Our Story
Our Story
Lighthoof® was founded by Pacific Northwest horse owners Kelly and Dan Munro, lifelong equestrians and advocates for equine welfare and sustainable horsekeeping, with Dan bringing his engineering expertise to the company.
After years of managing unsafe mud conditions in paddocks, dry lots, and other high-traffic equine areas, they set out to create a more effective solution for horse footing and ground stabilization.
Kelly Munro is a lifelong rider, trainer, and farm owner with over a decade of hands-on experience designing and managing horse facilities. Her work centers on building practical, cost-effective systems that support both the physical and mental well-being of horses while remaining sustainable and manageable for barn owners.
Dan Munro brings additional technical authority as an Electrical Engineer with extensive experience in product design, materials science, and structural systems. Together, Kelly and Dan are trained and certified in:
- Green horsekeeping and sustainable land management
- Mud and erosion control for equine facilities
- Paddock, dry lot, and turnout design
- Equine nutrition and horse welfare
- Equine facility planning and layout
Like many horse owners in wet climates, Kelly and Dan experienced firsthand how traditional footing materials such as gravel, screenings, and bark failed under heavy use and inadequate drainage. Rather than accepting muddy and unsafe conditions as unavoidable, they began researching why footing systems lost structural integrity and blended into native soils.
Through extensive field testing, soil analysis, and real-world farm installations, they identified the root causes of paddock failure and developed a superior solution, a ground stabilization system engineered specifically for horses.
In 2012, this work culminated in the launch of Lighthoof®, a patent-pending paddock base stabilization system designed to improve drainage, prevent erosion, and reduce the risk of footing-related injuries. Manufactured under Light Equine Innovations, Lighthoof’s flexible soil stabilization panels are adapted from proven U.S. Army Corps of Engineers technology originally designed to support safe access across unstable terrain, now optimized for equine environments.
Why Lighthoof Works for Horses
Lighthoof systems are engineered specifically for equine facilities and provide clear advantages:
- Safer underfoot than gravel alternative mud management products or bare mud
- Faster and more affordable to install
- More durable than unsupported footing materials
- Designed for long-term performance in wet climates
- Environmentally responsible and horse-friendly
Every Lighthoof system is developed with horse safety, land stewardship, and real-world farm conditions in mind, supporting healthier footing, cleaner horses, and more usable turnout areas year-round.
Our Mission
Our mission is to eliminate unsafe mud conditions in equine environments by providing durable, horse-safe ground stabilization solutions rooted in real-world experience and sound engineering. We are committed to improving horse welfare, supporting responsible land management, and helping barn owners create safer, more functional facilities that perform reliably in all seasons.