Meet My Natural Hoof Care Customers
Heather running barrels on her barefoot horse, Pistol
Heather on her barrel horse and husband Craig on his now barefoot team roping horse, Gus
Testimonials
Dear Mark and Julie,
Sincerely, Heather Smith
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Hi Julie and Mark-
think outside of the box. I was able to position Brownie on a “hill”
that kept him from moving right or left, put Randy and hay in front
of him to keep him from moving forward and elevated him enough that
I did not have to bend down and hurt my back! :0) Brownie received a
trim on all four hoofs with hardly any problems. I started slow and repeated the trim the next day. He looks a lot more comfortable and his hoofs are in a much better angle. A few more weeks to get him to a more natural stance and I should be able to maintain him on a three to four week schedule myself. Once I got started it was easy to see were the hoof wants to be. I need to get much better at it, but I figure time and experience will take care of that.
Thank you for your time and advice! I am glad I was able to avoid the
trauma of having to sedate him and bringing him to the vet.
I will keep in touch. Have a great weekend. Vera I was planning on riding my Quarter horse Felix this weekend and
Update from Vera:
when I cleaned his hooves I realized how bad they had gotten. Since
I had such a good experience with Brownie, I said to myself “why not
trim Felix’ hooves, too?” I ended up trimming Felix, Brownie and
Buster. There is something very rewarding to trimming hooves.
Beyond the obvious benefits of having healthy hooves, it seems to have
changed my relationship with the horses. I had a really good ride with
Felix afterwards. He seemed more respectful!
Vera Clark,
In late 2006, I purchased a Quarter Horse mare, “Chloe”, from a breeder in Michigan and brought her out to a boarding facility near our home in Central Iowa. Initially, her feet were trimmed in the traditional manner by the main stable farrier. As the weeks past, Chloe became increasingly short-strided and “toe first” in her hoof placement. Rather suddenly, this culminated into seemingly severe laminitis when I took her from her stall after a weekend away to find her walking like a horse with severe navicular disease. To determine if the culprit was her diet, I began by decreasing her intake of high carbohydrate feed. After several weeks of only marginal improvement, I had the equine veterinarian examine Chloe. Chloe’s classic laminitis posture and movement prompted the vet to take x-rays, where the vet found no sign of coffin bone rotation or other internal conformational defects that could have been causing this. The vet recommended putting eggbar shoes and adhesive gel padding on Chloe’s front feet to relieve her symptoms. Although cost-prohibitive, I followed these instructions and Chloe’s movement improved over the next several months –to a point. I was continually bothered by the fact that eggbar shoes and gel padding were necessary on a horse that was ridden relatively lightly in soft arena footing.
Another boarder at the stable mentioned that one of her previously lame horses had made enormous improvements with her farrier, Mark Olson, who used Natural Hoof Care techniques. Mark came out on a bitter cold evening in early December 2007. He watched Chloe move on the lunge line and then carefully explained the concepts of Natural Hoof Care as he patiently worked on each hoof. After this, I followed Marks trimming schedule, and by February 2008 Chloe was nearly throwing her heals out in front as she worked at a trot on the lunge line. We continued with Mark’s program, and once spring came, we began hitting the roads and trails. A horse that once hobbled along in a soft dirt arena now ate through gravel and pavement with no problem.
It’s been over a year now and Chloe’s hooves look great; if I had known that the improvement would be so dramatic, I would have taken before and after pictures! Mark continues to give helpful advice and suggestions, answer questions, and explain natural hoof growth processes. I write this letter as both a sign of thanks to Mark as well as to encourage other horse owners to experience how Natural Hoof Care can improve their horse’s lives and performance.
Sincerely, Natalie Randall Boone, IA
*************************************************************************When our farrier of many years decided to retire a few years ago finding a replacement proved a daunting task. We tried several but could not’t find anyone whose trimming we were really happy with and nobody we felt comfortable having put shoes on. We’d already started looking into natural hoof care when a friend recommended Mark. Calling to set up that initial trim was the best thing we ever did for our horses. Mark has been great to work with. Not only trimming and helping with hoof boots to aid the transition to going barefoot but teaching and encouraging us to become active participants. We’ve learned more about trimming in the last 14 months than we had in the previous 10 years. We’ve been able to eliminate flare, grow out wall cracks & grow phenomenal looking hooves that don’t chip or ball up with snow & ice during the winter months. My wife and I trim as a team…I provide the labor and she the critical eye. Thanks to Mark’s instruction we’ve been able to keep up with maintenance trims every couple of weeks and stretch the time between professional trims. I can’t say enough about what a great experience this has been. Mark has a wealth of knowledge on natural hoof care and horse keeping and is always willing to share what he knows. We would encourage anyone who has considered natural trimming and natural horse care to give it a try. It’s just like anything else in life, you’ll get out what you put in. We owe Mark a big “Thank You”! Give him a call, your horses will thank you!
Mark,
Just wanted to say you're awesome. Jesse's hoof did just as you said
it would. Last night it opened right at the hairline. He feels much
better, and so do I. Thanks so much for the advice. Looking
forward to his next trim. I'll also have you work on the square hoofed
horse then. Thanks again.
Lori Lange, Bradgate, Iowa
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Thanks again Sincerely, Janet Stewart
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My horses began with Natural Hoof Care by Mark Olson a year this January. It took some time for the hooves to grow naturally allowing the heal of the hooves to grow out naturally. It is absolutely amazing that I can now gait down a gravel road with my Missouri Fox Trotter. Before Mark began working on my horses, if the horses didn't have shoes, they were very sensitive to the rocks on the road. Now, the horses move naturally without the need for shoes, and I only pay for "trimming!" I purchased a set of boots from Mark for my gelding that I ride the most. We went down to Huckleberry Stables in Missouri this last fall, and my horse moved effortlessly across the large rocky trails! He didn't mind my lack of knowledge in getting the boots on, and that week taught me how to get them on and off quickly. So now, there is no more nails driven through the hooves, no more pounding on their feet, and they enjoy Mark and how he is so comfortable with them! It was the best decision I made with the horses--to allow them the ability to work and move naturally promoting proper circulation for the horses' hooves ! Liana Sears, Dream Acres Horse Ranch, Badger, Iowa
Mark is great with my horses! He has taught me how to care for my own horses taking care of the trims myself! When the hooves need more than a little filing, I call Mark to take care of them. He enjoys teaching how to care for the hooves naturally, because he used to shoe horses 'the old way.' Mark even gave me pointers on setting up my little dream, and brought to me a book showing how to set up fencing to get the most out of my land! He really cares and it shows!!!
Melissa and Raymond Tellez, Fort Dodge, Iowa
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I had been reading about natural hoof trimming and wanted to try it but didn't
know of anyone in my area who was doing it when I saw marks business
card. I hesitated because of the cost. I bought my Tennessee walking
horse (who was 3 years old at the time) because he was starved so I don't
believe he'd had any hoof care. He was extremely toed out and had little
if any hoof growth. As he gained weight his feet started to grow.
I decided since I only had the one horse at the time I would spend the
money and use him as my test subject for natural hoof trimming and
called Mark. I was embarrassed by my horses poor manners and
ashamed I had not taught him to stand better but mark was so patient.
He spent 2 1/2 hours with us that 1st day and the difference in my
horses feet was immediate. My only regret is that I didn't take
before and after pictures. Many people have commented on my
horses now healthy looking feet. I now don't have to worry about
my horses feet chipping away the day after being trimmed or not being
able to ride down a gravel road. I now have all my animals trimmed
by Mark. Wendy Strovers, Boone, IA
Animal Caretaker, USDA
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