The Horse’s Hoof Resources

Barefoot Resources

Where do you go for useful information when you first discover barefoot horse care? Or to learn more when you encounter a tough problem? We are all suffering from information overload these days, so it helps to have a handy reference list of barefoot resources, just to get started.

Here below are links to some of our favorite educational resources for barefoot horse care related information. This may include websites, online and printed books, courses and more – for both the beginner and advanced barefooter.

We recommend that you learn from a variety of sources. If you choose to become certified in a particular method, apply yourself to it 100%, but later continue your education by studying what is practical from other sources. No single group or method ever has all the answers – horses are far too complex for that to be possible.

This is not meant to be an exhaustive list, but just some useful referrals. This is a work in progress.

Resource Links

Pete Ramey – Hoof Rehabilitation Specialists
From well-known barefoot pioneer, clinician and author Pete Ramey, this website offers his DVDs, books, and an extensive collection of free articles covering a wide variety of hoof care, nutrition and trimming topics.
https://www.hoofrehab.com

Pete Ramey’s must-have textbook for barefoot hoof trimming: Care and Rehabilitation of the Equine Foot. This book features chapters from Robert M. Bowker, VMD, PhD, Hilary M. Clayton, BVMS, PhD, DACVSMR,MRCVS, Brian Hampson, PhD, Eleanor Kellon, VMD, Kerry Ridgway, DVM, Debra Taylor, DVM, MS, DACVIM, Kathryn Watts, BS. Now available in a more economical soft cover edition.

Tomas G. Teskey DVM – Insight to Equus
Here you can find a wealth of resources from barefoot advocate veterinarian, Dr. Tomas Teskey. Don’t miss his phenomenal book, “Insight to Equus”, as there is simply nothing like it. This book is poetic and heartfelt while still filled with so much practical. It is a natural hoof care textbook with the lifelong wisdom of a pioneer barefoot endorsing veterinarian, yet simultaneously such a loving, sensitive philosophical tribute to the horse. 
“Insight to Equus: Holistic Veterinary Perspectives on Health and Healing” https://www.insighttoequus.com
Visit his Facebook page “Tomas G. Teskey Veterinary Insights”

Joe Camp – The Soul of a Horse
The late, great Joe Camp passed away in March 2024, but his mission lives on in his amazing website, a utopia of information about natural horse care:
https://thesoulofahorse.com/

Joe Camp’s best-selling book, “The Soul of a Horse” is now in its 17th printing, you can order on Amazon or anywhere books are sold.

Joe Camp’s smaller book, “Horses & Stress – Eliminating The Root Cause of Most Health, Hoof, and Behavior Problems” is also one of my most recommended books. You can order on Amazon or anywhere books are sold.

Liberated Horsemanship
Founded by Bruce Nock in 2003, this organization offers training and certification for hoof care professionals, Mounted police units, zoo hoof care professionals, as well as programs for horse owners. Don’t miss their “Articles and Books” section, with a fantastic library of free PDF resources that you can download! I recommend reading ALL, but don’t miss “The Wild Horse Model: Worth Fighting For”, “Form Follows Function: Characteristics Of The Natural Hoof”, and “Hoof Adaptation: As I See It”.
https://liberatedhorsemanship.com

Progressive Hoof Care Practitioners (PHCP) 
This is an educational membership organization for everyone who loves learning about hooves! They offer an exclusive Facebook group for ongoing discussions, monthly Zoom meetups with fellow members, educational forums for knowledge-sharing and discounted rates on webinars and other events – in addition to a solid trimming certification program.
https://progressivehoofcare.org/
PHCP’s Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/progressivehoof

The Humble Hoof
Home of Alicia Harlov’s wonderful podcast show, The Humble Hoof. Listen to all the past shows right here; there is a wealth of info! She has also opened up a lameness rehabilitation facility in Amesbury, MA.
https://thehumblehoof.com
The Humble Hoof’s Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thehumblehoof

ECIR – the Equine Cushing’s and Insulin Resistance Group 
This is a priceless website for owners of horses with laminitis and metabolic issues. Includes detailed instructions for diet and trimming to help get these horses’ hoof problems under control.
https://www.ecirhorse.org
The ECIR recommendations for “The Realigning Trim”: https://www.ecirhorse.org/DDT%2bE-trim.php

Eleanor Kellon, VMD – Equine Nutrition Courses
Dr. Kellon’s basic course “NRC Plus” is highly recommended by top hoof care professionals, including Pete Ramey, to learn to balance the equine diet. “Excess iron cancels the absorption of copper and zinc- even if there is an “adequate” amount of those minerals available. Excess iron has many effects, including predisposition to infection, a predisposition to arthritis and increased risk of tendon/ligament problems, liver disease and altered glucose metabolism, including insulin resistance and overt diabetes.” Eleanor Kellon, VMD
http://www.drkellon.com/home.html
NRC Plus: http://www.drkellon.com/coursedescriptions/nrcplus.html

The Study of the Equine Hoof
New Zealand clinical researcher and hoof educator Lindsey Field offers a deep dive into hoof anatomy with an exploration of hooves inside and out. If you love dissections and the inner hoof, don’t miss this!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HoofStudies
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/HoofStudies/
Website: https://hoofstudies.com

Natural Horse World
Cynthia Cooper of Australia started Natural Horse World in 1999 as an information website to share her knowledge, with hundreds of articles & blog posts. She is a natural horsemanship instructor and bitless bridle designer, and she offers quality products that support natural horse care. 
https://naturalhorseworld.com

Natural Horse World also includes a wonderful page with resources for learning barefoot hoof care!
https://naturalhorseworld.com/learning-hoof-care/

Wild About Hooves
Australians Jeremy Ford & Jen Clingly are trimmers and trainers in hoof care. They lecture in the nationally-recognized “Certificate Course in Equine Hoof Care.” Both avid riders, they campaigned their team of horses unshod and bitless in endurance racing. Their website is filled with educational resources.
https://www.wildabouthooves.com.au

K.C. La Pierre – Institute of Applied Equine Podiatry
Farrier, author, educator and barefoot advocate K.C. La Pierre offers barefoot hoof trimming courses and certification programs. This is a solid teacher that has been offering sound advice since the dawn of our barefoot movement.
https://appliedequinepodiatry.org

Barefoot for Soundness – Marjorie Smith
Older website with timeless and practical information on applying a natural, “wild horse” type of barefoot trim:
https://www.barefoothorse.com

Jaime Jackson
The original Barefoot Pioneer man; a former farrier and wild horse researcher. Author of so many books that started the barefoot movement (see listing below). Initially worked with Dr. Hiltrud Strasser to launch the USA barefoot movement.
https://jaimejackson.com

Jaime Jackson’s AANHCP: Association for the Advancement of Natural Horse Care Practices, now concentrating on education and advocacy.
https://www.aanhcp.net

Jaime Jackson’s ISNHCP: Institute for the Study of Natural Horse Care Practices, provide training for natural hoof care practitioners worldwide.
https://www.isnhcp.net

Dr. Hiltrud Strasser
The original Barefoot Pioneer woman, who was a licensed practicing German veterinarian with a holistic health focus. Author of many books that started the barefoot movement (see listing below), but most notable is “A Lifetime of Soundness”. She was brought to the United States by Jaime Jackson in May 2000 for a wildly popular barefoot trim clinic tour which launched the North American barefoot movement.
https://hufgesundheit-strasser.com (In German only at this time)
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hufwissen/

Some of Strasser’s excellent core information is available for FREE in a course offered by Claudia Garner, Courses for Horses who was previously an instructor for Strasser’s North American program. However, a lot of further developing information was also integrated into this course. Click on the “Hoof Care” link at top; a full course is offered through PDF downloads covering all areas of anatomy, barefoot trimming, holistic lifestyle, nutrition, pathologies, and business. Invaluable free resource!
https://claudiagarner.com

A lot of Strasser information (and far more) can be located on this very old and valuable website from Gretchen Fathauer:
Treating Founder (Chronic Laminitis) without Horseshoes
https://www.naturalhorsetrim.com

Hoof Studies
Don’t miss our listing of academic barefoot hoof studies:
Barefoot Hoof Studies

Certified Barefoot Trimmers Listings:

BOOKS: We recommend all these books, though some might be hard to locate:

  • “A Lifetime of Soundness” by Dr. Hiltrud Strasser
  • “Shoeing: A Necessary Evil?” by Dr. Hiltrud Strasser
  • “Who’s Afraid of Founder?” by Dr. Hiltrud Strasser
  • “Navicular No More” by Dr. Hiltrud Strasser
  • “The Natural Horse” by Jaime Jackson
  • “Founder: Prevention & Cure” by Jaime Jackson
  • “The Natural Trim: Principles and Practices” by Jaime Jackson
  • “Horse Owner’s Guide to Natural Hoof Care” by Jaime Jackson
  • “Paddock Paradise” by Jaime Jackson
  • “Making Natural Hoof Care Work for You” by Pete Ramey
  • “Care and Rehabilitation of the Equine Foot” by Pete Ramey
  • “Insight to Equus” by Tomas G. Teskey D.V.M.
  • “The Essential Hoof Book” by Susan Kauffmann and Christina Cline
  • “The Chosen Road” by KC La Pierre
  • “The Soul of a Horse” by Joe Camp
  • “Horses & Stress, Eliminating the Root Cause of Most Health, Hoof and Behavior Problems” by Joe Camp
  • “Metal in the Mouth” by Dr. Robert Cook & Dr. Hiltrud Strasser
  • “Understanding the Horse’s Feet” by John Stewart
  • “A Modern Look at… THE HOOF” by Monique Craig
  • “There Are No Horseshoes in Heaven” by Carole Herder
  • “Hoof Prints on the Journey” by Carole Herder

To learn more about Dr. Robert Bowker, we recommend these videos from Epona.tv:

This is not meant to be an exhaustive list, but just some useful referrals. This is a work in progress.

Go Team barefoot

Open Source Barefoot

The goal of James & I, from the time we first began down the barefoot path, has simply been to share our information and resources, and to help others! This is not about gurus or trademarked methods, or who is “right” and who is “wrong” – this is about coming together in unity to share ideas and experiences. We are all unique, we have different horses and different situations, and there is so much to learn FROM EACH OTHER!

The Horse’s Hoof has been a cheerleader for the entire barefoot movement since 2000. Hoof Help Online, an online membership site that we created in 2011 for James to share his life’s work with others, is a place where you can receive direct input from us. Both these platforms work together to provide a welcoming place where barefoot enthusiasts can stand on common ground. We can provide crucial support for anyone interested in learning about barefoot horse care.

Enjoy reading through our extensive library in The Horse’s Hoof Archives:

Read THH Archives