HEY THERE, FELLOW BAREFOOTERS
What is “The Horse’s Hoof”?
The Horse’s Hoof was born in September, 2000; the company of husband and wife team, James and Yvonne Welz, both life-long horse lovers. James is a former computer systems administrator who gave up his career to become a barefoot hoofcare professional. Yvonne (that’s me, your website editor!) is a former pre-press publishing expert and Advertising Art Director who transferred her skills over to this company. And so The Horse’s Hoof came into being, initially as this website, and then as a printed publication to support the booming new interest in barefoot horse care.
The Horse’s Hoof Magazine developed after Jaime Jackson announced he was discontinuing his wonderful barefoot newsletter. With my writing and graphic design background, I was inspired to create a new barefoot publication. I asked both Jaime Jackson and Dr. Hiltrud Strasser to be my technical editors, and Dr. Strasser took me up on that offer (later, James was Technical Editor). The first issue of The Horse’s Hoof Magazine was published in September 2000, and featured an article by Dr. Robert Bowker on the front cover. THH Magazine, an all-inclusive publication featuring all barefoot methods and supporters, continued on for 20 years and 80 issues. After a short break, in 2023 we launched The Horse’s Hoof Barefoot News, a free monthly e-newsletter.
You can read more about The Horse’s Hoof here: A Look Back at 15 Years of The Horse’s Hoof!
And this sums up our core philosophy: The Barefoot Paradigm: Go Team Barefoot!
It’s now time to gallop bravely into the future, while we cherish the wisdom and lessons of the past.
The Horse’s Hoof website is a storehouse of barefoot hoof care knowledge. We will compile as much as possible, over time, onto the pages of this website, for future horsemen to glean what we’ve learned. Our intent is to be the keeper of the “modern barefoot movement” historical records. This updated site that you are currently viewing has been rebuilt completely from scratch, beginning in 2025, utilizing our content from 2000 until now.
The Horse’s Hoof Magazine is an 80 issue collection of PDF files spanning 20 years time, offered as downloads on our Hoof Help Online website (which can be accessed for free). The Horse’s Hoof Barefoot News is our free monthly e-newsletter that keeps you in touch with the latest barefoot news from around the world. We support everyone interested in barefoot horses and natural horse care. It is our desire to help barefoot advocates feel strongly connected to each other.
The Horse’s Hoof does not “belong” to me. It never did. This place is YOURS. It belongs to every single one of you. The horseowner. The horselover. The barefoot trimmer. The equine bodyworker. The veterinarian. The farrier. The barefoot competitor. The innovative trainer. Those trying to save their beloved foundered horse. Those trying to raise up young horses to live better lives. Every person who has ever enjoyed our websites and publications.
The Horse’s Hoof was always heartfelt. It was always pure. Created with blood, sweat and tears, this was born out of my need to give back to a group of groundbreaking horse lovers who gave me so much. Whether you realized it or not – YOU inspired me. I cannot possibly list all the people who deserve my thanks and praise; you know I love you all! So many barefoot pioneers from all over the world contributed to our revolution, and most of them have been a part of The Horse’s Hoof, in some way, over the years. Thank you!
Connect with The Horse’s Hoof in social media:
The Horse’s Hoof Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/TheHorsesHoof
The Horse’s Hoof Instagram Page:
https://www.instagram.com/the.horses.hoof
The Horse’s Hoof X Twitter Page:
https://x.com/TheHorsesHoof
If you’d like to make a donation to The Horse’s Hoof, to help us continue developing great barefoot horse content, please follow this link:
https://www.paypal.biz/thehorseshoof
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: