From The Horse's Mouth

The Search for more Barefoot Trimmers and Natural Hoofcare Practitioners

EasyCare receives hundreds of e-mails and calls every month from horse owners that are looking for barefoot trimmers or natural hoof care practitioners in their area.  These horse owners have read about natural hoof care and are now ready to give it a try.  They need a barefoot trimmer to trim their horses and guide them through the process.  The problem is they can't find a trimmer in their area or all the trimmers in their area are booked solid. Crap!

I personally believe the biggest challenge to natural horse care and barefoot trimming is the number of natural hoof care professionals in the field. The current number of trimmers can't keep up with the demand of consumers who would like to have one or more of their horses trimmed in a barefoot style.  Most of the practitioners I know turn away more work than they take on.  The industry needs more trimmers! 

The only way to make more trimmers is to have more good certification courses and classes.  We have several good certification courses around the world and here in the USA but we need more.  The industry needs more courses and more trimmers.

I continue to hear great things about a professional trimming course offered in Australia.  The course sounds great and I've personally seen the beautiful work from several of the trimmers who have attended.

I've attached a blurb about the course below.  I believe if the USA complained enough we could get them to host a class over here on an annual basis? 

Equine Podiotherapy Course – 2009

Never a dull moment!

The new Diploma of Equine Podiotherapy course for 2009 commenced in October. The first block of practical lessons was held at Mayfield Barehoof Centre last month. Everyone had a great time and from the trimming skills already being displayed I am sure that there are going to be some fantastic Equine Podiotherapists ready to take their place as professionals in twelve months time.

Koalas:

The course is run in a rural area of Victoria Australia and students were treated to a meeting with one of the koalas that live on the property of Andrew and Nicole Bowe where the teaching facilities are based. The pictures were snapped by vet Alina Luff who is part of the class. Alina was taking pictures of one of the rehab horse’s hooves at the time when this little fellow strolled through the pasture where the more advanced rehab. cases live. Andrew Bowe whose Koala whispering failed him that time, had to carefully move one of the inquisitive rehab horses sideways off the koala who thought that the best place to hide from us was under this big brown “horse tree”!

The Melbourne Cup:

As the Melbourne Cup was held the day after the first block of lessons finished. Two of the students who travelled from Western Australia thought it would be a great chance to see the cup before catching a flight home. Tanja Hanish and Alina Luff pictured below having a great day. Alina said that it was very interesting and all in the name of furthering their knowledge as they spent a good deal of time discussing the hooves of the top horses! Donkeys Part of the training of an Equine Podiotherapist is learning to deal with donkey hooves. Donkeys are often kept as companion animals but sadly they don’t seem to get the regular hoof trimming they require, nor do they often get proper education so they can be a quite a challenge to trim.

Rob Little is one of the EPT group and although he has been trimming semi professionally for a while, he has not had to tackle “the donkey” up till now. I spotted his email posted to the Podiotherapy students and asked him if I could share it in our newsletter. I love Rob’s colourful way of writing and thought it was a great representation of the huge spectrum of cases that professional trimmers may meet.

Hi everyone, thanks for your responses on my posting of the donkey I now have further fuel for the fire.........  Today I visited an elderly gentleman who looked like the old ultra marathon runner Cliff Young who had a (wait for it) a DONKEY that he was worried about.  He explained to me as we drove over a hill that the plan was that he would distract the donkey with a piece of bread and then cuddle the donkey (which I found out was a headlock) while from a distance I was to approach with a hidden halter slip it over his head and bobs your uncle feet done, happy donkey.  All of this was going fine with my new found ultra marathon look alike friend cuddling the donkey and me approaching as if I was taking a walk in the park until.................... the donkey sees the halter. The

donkey (who had terribly bad feet) took off with my new friend still cuddling, down a hill at a speed and  agility resembling that of an African gazelle, taking out small and large trees as it went.  As I watched the donkey and my new friend disappear into the distance cuddling one another I couldn’t help marvel at 2 totally different things.

1. How the hell does a donkey that had flippers for feet move like that.

2. Why the hell did my new friend not let go!

Anyway the donkey unfortunately never got trimmed, and my new friend only suffered superficial cuts. I know this is a serious chat site so I shall desist with my donkey bashing and only post relative and insightful commentary from now on.

-This is Rob signing off.

And Elephants!

While we are speaking of being asked to do the out of the ordinary .....one of the first group of EPT students from two years ago, Yvonne Taylor from WA has just returned from a trip to Africa where she as asked to deliver workshops to train farriers in natural hoof care practices. She was also asked by her hosts to assist one of their other animals. She explained it was a little outside her training but because there was no one else around with a file, and Yvonne not being one to shy away from helping a creature in need, she did just that!

Chris Ware

EPT Course Co-ordinator

www.equinepodiotherapy.com.au

email [email protected]

Ph. 02 6493 6944

New hoof boot video page

We have a new hoof boot video page up and running.  The page allows you to view sizing, fitting and removal by each product.

Take a look at the new page here. 

Barefoot horses and barefoot people

Take a look at the similarities between barefoot people/horses and what's going on in the running shoe industry.

"Recent research suggests that for all their high-tech features, modern running shoes may not actually do much to improve a runner’s performance or prevent injuries. Some runners are convinced that they are better off with shoes that are little more than thin gloves for the feet — or with no shoes at all."

Check these shoes out here. 

Pete Ramey's Under The Horse DVD gets rave review

Big news!  Pete Ramey's Under the Horse DVD series gets a very important review from the American Farriers Journal.  The barefoot concept is definitely not a fad but a concept accepted by even the brightest thinkers in the horse industry.

"Pete Ramey’s set of DVD’s is without a doubt a must-have series for any equine professional farrier or horse owner. While he is an advocate of barefoot trimming, there are many ideas that you can learn from this package regardless of how you trim and shoe horses. In these 10 DVD’s, Pete Ramey spends 16 hours covering topics ranging from basic anatomy, biomechanics, nutrition, laminitis, navicular issues and problem feet. All are discussed in a clear, no-nonsense approach.
This series is filled with detailed information that all equine professionals can use. Everything is explained in such a way that everyone can benefit from Ramey’s knowledge and learn new ways to unlock tremendous healing powers from the horse’s hooves. It focuses on the ability to demonstrate the steps that are needed to drive a pathological hoof toward a healthier state. A combination of contemporary veterinary research and practical real-world field work will help viewers arrive at sound protocols that can be put to immediate use with any horse.
In 9 hours of classroom instruction, you’ll learn about the mechanics of trimming and how to effectively bring positive changes to the hoof over time. You’ll also develop a deep understanding of the internal hoof structure and see how it impacts a horse’s performance.
Following the lecture portion, you’ll view 7 hours of trimming on live horses suffering from a wide range of hoof concerns. This includes assorted breeds, a foundered mule and a draft horse. Finally, the DVD walks you step-by-step through an emergency call with a laminitic horse suffering from a 20-degree rotation. You’ll evaluate the trimming and progress during a number of visits with this laminitic horse.
Pete Ramey offers wisdom and insight that his years of practice and study have given him. If you own only one shoeing DVD series, this should be it."
American Farriers Journal May/June 2008 issue

Barefoot Downunder and Dr. Robert Bowker

EasyCare and EasyCare Downunder recently helped cover the travel costs of Professor Robert Bowker to Australia.  While in Australia Dr. Bowker helped educate a group of equine podiotherapists.  Learn more about the event here.

Future Australian Equine Podiotherapists – Class of 2008.

Back Row: Helen Watson, Martin Goodwin, Andrew Buchan, Sue Daniell, Jade Meadmore, Deanna Buchan, Joanne Hill

Middle Row: Karen Gready, Geoff Brookman, Trish Buchan, Barbara Utech, Audrey Dickins, Francis Hughes, Raymond Eade, Duncan McLaughlin, Rob Howden

Front Row: Jeane Dekter, Marie Farr, Rebecca Scott, Professor Robert Bowker (lecturer), Yvonne Taylor, Mike Ware (lecturer), Adrianna Della Franca, Andrew Bowe (lecturer).

 

Pete Ramey's "Under The Horse" DVD Series

EasyCare will soon be selling the "Under The Horse" DVD series produced by Pete and Ivy Ramey.  The 10 disc DVD set is filled with information and an incredible bargain at $250.00. 

"This video is designed to teach equine professionals and horse owners new ways to recognize and treat hoof pathology. It focuses on the ability to identify and recognize a truly healthy equine foot and demonstrates steps taken to drive a pathological hoof towards a healthier state. The combination of contemporary veterinary research with practical, real-world field work presented will enable viewers to arrive at sound, valuable protocols that can be used immediately to benefit the horse."

Check our online store next week to order your DVD.

Future and growth of barefoot

The concept of keeping horses barefoot has gained a great deal of acceptance over the past 5 years but I believe the main thing that will limit continued growth is the lack of qualified, knowledgeable hoof care practitioners.  Many people would like to keep their horses barefoot and work with a local practitioner but there are simply not enough practitioners.

I have access to a very good practitioner in Tucson Arizona.  She has taken several courses in different trimming and natural hoof care techniques, is dependable and is also knowledgeable about what is happening in the industry. We are lucky to have her.

I currently have my horses in Durango Colorado for the summer months while I concentrate on the research and development of two new hoof boot designs.  Before coming to Durango I sent out several e-mails looking for a good practitioner in my area.  I couldn't find anyone for several hundred miles.  I was both disappointed and a little concerned for the future of barefoot. 

Although I would prefer to have the best trimmer possible take care of my horses, I do have the ability to keep my horses feet in pretty good shape.  I have personally attended two Pete Ramey Clinics and did a one on one trimming day with Jaime Jackson.   I have all the tools and stands but still prefer to have someone trim my horses who spends more time under a horse. 

EasyCare has decided to help alleviate the "lack of practitioner" problem by offering scholarship money to practitioner courses.  We have finalized a scholarship program with The Equine Sciences Academy and hope to partner with the other practitioner courses in the near future.