At first a reluctant convert to the barefoot horse, I'm now one of its biggest advocates in New Zealand.

Having worked as a traditional Farrier for many years, I came to barefoot work kicking and screaming when my wife decided she didn't want steel shoes on her horses any more and was going to ride in boots — I didn't even know there was such a thing.

At first, I refused to even look at any of the information she gave me, so in 2012 she booked the two of us to attend the inaugural Functional Hoof Conference in Melbourne, Australia.

The conference was so good I didn't even want to get up and go to the toilet in case I missed something. Following this Conference Renegade Hoof Boots asked me to become a dealer in New Zealand.

And so the journey began...

I am a traditional farrier.

For more years than I can remember I have worked shoeing and looking after horses' hooves.

I have attended many workshops and seminars about the craft of the Farrier, and met many overseas Farriers and Veterinarians. This experience and knowledge base has helped me greatly in the transition to barefoot work.

Recently I have started doing Clinics myself. Teaching how to look after your horses hooves in conjunction with your Farrier / Trimmer. The focus is on trimming for hoof boots.

You can sign up for news about upcoming workshops

I believe hoof boots are the future.

Horses are happier when they wear hoof boots. I am convinced by the evidence I see daily.

We use hoofboots on all the horses we have at home; they haven't worn steel shoes since 2009. I will never put steel shoes on our horses ever again.

Our horses are Endurance Horses and I believe the anti concussive factor of boots has helped keep our horses sound and healthy.

I visited the Renegade team in the U.S. to learn first hand.

I wanted to learn all I could about Renegade hoof boots, so I travelled to Arizona in July of 2012 to spend time studying with the team who designed them.

I had the privilege of meeting and spending time with Kirt and Gina Lander (founders of the Renegade Hoof Boot) and helping out on the Tevis cup – the world's best known and most difficult Equestrian Endurance Ride. Working with Chad Larson I helped Karen Chaton successfully get through that 100 mile (160km) ride — Karen rode in standard Renegade strap on boots that year.