaver Hoof from a Wild HorseThis hoof is perfect, yet has never been touched by a farrier.  What is the key?   Movement & Diet!!!Natural Hoof Care is based on the study of wild horses in their most natural environment - something traditional hoof care rarely considers.