Grounded Equine

01/28/2026

I can’t emphasize this enough, please please pleassee turnout your horses! They were never meant to be confined to a 12x12 box separated from others. Horses’ bodies are meant to move 20 plus miles a day and they are extremely social creatures who need herd mates - not a friend they can touch noses with over the fence!

Turn. Out. Your. Horses.

Not sometimes.
Not when it’s convenient.
Not only when the weather is nice.

Daily turnout is not a luxury or enrichment add on. It is a biological requirement.

Horses evolved to move for most of the day. To walk, graze, socialize, rest, and regulate their nervous systems through motion and choice. When we confine them for long periods, we are not creating calm. We are suppressing natural behaviour.

Lack of turnout is strongly associated with increased stereotypies, gastric ulcers, musculoskeletal strain, heightened reactivity, and what is often mislabeled as “bad behaviour.” These are not training issues. They are welfare issues.

Exercise under saddle does NOT replace free movement. A one hour ride does not undo twenty three hours of restriction. Training does not compensate for unmet needs.

If a horse is “better” when kept in, that is not proof the system works. It is a red flag that the horse is struggling to cope.

Turnout supports physical health, emotional regulation, soundness, and learning. It is one of the most basic forms of harm reduction we can offer.

Turn. Out. Your. Horses.

01/15/2026

I had the opportunity to make the trip up to Tufts University and observe a hoof surgery on one of the horses I’ve had the pleasure of trimming at Mustang Valley Ranch for quite a few years now. Hope came to Mustang Valley with a severe subsolar abscess in her right hind that pushed her whole hoof capsule forward. Since then she has struggled with persistent abscessing and infection in that foot. She’s come such a long way but was in need of something more than I could provide through my trims. The team at Tufts did an MRI on Hope’s hoof and found necrotic tissue in and around the lateral side of her coffin bone. They went in from the sole to remove the infected tissue and bone so the hoof can heal properly. Hope has a long road of recovery ahead of her but with the care at Mustang Valley she’ll be out running with the herd soon enough!

Thank you to Mary at Mustang Valley for giving me the opportunity to work with all the horses on the farm and continue my ever going education with tough cases like Hope’s. I am so grateful to be a part of the team!

01/10/2026

I had some ambitious helpers yesterday! 🫏 Ethel the tool thief and Lucy scooching in for a photo bomb
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11/19/2025

Yes those are Thoroughbred feet! Thoroughbreds can be barefoot too! It’s all about diet, environment, regular barefoot specialized trims, and booting when necessary. This boy has beautiful functional barefoot hooves, and that typical “thoroughbred flaring” has improved tremendously since January. Your horse can do it too!

08/15/2025

🐴🎠❤️Want to get back that special connection you have with your horse?

Join us at Mustang Valley Sanctuary on Sunday, August 17, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for a unique clinic focused on communication-based training.
We'll help you rediscover and deepen the relationship with your horse through effective and respectful communication.

The clinic is $50 per person, but it's free for horse reacues. You can pre-register by paying on PayPal and include the note 8/17 clinic. You will recoeve a confirmation emal. https://www.paypal.me/mustangvalley?locale.x=en_US

Email [email protected] if you have any questions

Come out and create the partnership you've always wanted

All proceeds from this clinic support our rescued Mustang’s.

We look forward to seeing you out at Mustang Valley sanctuary this Sunday

08/12/2025

When I first met this Andalusian he had shoes with a wedge pad on his right front to help with his negative palmar angle. A few months later the owner contacted me wanting to try him barefoot. After his second trim I started seeing major improvements and within 4 and a half months I started seeing concavity at the toe. My trims have been focused on encouraging him to use his caudal hoof to build up the digital cushion and lateral cartilages to support the back of the coffin bone. He has expanded in his heels, balanced mediolaterally, built up the caudal hoof, and radiographs have shown his coffin bone is no longer at a negative angle! He still has lots of room for improvement and we’re excited to see how his hooves continue to develop.

08/05/2025

The process of growing out laminar wedge and recovering from chronic laminitis. The hoof is an amazing thing! This mare went from requiring boots more often than not to being 100% sound barefoot.

08/04/2025

A little hoof education on a summer camp field trip! I think we have a little trimmer on our hands 😁

05/08/2025

A little investigator! Simba acquainting himself with my tools so he’s the best boy for his first trim 💗

05/03/2025

Had a wonderful time studying alongside Christina Cline for a few days this week! It’s always amazing to see how horses hooves adapt to different environments. Horses in the dry, rocky terrain of the Methow Valley have extremely different feet from what I’m used to seeing in the northeast. There’s always so much to learn when it comes to horses and the health of their hooves!

11/22/2024

Six months of mediolateral balancing and building up the caudal hoof!

This mare was putting too much weight into the toe of her front hooves due to her high/imbalanced heels. This was preventing proper shock dissipation through the frog, lateral cartilages, digital cushion, and solar corium. By lowering her heels and balancing her mediolaterally she started to use the back of her hoof properly and allow these biomechanical features of the hoof to function as they should. You can see this by the slight expansion in her heels, health improvement of the frogs, and improvement of the distortion in her heel bulbs. She has come so far and still has so many potential improvements to come! 👏🏻👏🏻

09/12/2024

🌾It's laminitis season....

Who is at risk?
Overweight horses with fat pads on shoulders, rump, withers
Horses with high insulin
Horses who have had laminitis in the past
Horses with past/present signs of subclinical laminitis
Horses who are overdue for vet check/new bloodwork to check their status whether on meds or not

Prevention first:
OFF the grass completely if you already have warning signs
Muzzle ON if your horse is overweight or suspicious for IR
Turn out overnight or morning only, OFF the grass by mid-morning
Keep a regular trim/shoeing cycle, now is not the time to skip or push appts back
Ask your farrier if they see anything concerning
Get bloodwork done with your vet to check insulin

Warning signs:
Sore after a routine maintenance trim
Bruising or stretching in the white line
Unusual bruising in the wall
Event lines, especially if wider at the heels
Sore over gravel/hard surfaces when sound before
Shorter strides
Flat or toe first landings
Reluctance to turn in a circle
Lethargic, dull, moving less in turnout
Increased digital pulse in one or more feet
Increased rate of hoof growth

If you see multiple warning signs:
Call your vet - it may be time for bloodwork and hoof radiographs
Call your farrier - it may be time to shorten your trim cycle temporarily and/or have your farrier consult with your vet

There are always signs before a full blown laminitis episode -- if you are concerned about your horse, continue reading up on insulin resistance, laminitis, founder, seasonal changes, and check in with your professionals.