Caring FOUR Every Hoof

I am an equine farrier who cares for horses, ponies, minis, donkeys, and mules.

I offer balanced trims, glue on composite shoes, metal shoes (including a variety of pads and hoof packings), and therapeutic clogs to meet varying needs of horses in my care.

Clear communication, doing good quality farrier work, operating with integrity, and building strong relationships with both humans and horses is foundational to me as a professional.

I am also dedicated to ongoing education through apprenticeship and attending classes and conferences to broaden my professional knowledge and grow my skills.

My Start

I came out of the womb a horse lover, a carrier of the “horse girl” gene. As a child I read every horse book I could get my hands on, collected and played with Breyer horses, and relentlessly begged my parents for a horse of my own. While my parents generously indulged me with a few years of once a week hunter/jumper horseback riding lessons, they remained steadfast in their stance that we could not afford one, but that when I grew up, I could get my own horse. And so life got filled with sports, college, travel, family, friends, and a meaningful career in education, but I never outgrew my obsession with horses, and from time to time I’d scroll through online horse listings to dream of having one of my own.

Fast forward to mid-life, and I returned to my true north when I “spontaneously” and inevitably adopted a 4-year-old off the track Thoroughbred. Redgie was a giant, orange chestnut gelding with a goofy, sensitive, social, and sweet personality who was everything I ever dreamed of. At 17.1 hh, he was handsome, but gangly and a little nerdy with crooked front legs that had a valgus deformity that caused him to toe out. This unique conformation led to lameness that set me on the path to pursuing a career as an equine farrier.

I still remember Redgie’s first farrier appointment. I was absolutely mesmerized by the ease with which the farrier used the tools to trim Redgie’s hooves, and I thought he had to be a wizard to produce such fine craftsmanship while folded in half, upside down underneath my giant horse. Unfortunately, Redgie struggled to stay sound with barefoot trims or standard shoeing. Due to ongoing lameness issues, Redgie had so many radiographs that I half expected his legs to glow in the dark, and he drove both his vet and his farriers to the brink of insanity in their attempts to get him sound. In efforts to correct his medial lateral imbalance and negative palmar angle we tried shoes with wedge pads, gluing the medial rim of his hoof, three variations of clogs to reduce leverage and ease breakover, until we finally found success with glue on shoes and my farrier's genius modifications: the lateral side shaved down to better achieve mediolateral balance of his front hooves with a one-degree wedge on the left hoof.

While the 3 years of lameness, extensive vet and farrier expenses, and ongoing worry was challenging, I found myself becoming more and more intrigued by the art and science of farrier work. When corrective shoeing finally rendered Redgie sound, and he squealed joyfully and galloped across the pasture at full speed following his first glue-on shoe farrier appointment, I was officially hooked. I made the decision to enroll in the Minnesota School of Horseshoeing and graduated in the fall of 2024, ready to pursue a new career as an equine farrier.

My Values

Education: Prior to becoming a farrier, I was a secondary English teacher for 24 years. With the heart of an educator, I am a lifelong learner and have wholeheartedly embraced continuing education, and I feel blessed that there is plenty of opportunity and support in the equine community to keep learning new information and growing new skills in the farrier industry throughout my career.

--Apprenticeship: I apprenticed with two skilled and knowledgeable farriers in the area for a year after graduating from school. Through their generous mentorship I have been able to build my skills and confidence in trimming, shoeing, identifying and managing abnormalities and pathologies in the lower limb, and gaining the competencies needed to provide the horses I serve with high quality care.

--Conferences: Attending the International Hoof Care Summit and the Equine Lameness Prevention Conferences has exposed me to exciting new learning and provided me with connections to other hoof care professionals.

--Classes: The ELPO (Equine Lameness Prevention Organization) barefoot trimming course gave me more confidence in my hoof trimming by teaching me to map the hoof to identify distortions and determine the placement of internal structures. This science helps me balance the hoof around the coffin joint to promote hoof health and reduce the strain on soft tissue to promote soundness and well-being.

--Clinics and contests: Clinics and contests sponsored by the Minnesota Farriers association and Duggan's Farrier Supply/Minnesota School of Horseshoeing have provided me with the opportunity to continue practicing and refining my forging and traditional shoeing skills. An Easy Care glue-on shoe clinic gave me the opportunity to learn more about composite shoes and gain some hands-on experience with glue-on application.

Communication: Clear and consistent communication with horse owners and other professionals is important to me. When you contact me via phone, text, or email, I will respond within 24 hours during business days.

Collaboration: I hope to help and positively influence the horseshoeing industry by being a collaborative member of a bigger team that is dedicated to improving the lives of horses. No one grows in isolation. The horses need us to work with each other–owners, vets, farriers, body workers, and trainers all have a crucial role to play in equine health and wellbeing. So, I will lean into the expertise of others in the field, and I hope to be able to support others in their work as well.

Integrity: I strive to wrap integrity into my business with a focus on respect, timeliness, communication, empathy, education, collaboration, and doing my best work every day for every horse in my care so that they can live their best lives. It is personal for me. Where would my horse be without a persistent, forward thinking, and skilled farrier who was willing to work with me, my vet, and my body worker to get my horse sound and happy? I am thankful for and inspired by my horse's farrier--who gave me my start, and I look forward to making this same positive difference in the industry for the good of the horses I serve.

About Me