When a horse is very reactive to having shoes nailed on, especially when it is quiet and compliant for all the rest of the tasks involved in shoeing, doesn't that beg the question WHY? And if glueing a shoe on instead is a much gentler process and leaves the horse passive and calm, that becomes a conversation.

So come and join us and as always, our conversation snakes its way through this challenging topic.

And if you can spare us just a bit less than an hour we'd love to have you along! So pull up a chair or keep your eyes on the road and we hope you enjoy!

Sam Tibbetts 

A qualified and registered equine veterinary nurse, a fear free certified professional, a progressive equine partnerships committed member, overall animal advocate and equine lover.

Sam is the creator of the Loddington Coppice Equine Healthcare establishment and concept, Loddington is almost a hybrid establishment, incorporating the track and equicentral philosophy along with a strong cognitive emphasis , allowing all the equines in Sams care a say in their own lives and not subject to being contained any more than their individual health and circumstances dictate

Being an equine veterinary nurse, Sam provides an extensive range of veterinary guided nursing and rehab, from the stables all with outdoor pens to a range of therapy based equipment, Sam brings the cognitive ethos to all her patients.

Sam wants the horses in her care to be able to explore, express themselves and ask the questions they need to.

So, if you have a spare hour, please come and join us for this fascinating insight into Sam’s world and the Loddington Coppice Equine Healthcare concept.

And Ps. grab a look at her website for more information 

https://loddingtonequine.care

Claire Shand may be marketing director of Westgate Labs but this is no sales pitch!

Westgate Labs was founded it seems by looking at trying to help us manage the parasite burdens in our equine friends from a different perspective, founded in 1999 Westgate asked the question, "Do we need to worm so regularly"? instead lets test first to see what's there and then make a plan for your horse as an individual.

This conversation is so packed out with information it had our heads spinning as Claire shared knowledge and experience with us in spade fulls.

So please do come and join us and stay safe as you do and we hope you get as much from this as Matthew and Mark have as well as enjoying it too!

https://www.westgatelabs.co.uk/?gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAADyCKf9H8sNnicRwyFKOj5G1rCAcb&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIwcns5sekiwMVHItQBh006RPUEAAYASAAEgKUOvD_BwE

Hooray ! Matthew finally gets to talk frogs, Mark is still all excited about "wiggling" feet and joints and Matthew kindly hands Mark the subject if dorsal or outer wall trimming to begin that part of the chat.

This series was recorded back in 2024 and new thoughts and fresh observations have crept in, so its highly likely Matthew and Mark will re visit this topic in the not too distant.

So for now, if you can spare an hour, pull up a chair or if you're driving keep your eyes on the road and as always we hope you enjoy and gain a useful thought too.

Our second episode in our mini series surrounding how we approach the most complex of subjects, trimming horses feet.

Matthew still doesn't get to talk frogs, both of us don't get to talk about dorsal wall rasping and Mark is obviously captivated by "twiddling' horses feet and joints - do they move or don't they?
Well yes mark we know they do but ... some do more than others and some move more in one direction than the other hmm.

So come and waste an hour with us as we chat more about trimming and as ever, pull up a chair or keep your eyes on the road! and we hope you enjoy and find something useful too.

What a "click bait" title! 

No, don't worry we don't tell you how to trim a horse at all but we do begin to delve quite deeply into the subject and how we think about and approach trimming, so much so that the subject has turned into a mini series for us.

We hope you can find some time to be able to share our journey into this massive topic headed up by such a simple descriptive word, "Trim" and of course we hope you enjoy and gain a useful thought along the way.

May we also take the opportunity to wish you all a very happy and fulfilling 2025!

Linda Bennis BSc {Hons) Equine nutritionist, founder and creator of Flourish Horse Health shares at least some of her LIVES! Changing story.

Having identified something of a nutritional crisis in the Spanish horses she was surrounded by at the time, Linda knew she had a skill set to make a difference.

While Linda never set out to become the head of and creator of one of the best horse feed companies going, it would seem the universe had other ideas and that was precisely the path she should follow.

So please pull up a chair or keep your eyes on the road and join us for a truly fascinating, educational and enjoyable conversation

Ps, Do check out Linda's website https://www.flourishhorsehealth.com

Richard Seals is a British showjumping U.K level 3 coach,  British showjumping  para coach, British showjumping pony club accredited coach, the list goes on .... 

When Mark first met Richard most of Richards horses were shod with steel shoes but then through no direct intention all have ended up un-shod and competing up to international level barefoot.

Alongside this fascinating part of Richards journey is the focus Richard has on personal development, alongside the development of those he coaches and here enters the synergy of the conversation between Richard and Matthew who, as a hotelier, is also very involved in furthering his managerial skills while supporting the team surrounding him.

This is a fascinating twirl of a conversation which we hope you will both enjoy and pluck something useful from.

So please pull up a chair or keep your eyes on the road and let's dive in.

Our most gritty podcast to date by far, Matthew Jackson and Mark Johnson tackle the emotive and divisive subject of what can almost also be described as a dictatorship emerging within barefoot hoof care.

With some incredulous claims and absolute statements, intermingling with actually some, very good advice. 
Matthew and Mark share their thoughts and opinions on how the Cult are utilising social media to influence and gain momentum.

For once this podcast does contain some "MODERATE LANGUAGE" only driven by their mutual passion for the equine world and the special place as  farriers they occupy.

So, please pull up a chair or keep your eyes on the road and we hope at the very least, you'll find this podcast thought provoking.

This was a great journey down memory lane, where Matthew asks Mark to delve back into the time when via Parelli natural horsemanship, Mark visited an amazing farrier called Jim Crew across the pond from us and gain an insight into his "Healthy Stride" concept of shoeing horses.

All our personal experiences will influence us one way or another, so pull up a chair or keep your eyes on the road and we hope you find this episode both entertaining and informative