Full Potential-Equine Sports Therapy & Barefoot Trimming

08/08/2026

For some reason, it’s often difficult for people to give up on their blocks, but what horses actually need and what they actually benefit from is: PLAIN, WHITE, SALT.

Iodized is an extra bonus, unless they also consume kelp.

Throw. The. Blocks. Away.

FEEDING SALT
Your horse NEEDS at least 2tbsp of salt per day.

Plain white salt.

Fancy pretty salts aren’t necessary and for the love-please remove the red mineral block.

Chances are they aren’t getting their minimum amount from a block-but a white block is great to offer should they need to self serve.

Horses need salt (sodium chloride) for essential bodily functions like maintaining fluid balance, muscle and nerve function, and encouraging drinking, which is crucial for hydration. Salt also plays a big role in protein absorption!
Salt is not produced by the body and must be provided in the diet.

Ensure fresh, clean water is always available, as excess salt can lead to dehydration if water intake is insufficient.

Horses in heavy work or warm climates may require more-https://madbarn.com/how-to-feed-salt-to-your-horse/

schaefferbodyworks.com/nutrition

08/01/2026

🙏🏻

07/23/2026

Absolutely.

Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon for clients to think we just want less work for more money. That truly is not it! I think our schedules start to feel even more impossible with the majority of horses on a four to five week cycle…

But this plan is better for nearly every barefoot horse and I think I’d refuse to shoe any horse beyond a maximum six week cycle.

If your farrier keeps a strict schedule or asks to shorten your horse's cycle....its not a control thing, its not a money grab...they have the best interest of your horse in mind!

For every 1 cm of excess toe length, the soft tissues—specifically the deep digital flexor tendon, the superficial digital flexor tendon, and the suspensory ligaments—have to take on an additional 110 lbs of tension. If the soft tissues are already compromised by injury, conformational flaws, strain from work load etc the effects of "being long" could be severe.

Pictured below is the growth from just a 4 week trim on my personal horse!🤯 Seasonal change, weather, exercise etc can have a significant impact on their growth....clearly seen here.

Information derived from Dr. Renate Weller

07/14/2026

Absolutely. More than 95% of farriers leave the profession after five years and though it is not all due to horse behavior, I’ve seen the expectation of how horses should behave degrade even in my own lifetime.

It’s a serious problem.

07/14/2026

What a wonderful gift, the horse.

07/06/2026

This conversation has been coming up a lot in the past few months—not because it is new, but because I’ve noticed how many clients have never had anyone mention it to them.

So, I’m mentioning it.

THE SYMPTOM IS IN THE FOOT. THE CAUSE IS OFTEN SOMEWHERE ELSE.

A horse becomes footsore.

The natural assumption is that the problem must be in the foot.

Sometimes that's exactly what's happened.

An abscess is in the foot.

A puncture wound is in the foot.

A crack is in the foot.

The problem and the symptom occupy the same place.

But not always.

A horse lands toe-first.

What you see is in the foot.

The cause may be hock arthritis.

A horse starts wearing one foot faster than the others.

The symptom is in the foot.

The cause may be a change in how the horse is loading its limbs.

A horse repeatedly loses a shoe from the same foot.

The symptom is in the foot.

The cause may be a movement pattern that has changed because the horse is uncomfortable elsewhere.

A horse develops bruising in the same area over and over again.

The symptom is in the foot.

The cause may be altered movement from joint disease higher up.

A horse develops contracted heels.

The symptom is in the foot.

The cause may be persistent avoidance of loading part of the limb because something else hurts.

A horse grows noticeably uneven feet.

The symptom is in the feet.

The cause may be asymmetry elsewhere in the body changing how those feet are loaded.

A horse struggles on hard ground.

The pain shows in the feet.

The cause may be endocrine disease affecting the lamellae.

A horse develops laminitis.

The pain is in the feet.

The damage is in the feet.

Yet the process often begins with insulin dysregulation or other hormonal disturbance long before the foot shows it.

A horse develops recurrent abscesses.

The symptom is in the foot.

The cause may be chronic lamellar damage that has been present for months or years.

A horse struggles to turn.

The symptom may look like foot pain.

The cause may be the hocks.

Or the stifles.

Or somewhere else entirely.

A horse doesn't want to go forward.

The feet may be blamed.

The cause could be orthopaedic pain.

It could be gastric disease.

It could be respiratory disease.

It could be something else altogether.

The point is not that the feet are unimportant.

Quite the opposite.

The feet are often the first place the horse reveals that something is wrong.

But they are not always telling us where the problem started.

One of the most valuable habits in equine healthcare is learning not to stop at the first thing you can see.

The foot matters.

But it is attached to a whole horse.

And sometimes the foot is not the problem.

It's the messenger.

07/05/2026

Solid!

📖 𝙎𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝘼𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙎𝙖𝙡𝙩

🐴 I love reading about misconceptions when it comes to feeding horses, but today I’d like to debunk some common myths about good old sodium chloride.

🧂 Myth #1: Salt only needs to be fed when the weather is hot.

🐴 Truth #1: Salt needs to be fed 365 days a year because it is vital for many bodily processes and is excreted in sweat, saliva, mucous and urine. Even in the midst of winter, horses need salt.

🧂 Myth #2: Horses instinctively know to drink water regularly, especially when they are hot and sweaty.

🐴 Truth #2: A horse’s thirst reflex is triggered by sodium, which is a component of salt. Horses’ sodium requirements need to be met in order for them to seek water.

🧂 Myth #3: A horse can meet their sodium and chloride requirements with a salt block alone.

🐴 Truth #3: Unlike cattle, horses do not have an abrasive tongue and are not designed to lick harsh surfaces to extract nutrients. While it is technically possible for a horse to consume their daily salt requirement from a salt block, it is much less work and more physiologically-appropriate for them to consume loose salt that is either provided in a meal or left out free-choice.

🧂 Myth #4: Horses know what nutrients they need and can self-medicate with supplements such as vitamins and minerals.

🐴 Truth #4: Salt is the only nutrient horses have been studied and proven to actively seek out when it is required. They will not seek out other nutrients “because they know they need it.” Look at how much salt and molasses (palatable additives) are added to free-choice supplements.

🧂 Myth #5: Himalayan rock salt is better for horses than plain salt.

🐴 Truth #5: Himalayan rock salt contains naturally occurring components other than sodium and chloride. Some may view this as a positive; however, it is usually a more expensive means of supplementing salt, and often contains traces of iron which almost never needs to be supplemented given horses are generally oversupplied iron by their forage intake alone.

🐎 Your horse’s diet should be providing a minimum of 10g of salt per 100kg of body weight each day; typically more after exercise, intense weather, or illness. Ensuring your horse always has access to clean, cool, and fresh drinking water will ensure they remain well-hydrated and if by chance they intake more salt than necessary, the water they drink allows them to excrete excess very effectively. The best kind of salt to feed is plain sodium chloride such as table salt, unless the diet is deficient in iodine which makes iodised salt more appropriate.

07/01/2026

Every degree matters.

Equine podiatrist Dr. Scott Morrison told attendees at The Jockey Club’s Welfare and Safety of the Racehorse Summit that small changes in hoof angle can affect the entire musculoskeletal system — and outlined shoeing strategies to restore healthy biomechanics.

Check it out in the comments.