Simone Keller - Hoof Orthopedist

“The Goodsmith is my ace in the hole.”

1. About our Goodsmith partner

The Swiss-based hoof orthopedist (Huforthopädin) Simone Keller has been working in the hoof industry since 2014/15. Even before that, she shared her private life with horses. Since these were mostly barefoot, the most natural and species-appropriate keeping of horses had always been a given for Simone. It therefore made sense for her to choose training in hoof orthopedics. She was fascinated by how such a small part of the horse can have such a major impact on the entire system of the animal.

Today, everything in her life revolves around the care and protection of hooves, 7 days a week.

2. The path to the Klebebeschlag (glue-on shoe) and to Goodsmith

During her training, she met Mike Wicki, now also a Goodsmith partner, with whom she still works closely today. Through a Goodsmith workshop he ran after she had completed her training, Simone also discovered the special glue-on shoe for herself.

“My goal as an orthopedist is always for the horse to be able to move barefoot when it is not working. But I thought to myself, I'll take a look at it, and I was thrilled by how delicately I can work with the Goodsmith; especially with the adhesive. I don't need much of it, it holds well, and the horse moves fantastically.

The fact that Goodsmith has also given such thorough thought to natural break-over finally won me over. They have really put serious thought into this, I said to myself.”

“Since then, the Goodsmith has been my ace in the hole. In specific situations, the Goodsmith simply makes sense. That is why it has been part of my repertoire for several years now as a transitional solution for some horses.”

3. Goodsmith in Simone's practice

Simone mainly uses the glue-on shoe when horses start to walk tenderly and Hufschuhe (hoof boots) do not work for management reasons. For example, after a move from a box stall to an active stable. The hooves can then recover, thanks to the protection from excessive wear, until enough material has grown back so that the horse can once again handle its (new) everyday life barefoot. During this transitional period, the horse can fully integrate.

But Goodsmith is also used by her in cases of illness. A Friesian from her clientele had laminitis. During the day he was kept in an active stable, at night he was in a box stall. The owner had tried various unsatisfactory solutions and did not yet dare to let her horse walk barefoot again. With the final idea of using the Goodsmith, her horse moved better than ever before. In this case, Simone takes care exclusively of the gluing. The Friesian's original hoof care professional handles the direct hoof trimming. “With this client's horse, the application of the glue-on shoe exceeds my average glue-on duration of about 4 intervals. The Friesian is expected to wear the Goodsmith for two years. When I trim a hoof, as a hoof orthopedist I work along the lines of the barefoot hoof. If a glue-on shoe is needed for a longer period, I am happy to work with colleagues who specialize in hoof care for horses with permanent hoof protection.” This cooperation works perfectly.

For this year, the hoof care specialist also has two additional clients who will have a glue-on shoe applied transitionally for a trail ride on their horses.

4. Experiences with the quality of the glue-on shoe

“One single small difficulty, but by no means a harmful one, is for me the gluing height of the tabs. As an orthopedist, I don't really work on the hoof wall. I only go over the adhesive residue on the hoof wall with sandpaper. That is why I always mention that the durability of the tabs newly glued on top may be limited. But honestly, the glue-on shoes have held surprisingly well so far considering this.”

Since the hoof is an epidermis, attention should be paid to what kind of products are used. As the Goodsmith adhesive comes from human medicine, there are no concerns for the hoof orthopedist.

5. Application time, price & durability of a Klebebeschlag (glue-on shoe)

Of course, it always depends a little on the individual workload. Simone takes about 1 hour for a pair of Goodsmiths and charges 170 CHF - excluding hoof trimming. The prices are coordinated with colleagues in the area. She reuses the base plates several times.

On average, she keeps the Goodsmiths on the horse for a 4-week interval. “The glue-on shoe would definitely stay on the horse even longer, but I like to trim the hooves at my regular intervals. The Goodsmiths can also be removed well after four weeks. I never have any issues with hoof horn coming off with them either.”