Mark Johnson and Matthew Jackson both time served farriers with a passion for whole horse education, horse health, the barefoot horse and all things connected and of course a bit about horse shoeing too
Mark Johnson and Matthew Jackson
When a horse is very reactive to having shoes nailed on, especially when it is quiet and compliant for all the rest of the tasks involved in shoeing, doesn't that beg the question WHY? And if glueing a shoe on instead is a much gentler process and leaves the horse passive and calm, that becomes a conversation.So come and join us and as always, our conversation snakes its way through this challenging topic.And if you can spare us just a bit less than an hour we'd love to have you along! So pull up a chair or keep your eyes on the road and we hope you enjoy!
Sam Tibbetts A qualified and registered equine veterinary nurse, a fear free certified professional, a progressive equine partnerships committed member, overall animal advocate and equine lover.Sam is the creator of the Loddington Coppice Equine Healthcare establishment and concept, Loddington is almost a hybrid establishment, incorporating the track and equicentral philosophy along with a strong cognitive emphasis , allowing all the equines in Sams care a say in their own lives and not subject to being contained any more than their individual health and circumstances dictateBeing an equine veterinary nurse, Sam provides an extensive range of veterinary guided nursing and rehab, from the stables all with outdoor pens to a range of therapy based equipment, Sam brings the cognitive ethos to all her patients.Sam wants the horses in her care to be able to explore, express themselves and ask the questions they need to.So, if you have a spare hour, please come and join us for this fascinating insight into Sam's world and the Loddington Coppice Equine Healthcare concept.And Ps. grab a look at her website for more information https://loddingtonequine.care
Claire Shand may be marketing director of Westgate Labs but this is no sales pitch!Westgate Labs was founded it seems by looking at trying to help us manage the parasite burdens in our equine friends from a different perspective, founded in 1999 Westgate asked the question, "Do we need to worm so regularly"? instead lets test first to see what's there and then make a plan for your horse as an individual.This conversation is so packed out with information it had our heads spinning as Claire shared knowledge and experience with us in spade fulls.So please do come and join us and stay safe as you do and we hope you get as much from this as Matthew and Mark have as well as enjoying it too!https://www.westgatelabs.co.uk/?gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAADyCKf9H8sNnicRwyFKOj5G1rCAcb&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIwcns5sekiwMVHItQBh006RPUEAAYASAAEgKUOvD_BwE
Hooray ! Matthew finally gets to talk frogs, Mark is still all excited about "wiggling" feet and joints and Matthew kindly hands Mark the subject if dorsal or outer wall trimming to begin that part of the chat.This series was recorded back in 2024 and new thoughts and fresh observations have crept in, so its highly likely Matthew and Mark will re visit this topic in the not too distant.So for now, if you can spare an hour, pull up a chair or if you're driving keep your eyes on the road and as always we hope you enjoy and gain a useful thought too.
Our second episode in our mini series surrounding how we approach the most complex of subjects, trimming horses feet.Matthew still doesn't get to talk frogs, both of us don't get to talk about dorsal wall rasping and Mark is obviously captivated by "twiddling' horses feet and joints - do they move or don't they?Well yes mark we know they do but ... some do more than others and some move more in one direction than the other hmm.So come and waste an hour with us as we chat more about trimming and as ever, pull up a chair or keep your eyes on the road! and we hope you enjoy and find something useful too.
What a "click bait" title! No, don't worry we don't tell you how to trim a horse at all but we do begin to delve quite deeply into the subject and how we think about and approach trimming, so much so that the subject has turned into a mini series for us.We hope you can find some time to be able to share our journey into this massive topic headed up by such a simple descriptive word, "Trim" and of course we hope you enjoy and gain a useful thought along the way.May we also take the opportunity to wish you all a very happy and fulfilling 2025!
Linda Bennis BSc {Hons) Equine nutritionist, founder and creator of Flourish Horse Health shares at least some of her LIVES! Changing story.Having identified something of a nutritional crisis in the Spanish horses she was surrounded by at the time, Linda knew she had a skill set to make a difference.While Linda never set out to become the head of and creator of one of the best horse feed companies going, it would seem the universe had other ideas and that was precisely the path she should follow.So please pull up a chair or keep your eyes on the road and join us for a truly fascinating, educational and enjoyable conversationPs, Do check out Linda's website https://www.flourishhorsehealth.com
Richard Seals is a British showjumping U.K level 3 coach, British showjumping para coach, British showjumping pony club accredited coach, the list goes on .... When Mark first met Richard most of Richards horses were shod with steel shoes but then through no direct intention all have ended up un-shod and competing up to international level barefoot.Alongside this fascinating part of Richards journey is the focus Richard has on personal development, alongside the development of those he coaches and here enters the synergy of the conversation between Richard and Matthew who, as a hotelier, is also very involved in furthering his managerial skills while supporting the team surrounding him.This is a fascinating twirl of a conversation which we hope you will both enjoy and pluck something useful from.So please pull up a chair or keep your eyes on the road and let's dive in.
Our most gritty podcast to date by far, Matthew Jackson and Mark Johnson tackle the emotive and divisive subject of what can almost also be described as a dictatorship emerging within barefoot hoof care.With some incredulous claims and absolute statements, intermingling with actually some, very good advice. Matthew and Mark share their thoughts and opinions on how the Cult are utilising social media to influence and gain momentum.For once this podcast does contain some "MODERATE LANGUAGE" only driven by their mutual passion for the equine world and the special place as farriers they occupy.So, please pull up a chair or keep your eyes on the road and we hope at the very least, you'll find this podcast thought provoking.
This was a great journey down memory lane, where Matthew asks Mark to delve back into the time when via Parelli natural horsemanship, Mark visited an amazing farrier called Jim Crew across the pond from us and gain an insight into his "Healthy Stride" concept of shoeing horses.All our personal experiences will influence us one way or another, so pull up a chair or keep your eyes on the road and we hope you find this episode both entertaining and informative
Hoofcare on social media is now spread across more platforms than its possible to shake a stick at or so it seems, with an equally diverse range of opinions, passions and how too's accompanying the topic.Who's right and who's wrong? Is it about the biggest noise or the most scientific content or will an opinion suffice?If its any consolation, whether you're in the business of trying to find the best service for your horse or perhaps you're considering becoming a hoofcare provider of some sort and are wondering which path to follow, Matthew Jackson and Mark Johnson. not to mention Margret and Kennith Winterfield are equally bewildered at times so, we thought we'd chat about it.We would love to have you join us so IF you can spare 40 + minutes of your life then please do! Pull up a chair or keep your eyes on the road and we hope you both enjoy and gain a useful thought.
Hello, after our last episode where Matthew and Mark decided it would be a good idea to put the entire would be equestrian community off ever getting a horse, we felt we should at least try and put a positive spin on horse ownership.We hope we managed to include a few helpful thoughts and tips but as ever and like all good conversations, well , we get a little side tracked in places.So as always, welcome to this episode and thank you for all the amazing support, please pull up a chair or keep your eyes on the road and we hope you both enjoy and get a useful thought or two along the way.
Are you thinking about your first adventure into owning a horse or are you in the grips of our wettest winter here in the U.K since winters were invented (well that's how it feels right now)? And asking yourself if this was really what I signed up for? Wherever you are at in your equine journey, Matthew Jackson and myself Mark Johnson have and do view ownership from a slightly detached perspective, slightly detached as we have both owned horses in the past and so have experienced things first hand too, but feel so many pitfalls could be avoided with a little foresight and applied knowledge.So pull up a chair or keep your eyes on the road and join us as we mull over some pre - horse keeping thoughts.
When Vicky agreed to have a chat with us we were ecstatic ! Vicky is a scientist in her own right and as she shares with us her journey with her much beloved horse Max, the lessons they learned and the influences those lessons brought, open up and show just how intrenched Vicky's scientific background is with the various problem solving hoops she needed to find a way through.To say Vicky is generous with her knowledge and experience is an understatement and yet we know there is so much more, especially as she was and is desperate to shed more light onto one or two of her many passions such as gut health and the horses microbiome, way too much for just this one conversation, so we really hope Vicky will return and we can expand more into those areas which form such a passion for her.Now, to the vegan chocolate! Always inspired by nutrition and its effects on all of us, humans and animals alike, Vicky has created https://www.merakicacao.com/ where you can browse and salivate over all Vicky's creations that she has to offer and why not save this episode until you can "savour" (get it)? a bar or three as you listen? that should give you something to chew over, (get it)? :-) ok sorry! I'll stop Please pull up a chair or keep your eyes on the road and we hope you enjoy!
Collaboration in hoofcare, Is it a good thing or is it a bad thing? Its a bit of a follow on from our last episode as Mark gets very excited about some conversations he's been having and WOW! Matthew brings a whole new crossover dimension from his current world of hospitality. The learning curves and the fresh thinking keeps coming so if you can spare less than an hour this time? Pull up a chair or keep your eyes on the road and we hope you enjoy and grab a useful thought along the way.
Thoroughbred horses, some of the most incredible members of our equine world, true athletes though can be prone to breaking and bringing both heartache and ecstasy to their humans Matthew got on the phone to me with much to say about these beloved animals so, leaving me (Mark) pondering at every turn we dive into our shared lives with these captivating and complex horses So pull up a chair or keep your eyes on the road and we hope you enjoy and get a useful thought here and there too
After most enjoyable chats we get off the phone and suddenly realise, we didn't say "That" or "this" so here we are filling in some more gaps.We begin with the intention of talking about our career influencers and in truth we've probably left out more than we've spoken about, yet it does come to the surface that the great Pete Ramey is high on our list. , especially where "barefoot horses are concerned.But when two farriers get together most conversations get hijacked by flipping horses feet :-)So, pull up a chair or keep your eyes on the road and waste an hour with us and who knows? we hope you gain a useful thought along the way
As time served farriers we dive into who we are, our influences and thought processes, we reminisce over memories both shared and individual.Throwing light onto what shaped our hoof care journeys and why we ended up thinking about and approaching horses and their feet in the way we do.We really hope this podcast will not only be entertaining, but also showing that there really are many roads to Rome as we discuss horses in "Another Way"