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By Jonathan Samuelsson

My name is Jonathan Samuelsson. I grew up in Sweden and now live in Roy, WA, where I have been a Hoof care provider since 2019. I started as a barefoot trimmer but soon realized that more protection for the hoof is needed in some cases. Sometimes the defense is necessarily long-term and sometimes just for a shorter period during rehabilitation or while transitioning to barefoot from traditional shoes.
I believe the traditional steel shoe is somewhat outdated, and the EponaShoe caught my eye as an excellent option for the cases where extra protection was needed. The design would allow similarity to the loading pattern seen in a bare hoof.
At the beginning of May 2021, I traveled down to EponaMind in Paso Robles, CA, to learn directly from Monique Craig at the Podiatry Center. It was a fantastic experience, and I have had great success in the many different cases that I have used the EponaShoes for. The effects are often immediate, and the horse walks off much better than just an hour earlier.
I love the ability to use the EponaShoes, and the Bone Referenced Trim created and taught to me by Monique Craig. This trim technique allows you to find the coffin bone within the hoof and trim and place the shoe following the boney column. She also taught us new ways of understanding and checking for medial/lateral balance. We used x-rays to confirm our work.

Equine Bone reference Trim Horse Hoof Trimming

Figure A

Figure A. The Bone Referenced Trim has three steps:

The first step is palpating the boney eminences on the medial and lateral aspects of P1.

The second step is palpating the coronary gaps or soft spots sitting just above the points of articulation between P2 and P3.

The third step is marking the sole. While keeping the thumbs on the coronary gaps, orthographically project (by 90 degrees) the two points onto the sole with the index fingers. Draw dots onto the sole; These mark the centers of articulation of the foot.

 

Horse Hoof Trimming Techniques

Figure B

Figure B. The Bone Referenced Trim offers a reliable system of locating the pedal bone while in the field without Xrays.  Unlike other systems which rely on the keratin and other soft tissues of the foot that are highly mobile, the bones will not move no matter how distorted the hoof capsule or the solar surface tissues may become. Figure B depicts an example of a distorted capsule. The bone reference trim would still lead the farrier to the correct landmarks.

I’m very grateful for the support I have from the hoof care community. I am forever thankful for the opportunity to work with such experienced, warm-hearted, and forward-thinking people. I believe that it is vital to look to the history and the nature of the horse, but it is also just as important to look to the future and see the opportunities that technology today can offer to our sweet 4-legged loved ones.

Jonathan Samuelsson, Roy, WA

Photo of Jonathan Samuelsson, Roy WA
Hoof Care Provider since 2019