I’ve ridden and trained horses for fun for most of my life, starting with riding lessons when I was in elementary school. I got my first horse, Private, when I was in middle school. I hauled him around the country as I attended school and pursued my first career in seismology (earthquake science). During our 21 years together, we lived in four different states, so we had a variety of experiences with farrier care.

Private was an off-track Thoroughbred with common Thoroughbred foot issues: long toes, low heels, and thin soles. He did pretty well with some of the farriers we encountered, and struggled to stay sound with others, but I never really understood why. When Private was 25, we moved to Colorado and started using our new barn’s highly-recommended farrier. After a few trim cycles, Private started refusing to walk on any surface except for soft grass or deep sand. I thought it might be the end for my beloved old friend.

After some desperate searching, and many sleepless nights, I found a different farrier. The new guy, Joe, was able to help Private move better than I’d ever seen him move before. Even better, Joe was willing and able to explain to me how he did it! He’d been an engineer before he made a career change into shoeing horses. His knowledge and application of physics, materials science, and biomechanics got my old ex-racehorse galloping happily across the pasture again.

A few years after moving to New Mexico, I started pondering a career change. I had some incredible adventures in my seismology career, but I was starting to feel stuck behind a desk, and I wanted to be outside doing hands-on work. I reached out to Joe, who recommended I attend a barefoot trimming course to see how I liked it. I went, and I was absolutely hooked. In the summer of 2024, I quit my job and went to farrier school. I’m continuing to apprentice with local farriers to expand my hoof care education.

I strive to be the kind of farrier I always wanted to find. I love working with owners who have questions and want to understand the “why” of hoof care. I treat every horse with kindness, respect, and patience. And I will always try to call or text you back in a timely manner!