25 September, 2023
There are people who still speak ill of the F-Balance® concept and the F-Balance® system. Most of them are people who do not understand the concept or know little about it. Therefore, I would like to explain it properly.
What is F-Balance®?
In case anyone is not familiar with the F-Balance® concept: F-Balance® means taking into account the functional sole (or level 0) in combination with the longitudinal flexibility of the hoof. That's all, and this is something new. Many people might say: this is old, it has always been like this. But if someone thinks this is old, I am willing to be proved with literature that is not my own.
On this concept, I have written some books and created the F-Balance® system, just to protect it. Because if someone understands it incorrectly, things can go wrong.
The F-Balance® concept is a basis. What concerns work on the frog, on the toe, on the sole, on the heels, or on any structure of the foot, that is not part of the F-Balance® concept, but what we learn from other professionals and what I have learned during more than 30 years as a farrier podiatrist and hoof trimmer.
As in any school or in any discipline, if we do it wrong or understand it incorrectly, it doesn't work, and the horses will pay the consequences. There are always people who misunderstand something and, in that case, the concept might not be applied correctly.
We take the functional sole or level 0 as a reference and work on that basis. I repeat, the functional sole level is only a reference point. From that reference point we apply whatever brings comfort to the horse. We move between levels 0, +1, +2 or +3.
The F-Balance® concept delivers positive results when the hoofs are sound. If people make mistakes and, in addition, the hoofs are not healthy, then it will be difficult for the horse to be comfortable. In that case, it is not the concept itself that is wrong, but how people apply it.
Every hoof is flexible and has its limits. This means that the concept is always present. It is not a concept that belongs to me, it belongs to the horse.

'F-Balance doesn't work'
I often hear: "I tried it three times and it doesn't work". Interestingly, these people have not attended one of my courses, bought or read my book on F-Balance® or taken the Theorie online course. If they hear the concept somewhere and then apply it incorrectly, that is to the detriment of the horse. You have to know how to apply it correctly to get positive results. The good news here is that the concept is very simple, you just have to change the way you look at the horse's foot.
All over the world, the concept has brought a lot of success to those who apply it correctly. We have already helped thousands of horses. If applied in the wrong way, the results could be negative, but this applies to any school and any trimming technique. It is usually what the trainee does that goes wrong, not what the teacher teaches. Responsibility must be taken in that sense.
F-Balance® in comparison to other techniques
Nowadays, there are many trimming techniques and methods that strive to help horses, and there are also professionals who make a living out of it. They do their best to teach it, and professionals and horse owners learn from them. For me, all methods are important. I will not badmouth any school, because they are all doing their best. We are helping people and horses. We can all learn from each other. That is very important for me.

Too long toes on hooves trimmed with F-Balance®?
I often hear this too: "On F-Balance®, the toes or the hoof are too long". This is mainly a visual issue. Many schools rasp the hoofs from above and make the hoof look shorter, but this is only a visual appearance, because the important thing is where the breaking point of passing or rolling is. Seeing the hoof short in appearance is a visual issue, but knowing where the rolling point is is a matter of biomechanics.
If you follow my Instagram or Facebook, you will see the pictures: you can see the rolling point clearly. That's the important point. If it looks shorter or longer from above, it's just a visual thing. The hoof is the way it is. It cannot be trimmed to taste because it could cause lameness or other problems.
The important thing is that we work on the hoof from the sole view, from a biomechanical perspective. The contact of the outer and middle walls to the ground is eliminated, leaving the internal wall for landing, and from above only the hypertrophic wall is rasped, and parallel to the wall. The crucial point is the rolling point, which can only be controlled from below. What you see from above is only a visual matter.
I learn from everyone. There are many hoof specialists who do a great job, and I learn from them. Then I apply it on the basis of the F-Balance® concept and try to simplify it so that everyone can learn it easily.
Today, many owners do the work themselves because they have learned and understood it, and they are very satisfied with the results.

Critiques of the F-Balance® learning system
Every school has its own system for teaching content. I have developed my own system of teaching so that people can do it themselves in the best possible way. We run intensive, two-day practical courses after the students have learned the theory online. This works very well at the moment and is available in English, Spanish and German.
Students learn the theory in our online theory course and then, if they wish, because nothing is mandatory, they can do the practical course. They can attend as beginners and then they can opt for the professional certification to enter our training system. Having entered the system, we offer them support through our website and our search engine. Active professional certificates become visible in our podiatrist search engine, from where they are contacted by horse owners.
I do my best to make the system work properly. At the moment we have the best training system. I don't know if everything is perfect, but we are constantly working to improve it. I come from the traditional school, and sometimes the students coming out of there still don't work properly in trimming hooves. So who is to blame, the teacher or the student? The school cannot be criticised if the student does not do things properly. This is similar to getting a driving licence. We provide a license, but then it is the driver's responsibility on how he/she drives.
Leave the hoofs barefoot or wear horseshoes?
In this profession, whoever can communicate better always wins. But in the end, it is the horse that speaks and decides if it is comfortable. If the horse shows that something is not working, we have to think about how to do it differently. Luckily, in this profession we have many tools at our disposal. We can leave our hooves barefoot, wear boots or use glued or nailed-on shoes. However, whatever we use, we must do it right (see also my blog article: Nails or barefoot hooves?), because even with shoes or barefoot, if we do it wrong, it will not be good for the horse.
Conclusion on the criticism of the F-Balance® concept
Every two years, I travel all over Germany and do a consulting tour, explaining what I do and how owners can do it better. If anyone has questions, please do not write a negative review without asking me first. Just contact me, write or call me and say: 'Daniel, I don't understand this. Can you explain it to me? People say different things about the F-Balance® concept and system. I get a lot of questions and queries, from all over the world. I always try to answer them all and I hope I can help in that way.
I want to achieve something good for people and horses. I want anyone who teaches F-Balance® or other concepts to be able to do so with peace of mind and for everyone to be successful. If not all professionals adopt F-Balance, that's completely fine. I always recommend my students to explore other concepts and techniques as well, as everyone can learn from everyone else. That is very important for me and for the horse.
Updated on 24 October 2023