Articles:

What is Natural Hoof Trimming?

Why not horseshoes?

Keeping a Healthy Horse

Hoof Problems

How To Feed The Feet Right Off Of Your Horse

Tools You Will Need to Perform a Maintenance Trim

Looking for Custom Made Farrier Chaps?

Resources

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Are you farriers?

A. No, we are not farriers at all. By definition a farrier is a person who puts metal shoes on horses, ponies, donkeys and mules, technically a blacksmith. This practice goes against the foundation of natural hoof care. Natural hoof trimming intends to trim and shape the hoof to mimic the condition of natural hooves found on wild horses. Putting shoes on a horse is NOT natural and therefore we are not farriers. WE DO NOT PUT SHOES ON HORSES...although we do work with hoof boots.

Q. Are you certified?

A. No. We have been looking into certification and have found that Natural Hoof Trimming is so new (about 5 or 6 years old) that there are very few institutions that provide certification. Institutions that do have certification programs are generally not affiliated with colleges or farrier schools yet and are mainly being provided by private organizations that claim to know what they are doing. The most promising organization is the AHA (American Hoof Association) founded by Pete Ramey. We are considering AHA certification and have begun the certification process.

Q. How did you get started?

A. We got started by having trouble getting farriers to come out and trim our horses. The farriers in our area are so busy that many of them don't have time to stop for 1 or 2 horses that need a simple trim, and tend to focus on where they can make the most money...putting on shoes for clients with many animals. We couldn't blame them for trying to make a living, but our horses still needed their feet trimmed. As we spoke with more horse owners we found that several area farriers were either retiring or getting out of the business for one reason or another, so we saw a need. We began researching, reading, and practicing on our own, and friends horses. Once we felt competent we started trimming professionally for people like you...

Q. How did you learn to perform Barefoot Natural Hoof Trimming?We originally located and purchased a video called, "The 10 Minute Trim" by an Australian company called Quantum Savvy. In it we were taken through the basics of a barefoot hoof trim and given some tips about how to deal with flares and other relatively minor hoof conditions. From there we found Jaime Jackson's and Pete Ramey's books and videos, where we gained the bulk of our knowledge and have been applying it to horses ever since with excellent results. We have also widely studied the internet and have researched information provided by several natural hoof trimmers. We are also constantly researching the latest information on veterinary care and we also study conventional farrier practices, just so we know what common practices are.

In addition we attended a two day clinic presented by Pete Ramey in October of 2007. In this clinic we were brought up to date on the cutting edge research being done by Dr. Robert Bowker of Michigan State University, Dr. Chris Pollitt of the University of Queensland Australia, and Katy Watts of Rocky Mountain Research and Consulting. This clinic covered all aspects of horse care relating to overall health and specifically how it applied to the feet.

Q. Why is my horse limping or tender-footed after a trim?

There can be numerous reasons for this and it is more than likely we spoke with you about them during the trimming session. Some of the more common reasons are:

• Length of time since the last trim. If it has been over 8 weeks since the last trim, the hoof walls probably exhibit excessive growth, chipping, cracking, and flares. Putting the feet back in balance can cause the horse temporary discomfort. Tender soles and frogs are also common if the horse has not built good sole and frog callouses through lack of regular exercise, or has spent a lot of time on soft ground.
• Presence of infections. Many times during trimming we expose infections in the hoof, primarily Thrush, stretched white lines, and Seedy Toe. By exposing these infections, the feet may be tender after we remove dead, or infected tissue and treat the infections with anti-fungal agents. This usually passes in a couple of days. Ocassionally, due to the hoof condition, we may need to perform a more radical adjustments to attempt to correct certain conditions. Many times we will try to make these changes over several trims to try to prevent a dramatic change that will sore your horse. On ocassion these types of trims may leave your horse tender-footed for 1 to 2 weeks. We will consult with you and get your permission before doing such a trim on your horse and we will talk with you about fitting hoof boots to help the horse transition into a healthy barefoot condition.
• Laminitis/founder is quite common in our region and may also be present. We will tell you if we suspect symptoms in the hoof and point it out to you so that you are aware that something is going on with your horse. Laminitis can show up as blood in the sole, hoof wall, and/or white line, as tenderness in the sole, growth rings on the hoof wall and abnormal hoof wall growth. We will point it out to you and suggest that you contact your vet, and we will also suggest dietary and environmental changes to improve overall horse and hoof health.

Q. I have had horses for XX years and my farriers have never told me about any problems with my horses feet...!!??

We can't tell you how often we hear this from clients. We haven't spoken with many traditional farriers and we have also had horses for over 20 years. Our farriers didn't tell us our horses had hoof problems either, but since we started trimming we found our horses to have thrush, flared hoof walls, and chronic laminitis. One of our horses was also 200lbs overweight due to unlimited access to pasture grass and has foundered at least 2 times that we are aware of. We have since moved our horses into a dry paddock, have put them on grass hay and are working to eliminate problems with our horses feet.
So, why don't farriers tell you about problems? Allow me to quote a farrier, Tom Stovall, AFA Journeyman Farrier..."On a personal level, as a farrier of some experience, I easily recognize various pathologies; however, I'm not paid to diagnose pathologies, I'm paid to shoe horses. If, in the course of my labors, I see something that I think needs attention, I advise the trainer to call a vet; if necessary, on an emergency basis. If a vet determines that a pathology requires a special shoeing technique, *that's* what I'm paid to do."
That pretty much sums it up...they are paid to shoe horses and that's what they are going to do...period. There also appear to be some possible legal issues around diagnosing pathologies without a vet certification. Please understand that we have nothing against farriers or vets. They perform valuable services for millions of horse owners and are generally on the front line of hoof care in your horses life. We have simply taken a slightly different approach and philosophy toward the long term health of horses, which does not include nailing shoes onto horses feet.

We also don't want to wait until your horse is dead lame before we alert you of an impending problem. Many problems we see are fairly minor and can be resolved with regular trimming, diet management and the occassional use of anti-fungals. But we are going to tell you anyway, so that you have the option and awareness to contact a vet if you feel that you need a professional opinion. We would rather tell you too much and be wrong, than not tell you enough and have your horse go lame while under our care.

See the resources page for more information on books and videos.