My Story & Education

Hannah E. Herschberger

Owner | Barefoot Hoof Care Practitioner

I have been studying feet since I was nine-years-old, and this is how it started.

When I was nine years old, my first pony had foundered. The gaurdians of my pony weren't actively treating him, so I asked our farrier questions, one of which was how do I become a farrier. He told me I would never be big enough or strong enough to be a farrier, and that there was nothing I could do for my pony's feet. I accepted that answer; however, that didn't stop me from doing every school project, presentation, and study subject on the equine foot and laminitis. So much so in fact, my teachers would announce to the class that we would be creating a research project on a subject of our choice, but "Hannah has to pick a subject other than horse feet."

Twelve years later, I finally had my own horse. He was tender on rocks, and imbalanced in his feet, and struggled to physically stand for his trims. After about six months of paying this poor trimmer a lot of tip money to trim my horse, I decided it was time to buy tools and put my knowledge to the test - even after twelve years of personal study, I was still terrified to touch my horses feet. I've always said, the most important thing I have gathered from studying podiatry is this: horses feet should never be touched by an individual that is not thoroughly trained in podiatry, locomotion, trimming, horsemanship, stages of life development, diet, nutrition, and more. Hooves are incredibly strong, but they are easily shaped by trimming whether that be good or bad. Point being, I took my horse's hooves seriously and I learned a lot quickly.

Eventually, I ended up trimming about thirty horses part time after working my job as an HVAC Journeyman Installer. A couple years ago I was hit by a truck in my work van, and even after my body healed my mind still struggled to get back into an identical work van and get back to work. That was the push I needed to quit working jobs I never wanted, and take the leap to go full time in a career I've dreamed of. A few years later, I'm helping horses live on comfortable feet and helping their owners to learn the best practices to maintain their beautiful feet.

Contact

My Education

Studying horse feet has been the center of my world since a very young age. I have chosen not to become certified by any barefoot program at this time for a number of reasons, and I aim to one day create my own program for folks to learn about the hoof from the inside out and from top to bottom. It is my belief that hoof care cannot be provided with excellence without an understanding of the entire horse. So, I've made it my mission for the last sixteen of my twenty seven years of age to know everything I can about the hoof, the limbs, locomotion, diet, nutrition, environmental factors, equine behavior, saddle fit, flexural limb deformities, PPID, PSSM, DSLD/ESPA, and more.

I view my work as a complex relationship with every hoof. The equine hoof is soft tissue, wrapped in hoof horn. My job is to work with that horn in a way that builds and promotes development of the soft tissue inside. Every trim tells me a deeper story of what's happening inside the capsule.

Webinars

One of my favorite forms of education have been online webinars. I remember sitting in my room doing some research on my computer, and coming across webinars. I was thrilled that I could just pay for a webinar, download Zoom, and listen to some of the greatest HCP's speak on a live webinar with recordings, and I could ask the questions live in front of the whole world, and talk horse feet with other professionals. When I was emailed my first Certificate of Completion, I printed it out and hung it on my desk. I thought it would be nice to add an ongoing list of all the webinars I've completed with the certificates. Most of these webinars are recorded and saved too, so they're accessible for curious owners!

Club Foot Webinar | Dr. Simon Curtis Webinars

October 1, 2022 | Speakers: Simon Curtis & Hans Castelijns

Equine Locomotion Webinar | Dr. Simon Curtis Webinars

November 2, 2022 | Speakers: Sarah Jane Hobbs, Hilary Clayton & Simon Curtis

Digital Support Webinar | Dr. Simone Curtis Webinars

December 3, 2022 | Speakers: Mark Trussler, Jonathan Nunn, Simon Curtis

Hoof Matters Webinar | Dr. Simon Curtis Webinars

February 25, 2023 | Speakers: Dr. Simon J. Curtis

Distal Phalanx Webinar | Dr. Simon Curtis Webinars

April 1, 2023 | Speakers: Simon Curtis, Michael Savold

Laminitis Webinar | Dr. Simone Curtis Webinars

May 3, 2023 | Speakers: Simon Curtis, Raul Bras, Scott Morrison

Laminitis 3 Webinar | Dr. Simone Curtis Webinars

March 13, 2024 | Speakers: Professor Chris Pollitt

Hoof Balance 3 | Dr. Simon Curtis Webinars

September 4, 2024 | Speakers: Simon Curtis, Matthew Jones, Mark Trussler, David Nicholl

SURE FOOT for Professionals With Wendy Murdoch | PHCP Webinar

January 17, 2026 | Speakers: Wendy Murdoch

Nerve Impingement and Hoof Balance | The Equine Education Hub

July 7, 2026 | Speakers: Celeste Lazaris, Yogi Sharp

Books

Books, magazines, and research papers were the first form of education and research I had access to. Reading wasn't my favorite activity in school, but once I got my hands on hoof books and research reports I was hooked. I will keep an ongoing list of the books I keep in my library.

The Essential Hoof Book

By Susan Kauffmann and Christina Cline with a Foreword by Gene Ovnicek

If I could recommend any book for horse owners, this is the one. It's an easy read for those who already have a good understanding of the hoof, and it's set up really well for those who have very little understanding of the hoof. A handful of my clients have purchased this book and have been really happy with it.

Corrective Farriery a Textbook of Remedial Horseshoeing Vol I

Edited by Simon Curtis

This was my first hoof textbook, and I was thrilled that the information provided in this book was way over my head. I spent a good six months reading the first half of this book until I had a deeper grasp on the intense anatomy. This is definitely worth the read for farriers, HCPs, and veterinarians!

Corrective Farriery a Textbook of Remedial Horseshoeing Vol II

Edited by Simon Curtis

I bought this book once I had grasped the content of Vol I. Also an incredible book for those who are in the profession of hoof and veterinary care.

The Hoof of the Horse

By Simon Curtis

I have a special connection to this book, as I do with all my books, but this one is unique. One of the many times I attended a webinar with Simon Curtis live he was doing a live Q & A, and whoever answered the questions correctly the fastest won his book... and I won it. It was definitely a memorable moment! Also, it's a fantastic book.

The Ultimate Guide to Horse Feed, Supplements, and Nutrition

By Lisa Preston

This is the other book I recommend so highly to clients. This book offers so much more than diet information. Some of things that stood out to me in this book were: The Sweat Rating Scale, essential vs. non-essential vitamins, minerals vs. trace minerals, mineral balances, a massive feeding chart, deep dives into all vitamins, electrolytes, pre and priobiotics, and so much more.

Foal to Racehorse

By Simon Curtis

This book helped to shine a light on the off the track Thoroughbreds that have found their way onto my schedule. I'd recommend this book to anyone with an off the track horse who wants to take a deep dive into the journey their horse's feet have taken.

Howell Equine Handbook of Tendon and Ligament Injuries

by Linda B. Schultz, D.V.M.,Ph.D

This was a quick, informative book on tendon and ligament injuries, that I took quite a bit more than I thought I would from. I would definitely recommend this book to clients who want a deeper understanding of their horses tendons and ligaments in the distal limb, or have a horse with a history of tendon injuries.

Clinical Radiology of the Horse | Second Edition

By Janet A. Butler, Christopher M. Colles, Sue J. Dyson, Svend E. Kold and Paul W. Poulos

This book is one I'm still working on, but hope to get through it soon to further my understanding from the bottom up reading radiographs. Radiographs are by far one of the most helpful tools when it comes to hoof care, but they are only as telling as the individuals reading them, so I always strive to deeper my education in radiology.

Clinics

Clinics can be really powerful for those wanting to learn more about their horses feet, and for hoof care providers to further their education. The availability of barefoot centered clinics in my area has been minimal, but I hope to see that change in the future.

Hoof Builders Clinic with David Landerville

May 13 & 14, 2023 | Madorla Farm in Canby, Oregon

This clinic was truly indescribable. At the clinic, I watched him interact with the horses in a way I don't often see; he had a conversation with the horse the whole time on a level deeper than words. Over lunch he described his journey through his hoof care career, and admitted that he stopped struggling with horses when he started listening to them. As he began listening, he formed this method of trimming. This is when the light bulb in my head started buzzing. This man, who I quickly came to idolize, had just told us that his trim method came to him through the horses opinions, and I had been thinking all day that his trims and my trims looked so similar. Since I had paid for an auditor spot and not a participant spot, I asked if he could give me an honest review of a few photos of my trims. He did, and he said they looked really good he would only recommend rasping the back of the frog. My world stopped a little, because I was fairly insecure about sharing my trims with the world because I knew my trims looked a bit different than others I typically see. My trims were softer through the heels, because that's what I felt the horses would find comfortable. My trims allowed a shape through the quarters, because that's what I felt the foot wanted. My bevels were a little softer than some, because the steep 'fancy' bevels felt too aggressive with the rasp in my hand... This man spent over 20 years on feet, and when he started listening to the horses he came to nearly to same conclusions I had found myself in only a handful of years. It has been one of the most memorable moments in my hoof care career, and I think it will be pretty hard to top it. I could not recommend this man enough. He is a true horseman, and a hoof care provider like no other.

Dissections

Dissections are beyond necessary for hoof care providers, and in my opinion they are the most weighted in educational avenues. I have been fortunate enough to have access to dissection material, and have my own colony of dermestid (flesh eating) beetles! The beetles have been a recent development, but as they work on cleaning bones I hope to have a pretty sizable collection of distal limb bones to some day bring to clinics, but in the meantime I will keep a limited collection in my work vehicle to help clients visualize when necessary.