Meet Meghan And Dan McGann | Hoofcare Practitioners

We had the good fortune of connecting with Meghan And Dan McGann and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Meghan and Dan, is there something you can share with us that those outside of the industry might not be aware of?
Not all horses need to wear metal shoes!

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Barefoot Solemates is a whole horse farrier practice. We specialize in transitioning horse from metal shoes to barefoot as well and rehabilitation trimming. We use postural analysis, biomechanics, radiology, and collaboration with the clients veterinarians to create a hoofcare plan for each horse. Our main goal is to preserve the horses comfort throughout the process. We focus on functional movement with an emphasis on a heel first landing with free and easy movement. We have been extremely successful in improving overall comfort of our horse clients. We have many horses that were slated to be euthanized and retired from all riding be able to return to full competition.
Initially we were met with a lot of skepticism from the community. Most horse owners are unaware that their current farrier packages are causing damage and pain to their horses. We have also had many veterinarians who were not educated about barefoot options. We have worked hard to develop trusting relationships with the local veterinary community and show how successful our methods are. As we continue to have success, our reputation has continued to grow. It has been wonderful to see the response of the equestrian community and how much word of mouth referrals can benefit our practice.
Working with The Center for Racehorse Retraining in Chugwater, Wyoming has given us the amazing opportunity to work with a large number of Thoroughbred horses with a focus on functional movement, open space, forage based diets, and large herd dynamics. Many of the horses in this program have been retired from sport due to pain and injury. We have had wonderful success in rehabilitating them. The large majority of these horses are able to be returned to ridden work and even returning to high level competition in all disciplines.
It has been an amazing journey so far. Learning that horses have a tremendous capacity to heal when given the proper support has been eye opening. Watching horses transition from painful movement to free flowing pain free strides has been a labor of love.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
We love to take friends and family to Center for Racehorse Retraining. Watching groups of horses run free through the Wyoming prairie is an experience like no other. We would then take them for dinner in Old Town Fort Collins or to our local small family diner in Wellington called the Wellington Grill. The next day we would take them up to Estes Park and for a drink at the Stanley Hotel. After that we would probably go a a walk down the North Fork of the Big Thompson River to fly fish for brook trout. We would probably finish the trip with a horseback trail ride around Horsetooth Reservoir.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
We have been lucky enough to have many mentors guiding us throughout our hoofcare journey. We would like to thank Dr. Allen Landes for setting us on a barefoot journey while trying to help our OTTB Skip N Fly. I would also like to thank Alex McKinley for allowing me to apprentice with her while completing my Progressive Hoofcare Practitioners certification. Their program has helped shape and guide our practice. Finally we would like to thank Kate Anderson and Center for Racehorse Retraining for giving us the support and push to continue to improve.

Instagram: @barefoot_solemates

Other: Barefoot Solemates (707) 999-1544

Image Credits
Daniel McGann