Pure Joy Horsemanship

09/10/2026

Let's Talk Donkey Feet...

They should never, ever, EVER look like this.

These feet are EXCESSIVELY upright, also know as a hyper-positive palmer angle. That means the back of the coffin bone inside the hoof capsule has been elevated beyond healthy anatomical norms.

That subjects the front of the coffin bone to excessive concussive forces, which it is not designed to do.

Additionally, these forces stress laminae, tendons, ligaments, joints, and muscles throughout the body because of the unhealthy mechanical forces and need to adapt gait and movement through the body to cope.

Unfortunately it's common to see donkeys in this painful situation. It doesn't seem to be as bright a red flag for them as their horse counterparts.

Nonetheless, it's a serious problem that greatly impacts welfare and quality of life.

If you're interested in more information about healthy hoof care, send us a note and visit Purejoyhorsemanship.com.

09/09/2026

Hello Pure Joy Horsemanship Followers!

I wrote on my Dale Rudin page and Pure Joy Horse Haven page that I'm interested in whittling down the number of pages.

I so appreciate all of you who follow me. There are nearly 3,000 of you! 👏😁

I would love your feedback about whether I should let this page go but continue to post the same information on my Rudin page.

It's so much easier to have one page to post to instead of 3.

Would you be willing to let this page go and switch to my personal page?

09/03/2026

Happy Horses don't....

Bite, kick, avoid being caught, buck when ridden, act nervous, attack people or other horses, act "silly," behave stubbornly, have a "bad attitude," etc., etc., etc.

Many of these behaviors have become normalized in the horse world. They are seen as inconveniences, hazards, or a source of frustration for us. They are not seen as signs of a horse who's in distress, even though they are.

First let's tackle this topic: What is a happy horse?

I could go the lazy route and say, "It's a horse who isn't biting, kicking, etc. In other words, it's a horse who's taking life in stride, hanging with his buddies, enjoying time spent with humans, and generally feeling well.

More specifically, it's a horse who's existing in a basically homeostatic physiological and psychological state. It feels safe, comfortable, calm, well-rested, and secure while experiencing what life has to offer.

When life throws a curveball, a happy horse's response is appropriate for the intensity of the surprise, shock, time of discomfort, and feelings of insecurity. Once this distressful moment has passed, the horse is able to return to a more relaxed state in a relatively "quick" amount of time.

That's because the horse's norm is to feel well physically and emotionally. It's an overall consistent mood for that individual.

While we're talking about this, which in essence is reactive behavior vs responsive behavior, let me point out something really important. A lack of behavior, neither being responsive nor reactive, is something else entirely - also know as learned helplessness and an important topic that deserves its own post, if not several.

Being happy is a much more preferable state for our horse and is far more enjoyable when we have interactions together too. It' also a whole lot safer for us, and for our horse too.

When you watch the video below, can you see that this horse, her name is Halo

09/01/2026

ONLY 12 more days of this crazy heat?!?!
Sheesh!

Does anyone remember it ever being this hot in middle TN?

09/01/2026

When I first came across it years ago, I thought I was seeing a harmless w**d in some hay I'd bought. I didn't think anything of it. Then I noticed sores on some of the horses lips. I had no idea what was causing it. When I looked inside their mouths, there was irritation around all their incisors. I reached out to my friend-equine dentist Suzzi Peeler. She educated me about foxtail. I was shocked that seemingly innocuous seed head could cause so much damage. Coming from So Cal, foxtail looks WAY pokier and worse than what's in TN. What was really interesting was that some of the horses picked it out and had zero problems with it.

🚨 HORSE OWNERS — LET’S TALK FOXTAIL! 🚨

I keep hearing VERY different opinions about foxtail in horse pastures and hay. 🌾🐴

Some people say, “My horses have eaten it for years and never had a problem.” Others won’t let their horses anywhere near it.

So I want to know:

👉 Would YOU let your horse graze a pasture with foxtail?
👉 Would you feed hay containing foxtail?
👉 Have you ever personally had a horse develop a problem from it?

No judgment — I really want to hear your experiences! 👇 ‼️

08/31/2026

Hi Everyone!

I want you all to meet Flora! 💖

She's one of our beloved Haven Horses at our non-profit, Pure Joy Horse Haven. She came to us because she was exhibiting very aggressive behavior towards humans.

Why? Because she had humans make her feel threatened and create physical pain. As a result, she is a quiet and reserved girl.

What Flora has taught me is how sensitive and smart a horse can be even if they don't show it outwardly.

I was shifting between hosing bet of and filing the water trough on one of our hot days. She put her muzzle in the trough but didn't drink. Then she put her muzzle over the big salt block that's sitting next to the trough and started licking it.

I didn't realize what was happening until I saw her repeat this behavior several times.
Mouth in trough to get water in it, then do the water into the block to make the salt easier to lick off!

BRILLIANT!

Salt blocks are truly too hard for horses. Their tongues are soft, unlike bovine tongues which are more rough.

Moistening the pressed block made access easier so she could get what she needed on a hot day.

Bravo, Flora!

08/30/2026

Here we go again. 🥵

We're prepping to support the horses at Pure Joy Horse Haven for another rough

We have another round of 100° temps coming, my friends. Let's help our horses get through this and stay healthy.

Remember, this is NOT the time to ask them for any physical effort that will increase their body temperature.

The best choice is to give them time off. Even working them in the cool of the morning or evening adds to the stress of being overheated during the day.

Keeping them hydrated with access to fresh clean water, plenty of forage to keep their gut active, shade, a rinse from the hose, and moving air are great ways to give your horses comfort.

Hopefully fall will gift us with is presence real soon! 😁



Did You Know?

A salt block isn't enough to satisfy your horse's intake needs for sodium chloride?

Add loose salt to their buckets - 2-3 tablespoons 2x day to be counter the amount they lose in sweat.

08/29/2026

I was really excited to see this horse this week. She started out with so much imbalance and distortion. She was super painful, unsurprisingly.

I've been trimming her for 1 year this Sept and I'm really amazed at her progress.

When heels are excessively high and the hoof capsule is twisted into an unhealthy form, the internal structures and connective tissue are being unnaturally loaded. They are being pulled, stretched, and compressed. This includes laminae, blood vessels, bones, and joints.

Left in this condition too long, bone and joint damage will occur.

The entire body is affected by the increased strain when it's connection to the ground is in pain and suffering from terrible mechanics

What has got me so excited and happy for this horse is seeing signs that hoof function is being restored.

She exfoliated throughout the sole. That means she's building new healthy sole that's pushing out old dead sole. 👏

She's darn near balanced laterally. That means the internal structures have shifted into a more anatomically correct position. 👏

She's growing wall more consistently around the hoof. That means better circulation and tissue health. 👏

Still, she's not always comfortable in this hoof. How comfortable she'll be is a wait and see situation. There was damage was extensive. However, I'll keep helping her build the best body she possibly can.

What's also awesome is what we have accomplished so far with this hoof (which was the worst of the four and the others were a big mess too), has restored an incredible level of comfort throughout this horse's body.

There had been so much muscle tensio and, unhealthy musculoskeletal compensation patterns that made life difficult for this horse.

Now there's healthy muscle development and really good movement throughout the body.

It's a joy to be part of this horse's journey to better health and quality of life. 🧡

If you have any questions about your horse's feet, or overall wellness, drop me a line. I offer in person and remote consultations. I would love to help you and you horse.

Purejoyhorsemanship.com