Wishing Welz Riding in Texas

Wishing Welz Riding in Texas Yvonne Welz offers a very unique blend of Classical Riding technique and horsemanship skills. Yvonne is an Associate Trainer with the World Bitless Association.

Her horse-centered focus advocates for bitless bridles and kind, thoughtful training. Riding and horsemanship lessons - equine communication and riding with love and higher purpose - from the heart!

Liberty and Timely trimming the grass in our round pen! The change from AZ to Central Texas has not been easy for the ho...
05/12/2026

Liberty and Timely trimming the grass in our round pen! The change from AZ to Central Texas has not been easy for the horses, who are dealing with unfamiliar hay, mud, bugs, and a too small temporary pasture (not much grass, mostly mud) while we get a larger area set up. And then there will be so much more to construct: more pastures, shelter areas, arena with proper footing... We'll be busy forever 😁

Follow our high jinks:
• The Horse's Hoof website: https://www.thehorseshoof.com
• BAREFOOT NEWS - Our FREE monthly barefoot horse care e-newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/thehorseshoof/50-giveaway
• Hoof Help Online 🐴 Barefoot trimming course, community access, 80 issues of The Horse's Hoof Magazine, 1000's of photos, 100's of articles, 70+ videos, FREE App and more! Info at: https://www.thehorseshoof.com/hho/

Happy Hooves! - Yvonne Welz

05/07/2026

Here we are in Marlin, Texas! Will take us a little bit to settle in after that dramatic move from Arizona. None of us understands what that sticky brown substance is that appeared after the rains 🤣 Stay tuned! We'll be back with much more, soon! - James & Yvonne Welz, Wishing Welz Ranch in Marlin, Texas.

Our 4 horses just arrived at our new home in Marlin, Texas today! Belle the Warmblood, Liberty the Welsh pony, Jazz the ...
04/26/2026

Our 4 horses just arrived at our new home in Marlin, Texas today! Belle the Warmblood, Liberty the Welsh pony, Jazz the Arabian, and Timely the Thoroughbred. Ready for new adventures!

James & Yvonne are moving to Texas!!! 🤠 It's been so hard keeping this a secret; first we had to wait for closing on the...
04/02/2026

James & Yvonne are moving to Texas!!! 🤠 It's been so hard keeping this a secret; first we had to wait for closing on the property, then we had to tell all our Arizona clients... We have found our DREAM horse property in Marlin, Texas, 30 minutes from Waco, in the heart of horse country! Just 2 hours to Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin & outskirts of Houston! We are LITERALLY in the middle of moving RIGHT now, so things are at an unprecedented level of chaos! 😱 But it will be so worth the endless hours of toil we are going through right now!! ❤ I have already successfully transferred our business Wishing Welz Equine LLC to Texas, and as of April 20, 2026, we are officially a Texas company! I am filing Texas Assumed Names for all our businesses: The Horse's Hoof, Hoof Help Online, James Welz Barefoot Trimming, and Wishing Welz Riding! James has already been making a few trips, but I will be moving there with our cats and parrot on April 20th, and the horses will arrive by professional shipper on April 24th. Texas, HERE WE COME!!!

03/23/2026

The Horse's Hoof Barefoot News March-April 2026 is released!
Sign up here: https://mailchi.mp/thehorseshoof/50-giveaway
What's in this issue? 🌸 The Infamous Flying Hoof Patty! 🌸 Trace Mineral Supplementation Improves Hooves & Coats 🌸 Consteed, the Smart Horse Sneaker 🌸 A Timeline of the Barefoot Movement 🌸 What in the world are Yvonne & James up to? 🤣 🌸 And more!

03/21/2026

Scouts Trail Interviews Dr. Tomas Teskey

Scouts Trail is a YouTube channel featuring mustang trainer Scout Murphy who trail rides around America and practices liberty training, positive reinforcement R+ training, and holistic equine practices. In this episode, Scout interviews holistic veterinarian, whole body dentist and barefoot hoof care practitioner Dr. Tomas Teskey about our favorite topics: natural horse care, herd life, barefoot and bitless! Fantastic!!

Interview with Scout and Dr. Tomas Teskey on "Scouts Trail" YouTube channel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQIGARqwwUg

The Horse's Hoof Barefoot News - Sign up here: https://mailchi.mp/thehorseshoof/50-giveaway

03/11/2026

Help for Laminitis and Founder

Nothing strikes more terror into the heart of a horse owner than discovering their horse is suffering from severe laminitis and/or founder. I know - I've been there!! 😱 That exact situation is how I was thrown head-first into the barefoot hoof care movement over 2 1/2 decades ago; my own beautiful, beloved champion mare was stricken with severe laminitis, and then foundered, "overnight." However, I can now confidently tell you that most cases of laminitis and founder can be prevented through effective barefoot trimming and natural horse care!

Here's an excerpt from our article, which goes into great detail about the differences between laminitis and founder (and how they overlap), the symptoms, practical suggestions for what to do, and how to prevent. Here is an excerpt:

How to prevent Laminitis and Founder?
The prospect of preventing most founder is truly exciting, because once you achieve a fairly decent hoof form on your horse, founder is really not mechanically possible – and then the only concern is a very severe poisoning incident.

Preventing laminitis is a bit trickier, and sort of like the idea of preventing all colics. Caring for your horse more naturally will go a long way towards reducing stress—and stress is the number one cause of disease. Keeping your horses in herds outdoors, living outside a stall, feeding a more natural forage-based diet, etc., will overall help prevent laminitis. Strengthening the immune system and creating the healthiest hooves possible are keys. Healthy hooves will be far more tolerant of the types of stress that might cause laminitis.

Instances where laminitis can be difficult to completely prevent, depending on the horse’s susceptibility: ingesting poisons or toxins (which includes chemicals such as those in vaccines, deworming medications, and common equine drugs like corticosteroids); mares retaining placenta after birth; severe injury in one leg resulting in overstress of the supporting limb; severe illness of any kind, especially if the horse has a high fever and/or is recumbent. The healthier the hooves, the more positive the outcome. We have first-hand experience with several severely ill horses that should have developed laminitis or founder according to veterinary opinion, and did not, due to a healthy hoof form. But this does not prevent every toxin-induced severe laminitis that can lead to founder...

Read the full article here:
Laminitis and Founder Help by James and Yvonne Welz
https://www.thehorseshoof.com/laminitis-and-founder-help/

03/03/2026

Sign up for Barefoot News for great articles like this one! https://mailchi.mp/thehorseshoof/50-giveaway
Wyoming Ranch Rehabs Thoroughbreds Barefoot

This expansive and amazing ranch in Chugwater, Wyoming is utilizing full turnout in herds and minimal barefoot trimming to cure hoof problems and more! The ranch, which specializes in the rescue of champion off-the-track Thoroughbreds, is owned by Kate Anderson, and the horses' hooves are taken care of by farrier Meghan McGann. This all began when Kate became so frustrated by problem horses with severe issues that she began setting them free on her ranch. Miraculously, the horses she had given up on began improving all on their own!

Allowing plenty of time for tissues to heal, the horses are turned out for 1-2 years to rehabilitate their hooves and their guts. Kate turned to Dr. Robert Bowker to learn more, and eventually began helping him with his research.

From Renée Jean's article:
Anderson has begun working with noted hoof researcher and veterinarian Dr. Robert M. Bowker, a Michigan State University professor emeritus of anatomy who has examined hundreds of equine hooves over a 40-plus-year career.

“His goals are, he’s very passionate about learning about horses,” Anderson said. “So, his primary goal is, ‘How can we help these horses?' And secondary to that is … publishing what we find in our studies.

"So, we’re currently doing a combination tracker and behavioral study.”

Anderson met Bowker when she went to hear a lecture by a well-known farrier who knows Bowker. She invited the farrier to come out and look at the work she was doing and, after visiting the ranch, the farrier put Anderson in touch with Bowker.

“We check every single horse every day,” Anderson said. “And for the research, we’re utilizing trackers and taking notes of what’s happening on a day-to-day basis.”

Anderson plans to continue research with Dr. Bowker and hopes to really hone in on how the Wyoming landscape heals horses, starting with their hooves and ultimately traveling up to their backs...

Read the full article here:
Chugwater Ranch Rehabs Million-Dollar Racehorses Once Thought Doomed by Renée Jean
https://cowboystatedaily.com/2026/02/08/chugwater-ranch-rehabs-million-dollar-racehorses-once-thought-beyond-saving/

Photo above from The Horse’s Hoof Magazine Issue 30, courtesy Sandra Jorgensen. This is a 2 year old Thoroughbred at Golden Slipper $3 million dollar race.

02/12/2026

Do You Really "Have to Shoe" Your Horse?

This article is actually about intention, and taking responsibility for your decisions. It is primarily written for barefooters who want to be able to discuss productively with their horse friends who keep their own equines shod. Arguing is never productive, but planting seeds is always useful, even if it simply helps maintain your friendship.

If someone tells you they “must shoe” their horse, make sure to ask why. Chances are, what they are really saying is that they do not want to bother themselves with learning how to barefoot their horse – or have to face up to their own horse’s severe hoof pathology. It is too much trouble for them to learn about the physiologically correct hoof form and the biological needs of an equine. If they readily agree with those statements, fine – as long as they are consciously aware of their decision! And we, as barefoot horse owners, must respect their personal decisions – just as we ask shod horse owners to respect ours. However, if in the same breath as “have to shoe” they also describe it as “what’s best for the horse”… then you might need to point them in a new direction. Shoeing is best for humans – not horses, end of story. One need only to look at horses’ successful survival without shoes for millennia to confirm that (photo courtesy of Erin Phillips, Mustang Mission):

Further, it is an entirely different matter when someone uses the “must shoe” argument to give advice to horseowners, or to criticize the act of barefooting horses at all. What does a “must shoe” statement say in this situation? Sadly, it shows a huge lack of understanding, especially disheartening when it is a person in a position of authority or accomplishment. It can mean that the person speaking lacked the knowledge and skill to be able to barefoot their own horses successfully, and so their own unsuccessful experiences make them determine barefoot simply cannot work for anyone.

It can be a person’s attitude alone that opens or shuts the doors in life: if you believe you will fail, you will. If you believe barefoot cannot work, it won’t – for you. Some people are at a point in their lives where they simply can’t accept new traditions or ideas – “my horses have always been shod, and dangit, they always will be!” Many people’s lives and experiences have been filled with the tradition of shoeing horses, and they cannot accept that it may have been detrimental to their horse’s health...

Read the full article here:
Do You Really "Have to Shoe" Your Horse?
https://www.thehorseshoof.com/do-you-really-have-to-shoe-your-horse/

*From January 2026 BAREFOOT NEWS - Our FREE monthly barefoot horse care e-newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/thehorseshoof/50-giveaway

02/06/2026

Winter Horse and Hoof Care Resources

For many people, it is that blustery time of year! Horses and their hooves do need some extra loving care in the winter, and here are some excellent resources to browse:

"7-Point Midwinter Feeding Checkup" from Equus Magazine provides some strategies to ensure that your equines' feed matches their needs during winter.
https://equusmagazine.com/horse-care/midwinter-feeding-checkup-14520

Equine Wellness Magazine presents "5 myths about winter horse care." Does your horse really need a blanket? And more!
https://equinewellnessmagazine.com/myths-winter-horse-care/

Lots of information about the dreaded "winter laminitis" in this blog article from Eleanor Kellon, VMD, "Cold-Induced Hoof Pain, aka Winter Laminitis"
https://drkhorsesense.wordpress.com/2025/02/01/__trashed-2/

Cavallo Hoof Boots prevent concussion in the winter for barefoot horses, with a unique sole that improves traction, adds cushion on frozen surfaces and prevents sn*******ng or “ice stilts.” Cavallo boots are also frequently used to improve comfort for horses dealing with winter laminitis. Read more in Cavallo's article, "Winter Hoof Care Tips for Horse Owners!"
https://cavallo-inc.com/winter-horse-care-2025

*From January 2026 BAREFOOT NEWS - Our FREE monthly barefoot horse care e-newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/thehorseshoof/50-giveaway

• The Horse's Hoof ALL NEW website: https://www.thehorseshoof.com
• BAREFOOT NEWS - Our FREE monthly barefoot horse care e-newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/thehorseshoof/50-giveaway
• Hoof Help Online 🐴 Barefoot trimming course, community access, 80 issues of The Horse's Hoof Magazine, 1000's of photos, 100's of articles, 70+ videos, FREE App and more! Info at: https://www.thehorseshoof.com/hho/

Happy Hooves! - Yvonne Welz

Address

Marlin, TX
76661

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 5pm
Tuesday 8am - 5pm
Wednesday 8am - 5pm
Thursday 8am - 5pm
Friday 8am - 5pm
Saturday 8am - 5pm

Telephone

(623) 935-1823

Website

https://www.thehorseshoof.com/, https://www.thehorseshoof.com/james/, https://hoofhelponl

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