Evan Bonner Horsemanship & Farrier Services

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Camano Island, WA
Evan Bonner Horsemanship & Farrier Services

Natural Horsemanship Clinician and Horse Trainer—Certified Barefoot Trimmer and Certified Farrier with the Equine Lameness Prevention Organization (ELPO)

I have spent the last decade studying the principles of horsemanship and have worked hard to share what I have learned with others. I have been influenced by dozens of brilliant horsemen and horsewomen and I've had the privilege to have ridden with some of the best in the world including: Peter Campbell, Pat Parelli and Dennis Reis. My goal in both my horse training program and my clinics is to le

ave the horse more at peace around people, around his environment and within himself and to leave you with a better understanding of how to communicate, how to build confidence and how to have purpose. I don't teach a specific "discipline", but rather encourage students to develop problem-solving skills, consider the horse's point of view and take his expression and feelings into consideration. To me"Horsemanship" is the habits that humans and horses need to become partners. We define a habit as the crossroads between knowledge (the what and the why), skill (the how to do) and desire (the want for a change). It is based on principles of effectiveness. When you value the principles of good horsemanship you will develop the ability to know where the horse is at and the skill to do what needs to be done. Good horsemanship is not about breaking or training horses, it's about working on yourself and playing with horses nature. You have to allow the horse the time it takes to learn something and when that happens you'll never have to redo it - because you didn't take the horse hostage.

06/10/2026

Here is another 6 month laminitis recovery progression of our Arabian gelding. As you can see we’re making a lot of progress and the laminar wedge is almost completely grown out. I believe there’s a balance between completely chopping the toes off and removing structural integrity of the hoof capsule and leaving too much. I’ve aimed to remove as much distortion as possible and reduce leverage without compromising hoof capsule integrity. I follow the exact same procedure when shoeing any horse and the result if the same. In this case it’s just more obvious because of how much distortion there was to start.

06/07/2026

Applied a pair of Easy Care Versa Glues for this guy. Added mechanics for breakover, softened softened heels for easier landing. Used Easy Care Hooflox Acrylic and it turned out pretty good!

06/03/2026

Here’s an example of a shoeing designed for balance to the coffin bone.

The widest part of the shoe is fit to the widest part of the foot, the heels extend to the back of the frog (with the pad set slightly further behind to engage the frog and provide caudal support), and breakover is set just ahead of the tip of the coffin bone.

This setup is intended to allow the foot to function in balance around the center of articulation of the coffin joint.

You can still see a small amount of toe distortion left hanging over that has not yet been neatly beveled away. Contrary to popular belief, fitting the shoe out to a distorted toe does not provide more support — it actually contributes to more distortion over time.

The “true toe” is represented by the green circles showing the toe pillars. This is the hardest, densest tissue in the hoof capsule and does not distort forward as it is connected to the sensitive tissue inside the capsule.

Balanced shoeing aims to preserve and support these pillars while minimizing forward distortion.

In this shoeing I used a Centrefit shoe with a Natural Balance frog support pad and medicated hoof packing. I always like the look of hooves after I pack them.

05/28/2026

Traditional shoeing methods were built for a different era. To keep modern riding horses sound, our approach has to evolve. Here is why the old rulebook doesn’t fit the modern horse:

The Timeline Has Changed: Traditional shoeing was built around a tight 2–3 week cycle. Today, the norm is 6–8 weeks. As the hoof grows forward over those extra weeks, leverage increases, placing massive mechanical stress on the internal structures of the foot.

The Motion Has Changed: Historically, working horses moved mostly in straight lines at a trot. Modern riding horses constantly execute tight circles and turns. But a horse’s lower leg joints are ginglymus (hinge) joints—designed to flex forward and back, not to twist. Turning on a traditional shoe transfers severe rotational torque straight up the leg.

The Modern Solution: Omni-Directional Breakover
To bridge the gap, modern farriery utilizes advanced shoe designs like the Centrefit, PLR, and Avanti.

Managing the 6–8 Week Cycle: These shoes are set to bring the breakover back to the distal end of the coffin bone that keeps leverage minimized even by week eight.

Protecting Hinge Joints: With rolled edges on all sides, they allow omni-directional breakover. The foot can roll over smoothly in any direction, stripping harmful torque away from the joints during tight turns.

Modern horses work on different schedules and footings than they did a century ago. Embracing evidence-based, modern shoe designs isn’t chasing trends—it’s actively protecting long-term soundness.

05/21/2026

The Hidden Cost of Long Toes: Why Leverage Management Matters

Ever wonder how a seemingly small amount of extra toe length affects your horse’s joints? Here are the key takeaways:

Lever Arm Strain: Just an extra 3/4 of an inch of forward length increases the leverage and strain on the tendons at the moment of breakover by 30% or more. When that extension reaches an inch or more, the strain on the deep digital flexor tendon and navicular area becomes monumental.

Off-Axis Loading: The lower limb joints—particularly the coffin and pastern joints—are primarily hinge joints designed for straight lines. Today’s performance disciplines demand intense lateral movements and circles, making horses highly susceptible to medial/lateral leverage injuries like collateral ligament lesions. Many of our modern shoe designed incorporate medial/lateral leverage reduction and omni-directional breakover

Managing leverage isn't just about an aesthetic trim—it's about protecting internal soft tissue and keeping our horses performing comfortably!

References:
1. Breakover of the hoof and its effect on stuctures and forces within the foot (Page and Hagen, 2002)

2. The influence of different horseshoes on the mediolateral hoof balance in horses" (Hagen et al., 2016/2017).

05/19/2026

I haven’t had to use a hoof cast in a while but this foot needed some serious repair.

05/12/2026

In farrier science, a functional angle represents a shift away from chasing "ideal" numbers on a gauge and focusing instead on the internal health of the foot.
Here is how that concept fits into the summary:

A "perfect" hoof angle looks great in a photo, but it doesn't always tell the whole story. In modern hoof care, managing leverage and finding a functional angle are the real keys to long-term soundness.

Leverage: The Silent Strain
Think of a long toe like a long crowbar. The longer it is, the more force it takes for the hoof to "break over." This puts massive, unnecessary strain on the deep digital flexor tendon (DDFT) and the navicular region with every single step.

What is a "Functional Angle"?
A functional angle isn't just a number on a hoof gauge. It is a hypothetical angle that changes depending on the lever forces that can be affected by shoe placement. A long toe creates a long lever arm and a lower functional angle. A shorter toe shortens the lever arm and thereby increases the functional angle. This is why shoe placement is so important—It’s Dynamic: It prioritizes how the horse actually moves and loads the foot.

Internal over External: A functional angle is achieved by bringing the breakover back and supporting the heels, rather than just trimming the wall to "look" right.

The Bottom Line
Don’t just chase a static degree measurement. When we reduce leverage by shortening the toe to its proper position, that reduces the "workload" of the stride and keeps the internal mechanics of the foot happy and healthy.

05/06/2026

What is the best hoof angle for my horse?

Short Answer: there isn’t a single number.

Farriers and owners used to believe that certain breeds needed a specific degree angle but that old-school thinking is actually standing in the way of your horse's comfort.

Forget the Gauge: A specific degree reading on a hoof gauge doesn’t matter as much as "Functional Angle." This is simply how the horse feels and functions with the foot you’ve prepared and is based more on the equilibrium of tension in the soft tissue around coffin joint at rest and in motion.

Every Foot is Different: It’s actually very common for two feet on the same horse to have different natural angles! Trying to force them to match in a "one-size-fits-all" box leads to poor performance and an unwillingness to turn.

Inside-Out Thinking: Historically, we’ve looked at the foot from the outside in. To truly prevent lameness, we need to address the internal structures first. When the inside is comfortable, the outside results will follow.

The "Road Map": Using specific guidelines from the Equine Lameness Prevention Organization (ELPO) helps us find the right orientation for each individual hoof, ensuring your horse stays comfortable and sound.

Stop chasing numbers and start listening to the horse!

04/24/2026

Some of today’s work

04/15/2026

Structured hoof mapping systems—primarily the method developed by the Equine Lameness Prevention Organization (ELPO)—are a very valuable aspect of modern farriery. Not because they’re a fad—but because they deliver precision and repeatability.

Here’s the key principle:

The coffin bone (the largest solid structure inside the hoof) dictates everything.

The hoof capsule, being partly flexible, forms around that internal structure. So even when there’s distortion, flare, or disruption, the widest part of the foot (WPOTF) still reflects the widest part of the coffin bone.

From there, you can reliably map:

• Forward to the tip of the coffin bone
• Back to balance the foot
• And accurately determine proper point of breakover (POB)

Finding the center of the foot always gives us the location of the centre of articulation and this is what we need to know in order to balance the foot and as a result the limb. This method has been confirmed over thousands of radiographs and cadaver studies. Even in cases of trauma - laminitis, fractures, long-term distortion - the internal structure doesn’t randomly move somewhere else. The hoof may be distorted, but the relationship is still there to be read.

Radiographs are valuable tools—but they confirm what good mapping already shows, they don’t replace it.

The takeaway?

A structured mapping system isn’t guesswork. It’s a repeatable way of reading the foot from the inside out, even when things look messy on the surface.

Address

1013 N Mallard Lane
Camano Island, WA
98282

Telephone

+13605513736

Website

http://www.evanbonner.com/

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