As Nature Intended - Horse & Hoof care

10/05/2025

Equi-ed are running a 4 hour short course looking at tendons and ligaments in the lower limbs. It’s 60 euro and can be done online from anywhere in the world.
It’s important for owners to understand how these structures work and what to look for to detect early problems.

The link to the course is below 👇

https://www.equied.com/product/ligaments-vs-tendons-structure-and-function/

05/02/2025

Over the past month, social media Wednesday went out of the window (it’s been a very busy January) but we are back!

So for this week, I wanted to share a bit about Sunrise. Sunrise is one of the horses I trim and she has lovely hooves. Because of the terrain she covers and the mileage she does, her hooves need to be in optimal condition! With the help of the correct diet, management and trim, Sunrise is able to cover all different kinds of terrain such as rocky paths, grassy hills and tarmac confidently!

I like to see the hooves I trim in action and working as they should, especially when the horse is happy and confident on their barefoot hooves! 😊🐴

08/01/2025

Last month, I did my first trim on this stunning old girl! Gypsy is our oldest retiree at Helmsley Equine Retirement Livery, at 32 years old!

Although she certainly doesn’t look 32, unfortunately her joints feel it and she requires a bit more care and attention when it comes to trimming her. Due to the arthritis in her knees, Gypsy struggles to keep her hooves up for a long period of time and has a bit of trouble flexing. So to help her have the best experience possible, I try my best to keep her comfortable with as many breaks as she needs in between. Once she realised that I wasn’t there to rush her or fight her to keep her leg up, she slowly began to relax and trust me which meant she started to keep her hooves up for a bit longer each time!

After working with older horses, I learnt that some horses need that extra time which I am happy to give! 😊❤️

25/12/2024

18/12/2024

The main focus of my social media Wednesday this week is the lovely Mouse!
Him and his owner are a true inspiration. To going from not letting anyone near his feet to letting me (the first professional to trim him in a long time) trim all four of his feet is truly amazing! I am so grateful to be a part of this journey and privileged to be able to trim his hooves and he be comfortable around me. And truly impressed of the journey him and his owner have been on to get to this point. Well done to everyone involved in team Mouse! 😊❤️

14/12/2024

Feed Hay All Day! If you don't, your horse will suffer without it.

Driving around, what do we see? Horses standing in fields with NO HAY. It’s winter here, and horses need fibre to maintain their health and generate warmth.

But let’s be honest - this isn’t just a winter issue is it?

Even in summer, many horses are left to graze on little more than short stressed grass, leading to spikes in sugar levels, lacking the consistent, safe energy and digestive benefits that fibre from hay provides.

We're talking hay - REAL HAY - not fibre out of a bag in one or two feeds per day!

Why does the equine world do this? Why is there such resistance, especially at livery yards, to feeding hay in fields? Are pristine paddocks really worth the gut issues, ulcers, depression, and overall suffering this causes horses?

Horses need hay ALL DAY - 24/7!

- Not grass instead of hay.
- Not bagged feeds loaded with harmful additives and inappropriate feedstuffs.
- Not piles of supplements to try to counteract the damage caused by excessive grass and insufficient fibre.

The pathological consequences are always costly: scoping for ulcers, endless gut issues, colic, and - tragically - horses enduring unnecessary pain throughout their bodies because many owners simply don’t understand the distress caused by lack of natural fibre in hay.

Horses need to live as naturally as possible:

- They need to go out.
- They need to socialise with their own kind.
- And they need access to hay at all times.

If you can’t provide these basic necessities, the unfortunate truth is that your horse will suffer. If your livery yard says no to hay in the fields - MOVE.



HM.

p.s. find out more about feeding your horse's gut in a species appropriate way and why HAY should be the cornerstone of your horse's diet - The Phoenix Way: Path 2 Hoof Health

11/12/2024

One of my lovely clients, Summer, modelling the difference between pre and post trim!
I really find it interesting to see such a difference from 6 weeks of growth to a new trim especially when the horse is down to its hard sole plane! 😁

04/12/2024

My new chief tool inspector making sure all my tools have his approval! 😆
One of my new clients Seven, being absolutely adorable and helping me make sure all my tools are in check! ☺️🐴

27/11/2024

Hi everyone, I’m Alicia Simpkin and I thought I would introduce myself. I am second year HMB Pro student, studying with HM International School of horse and hoof care. I am training to be a barefoot professional who specialise in whole horse health (diet, management and trimming).

As a second/final year student, I cover the whole of North Yorkshire and some of East Riding of Yorkshire.

If you are interested in booking me in or simply have a question don’t hesitate to pm me! ☺️🐴

20/11/2024

Not a really a trimming post but I thought I’d share this picture of my ridden rehab horse which I have mentioned previously on my page!
This picture was of our stop off on our Halloween ride (as you can see me adjusting her witches hat 😅). I was trialing her in a bitless bridle and TCS (Total Contact Saddle) they were both the best thing I had ever done for my horse and she went so much better then she used to.
As she is a rehab, she was ridden in boots but I have since been able to start transitioning her back to barefoot!
So yes it wasn’t a trimming related post but I thought it was nice to share! ☺️
P.s I have since got her a better fitting bitless bridle this one was just to trial 😅

13/11/2024

How adorable are these two ponies!
Meet Herbie and June, rescue ponies turned therapy ponies for children with additional needs and disabilities.
I went to see them for their second trim with me on Saturday and they are both so unbelievably loving and cheeky, they never fail to put a smile on my face! 🐴❤️

06/11/2024

Working up at Helmsley Equine Retirement Livery this morning before trimming up near Scarborough way. Double trouble Ringo and Scout helping us put the bales out for our ad-lib forage on the track system. You never see these two apart, the 3 F’s are so important (Freedom, Friends and Forage) These boys are definitely the best of friends! 😆🐴