Check out my book "Hoof Physics"!
Learn about what forms and deforms our horses' hooves and how to recognize those signs of distortion! In 200 pages with over 300 pictures, you will learn about how to avoid hoof disorders and prevent problems like laminitis, club foot, white line/cavity problems, keratoma, and much more.
What makes Preventive Hoof Care different?
Most conventional trimming tries to "balance" a hoof by cutting down the hoof wall. But a crooked hoof wall is still crooked when it's shorter — the underlying problem hasn't changed.
Preventive Hoof Care takes a fundamentally different approach. Using a specialized filing method called the Thatched Roof Technique, we work with the hoof's natural mechanics rather than against them. Instead of radical cutting, this precision technique controls how the hoof horn wears down, gradually reversing the negative forces that caused the distortion in the first place.
Parts of the hoof that were underloaded — and therefore unstable — are progressively brought back into use. Over time, the horse begins to move differently, and the hoof naturally walks itself into a healthier shape.
Because every horse is different, treatment always accounts for the individual animal's genetics, history, and any underlying conditions.
The goal is never just symptom relief — it's the complete elimination of the root cause, and a lasting solution your horse can build on.
Nadine Caban
-
Preventive Hoof Care Practitioner, serving clients in the U.S.
-
Certified Hoof Orthopedist* of the German Institute for Hoof Orthopedics since 2003, serving clients throughout Central Europe
-
Instructor at the German Institute for Hoof Orthopedics since 2005
-
Instructor at the Center for Hoof Orthopedics in Berlin/Germany since 2017
-
Licensed Trainer Westernriding/Horsemanship
*In Germany, the profession belongs to the group of professionals who manipulate the hoof for the purpose of protection, health maintenance, and correction, without applying a metal shoe. The Center for Hoof Orthopedics in Germany is an institution that trains professionals for this purpose. According to the decision of the Bundesverfassunsgerichtes**, the practice of this profession has been approved since 2007 on the basis of Article 12, Paragraph 1 of the German Constitution.
**The Federal Constitutional Court, which is the equivalent of the United States Supreme Court.
Jess Lolakas
Certified Preventive Hoof Care Practitioner
Jess has been studying the Preventive Hoof Care method since 2020. She has been successfully helping clients in all of New York since then. Contact Jess by email
What we offer
Handling unphysiological Hoof Conditions
A horse can only be as healthy as its hooves. When a hoof is out of balance, the effects ripple through the entire body — affecting movement, joint health, and long-term wellbeing.
Preventive Hoof Care addresses the root cause of these imbalances, not just the symptoms. Whether the condition is pre-existing or has developed over time, correct trimming can interrupt the cycle of damage and give the hoof a real path to recovery.
Treatment is always developed in collaboration with your veterinarian — combining a proper diagnosis with a trimming strategy tailored to your horse. Most owners begin to see visible improvements within just a few trim cycles.
Change From Shod Hoof To Barefoot
Serious hoof problems can't be solved under a shoe. Real correction requires the hoof horn to be exposed to natural abrasion — and that's only possible on an unshod hoof, trimmed regularly at short intervals.
Shoes don't repair the underlying condition. In fact, once the hooves are trimmed correctly and given time to recover, most horses no longer need them at all.
A shod hoof is held rigidly against metal, cutting off the stimulation the hoof needs to stay healthy. Over time, this produces weaker horn material. Nail holes perforate the wall, cracks and fissures develop, and larger sections of horn can break away entirely. The hoof gradually loses its ability to bear weight the way it was designed to.
This is why there's a transition period — a window of time where the hoof sheds the effects of shoeing and grows back stronger, higher-quality material. It requires patience, but the results are lasting.
And there's no age limit. The hoof never stops producing horn material, so no horse is ever too old to make the change.
Prevention -Getting ahead of problems
The best hoof care doesn't wait for a crisis. Regular, correctly timed trimming is one of the most important things you can do for your horse's long-term health and quality of life.
Every horse is treated as an individual — their genetics, history, and any existing conditions all shape the approach. The goal isn't a one-size-fits-all trim; it's the best possible outcome for each specific hoof.
Conditions like navicular syndrome, laminitis, joint and cartilage disease, cracks, bruises, abscesses, and club foot are all familiar territory for a hoof specialist. In most cases, these aren't random misfortunes — they're the result of hoof deformations that have been developing quietly over time.
Catching and correcting those deformations early, before lameness or pain sets in, is far easier than treating them once they've taken hold.
A proper hoof assessment is the first step — and often the most important one.
Gallery
before and after treatment
For more photos click here
Testimonials
Jessica and Anabelle, Clinton Corners , NY
"My mare has been barefoot for almost 3 years now. Thanks to Nadine and her unique methods I have Evented her on all sorts of terrain. We hunter pace in the fall and she even walks on hard frozen ground with no struggle. She is more cautious about our footing and when we canter out in a wet field and I feel safer knowing she feels the ground. I have learned being barefoot, is more maintenance in a sense. Proper nutrients and keeping your horse on a tight schedule for trims are a must. Where I come from barefoot is not something people talk about as it is not an option for a top athlete such as an Eventer, Show Jumper, or Hunter. However, I think it is time for people to start caring more about their horses' bodies. I have never met a trimmer with Nadine's skills and there are barefoot lovers out there that have the right idea but they are still missing some of the key methods Nadine uses to keep the hoof balanced. I do not think I will ever find someone as talented as Nadine and I am looking forward to her starting a school so I can learn the proper techniques to keep my horses' hooves in the best condition possible. There is a great need to reeducate people about how the hoof should be treated and it is a skill I am eager to acquire."
"What a magician Nadine is! For the first time in 52 years, not one of my horses needs to wear shoes. This is due to her special trimming method. I am so pleased!"
Karen Juckas,
Juckas Stables, Bullville, NY
Beverly Budz,
Blue Arrow Farm, Pine Island
"It will be 4 years I have owned my Jewel, an 11-year-old quarter horse mare, and for 4 years I have been working with her feet. I did not realize Jewel had a club foot when I first got her but I quickly learned that she had major hoof issues. Until I met Nadine all I could do was keep Jewel comfortable while trying to find the answer to fix her. I have tried: Cloud boots, special shoes, different medications, and salt soaks to name a few, all costly and very time-consuming. Three months ago, Nadine started working with Jewel and she has literally changed her life and mine. I used to fear when the farrier would come, cutting and shoeing would leave Jewel lame for days. When Nadine finishes working on Jewel with no cutting and no shoes my mare is comfortable and sound. Anyone looking for that answer to prayer when it comes to horses with hoof issues, Nadine with OrthoHoof is definitely the way to go!"
Sunny and his mom, Jo-Ann Floridia
"I met Nadine when my horse Sunny had been lame for almost two months. I had three veterinarians and two farriers check him. They all told me the same thing. He would require pain medication and stall rest. I was also told I would have to consider putting him down at some point. A friend told me about Nadine. She came and checked him. She told me he would get relief but she had to treat him monthly and I had to stop his bute. She explained her method was different than what we have in the US. I trusted her immediately. Sunny has not been lame for more than 18 months. He is being ridden and his hoof walls are almost normal. I cannot describe the depth of my gratitude for this Lady and her methods. I stopped crying and Sunny jumps and kicks on his way out to pasture."
FAQ
What does the ideal hoof look like?
A healthy hoof is one where weight is distributed evenly — every part of the hoof capsule bearing its share of the load at the moment the limb meets the ground. It's the internal structures within the hoof that ultimately determine its shape, which is why no two hooves are exactly alike.
Achieving that balance isn't about cutting the hoof wall down. It's about precision — using specific filing techniques to guide the hoof toward its natural, healthy form.
Is there a complete cure for laminitis?
Yes — and here's why.
Conventional thinking often frames laminitis as a story about the coffin bone rotating. But that's not quite what's happening. It's the hoof capsule that shifts around the bone — and that distinction matters enormously, because it means the changes are reversible.
With the right trimming approach, the hoof capsule can be guided back toward its correct position. Even horses with chronic laminitis can see meaningful improvement. How much recovery is possible depends on the extent of damage to the lamellar dermis, but in most cases, the best achievable condition is far better than owners expect.
Why the short intervals?
The hoof wall grows roughly 8mm per month. As new horn grows down, it's constantly being shaped by the forces the hoof meets on the ground — which can either work for the horse or against it, depending on how the hoof is balanced.
During treatment, the goal is to guide that new growth down in the right orientation, so the hoof gradually reshapes itself into a healthier form. But that process only works if the trimming keeps pace with the growth. Leave too long a gap, and negative forces have time to reassert themselves.
Short intervals aren't just a preference — they're what makes the correction possible in the first place.
Can every horse go barefoot?
Yes — and understanding why requires a little history.
Metal shoes were developed for a reason: when horses were worked for long hours on hard ground, their hooves wore down faster than they could grow back. Shoeing was a practical solution to a real problem. But for most modern horses, that problem simply doesn't exist in the same way.
Today there are better alternatives — temporary hoof protection options that guard against excess abrasion without the lasting downsides that metal shoes inevitably bring. And crucially, shoes make genuine hoof correction impossible. A hoof can't reshape itself when it's nailed to metal.
Once the hooves are properly rehabilitated through correct trimming, most horses no longer need any protection at all. For those that do — on particularly demanding terrain, or during the transition period — hoof boots offer effective, flexible coverage without interfering with the hoof's natural development.