The Horse's Hoof

What The Horse's Hoof does

The Horse's Hoof is a privately held, founder-operated educational content and services business serving barefoot horse owners in North America. Founded in 2000 in Phoenix, Arizona by Yvonne Welz (owner/editor) and James Welz (co-founder, certified barefoot hoof care professional) and operated under the Texas LLC Wishing Welz Equine LLC, the company has operated continuously for 26 years and relocated to Marlin, Texas in April 2026. Its core assets are an editorial content archive built around The Horse's Hoof Magazine (80 back issues published from 2000 to 2020), the free monthly Barefoot News e-newsletter delivered via Mailchimp (launched 2023), the main thehorseshoof.com website, and the Hoof Help Online membership platform (rebuilt onto Mighty Networks in 2023). The publication features contributions from recognized barefoot hoof experts and historically drove the company's authority in the natural barefoot hoof movement.

The business generates revenue through a fragmented mix of small digital and service streams: paid membership fees for Hoof Help Online, ongoing back-issue sales of the legacy magazine, webstore product sales (including Dr. Strasser books and related hoof care items), regional barefoot trimming services performed by James Welz in Central Texas, and regional bitless/barefoot riding lessons offered by Yvonne Welz through Heart to Hoof Horsemanship. The go-to-market motion is community-led and content-driven, with top-of-funnel awareness generated through the website, social channels (Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube), and word-of-mouth, and mid-funnel conversion via the free newsletter and the membership site. Pricing for paid tiers is not publicly disclosed; the newsletter is free and the membership pricing is unspecified. The company has no external funding, no employees beyond the two founders, no enterprise customers, and no AI/technology capabilities beyond standard content and email platforms, making it a lifestyle-scale niche publishing and services business rather than a venture-scale operation.

Name

The Horse's Hoof

Legal name

Wishing Welz Equine LLC

Website

https://thehorseshoof.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Horse's Hoof is a founder-operated educational content and services business for barefoot horse owners, offering a 26-year archive of magazine issues, a free monthly newsletter, a paid membership platform, and regional trimming and riding services, serving individual equestrians across North America.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Equine Education Publishing

NAICS

Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services (81291)

SIC

Agricultural Prod-Livestock & Animal Specialties (200)

akta.pro primary industry

Shearing, Hoof Trimming & Grooming Services (Production Animals) (AFAEALAL)

Keywords

• Barefoot horse care
• Equine hoof trimming
• Natural horsemanship
• Equestrian education publishing
• Horse hoof care resources

Headquarters

HQ city

Avondale

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Magazine Subscriptions and Back Issues: Sale of The Horse's Hoof Magazine back issues and possibly subscriptions. The magazine ran for 20 years (80 issues) from 2000 to 2020.
2. Membership Site (Hoof Help Online): Premium membership platform on Mighty Networks providing extended barefoot hoof education and resources
3. Barefoot Trimming Services: James Welz provides professional barefoot hoof trimming services to clients in Central Texas area
4. Product Sales: Sale of recommended barefoot products through their webstore including Dr. Strasser's books and other hoof care products
5. Riding Lessons (Heart to Hoof Horsemanship): Yvonne Welz provides bitless and barefoot classical riding lessons using their school horses

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Horse's Hoof is a founder-operated equine education brand that publishes The Horse's Hoof Magazine (80 back issues from 2000 to 2020), the free monthly Barefoot News e-newsletter, the thehorseshoof.com content website, and Hoof Help Online, a paid membership community on Mighty Networks. The founders also provide professional barefoot hoof trimming services in Central Texas, bitless riding lessons through Heart to Hoof Horsemanship, and curate a small webstore of recommended hoof care products.

Product overview

The Horse's Hoof is a content publication business offering a suite of educational resources for barefoot horse owners. The core offerings include The Horse's Hoof Magazine (80+ back issues), the free monthly Barefoot News e-newsletter, and the main The Horse's Hoof website with articles and resources. Additional offerings include Hoof Help Online (a membership-based educational platform), a Recommended Products page, and professional barefoot trimming services by James Welz in Central Texas. The business was founded in 2000 to support the natural barefoot hoof care movement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Horse's Hoof Magazine Publication featuring 80 back issues (2000-2020) covering barefoot horses, natural horse care, and barefoot trimming topics for horse owners and equine professionals.
• Barefoot News E-Newsletter

Quantifiable outcome

• 10,000+ horse owners inspired to go barefoot since 2000
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• MailchimpcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMailchimp serves as the marketing platform for The Horse's Hoof's monthly newsletter 'Barefoot News'. Information is transferred to Mailchimp for processing email campaigns.
• World Bitless AssociationcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerYvonne Welz serves as an Associate Trainer with the World Bitless Association, promoting LIMA (Least Invasive Minimally Aversive) principles and positive reinforcement methods in horsemanship.
• Cavallo Hoof BootsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAfter The Horse's Hoof Magazine ended in late 2020, Carole Herder of Cavallo Hoof Boots offered Yvonne Welz a position on their team assisting with Customer Service.
• Mighty NetworkscoreTechnology or IntegrationHoof Help Online was rebuilt onto the Mighty Networks modern platform to provide continued hoof education and community features.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• EasyCare Inc. EasyCare is a leading manufacturer of hoof boots and glue-on hoof protection for barefoot and performance horses. It directly serves the same transitioning-to-barefoot owner segment that The Horse's Hoof educates, often appearing in the same educational and trimming conversations.
• Cavallo Hoof Boots: Cavallo Hoof Boots manufactures and sells hoof boots for barefoot and transitioning horses. It is an existing channel partner of The Horse's Hoof (Carole Herder offered Yvonne Welz a customer service role post-magazine) and serves the same barefoot horse owner customer base with complementary products.
• Holistic Horse: Holistic Horse publishes content on holistic and natural approaches to equine care, including hoof health, nutrition, and horsemanship. It competes for the same natural-horse-owner audience as The Horse's Hoof's content platform.
• Renegade Hoof Boots: Renegade Hoof Boots manufactures and sells hoof boots engineered for barefoot and natural hoof care. It serves the same barefoot horse owner market and overlaps with The Horse's Hoof's audience and educational mission.
• Equine Wellness Magazine: Equine Wellness Magazine is a multi-issue publication covering equine health, natural care, and horsemanship topics. It directly overlaps The Horse's Hoof's editorial and educational positioning for health-conscious horse owners.
• Scoot Boots: Scoot Boots designs and sells flexible hoof boots targeted at the barefoot horse community. It competes for the same end customer (owners transitioning to barefoot) and is frequently referenced alongside trimming education content such as The Horse's Hoof's.

Broad incumbents

• Equus Magazine: Equus is a long-established general-interest equine magazine covering health, training, and care across all horse owner segments. It is broader than The Horse's Hoof but competes for the same reader's attention and subscription dollars on overlapping natural-care topics.
• Horse & Rider Magazine: Horse & Rider is a mainstream equestrian publication covering riding, training, and horse care for a broad Western/English audience. It serves as an incumbent alternative to niche natural-care publishers like The Horse's Hoof.

Others

• American Hoof Association: The American Hoof Association is a professional and educational organization supporting hoof care practitioners, including those in natural barefoot trimming. It is an ecosystem participant rather than direct competitor, but operates in the same educational and professional-development space.
• Pacific Hoof Care Practitioners: Pacific Hoof Care Practitioners (PHCP) is a professional organization that educates and certifies hoof care providers, including in barefoot trimming. It is an adjacent ecosystem player providing practitioner training where The Horse's Hoof provides owner education.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TheHorsesHoof
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@HoofHelpOnline
• Facebookfacebook.com/TheHorsesHoof
• Instagraminstagram.com/the.horses.hoof

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Horse's Hoof