I look back at the slightly unconventional route that brought me into horses, from riding schools and yard work to Australia, training horses professionally and eventually building McNickle Horsemanship.

I also reflect on what I’ve taken from the conversations in Series 1, what I currently believe about training, where I know I still need to improve, and why both my horsemanship and my business are still very much works in progress.

I haven’t made it. I’m still figuring it out. This is a bit of a look at the messy middle.

If you’ve enjoyed Series 1, please share the podcast and let me know who you’d like to hear from in Series 2.

McNickle Horsemanship
Website: https://mcnicklehorsemanship.co.uk/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/McNickleHorsemanship/

In this episode, I’m joined by Tom Broadbridge, founder of Pioneer Hoof Protection.

Tom originally trained and worked as a farrier, with a particular interest in remedial shoeing and lameness. But an experience with a horse he had been unable to get sound challenged the way he thought about hoof care and ultimately led him towards barefoot horses and hoof boots.

We talk about how the hoof functions, barefoot versus shoeing, trimming, track systems and why some horses may still need hoof protection.

We then get into the story behind Pioneer Hoof Protection and Tom’s nine-year journey to develop a hoof boot designed to adapt to the individual horse. We talk about everything from his early experiments with 3D scanning and printing to prototyping, manufacturing, patents, funding and the realities of bringing a physical product to market.

Tom also gives some visual demonstrations during the conversation. If you’d like to see these, the full video version of the episode will be available on YouTube.

In this episode we discuss:

• Tom’s background in farriery and remedial shoeing
• The horse that changed the way he thought about hoof care
• Barefoot versus traditional shoeing
• How the hoof functions during movement
• Navicular syndrome and hoof function
• Track systems, diet and transitioning horses to barefoot
• Why some horses still need hoof protection
• Barefoot trimming and maintaining the hoof between trims
• The advantages and limitations of hoof boots
• Why conventional hoof boots can be difficult to fit
• How hoof shape changes throughout the trim cycle
• The idea behind Pioneer Hoof Protection
• 3D scanning, 3D printing and the early prototypes
• Nine years of product development and testing
• Designing a boot that can adapt to asymmetrical and changing hoof shapes
• The materials and modular design of the Pioneer boot
• The realities and costs of developing a physical equine product
• Manufacturing, tooling, patents and funding
• Building and marketing a small equine business
• Winning the Horse Care & Horse Wear category and overall Innovation Award at BETA International
• Pioneer’s fitting service and growing network of hoof boot fitters
• Why Tom thinks we need to listen to our horses more

Find out more about Pioneer Hoof Protection

Website: https://pioneerhoofprotection.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pioneerhoofprotection/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PioneerHoofProtection/

Tom’s recommended learning resource

The Hoof School

Online hoof-care education covering hoof health, barefoot management, transitioning from shoes to barefoot and maintenance trimming.

Website: https://www.hoofschool.com/

Watch the podcast

Tom uses a number of visual demonstrations during our conversation to help explain some of the concepts we discuss.

The full video version of this episode will be available on the Horsemanship in Practice YouTube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/@d.mcnicklehorsestartingand2918

Alex takes a whole-horse approach to her work, with a particular interest in hindgut and metabolic issues and how these may influence the health, behaviour and performance of the horse.

We talk about the equine microbiome, what Alex means by dysbiosis, and some of the different symptoms she looks for when assessing a horse. From there, we get into the practical side of feeding and management, including forage, hay versus haylage, sugar, trickle feeding, movement and supplementation.

We also discuss the realities of trying to make these changes when your horse is kept on a livery yard, where you may have limited control over forage and turnout, and I use my own horse as a practical example as Alex talks through some of the changes she has recommended for him.

In this episode we discuss:

• Alex’s background and what led her into equine therapy
• The equine hindgut and microbiome
• What dysbiosis means
• How Alex believes gut health can influence health, behaviour and performance
• Forage and the differences between hay and haylage
• Sugar and modern pasture
• Trickle feeding and movement
• Track systems and individual management
• Making gradual changes to a horse’s diet
• Minerals, amino acids and B vitamins
• Alex’s use of herbs
• Listening to the individual horse rather than following a one-size-fits-all approach

Find out more about Alex

Alex Geudon Equine Therapist – Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/p/Alex-Geudon-Equine-Therapist-61581668819620/

EquiCircle
https://www.equicircle.co.uk/

Resources mentioned in this episode

Simple System Horse Feeds
https://www.simplesystemhorsefeeds.co.uk/

Discussed in relation to hay cobs and forage pellets.

Progressive Earth
https://www.progressive-earth.com/

Discussed in relation to minerals, amino acids and vitamin B complex.

Final Forage
https://finalforage.com/

Recommended during the conversation as a resource for learning more about forage and equine nutrition.

Josh is an equine dental practitioner and former farrier who specialises in Natural Balance, or Neuromuscular Dentistry. We talk about his journey from farriery into dentistry and why his experience working with horses’ feet led him towards a very different way of thinking about the mouth.

We explore how the teeth and jaw can influence the rest of the horse, including posture, movement, balance and behaviour. Josh explains the importance he places on the TMJ and incisors, what he looks for when assessing a horse, and some of the changes he sees following dental treatment.

We also discuss wolf teeth, young horses, sedation, power tools, behavioural problems during dental treatment and why Josh’s approach remains controversial within parts of the equine dental profession.

Towards the end, we get into the importance of questioning established practices in the horse world, and Josh shares some of the resources he enjoys for continuing to learn.

Find Josh / Milburn Equine:

🌐 Website: https://www.milburn-equine.co.uk/

📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61590004452145

Josh’s podcast recommendations:

🎧 Adult Onset Horsemanship – Daniel Dauphin
https://dauphinhorsemanship.com/podcasts/

🎧 Everyday Mulemanship – Ty Evans
https://tsmules.com/podcast

In this episode, Russell shares his journey into horses and equine research before we explore how horses move, the factors that can influence their balance and symmetry, and what riders and trainers can learn from the science of equine biomechanics.

We discuss:

• How to observe and assess a horse’s posture and movement
• The relationship between laterality, asymmetry and discomfort
• Why taking time to notice small changes in our horses matters
• Using targeted exercise and pole work to improve movement
• How the rider’s balance, position and movement affect the horse
• Rising trot, diagonals and pressure through the saddle
• The relationship between the horse, saddle and rider
• What to look for when choosing a saddle fitter
• Turning scientific research into useful, practical information for horse owners

Find out more about Russell and his work:

• Centaur Biomechanics website
• Centaur Biomechanics on Facebook
• Centaur Biomechanics on Instagram

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Dr David Marlin’s Animalweb
• Veterinary Compendium
• Society of Master Saddlers

Holly has represented Great Britain 13 times and, riding her Lusitano Exparta D’Atela, finished sixth in the world at the 2018 Working Equitation World Championships. She is also an Advanced National Champion, a Level 4 trainer and a national judge with the Association for British Working Equitation.

We talk about what working equitation involves, Holly’s experiences, and how she thinks about training horses, and teaching riders.

You can find Holly and follow her work here:

Pine Lodge School of Classical Equitation on Facebook

Holly Barber on Instagram

You can also follow Steelehorse, Holly and Freddy Steele’s training and performance partnership:

Steelehorse on Facebook

Steelehorse on Instagram

Steelehorse website

If you’re interested in trying working equitation or finding out more about the sport, visit:

The Association for British Working Equitation

Millie and I approach horse training from quite different perspectives, which leads to a really interesting conversation about how horses learn, where our methods differ and where there is more common ground than you might expect.

We discuss:

• Force-free training and positive reinforcement
• The four quadrants of learning
• Clicker training and shaping behaviour
• Using food effectively in training
• Pain, stress and behaviour
• Fear, thresholds and desensitisation
• A case study involving a horse with a serious fear of bicycles
• Our different approaches to loading
• Working with vets and needle-shy horses
• The importance of staying open-minded as trainers
• Paying attention to what our horses are trying to tell us

Find Millie

Equus with Millie

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Equuswithmillie/

Email: equuswithmillie@gmail.com

Millie’s recommended resources

The Relational Horse: How Frameworks of Communication, Care, Politics and Power Reveal and Conceal Equine Selves
Edited by Gala Argent & Jeannette Vaught
https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/isbn/9789004514935/html

(Un)Stable Relations: Horses, Humans and Social Agency
Lynda Birke & Kirrilly Thompson
https://www.routledge.com/UnStable-Relations-Horses-Humans-and-Social-Agency/Birke-Thompson/p/book/9780367874506