Hoof Mastery

01/09/2026

CHOOSING A NEW HOOF CARE PROVIDER? ASK QUESTIONS.

Whether you’re looking for a farrier or a barefoot trimmer, you are trusting someone with a structure that has a huge influence on your horse’s comfort, soundness and ability to perform.

So before you employ somebody, Clive’s advice is simple:

Ask questions.

Not just “How much do you charge?” In fact, Clive firmly believes that should be the LAST question you ask.

Start with:

• What qualifications do you hold — and who awarded them?
• How long and how extensively did you train?
• Was that training predominantly practical and supervised, or online?
• How much experience do you have working on horses independently?
• Do you undertake regular CPD, and with whom?
• Are you insured to carry out the work you’re offering?
• How do you assess a horse before you begin working on the feet?
• How do you decide what to trim, what to leave and why?
• How do you assess balance, conformation, movement and the individual horse rather than simply following a trimming formula?
• What would you do if you encountered something outside your knowledge or experience?
• Are you happy to work alongside my vet, physiotherapist or other professionals when necessary?
• Can you explain what you are doing to my horse and why?

And don’t be afraid to ask to see evidence of qualifications, training or insurance.

A certificate for completing an online course is not necessarily the same thing as a substantial professional qualification involving extensive theory, supervised practical training, assessment and real-world experience.

Nor does confidence equal competence.

A good hoof-care professional should be willing and able to explain their reasoning. They should recognise the limits of their own knowledge. They should continue learning. And they certainly shouldn’t be offended by an owner politely asking sensible questions before entrusting them with their horse.

This isn’t about farrier versus barefoot as there are excellent professionals in both camps.

It’s about QUALIFIED, COMPETENT HOOF CARE and understanding exactly what somebody’s claimed qualification actually involved.

Then, when you’re satisfied that the person standing in front of you has the knowledge, training, experience and judgement you want looking after your horse’s feet…

ask what they charge.

Clive’s advice has always been:

Use the best hoof-care professional you can afford, not the cheapest one you can find. Because the cheapest hoof care can become extraordinarily expensive if somebody else has to put the consequences right.

Education without Judgement.

01/09/2026

Hoof Mastery | Food for Thought

30/08/2026

30/08/2026

A rainy Saturday morning in the life of a farrier… 🌧️🐴

No two calls are ever quite the same and this morning was a perfect example.

First stop, a little shelter from the weather with a horse shod in the forge. 🔥

Then it was back out into the rain to replace a hind shoe that had been helpfully removed by a field companion… 🙄

And finally, a very different sort of visit.

This little pony has had laminitis and, more recently, an abscess. Clive has been working closely with the vet on this case, monitoring the foot and making sure the hoof care complements the veterinary treatment and what the pony needs at each stage.

Three horses. Three completely different jobs.

Routine shoeing, an unexpected running repair, and a case where good communication between farrier, vet and owner really matters.

Just another Saturday morning, albeit a rather soggy one. ☔️

28/08/2026

Shoeing Dulcie – Part 3 🐴

Does the hoof wall grow at the same rate all the way around the foot?

In Part 3 of Dulcie’s shoeing, Clive explains why the toe grows faster than the heels, and how the blood flow is distributed through the different structures.

Understanding these differences in growth is important when assessing how a foot has changed during a shoeing cycle, and why simply looking at the amount of hoof that has grown doesn’t tell us the whole story.

Clive also explains the blood supply within the foot and how understanding what is happening internally helps us interpret what we see externally.

It’s another reminder that good hoof care isn’t simply about removing excess growth.

We need to understand the structures we’re working with, how the foot functions, and what effect our trim and shoeing decisions may have on the horse as a whole.

With Dulcie, who has arthritis, those details are particularly important. The aim is to manage the foot beneath her in a way that supports her individual biomechanics and helps keep her as comfortable and functional as possible.

Watch Clive talk you through it on the foot in front of him.

Education without Judgement

28/08/2026

Highly recommended by Clive 🙂

26/08/2026

HOOF MASTERY LIVE – COME AND SEE THE WHOLE PICTURE

There’s a huge difference between learning about hoof care from photographs, diagrams and social media… and standing beside a horse while experienced professionals assess what is actually in front of them.

That’s what Hoof Mastery Live is all about.

On 19th September, at the Equine Foot Protection Unit in Edenbridge, we’ll be working with three real horses – assessing each one from the whole horse right down to the individual foot, before deciding what that horse needs and why.

You’ll see:

🐴 Whole-horse conformation and movement assessment
🐴 Hoof evaluation and mapping
🐴 Hoof and leverage testing
🐴 How the findings are brought together rather than considered in isolation
🐴 The trim carried out and explained
🐴 Shoeing where appropriate – including the reasoning behind the choices made
🐴 How the horse is reassessed after the work

Most importantly, you’ll be able to see the decision-making process as it happens.

Why that trim?

Why that shoe – or why no shoe?

What are we trying to change?

What are we deliberately leaving alone?

And what is the horse telling us?

There are no carefully selected textbook feet and no predetermined answers. These are real horses, and the assessment is led by what we find on the day.

Clive Rainger will be joined by David Nicholls and Bobby Craig, bringing around 130 years of combined farriery experience into one small, informal learning environment.

And this isn’t a day where you’re expected to sit quietly at the back.

Ask questions. Get close enough to see. Discuss what you’re looking at. Challenge your thinking. Learn techniques you can take away and use to look at horses and feet with a more informed eye.

Whether you’re a horse owner wanting to understand your own horse better, a farrier or hoof-care professional looking to add to your knowledge, or simply fascinated by the relationship between the horse and the foot, there is something here for you.

Hoof Mastery Live
📅 Saturday 19th September 2026
📍 Equine Foot Protection Unit, Gabriel’s Farm, Edenbridge
🎟 Observer places £95
🐴 Horse-owner places £195 – including assessment and work on your horse, plus admission for the owner and a handler

Small group. Real horses. Experienced professionals. Plenty of questions encouraged.

Education without Judgement.

Tickets: https://www.hoofmastery.co.uk

25/08/2026

Dee Lite has asked: “If the horse has got arthritis in the hock area, how does that portray in the front feet?”

Great question Dee. If a horse has hock arthritis, or significant pain anywhere in the hind limbs, you can often see the effects at the front end because the horse will transfer more of its weight forwards to unload the painful area behind.

One of the things I would look for is a horse that is effectively pulling itself along with the front end rather than pushing itself forward from behind. It may look heavier on the forehand, have a lower head carriage and often a shorter stride in front because the forelimbs are having to take more of the workload.

You may also see evidence in the feet and shoes. Normally I would expect a horse to wear its hind shoes more quickly than its fronts because of the propulsion coming from behind. If it is doing considerably more work with the front end, you may see increased wear on the front shoes instead.

Another thing I look for is what I call a horse “standing like a goat on a rock” - bringing the hind legs well underneath itself. That can be another indication of pain in the hind end, with the horse potentially trying to take some of the strain out of the deep digital flexor tendon.

So I wouldn't look at the front feet in isolation. I would be looking at the whole horse - stance, posture, head carriage, movement, stride and wear patterns - and asking why the horse is loading those front feet as it is.

Where appropriate, shoeing can be used to alter the angle of the column of bones to relieve pressure from the seat of pain. If we can make the horse more comfortable behind, it may be better able to use those hind limbs and push from behind again, rather than continually transferring that workload onto the front end.

And, before anybody starts, yes, some horses with arthritis will be more comfortable without shoes. Equally, for some horses, appropriate shoeing can be extremely beneficial. There isn't one answer that is right for every horse.

The important thing is to let the horse tell you.

Look at the whole horse, not just the feet.

Regards

Clive