The Humble Hoof

By Alicia Harlov

Natural Sciences

What's The Humble Hoof about?

The Humble Hoof is a podcast for both horse owners and equine professionals, offering discussions into various philosophies on the health of the hoof and soundness of your horse. Each episode we will explore either a topic in regards to the hoof, such as laminitis or navicular, or focus on an interview with a professional in the hoofcare world- whether it's a farrier, trimmer, vet, bodyworker, etc.Please check us out on Facebook, or at thehumblehoof.com.

Intro/Outro Song Credit: b song by San Holo
https://open.spotify.com/track/3M2UGK6F3Wa0mDIUlFkfWq?si=usCPsqbsRsiPlCLXLmtEiA

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LAST EPISODE

Tips for a Successful Baref...

11.24.2023

Pulling shoes on horses can be so much more than just "pulling shoes" if we want them to be comfortable long term. Hoofcare providers Jen Rakas, Sara Hunt, and Anna Drabble talk about tips and advice for helping the barefoot ...

The Humble Hoof episodes:

11.24.2023 Tips for a Successful Barefoot Transition, Sponsored by Equithrive Pulling shoes on horses can be so much more than just "pulling shoes" if we want them to be comfortable long term. Hoofcare providers Jen Rakas, Sara Hunt, and Anna Drabble talk about tips and advice for helping the barefoot ...
11.10.2023 Laminitis: Myth-Busting and Fact-Checking with Dr. Andrew Van Eps, by Equithrive Dr. Van Eps discusses myths and misunderstandings about laminitis diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. To reach out to Dr. Van Eps or look into donating to laminitis research, visit: https://www.vet.upenn.edu/research/academic-departments/clinical-studies-new-bolton-center/centers-laboratories/van-eps-laminitis-laboratory Thank you to our amazing sponsors: Equithrive offers supplements for everything ...
10.27.2023 Throwback Episode: Saving the Laminae, Sponsored by Equithrive Originally published in 2019, this episode includes a conversation with Dr. Andrew Van Eps about the three main causes of laminitis as well as their treatment. Dr. Van Eps will also be on the next podcast episode with updated research ...
10.13.2023 Advancements in Laminitis Research with Dr. David Rendle, Sponsored by Equithrive David Rendle, president of BEVA, talks about the latest in laminitis treatment research and new medications that are showing great promise. To contact, reach out to: [email protected] Thank you to our amazing sponsors: Equithrive offers supplements for everything from metabolic ...
09.22.2023 Riding Mules Cross Country Bernie Harberts talks about his cross country treks on his mules, along with how he handled their hoofcare and hoof booting. Look out for his memoir "Two Mules to Triumph" about his adventures! For more info, see: riverearth.com Thank you ...
09.08.2023 Equine Euthanasia: Knowing When It's Time with Dr. Sara Cook, Sponsored by Equithrive Deciding when to euthanize in cases of lameness or chronic pain is never an easy decision. Dr. Sara Cook of Black Brook Veterinary Services talks about guidelines for making this choice, and how to know when it might be the ...
08.25.2023 Throwback Episode: When The Job Wears Us Out Originally published in 2021, this episode include Dr. Jenny Susser, Kendra Skorstad, and Sydney Kotow, all talking about burn out and compassion fatigue in equine professionals. Thank you to our amazing sponsors: Equithrive offers supplements for everything from metabolic health ...
08.11.2023 White Line Disease with Travis Burns, Sponsored by Equithrive White Line Disease can wreak havoc on a horse's hoof capsule. Travis Burns talks about what it is, what might contribute to its development, and common treatments. Thank you to our amazing sponsors: Equithrive offers supplements for everything from metabolic ...
07.21.2023 Evidence-Based Hoofcare Choices with Pat Reilly, by Equithrive One of the hardest things to know is if what we are doing for the horse is the right thing for that current situation at that current time. Hoofcare choices can depend on many different factors - so how do ...
07.07.2023 Laminitis Rehab: A Case Study with Daisy Bicking, by EquiThrive Daisy Bicking talks about a laminitis case study that wasn't doing well at home, despite the perfect diet and a dry lot. Daisy discusses how the management was adjusted so that this horse began thriving and is now back in ...
06.23.2023 Corrective Shoeing on Dwarf Feet with Josh Dolan, Sponsored by Equithrive Dwarf miniature horses may seem cute, but unfortunately they come with a lot of health concerns and often have extensive limb and hoof issues. Josh Dolan of The Peeps Foundation chats about how he approaches corrective trimming and shoeing on ...
06.09.2023 Safer Grazing for Horses with Cherrie Nolden, Sponsored by Equithrive Grazing horses safely can take a lot more than just tossing horses out on grass. How do we know if the grass is safe, how can we minimize risk for laminitis, and how can we ensure our land and horses ...
05.26.2023 What We Know About DSLD As a hoofcare provider, seeing a horse with DSLD is one of the most heartbreaking things to deal with. These horses often slowly decline in comfort, and it can feel helpless trying to figure out a way to slow this ...
05.26.2023 What We Know About DSLD with Dr. Sabrina Brounts, Sponsored by Equithrive Dr. Sabrina Brounts talks about DSLD in horses - often characterized by dropped fetlocks. We talk about the limitations of diagnostics, predictability testing, treatment options, and more. Thank you to our sponsors: Use code HUMBLEHOOF for 20% off your first ...
05.12.2023 The Body’s Role in High/Low Hooves I have been on a bit of a “bodywork” kick lately, just noting how important the whole body is in what we as hoofcare providers see when coming to the feet. Some problems that we might blame on conformation, or ...
05.12.2023 The Body's Role in High/Low Hooves with Christy DiColla, Sponsored by EquiThrive Christy DiColla talks about various issues in the body and how they can affect movement and even hoof conformation. She also dives into her rib entrapment syndrome techniques, and how to recognize this issue in your horse. For more information: ...
04.28.2023 Case Study: Navicular with Collateral Ligament Damage, Sponsored by Equithrive Tayla Pierce-Hart discusses her journey to rehab with her horse Frankie, diagnosed with navicular and collateral ligament damage, with a vet suggestion of euthanasia. Tayla discusses the avenues they tried to get him sound, and what eventually allowed Frankie to ...
04.14.2023 Finding Unity in the Horse with Saxon Alexandra, Sponsored by EquiThrive Structural integration involves working with the fascial connections in a horse to help address movement and soundness issues with the goal of solid improvement that doesn't need continued therapy. Saxon Alexandra, a structural integration therapist based out of New England, ...
03.24.2023 Managing Foal Feet with Kirsten Proctor, Sponsored by Equithrive We can influence foal conformation and development long term by how we trim their feet - whether that's good or bad! I speak with Kirsten Proctor, hoofcare provider in upstate NY, about when we should first see foals for hoofcare, ...
03.10.2023 Horse Track Systems with Amy Dell-Anthony, Sponsored by Equithrive Amy Dell-Anthony of Abbotts View Track Livery talks about what track systems are, how to practically start one, and the benefits we see in horses and their hooves when living on a track. For more information, check out Amy's book ...
02.24.2023 A Horse's Shock Absorber: The Digital Cushion, sponsored by EquiThrive Dr. Sharon Warner talks about her PhD research into the digital cushion in various species, how it functions, and what it is made up of. We also talk about equine biomechanics, and whether the digital cushion can regenerate. Note that ...
02.10.2023 The Beginnings of a Lameness Rehab Facility - Sponsored by Equithrive Mollie Murphy and Humble Hoof host Alicia Harlov talk about the new Humble Hoof Rehab Facility - the inspiration behind it, how Alicia and her husband found the property, what it took to get there, and also what the rehab ...
01.27.2023 Back to Horses After Injury When you have a career with horses, it can be life-altering to get injured. At the least, it can mean unpaid time off work to recover, and at the worst, it can mean the end to your career. So how ...
01.13.2023 Keratomas and Chronic Abscessing with Dr. Craig Lesser Dr. Craig Lesser, vet podiatrist at Rood and Riddle in Lexington, KY, shares his insight into how to deal with keratomas and chronic hoof abscessing. We discuss maggot debridement, surgery, antibiotics, and more.
11.11.2022 How Hoofcare Affects Movement with Dr. Kate Horan Dr. Kate Horan talks about her study on racehorses, and how various approaches to hoofcare and two different surface options affected the breakover and movement of the horses.
10.27.2022 Throwback Episode: Managing the Metabolic Horse The seasonal rise of ACTH in the fall can throw many PPID horses into laminitis. How can we better manage this? How do we take care of our metabolic horses to prevent laminitis and founder? Dr. Jaini Clougher and Dr. ...
10.14.2022 A Day in the Life: Our Favorite Cases Cristina Brogdon, Jodie Jensen, and Alicia Harlov talk about some of their favorite hoofcare patholoy cases they have worked on and why. Stringhalt, laminitis, navicular, and more are discussed, along with what worked and what didn't!
09.23.2022 No Footing, No Horse with Dr. Sarah le Jeune and Christina Rohlf Dr. Sarah le Jeune and Christina Rohlf discuss footing considerations when it comes to both performance and injury. The discussion dives into recent research on footing factors that affect forces working on the equine limb.
08.29.2022 Navigating Lameness Cases with Dr. Sasha Hill and Stuart Muir Dr. Sasha Hill and Stuart Muir discuss various approaches to lameness including diagnostics, as well as navigating the vet/farrier dynamic when working together. We also discuss case studies where diagnostics helped with soundness recovery. For more info, see: thenaep.com
08.26.2022 Going Pro In Hoofcare: What We Wish We Knew Beforehand Denys Antonenko, Nicole Jory, and Lisa Mittler all discuss the surprises - both good and bad - that came along with a career change into hoofcare. We discuss various aspects of the job that are difficult, as well as rewarding.
08.12.2022 The Body's Role in Hoof Issues with Celeste Lazaris Celeste-Leilani Lazaris talks about how the body can affect movement, hoof balance, and soundness. She focuses on the thoracic sling and surrounding soft tissue and some approaches she takes to get horses with weak necks, backs, etc. to a level ...
07.22.2022 The Genetic Side of Metabolic Syndrome and Laminitis with Dr. Elaine Norton Dr. Elaine Norton discusses her extensive research into the heritability of equine metabolic syndrome in various breeds of horses, and how that relates to the risk of endocrinopathic laminitis - which makes up 80-90% of laminitis cases. This discussion focuses ...
07.08.2022 Boot Fitting for Professionals with Sara Hunt Sara Hunt, hoofcare provider and boot fit expert based in San Diego, CA, talks about incorporating boot fitting and sales into a hoofcare business. We discuss boot brands, tips and tricks for finding the right fit for the horse, how ...
06.24.2022 How Saddle Fit Affects Soundness with Terri Beecher Terri Beecher talks about how incorrect saddle fit can inhibit movement and ultimately affect hoof balance and soundness. Also discussed are considerations in saddle fit for weaker backs, and adjustments that can be made as a horse is getting back ...
06.10.2022 Hoof Boots for the "Difficult-to-Fit" Feet with Sara Hunt Sara Hunt, PHCP member and hoofcare provider, talks about tips and tricks for fitting hoof boots on less-than-perfect hooves. We talk about how to know your hoof boots fit well, how to adjust them for better retention, how to ensure ...
05.27.2022 Navicular Isn't the End: Rehabbing Horses to Soundness Carey Russ, Hannah Darpoe, Tayla Pierce-Hart and Laura Koskenmaki join a discussion about their horses' navicular diagnoses, prognoses, and how they rehabbed them back to full soundness and even competition without maintenance NSAIDs, injections, or corrective shoeing. They discuss how ...
05.13.2022 Making Hoofcare a Positive Experience with Adele Shaw Adele Shaw, international mentor, trainer, and creator of The Willing Equine podcast, talks about how to work with horses to have a more positive farrier appointment. She talks about how to begin working with horses with a history of "farrier ...
04.29.2022 The Ins and Outs of Hoof Abscesses with Dr. Neal Valk Dr. Neal Valk talks about hoof abscesses in horses: what causes them and how to treat them. We discuss how the health of the foot comes into play, and what we can address to prevent abscessing in the future.
04.08.2022 UK Farriers Pt 2: How Horses Compensate Matthew Jackson, Mark Johnson, and Robbie Richardson join the podcast for a second time, this time about how horses compensate for less than ideal environment, movement, diet, conformation, etc. How does our trim and approach help address this? When should ...
03.25.2022 The Cost of Doing Business: The Ins and Outs of Hoofcare Pricing Carrie Rule, Kristin Thornberry, Libby Thorman, and Rosemary Zwanenburg join a discussion on hoofcare pricing and the "hidden costs" we don't often think about when running a hoofcare business. Why do we set prices the way we do? Why are ...
03.11.2022 Ground Reactions Forces: Why Horses Injure Themselves with Dr. Renate Weller Dr. Renate Weller talks about the movement of the distal limb, and how hoofcare providers can affect biomechanics. Also addressed are how owners can be proactive about preventing soft tissue injury, and some factors that lead to injury. For more ...
02.25.2022 Leaving Steel Behind: UK Farriers Gone Alternative Mark Johnson, Matthew Jackson, and Robbie Richardson all discuss their journey from being a fully qualified UK farrier to shifting to barefoot trimming with composite shoeing options. They talk about the catalyst that made them leave steel shoeing behind, and ...
02.11.2022 Stringhalt and Shivers with Dr. Audrey DeClue Dr. Audrey DeClue discusses two serious causes of hind end movement issues - stringhalt and shivers. She also discusses symptoms, treatments, and times when it affects the front limbs, as well as ways we can keep ourselves safe when handling ...
01.28.2022 Caring for Pig Feet with Emily Mohring Emily Mohring, a farrier and pig trimmer, talks about how she developed the Mohr Method for trimming pig hooves. She also discusses factors that affect pig feet, how long their trimming cycles should be, how their anatomy compares to horses, ...
01.21.2022 Keeping Ourselves Fit: Preventing Injury for Hoofcare Pros and Riders with James Shaw James Shaw discusses how to change our posture and movement to better protect equine professionals and riders from injury when working with horses. He also talks about how he got through his own back injury through the idea of a ...
12.24.2021 Gaited Horse Feet with Diane Sept Diane Sept, rider, trainer, judge, and lover of smooth gaited horses, talks about various gaited breeds and considerations for their feet. She chats about her affinity for Tennessee Walking Horses, and the effect the show packages used on them have ...
12.10.2021 Hoof Casting and Barefoot Performance with Dr. Stephen O'Grady Dr. Stephen O'Grady discusses hoof changes seen when transitioning horses to barefoot. He discusses his approach to trimming, casting, and barefoot transition. Also discussed are performances horses currently showing successfully barefoot. For more information on the clinic mentioned in the ...
11.26.2021 Hoofcare for Rescue Cases with Heart of Phoenix Equine Rescue Tinia Creamer and Suzanna Johnson talk about some of the biggest hoof issues they see in surrendered and seized horses that come into Heart of Phoenix Equine Rescue. They discuss issues such as neglect ("Lack of Farrier" Disease), laminitis, nutrition, ...
11.12.2021 Better Horsemanship for Better Hooves with Deanna Preis Deanna Preis talks about how proper riding and training can influence soundness and hoof health in both a positive or negative way. She also discusses resources such as Straightness Training and her own farm, ShadeTree Stables, to help assess whether ...
10.22.2021 The Ideal Hoofcare Client: How to Be Your Farrier's Favorite Person Allyssa Stratton, Beth Lynn Lewis, and Michael Linton all join in for an informal chat about characteristics of their favorite clients and horses to work with. We discuss scheduling, horse behavior, communication with owners, and more.

Older episodes

The Humble Hoof

What's The Humble Hoof about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

The Humble Hoof episodes:

Tips for a Successful Barefoot Transition, Sponsored by Equithrive

Laminitis: Myth-Busting and Fact-Checking with Dr. Andrew Van Eps, by Equithrive

Throwback Episode: Saving the Laminae, Sponsored by Equithrive

Advancements in Laminitis Research with Dr. David Rendle, Sponsored by Equithrive

Riding Mules Cross Country

Equine Euthanasia: Knowing When It's Time with Dr. Sara Cook, Sponsored by Equithrive

Throwback Episode: When The Job Wears Us Out

White Line Disease with Travis Burns, Sponsored by Equithrive

Evidence-Based Hoofcare Choices with Pat Reilly, by Equithrive

Laminitis Rehab: A Case Study with Daisy Bicking, by EquiThrive

Corrective Shoeing on Dwarf Feet with Josh Dolan, Sponsored by Equithrive

Safer Grazing for Horses with Cherrie Nolden, Sponsored by Equithrive

What We Know About DSLD

What We Know About DSLD with Dr. Sabrina Brounts, Sponsored by Equithrive

The Body’s Role in High/Low Hooves

The Body's Role in High/Low Hooves with Christy DiColla, Sponsored by EquiThrive

Case Study: Navicular with Collateral Ligament Damage, Sponsored by Equithrive

Finding Unity in the Horse with Saxon Alexandra, Sponsored by EquiThrive

Managing Foal Feet with Kirsten Proctor, Sponsored by Equithrive

Horse Track Systems with Amy Dell-Anthony, Sponsored by Equithrive

A Horse's Shock Absorber: The Digital Cushion, sponsored by EquiThrive

The Beginnings of a Lameness Rehab Facility - Sponsored by Equithrive

Back to Horses After Injury

Keratomas and Chronic Abscessing with Dr. Craig Lesser

How Hoofcare Affects Movement with Dr. Kate Horan

Throwback Episode: Managing the Metabolic Horse

A Day in the Life: Our Favorite Cases

No Footing, No Horse with Dr. Sarah le Jeune and Christina Rohlf

Navigating Lameness Cases with Dr. Sasha Hill and Stuart Muir

Going Pro In Hoofcare: What We Wish We Knew Beforehand

The Body's Role in Hoof Issues with Celeste Lazaris

The Genetic Side of Metabolic Syndrome and Laminitis with Dr. Elaine Norton

Boot Fitting for Professionals with Sara Hunt

How Saddle Fit Affects Soundness with Terri Beecher

Hoof Boots for the "Difficult-to-Fit" Feet with Sara Hunt

Navicular Isn't the End: Rehabbing Horses to Soundness

Making Hoofcare a Positive Experience with Adele Shaw

The Ins and Outs of Hoof Abscesses with Dr. Neal Valk

UK Farriers Pt 2: How Horses Compensate

The Cost of Doing Business: The Ins and Outs of Hoofcare Pricing

Ground Reactions Forces: Why Horses Injure Themselves with Dr. Renate Weller

Leaving Steel Behind: UK Farriers Gone Alternative

Stringhalt and Shivers with Dr. Audrey DeClue

Caring for Pig Feet with Emily Mohring

Keeping Ourselves Fit: Preventing Injury for Hoofcare Pros and Riders with James Shaw

Gaited Horse Feet with Diane Sept

Hoof Casting and Barefoot Performance with Dr. Stephen O'Grady

Hoofcare for Rescue Cases with Heart of Phoenix Equine Rescue

Better Horsemanship for Better Hooves with Deanna Preis

The Ideal Hoofcare Client: How to Be Your Farrier's Favorite Person