Frank Tobias             Natural Farrier

Frank riding with Buck Brannaman at McGinnis Meadows Ranch in Montana.  

Frank "Toby" Tobias began his career as a natural farrier unexpectedly in 2002, when his wife Lauren was unhappy with how difficult it was to keep her own horse sound.  She had been told that her horse had to have shoes in order to jump, but that didn't ring true to her experiences growing up riding horses that never needed shoes.  So Frank set out to educate himself in order to take care of the family's horses. 

In the process, he discovered that the years he spent in the business of restoring vintage racecars -- including acquiring skills as a metal fabricator -- would help him to understand the biomechanics of the hoof.  He studied with master hoof care specialist Pete Ramey and with Jaime Jackson, widely considered to be the father of natural hoof care.   And in 2005, Frank was certified as a hoof care specialist and field instructor with the American Association of Hoof Care Practitioners, still the only natural farrier in South Florida to become certified.

As his ability to keep his own horses sound grew, word spread and others wanted to get on the "list".  His practice grew and became a full time profession for Frank, who has continued to educate himself on the most current techniques in hoof trimming and the prevention and care of horses contending with founder, laminitis, navicular, and other painful diseases of the hoof.

 In 2005 and 2007, Frank attended the International Conference on Laminitis, where he studied with, among others, international laminitis expert Dr. Christopher Pollitt and equine nutrition researcher Kathryn Watts.  While there, Frank spent time with fellow participants Pete Ramey and Gene Ovncek, discussing issues of the hoof with them and with veterinarian researchers from around the world, including the veterinary school at the University of Pennsylvania.   The constantly evolving research on laminitis  continues to point to the dire need to control the intake of carbohydrates in our horses' diet.  For a full discussion of this important research, visit Dr. Pollitt's website.   

Performance Horses

Horses maintained by Frank include performance horses in a myriad of competitive sports:  distance and endurance riding, dressage, hunter/jumpers, cow horses, trail horses, pleasure horses.  Frank's client horses include just about every breed imaginable, from Thoroughbreds to Freisians, Quarter Horses to ponies, Arabians to Paints, Tennessee Walking Horses to Warmbloods, Mustangs to Fjords, Connemaras to Belgians.  And everything in between.

 In 2008, Frank was invited to present a clinic on natural hoof and horsecare and horses in motion at the annual conference of the Southeastern Distance Riders Association (SEDRA).

Pete Ramey

There is no doubt that Frank's key teacher and mentor is Pete Ramey.  Riding with Pete as he trimmed horses near his home in the mountains of North Georgia, and spending hours discussing all the influences on the hoof with Pete, has helped to shape Frank's ability to care for horses' hooves here in South Florida.  Learn more about Pete's approach at Hoofrehab.com.