Living most of his life in the southwest, Tristan is familiar with the biomes and challenges many horses face in this region. Having a long history as a horse trainer, caretaker, and hoof care practitioner, Tristan’s knowledge of equines and various modalities has grown with the times. Having apprenticed and collaborated with different trainers, farriers, equine podiatrists, and veterinarians Tristan has a wide knowledge base. Most notable recent experience: a long-time collaboration/apprenticeship working closely with Dr Tomas Teskey on equine podiatry pathologies. Rehabilitating rescue horses with Ned Leigh through Kathy Oliver’s Sacred Peaks Equine Sanctuary.

The motive for getting into hoof care was Tristan’s late horse, Bud. Bud’s feet weren’t perfect by any means, and none of the answers Tristan could get from the farriers made a great deal of sense. Originally in 2006, Tristan started as an apprentice with a natural balance farrier, Brad Dirickson, who (for the time) had excellent methods. Tristan worked a few other short stints with farriers in the New Mexico hoof care scene, and spent some time training horses with Gene Harvey.

Upon coming to Arizona in 2010 Tristan forewent steel shoes entirely; the developments in equine podiatry and technological advancements in hoof boots left few reasons to continue traditional steel shoeing. Over his years in northern AZ, Tristan started working with trainers like Mark Bagby and Ned Leigh and meeting people like Dr Tomas Teskey. Seeing the results from applying everything he’s learned in his own horse and those of his clients, Tristan wants to share this success with others.

As a horse enthusiast, barefoot trimmer, and equine educator, Tristan loves horses, the relationships they have with us, and sees the complexity of how each facet of their health is reflected in this. He’s not going to show up, beat your horse, and create more problems. His handling and training methods focus on structured positive reinforcement promoting relationship building between you and your horse. He’s no stranger to behavioral issues, whether they stem from poor management, comfort/pain, or the horse is new to being handled. Tristan’s trimming modality echos teachings of Pete Ramey and Tomas Teskey and are holistic assessing diet, metabolism, movement, and terrain. We must treat the animal as a whole if we are to wholly treat it.