Jen Rakas heals Illinois horses — mind, body, and soul.

16 years ago, Jen Rakas started trimming horse hooves without the use of metal shoes.

Now, her business takes her across Illinois to visit farms with horses in need of her unique approach to hoof care. What began as a personal journey into healing her own animals with unconventional methods grew into Hoof & Body Solutions -- Rakas' farrier and osteopath service.

Jen Rakas finishes off a client horse's hoof with her rasp at a farm in Newark, Illinois on April 9, 2025. Rakas' business, Hoof & Body Solutions, services horse owners and equestrian facilities around northern Illinois. (Photo by Riley Sommers)

Rakas uses her nippers to cut excess hoof from the toe of a horse at a farm in northern Illinois on April 9, 2025. Rakas grew up owning and riding her own horses, and she taught herself to trim hooves when her personal horse began to have issues with her hooves. (Photo by Riley Sommers)

Rakas grew her business with advertising and publishing articles, but now enjoys keeping her clientele limited so she can focus on helping each horse she works with as well as her own animals at home.

She still struggles with work-life balance, she said, but finds time for herself by being at home in her safe space with her horse, donkeys and dogs.

Rakas gives a Haflinger mare a kiss while holding her hoof stand at Equine Dreams on Friday, April 18, 2025. Rakas has been trimming the hooves of many of the same horses for years, and she is always happy to see her regular clients. (Photo by Riley Sommers)

Rakas rests a horse's hoof on her trimming stand at a farm in northern Illinois on April 9, 2025. Rakas has been trimming horse hooves for over 16 years, and she has recently expanded her business to include equine massage and bodywork to help sport horses feel their best. (Photo by Riley Sommers)

Rakas said she would tell her younger self, in the face of starting a new practice in a male-dominated industry, "you did it."

"People in my past would say, 'that's just a little hobby.' It's not a hobby," she said.

She said she would want to tell herself: "Don't be afraid to be you, don't be afraid to tell it like it is ... stand up for yourself. Say it, do it. You got it."

Rakas takes a moment to examine the hind hooves of a horse named Shae at Equine Dreams in Illinois on Friday, April 18, 2025. During a trim, Rakas often examines the angles and quality of a horse's hooves in order to find the best approach. (Photo by Riley Sommers)

Rakas holds a hoof knife and examines a hoof while trimming at a farm in Newark, Illinois on April 9, 2025. Rakas chose to trim barefoot horses rather than use a traditional blacksmith's metal shoes in order to preserve a horse's natural movement. (Photo by Riley Sommers)

Rakas rests a hand on the senior horse she is trimming at Equine Dreams while speaking with a volunteer on Friday, April 18, 2025. Rakas typically trims between six and 12 horses a day at each farm she visits. (Photo by Riley Sommers)