Bar Star Ranch & Rehab, Inc

07/14/2026

Baby feet need trimmed, too! Hoof balance is just as important, if not more, in the early weeks as it is when you are riding them.

Jester got his first trim today. He wasn't sure about my little grinder, but it was great for a quick rasp and getting the foot back to him.

I found it really interesting how twisted the heels on his hind feet were already. Rasping the heels really helped bring them back closer to even. Hopefully that prevents some hoof and body issues as he grows.

06/20/2026

Progress. The feet are changing. Heels are coming back, toes are shortening, the bull nosed look on the hind feet is gone and palmar angles are improving. He is no longer standing like a goat on a rock...he can stand square & keep his hind feet back under his hip joint.

I'm not a pro. I just have a passion in this area and really enjoy the learning. And I'm no longer afraid to try. I owe what I've learned to Joel Brown and appreciate his willingness to share his knowledge.

If I can learn how to make changes for the better, so can you. Even if you dont want to do the work yourself, take some time to understand what is healthy and proper for your horse.

Listen to your horse. Pay attention to how easy/hard it is to lift his feet. Does he shift his weight? Does he pull his foot away? Does he rest a hind foot while you have a front foot up? Watch how he moves.

Squirrel used to fight over his feet. Now he gently lets me have them. That tells me the changes I have made are positive for him and thats what matters!

I work on a few outside horses if I feel I can be of benefit to your horse. 🫠😉

05/28/2026

Give to Lincoln Day is active through the end of the month. This is our 2nd year participating.

Our mission includes providing educational and clinic setting opportunities for people to learn and to advance their horsemanship skills.

We also provide riding lessons which often consist of kids who would otherwise not have an opportunity to experience horses. Many live inside the city limits of Lincoln or surrounding communities and eventually join our 4H club, using Bar Star horses at the Lancaster County Fair. This year, we even have kids showing Bar Star goats and chickens!

Horses do more than teach people how to ride. They empower people, provide opportunities to build friendships with other riders, teach about responsibility and accountability, and heal hearts in so many ways...

Another of our missions is for rehab and rescue to select horses who come our way. They often stay here within the lesson program and if they are not suited for our interests, I find them a great home to continue serving their purpose.

If you feel called to help us out with a donation, we greatly appreciate your support. Funds raised help support opportunities for the kids and adults who come our way...this Friday, we are again partnering with Camp Outpost and hosting some kids from Omaha who may have nevwr experienced horses before, or at least not up close and personal.

(Donations are tax deductible and for 2026, you get a tax break for donations even if you dont itemize on your return.)

Thank you in advance for your consideration of our organization. We appreciate all who support us.

Working to Empower Youth, Adults & Horses through Education, Lessons, Competition & Equine Rehab

05/21/2026

🐎 Bar Star Ranch & Rescue, Inc (501c3) is again participating in the annual Give to Lincoln Day.

Please check out the link to read more of what we are about. 🐎

💥 Our mission is to empower youth and adults alike in their horsemanship and personal journeys through our lesson program, clinics, educational opportunities, competition team, 4H group, and the general community of Bar Star. 💥

Funds raised this year will help us acquire some equipment to help keep the older lesson horses feeling their best and we will use funds to provide additional learning opportunities for the kids who come our way.

We have goals of adding a Theraplate to the barn and one day we hope to add an Equine Aquatred. I do a lot of work with these horses to keep them feeling their best and I share my knowledge with the kids so they may apply skills to their own horses or help with the Bar Star horses.

👨‍👦The comradarie youth develop here is second to none. They develop friendships that will last a lifetime and their self esteem and confidence blossoms quickly. 👩‍👦

Those who want to learn and experience horses are welcome here. Adults often find healing here, just spending time with the animals, or by working thru fears/trauma they have carried awhile. Its been an amazing side benefit in the development of our programs. 😉

If you feel called to support our work and our mission, please click the link and consider donating to Bar Star Ranch & Rescue, Inc (501c3).

Working to Empower Youth, Adults & Horses through Education, Lessons, Competition & Equine Rehab

05/03/2026

Things dont always have to remain as they are...

04/25/2026

I took a quick look at a horse today to assess balance. She had been recently trimmed so the plan is to trim her in 4 weeks. However...
..this Front Left stood out as a problem hoof. Its an issue I have seen a few times already in my early journey into hoof trimming. The quarters are left with too much sole material that is crying to come out, the heels are too high and the heels were left squared off. You can see from the green line I added that the coronet band is also being shoved up because the wall directly below that area is being left too long.

So...I trimmed a little from the heels thru the quarters to adjust the heel height, add a little "slippering" to round the heels slightly and I took some of the wall down where it is all jamming the coronet band up. I didnt touch the toe.

A healthy hoof has a shape and it isnt a blocky clubby looking foot.

Stay tuned for Oakley's hoof journey.

04/22/2026

From one horseowner to another, I'm holding an impromptu workshop on Sunday for anyone interested in learning more about the basics of hoofcare. Knowing how to assess the health of your horse's feet is an important aspect of caring for a horse.

We'll talk about things like thrush and white line disease, parts of the hoof, what a balanced hoof should look like and how to map a horse's foot to help identify imbalances along with other things I look at when trimming their feet.

You will get the chance to measure and map together and then we will discuss your findings. I'll also share with you the horses that started this part of my journey with horses.

Class size is limited.

04/17/2026

Teaching the next generation.

I will have a clinic/workshop coming soon to go over some hoof care basics... things like parts of the hoof, how to map the bottom of the foot for symmetry, measuring angles, ways to help check for balance in the foot, treating & preventing thrush, common hoof care tools horse owners should have, a simple check for NPA and what NPA is and why it matters, and whatever else I think to share. 😉

Participants will get the chance to assess different horses and discuss their findings. My goal is for you to become more aware of seeing feet, what is healthy and what balance means in hoof care.

Stay tuned for a date and details.

04/10/2026

I dont always share a lot of my hoof photos...namely because I forget to take them. But...I am SO excited about this foot. It has a lot of issues, medial/lateral balance and compromised soft tissue being a couple of them. This horse belongs to a friend/client of mine. We have been wrapping this foot with a hoof cast and some additional material to address the M/L imbalance and we have cut the imbalance in half.

But, the horse will work on what it needs to when it needs to. So, this mare has been putting a lot of energy into her soft tissue. You can see this by the development of the soft tissue/heels and how the new hoof growth is coming in much farther back than the old hoof. This will eventually help bring the heels back and get her angles where they really need to be and get them stood up off the ground.

Its not easy work and I dont always have the answers but the #1 rule is to listen to the horse. I try hard and the reward is in seeing them put in the work to heal.

I'm almost 55 and committed to learning how to fix hoof issues. If I can learn this stuff, so can you. Get involved in understanding proper balance for your horses. Learn what it means to have the hoof centered over the axis of the frog and how that helps the bones above the hoof with their alignment.