“Bare Hooves and Open Hearts” tells the story of my chequered journey from traditional competitive eventer towards a more thoughtful and holistic type of equestrianism. The book includes stories and guidance based on experience around barefoot performance, healthy diet, sustainable horse keeping, mindset and horse-human connection.
I am a consultant surgeon at the Royal Liverpool Hospital and a keen amateur equestrian. Paddy, my first event horse, was as cheap as chips and came with a fearsome reputation. Part of that reputation was that he hated the farrier. His feet were weak and crumbly, wouldn’t hold shoes, and he absolutely hated the whole process of being shod. When he kicked our “horse whispering” farriers across the yard, and we had to sedate him to get the shoes on, I wondered if there could be another way.
I did some reading and took the plunge, to barefoot, and he went from strength to strength, growing incredible rock crunching feet. We went on to qualify for several riding club championships, and he was still sound and eventing aged 20.
My second horse, Cal, had terrible feet when I bought him, and he broke his carpal bone tripping over his long toes in the field. Once he was rehabbed back into full work, I was determined to avoid the concussive effects of metal horseshoes. I knew from my experiences with Paddy that barefoot eventing could work. But Cal is a sturdy Irish Sport horse with flat dinner plate feet, and getting him sound and comfortable on all surfaces was a challenge. All the learning, the emotional, psychological and intellectual investment, the changes in lifestyle and horse husbandry that I had to make to get Cal’s feet functional, became the subject of this book. I wanted to share the learning, to spare others the pain and the expense.
When I took Paddy’s shoes off, I chose to challenge accepted dogma and tradition. I chose to put my horse’s needs before my own aspirations. I listened to my horse and I relinquished my agenda for the health of my horse. On that day, my relationship with all my future horses changed completely. There is no recognition in law, or indeed in Equine Science, that these magnificent animals might actually be sentient beings, capable of communicating with us if we could only listen. Once you start listening, once you offer the animal a voice, an opinion and a say in the relationship, the bond you forge is like no other.”
Jane Yorke’s blurb for the riding club draw:
“A little about Fran McNicol’s book, ‘Bare Hooves and Open Hearts’ : The journey to barefoot horses and sustainable fields. How and why horses benefit from going barefoot. Feeding the barefoot horse. Re-wilding your fields to grow food for your barefoot horse. How to pasture the barefoot horse.
Bare Hooves and Open Hearts: Tales from Nelipot Cottage is the author’s story of her journey from horse-mad child, to goal-orientated doctor training horses for competition, to listening to her horses and learning from them about life and love.
‘We have high standards that govern how we keep animals in zoos. We legislate to ensure they have space, suitable food, and social interaction with their own kind. Yet somehow we do not apply the same minimum welfare standards to our domestic animals. Leisure horses undoubtedly suffer in human care. They demonstrate stereotypical behaviours, like weaving and crib-biting, associated with confinement and stress. The supplement market is awash with calming powders and digestive health remedies. Equine vets are busy investigating mystery lameness and treating sports horses for gastric ulcers.
What if we could keep our beloved horses in a way that is governed by their needs, rather than our convenience? What if we could offer horses a life that fulfils their needs for friends, forage, and freedom, as well as our goals and desires? This seems a fair exchange in return for allowing us to share their grace ad beauty. A healthy, happy, and sound horse would be a partner in a dream come true.”
Fran McNicol bought her first horse at the age of 32. She was a surgical trainee, with a good salary, and an aspiration to compete in amateur one-day eventing. Paddy was a dark bay, almost black, a good jumper and an elegant mover, with a troubled past. He didn’t know what apples or carrots were for, didn’t much like cuddles, and was generally suspicious of humans. And he hated the whole process of being shod. She tried to work with him because after all, horses need shoes to be ridden? don’t they?…..
You need to get a copy of this book if you want to read on!”
Other Endorsements, Reviews and Messages
Paul Robinson
Fran employs her innate empathy and sensitivity to her horses needs and combines this with a reasoned, evidence-based approach informed by her background in medicine. This not only allows her to confidently eschew accepted dogma and opinion, but increase her horses’ functionality and performance and, most importantly, deepen their sense of wellbeing. A fascinating read.
Stephan Longworth Author of ‘Prepare for take-off in NWM’- Speaker & Coach.
Top surgeon and author, Fran McNicol’s New book is educational, often funny and a thought-provoking insight into the world of horses. Bare Hooves & Open Hearts is full of invaluable lessons and a fascinating Must Read, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and would recommend it to everyone. The information shines though from a sincere and authentic person who lives and breathes horses.
Emma Bailey, Equine Hoofcare Professional, Liberated Horsemanship Mentor.
If you’re drawn to the ideals of natural horsekeeping and seek inspiration to break away from unhealthy traditions, this book is the perfect place to start.
Patricia Bade van Motman, President HJE Holland BV and European Hunter Jumper Equitation Foundation
Friends, forage, and freedom! This may be a pivotal moment for me. I can’t wait to put it into practice. Thank you, Truly thank you.
Tania Kindersley of the Red Mare
Fran McNicol has a passion for the scientific method, a love of horses and a deep curiosity about the world. She is constantly searching for knowledge and wisdom that will make the lives of her horses better. Her quest to improve the physical and mental health of her horses never ends. Her journey is a voyage of discovery, and one senses that it will continue to take her in many fascinating new directions.
Genie Petrovits Nordskog of Petroglyph Publishing
Anyone curious about the far-reaching benefits of regenerative agriculture or the unquestionable value of a healthy gut biome will find plenty of evidence here. Fran McNicol chronicles the courage and tenacity it took to listen to her instincts and question “the way things are done.” I particularly appreciate her explanation of why positive training techniques work better for her than punitive methods and her honesty about the challenges she encountered while seeking a holistic solution rather than a quick fix for her horses’ hoof health issues.
The wisdom of Fran’s barefoot journey is relevant outside the stable as well, applicable to interpersonal relationships, parenting, personal health, and animal husbandry in general.
Peter Corbett
I read this slim book in one sitting. It is full of fascinating and well researched facts about the physiology, psychology, behaviour and care of horses as well as their various diets and how it is that wild horses seem to thrive so well despite being unshod and rarely having access to grass. The author is clearly a knowledgeable, open minded and caring horse owner who is not too proud to accept the advice of experts, despite her own clear expertise.
The book’s overall message is that we should listen to the wishes and needs of horses and respond to them in a way that works for both them and us rather than simply giving them the job of meeting our demands. The amount of information about hooves alone is particularly impressive. I found the whole book fascinating even though I am not a horsey person myself. Thoroughly recommended for horsey and non-horsey people alike.
Dr Mark Johnston
Fascinating read, Fran uses her personal story with her trials and trepidations. At the heart of this is an encouragement for the reader to put the horses needs before their own. The quest to deliver holistic care, clearly requires effort and a struggle against “modern norms” giving it an almost underdog element, but through Fran’s journey she evidences the rewards seen and ends with much happier relationship between human and animal. There are no shortcuts here, I would be surprised if anyone could read this book and not find her points convincing.
Dr George Nita
A fantastic read, superbly written, valuable life lessons not only applicable to equestrianism.
Jenny Black
I purchased this book for my fifteen year old granddaughter whose whole life is devoted to her horses. I read the book before sending it to Isla and, even though my knowledge of the equine world is almost nil, I thoroughly enjoyed it. It is extremely interesting and well written by someone who is obviously passionate about the subject. A really good read for all, not just horse lovers.
Carol York from “Putting in the Magic”
Loved this book. I am so glad someone has stuck her head above the parapet and challenged the outmoded beliefs so many horse people still cling to. And I can back up everything she says with my own personal experience. Well done Fran McNicol.
Cheryl Thomas
I loved reading your book it makes for a very interesting read for those of us that have our horses shod all year. It certainly has me questioning some things that I have always done – thinking I am doing my best for my horse. It is making me read it again xx
Marianne Sodemann of ISNHCP Denmark
Each one of us truly believes that what one does for one’s horse is the right thing, even though we care for our horses in very different ways. What if we all started with the horse’s needs, before our own needs and convenience? Fran McNicol is a surgeon, MD, an experienced event rider and long time horse owner. She navigates between facts and empirical evidence on one side and myths and beliefs on the other, thereby scrutinising dogma and traditions among horse owners, trainers, riders, breeders, vets, farriers, and horse food manufacturers. She encourages all horse enthusiasts to seek information and to keep learning!
Some of Fran McNicol’s many take-aways are: Do horses need lush green grass? Not at all. The horse should eat a forage-based diet.The high sugar and starch content in many grasses and bagged foods is bad for the hindgut microbiome and causes laminitis in the hooves.
Is a stable a suitable boarding for a horse? No. It’s in the horse’s DNA to be on the move constantly and always together with other horses. Solitary confinement in stables and small paddocks is against the basic needs of the species.
Do horses need metal shoes to perform? No. It’s in the horse’s DNA to be barefoot, when diet and environment meet the basic needs of the species.
Can horses be illogical or act deliberately bad? No, horses respond for a reason, typically an underlying pain. Based on these facts, does your horse live a full and satisfying life in horse terms? Fran McNicol’s book “Bare Hooves and Open Hearts” is an enlightening and entertaining must-have for all horse lovers.
Kim Walnes, the Way of the Horse
An easy, engaging, and informative read. I stayed up 2 nights reading this, and learned a lot about natural horse keeping. Fran speaks from experience about the trials and tribulations so many horse owners are experiencing with the shift in equine needs due to how unbalanced our human views have become. Horses do not necessarily have to have shoes to be functional, and the land used for pasture and hay do not need commercial fertilizers. Weeds are essential to a horse’s health, but so many stables around the world focus on appearance rather than function. As a result, the horses suffer. Fran’s book is illuminating, and opens the door for the reader to do further exploring into natural and holistic methods that truly nurture our equine partners.
Dr Carol Hughes, Phytorigins and the Equi-Biome Project
In our post Covid world, the postman often arrives with a box of ‘retail therapy’ both expected and enjoyed, but isn’t it a different experience altogether when you receive a surprise? And so it was last week, a handwritten parcel arrived, inside was a copy of Fran McNicol’s book ‘Bare Hooves and Open Hearts, tales from Nelipot Cottage’. The title itself is enough to cause a big smile, which continues as you read the reviews on the back and the foreword inside. The day just got a whole lot better; this is a book about stuff I love, horses, friends, freedom, health, and natural horsemanship.
Beautifully written and presented, a slim book (144 pages), I thought it would take a few days to read, but it’s just so full of insight, with links to further reading that need to be explored, it took much longer to digest and relish. Inevitably this inspirational and honest journey comes to an end with a compelling epilogue. Thank you, Fran, for putting your ‘bare heart on a sleeve’ and taking us with you on this journey, great respect my friend.
“Bare Hooves and Open Hearts” is the warts and all story of my journey into thoughtful and holistic equestrianism, with lots of practical tips and hints and recommended reading around barefoot performance, healthy diet, sustainable horse keeping, mindset and connection.
Thanks a million to all who have bought the books already, and please keep sending messages. The most exciting and rewarding part of this journey has been ‘meeting’ new friends and kindred spirits around the world. If we are in conversation, then positive change can follow. Fabulous readers please do put your reviews on Amazon, the algorithm determines my exposure, and my sales.
