Since 2004, Nora has been deeply involved with horses - not only riding them, but also participating in all aspects of equine management. Spending countless hours after school working in exchange for riding lessons, Nora was able to gain a unique perspective on what happens to horses the other 23 hours a day they are not being ridden - unsurprisingly, those other 23 hours have a huge impact on horses’ health and happiness!

After years of hoping to have a horse one day, she got a job in IT while studying engineering at Oregon State University in Corvallis, OR. Nora finally was able to (barely) afford a horse of her very own. In a tale as old as time, a girl with a big dream joined forces with a spirited, athletic horse fresh off the racetrack. Foolstone (AKA Druzy, the dark bay in most photos here) was (and is) a stunningly beautiful horse, but has been troubled by various health issues either completely discounted as normal or accepted as something unchangeable and unfixable by the majority of professional peers at the time.

Poor Druzy joined Nora in Corvallis in 2019 and spent the first several wet fall/winter/spring seasons with Nora battling dozens of hoof abscesses - sometimes with multiple in each hoof. Advice and solutions from vets and farriers included use of caustic topical treatments and shoeing with leather pads under steel shoes to 'cover' the whole foot and 'block' abscesses from forming.

The vet explained that in the PNW there is bad bacteria in the mud, which some horses are genetically more susceptible to, and strongly recommended a full set of shoes with leather pads. But Nora wondered, how could a cover over the hoof block bacteria (famously microscopic) from entering the hoof capsule?  Topical treatments also could not be applied well when there was a covering over the foot. Other horses in the barn did get hoof abscesses as well, but never at this alarming rate. WHY was Druzy susceptible to this ailment? Was it truly a genetic defect? None of the solutions offered worked very well, and Nora started to get desperate.

The abscesses were explained away with a diagnosis of genetics - genetically thin soles, predisposition for reactions to the bacteria, and poor hoof quality. Druzy was shod with the expensive custom steel shoes with leather pads every wet season, and the vet and farrier wanted her to wear these indefinitely. After a year in this package, Druzy's caudal hoof started to fail, with heels shooting forward and under - so the leather pads were "upgraded" to wedge pads. 

Nora knew something wasn't adding up. This was not sustainable for Druzy long-term. Nora spent a lot of time seeking different answers - and what she learned flipped a lot of what she thought she knew on its head. The FIRST step was a diet overhaul - though many young healthy horses won't get laminitis from too much sugar, conventional grain diets still have a lot of other negative side effects. Additionally, nutritionally balanced minerals and hay are the best ways to support healthy hooves. Secondly, Druzy needed more movement - her 20'x12' "run" was not adequate for encouraging movement and bloodflow. In 2021, Nora and Druzy moved to Clark County WA, offering an opportunity to make big management changes. 

Moving to Clark County also allowed Nora and Druzy to join Leslie Sabin's (Natural Hoofcare, AANHCP certified) client base, and quickly they were able to take Druzy's shoes off. Immediately there were improvements, and slowly but surely Druzy's REAL hooves started to grow in. In 2021 and 2022, Druzy saw a significant decrease in hoof abscesses and the few abscesses that formed healed quickly and easily. In 2023, Druzy only had one hoof abscess. In 2024, for the first time ever, Druzy did not have a single hoof abscess the whole year.

With guidance from Leslie, Nora started trimming Druzy's hooves herself. Leslie gifted Nora her first set of tools and lots of helpful advice. When she retired, Nora was not yet ready to fully embark in hoofcare without further professional guidance and became a client of Danielle Parker (Evergreen Barefoot Hoofcare). Dani has also been extremely influential to Nora's hoofcare education. Thank you Leslie and Dani!

In 2024, Nora and her partner Wyatt were able to found Breezeblock Farm with the goal of providing Druzy and her friends with the best possible horse-centric lifestyle. Breezeblock Farm is at the forefront of change in the equine industry, and it is a very exciting time to be a part of this shift. At the beginning of 2025, Nora finally decided to take the plunge into professional-level hoofcare and began her official certification process with PHCP..