Jenny gets a kick out of hoof care

She had to wait until she was 18 to get her first horse but from then she became heavily involved in showing, was a breed judge, and competed in endurance rides.

Despite this, her career change came as a surprise.

"I was a qualified breed judge for 13 years and showed and bred Arabians but my perspective about showing changed and I got to the point where I could no longer do it," she said.

"I was still riding endurance and it was my horse Larry and his terrible hooves that kicked off my obsession with the hoof.

"I knew something wasn't right with his legs, they would puff up even after training and I knew it was related to stress on his feet.

"I went through four farriers and he was shod on a four-week schedule, but that only served to make them look better."

Jenny retired Larry because of his heart issues and decided she would start dealing with his feet herself.

"A neighbour was a barefoot trimmer and she taught me the basics, so I did his feet for a few years," she said.

"When I started looking at hooves and investigating the hoof form and function I became obsessed and it took over my life."

At the time Jenny a mum to two boys - worked in office administration.

After having success with Larry's hooves she started treating friends' horses and realised she had a knack for it.

"Working with hooves comes naturally to me - it is an intuitive thing getting the trim and shape right," she said.

"I was in my mid-40s and people started saying to me that I should do it as a career, and after meeting a hoof care educator at a Tom Quilty ride interstate I decided I'd give it a go."

Jenny studied a Certificate III in Equine Natural Hoofcare four years ago and is constantly studying and learning from a range of sources.

Her years of showing have complemented her work with confirmation and movement - all relevant to hoofcare - and she listens to each horse rather than imposing a set method.

She says she feels like a sculptor working with raw, mishapen material to produce an image she has in her mind about how it should look always keeping in mind the inner structures and functions.

Working on rehabilitating the horses others have given up on gave her the most satisfaction.

Some of Jenny's clients include Victor Harbor Horse Drawn Tram, successful eventers, several large dressage and riding schools, and Vic clients who show Arabians and fly her over every six weeks.

Jenny was often told she would not last as a barefoot trimmer, given the conditions and risk of being injured but she said that while it was not easy on her body, she had amazed herself.

"I work on my core, stretch, have regular physio, take magnesium and have weekly remedial massages," she said.

"I've done 15 horses in one day before but I try to stick to eight."

Jenny says she gets a "real buzz'' out of her work, particularly in helping those who need her most.

"I wish I'd come to this occupation sooner because at 51 I know I won't be able to do it forever," she said.

"But I have my teaching qualifications, run workshops and am mentoring up-and-coming trimmers so the plan is to move into consultancy and teaching when my body has had enough."

What is barefoot trimming?

Barefoot trimming is a style of natural hoof care originally developed from the studies of wild horses and now encompasses the needs of domestic horses.

"Horses can perform well without steel on their feet but horse people have this traditional mindset that horses must wear shoes - natural hoofcare often makes more sense to non-horse people," Jenny said.

"Shoes may prevent a hoof from expanding and contracting during each stride, restrict blood flow, cause heel contraction, bacterial invasion and significant loss of shock absorption.

"They prevent natural wear, allowing the hoof to become unbalanced quite quickly and causing unnatural forces on the limbs."

Jenny says going barefoot is more than just taking shoes off - there are several essential elements which need to be implemented including movement, living environment, diet, trim and education and commitment of the owner.

"Sometimes we make horses do things beyond their natural ability and when they are barefoot they will look after themselves more," she said.

"This means that for higher disciplines there is sometimes a need for hoof protection so the horse doesn't hold back to protect itself, however, hoof boots can often be used but not in Equestrian Australia events as they are not yet allowed.

"Otherwise, there is really no need for steel to be nailed to horses hooves. They can be sound without them and if they aren't, then they actually aren't sound with them."