Laura Florence

Laura Florence has had an affinity for horses since early childhood. Her earliest days were filled with drawing horses, pretending to be a horse, and begging her parents for any kind of equid; horse, donkey or mule! Years later, after earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting from the University of New Mexico, Laura found herself looking for work to support her pursuit of an art career. She knew she wanted to work with horses. In a series of serendipitous events, her career path was changed.

In 1993, Laura apprenticed with a farrier in New Mexico and became an American Farrier’s Association Certified Farrier. She began her own business, serving a wide variety of clients, from backyard companions to competitive sport horses. She developed a keen interest in lameness issues and worked closely with veterinarians on hoof problems including laminitis. In 2000, Laura relocated to Chester County, PA and joined University of Pennsylvania, New Bolton Center Farrier Service. As Resident Farrier for seven years, Laura honed her skills while treating a broad range of hoof diseases. Whether working alongside veterinary surgeons in the operating room, assisting clinicians during lameness evaluations, or treating laminitis, Laura’s approach was thoughtful, reasoned and creative.

Ever inquisitive, Laura continued to seek more information about the nature and function of the horse’s foot and how to best support this through proper hoof care. Through her observations and experience, it became increasingly evident that a natural approach to hoof care is key to restoring and maintaining optimum hoof structure. These conclusions produced more questions, which led her to the semi-feral pony herd at New Bolton Center. In 2003, as a Special Research Fellow of the Dorothy Russell Havermeyer Foundation, Laura began a research project describing the characteristics and morphology of the hoof within this herd of semi-feral ponies. Using over 30 different measurements and characteristic evaluations to describe the hoof and its changes, data from this project is producing some of the first quantitative descriptions of the “natural” foot.

In 2007, Laura left New Bolton Center to begin a private practice dedicated to the rehabilitation and maintenance of the horse’s hoof through a holistic approach. Drawing upon her extensive knowledge and experience, Laura carefully assesses each horse’s individual needs. With the horse’s wellbeing as the central focus, Laura works collaboratively with owners, veterinarians, homeopaths, acupuncturists, chiropractors and massage therapists to achieve optimum results.

Holistic Hoof Care now offers a new modality for supporting optimum health of the horse. Laura is a Certified Level 1 Practitioner in Equine Positional Release (EPR). Equine Positional Release (EPR) is a manual therapy using non-force techniques and movement away from pain to achieve joint stabilization, soft tissue repair and postural re-education. EPR can be used to prevent injuries and to aid in the treatment of injuries including muscle, joint, neck, shoulder, back and leg problems; hoof problems and rehabilitation; problems with movement and gait patterns and reduced performance. EPR is especially effective in conjunction with hoof rehabilitation and chronic compensation.