MATT RANNSTROM is a trade registered farrier in Victoria, Australia and a passionate advocate for horses’ wellbeing.
His infatuation with horses began in the teenage years. Since then he has dedicated his life to learning about all aspects of care. Training as a farrier began with stud work trimming across eastern Australia, then progressed to working with some of the leaders in the trade. Thru these mentors, he gained experience in the art of blacksmithing, creating hand made shoes for working Clydesdales, sliders for the western mob and therapeutic shoes to enable the recovery of various hoof problems.
After spending over 10 years servicing the Racing industry, Matt started to focus on bodywork and nutrition as being equally important as hoof care in keeping horses “sound” .
The early work hand making shoes from straight bar instilled an understanding of “breakover” and “balance“, which are also two very important principles for trimming the foot. As time progressed, he came to understand that many so called “hoof issues” were not occurring in isolation, rather there are other factors at work.
By continually asking questions and having the care of regular clients for years/ decades, Matt has been able to test and develop strategies to help most of the common problems that horses suffer from today.
An important part of working on the feet is the cooperation of the animal, a favourite saying is “You can’t do quality work on a moving target“.
Training or more specifically understanding where the horse is at mentally, is an integral part of the job . Often referred to as a horse whisperer, Matt’s connection to horses has been a journey from conventional training methods to now a deeper understanding of the mind thru Bodywork and developing trust.
After being in the industry for over 30 years, Matt is now committed to education, sharing the knowledge so horse owners can problem solve issues and help their equines. There are many labels in the industry, farrier, home trimmer, barefooter etc ; and much discussion as to who is better. Ideally one should keep learning, regardless of your initial training, there is so so much more. After mastering all aspects of hoof care, these days Matt prefers to refer to himself as a Hoof Technician.