Beth Lewis (Ossipee, N.H.)
A few years ago I found my eventing gelding struggling with his health in several ways. He was getting older, yes, but for some reason his health was declining far more rapidly then I felt it should. I quickly discovered a lot of his health problems stemmed from a poor diet, something I thought was fine. He had been on a highly-recommended performance horse feed, so I assumed it was fine. It was vet recommended, so it must have been fine. Sadly, years of poor diet caught up to him before I was able to meet my current farrier Beth Lewis, but he is happily retired and healthier then he’s ever been thanks to the knowledge Beth shares. Lucky for my current dressage horse and every future horse, I found Beth and continue to learn from her everyday! Beth focuses on feeding the hoof, as well as balancing it to the hoof structure rather then to the shoe. She looks at each horse as an individual and trims them in whatever way is best for their comfort and long-term soundness.
I found that when we focus on feeding the hoof, we also in turn feed the athlete. Since meeting Beth, I have learned about each important vitamin and mineral required to form a healthy hoof. I have also learned about how to balance these in my horse’s diet to ensure he gets the right amount of everything he needs. Once you find the right balance for your horse, they transform into a new healthier, stronger and happier version of themselves. Even my 23-year-old looks like he’s 13 again! Beth’s method of feeding the hoof may not be the conventional way of feeding yet, but quickly people are discovering how much healthier their horses are. I know I will never go back to managing horses the way I used to.
Not only is Beth a wealth of knowledge to anyone who seeks her help, but she’s also incredibly kind and willing to help in anyway she can. She truly cares about her clients and wants to see their horses become happier and healthier. Beth backs up all of her information with years of experience and research. And if she doesn’t know the answer to a question she has a plethora of nutritionist, vets, specialist and her fellow ferries that she will reach out to in order to get an answer.
Beth has also started to teach me how to trim my own horses and to know how well a trim was done. I have gained so much knowledge from Beth and hope to share what she has taught me with all of my future students and clients.
I am so proud to say my young dressage horse is shod in composite shoes by Beth Lewis!
— Kathryn Phair, (Dover, N.H.)