Ambassador Introduction: Luna and Hvalur

Say hello to Luna and Hvalur, our new ambassadors!

Hi, I’m Luna from Germany and this is my Icelandic horse Hvalur. He was born in the Icelandic wilderness and is a very independent horse; he knows he will be just fine on his own, so getting him to work with me is a case of persuading him, never forcing. He’s the kind of horse that needs to see the sense in an exercise, otherwise he will simply refuse to participate. But once he is interested in something and sees the human as his ally, not a threat, he turns into the most willing, determined, enthusiastic, loyal and protective horse I know!

Our favourite thing to do together is trail riding and hiking. We often spend whole weekends exploring the forests and mountains around my home. He is not keen on being ridden in an arena, so there we focus on dressage and trick training only on the ground, which he really likes.

Hvalur lives in a big paddock trail which is already pretty nice, but I am always looking for ways to improve his living conditions.

In the past I’ve participated in a trimming course for horse owners and learnt about hoof physiology and care. However, I’m still having issues with hoof wall separation and a few other things, which is why I think I’m missing some things and want to learn a whole lot more!

I applied to become an ambassador for the Holistic Hoof Care courses, because studying hooves and hoof health has made me realise what a hugely underestimated topic proper hoof care is, and just how many horses walk around with terrible hooves. I think every horse owner should have at least basic knowledge about hoof care and should be able to recognise problems or pathologies in hooves.

I am deeply fascinated by hooves and want to learn as much as I can about them. I am observing my horse’s hooves carefully and notice recurring growth patterns and seasonal differences. I am driven by a deep desire to understand what these patterns mean, how they develop and how the condition of the hooves and rest of the body influence each other.