Beginning in the summer of 2010 I have refocused on Body Work and “Restorative Training and Riding” with Jill Wilcox. I will continue to offer “Learn to Trim Your Horse” clinics to owners and help people on-line, however.
Locally, I encourage you to contact my two friends and colleagues. Like farriers, not all trimmers are equally gifted. Buyer Beware. If you aren’t local I have another article directing you to resources. As I update this (11/2010) I would check out AHA, which is very small, and Equine Science Academy, for students or grads.
Kate Simmer took over my practice. She began trimming her own QH, Eddie, in 2007 and has studied with barefoot farrier Laura Florence. She is excellent with horses. I will post her email shortly.
Barefoot Farrier Laura Florence left a 7 year career at New Bolton to begin a private barefoot practice. She has seen everything and I sent the more complicated cases to her.
“Learn to Trim Your Horse” On-line
Body worker Hoppy Stearn and head of Equine Touch Jock Ruddock have said that horses trimmed by their owners have fewer body problems and less severe ones. Keeping the feet balanced on a weekly or every other week basis is huge.
I encourage all owners to learn how to reapply the mustang roll on a weekly basis. Distorted and pathological hooves quickly become beautiful and healthy with regular care. Since I began in 2004, I have come across only TWO horses who had correct hooves. Shoes and unnatural trims distort hooves and effect not only feet and gait but the health of your horse.
“Learn to Trim Your Horse” Clinics
I offer a power point presentation followed by trimming a horse in the late afternoon and I will try to answer questions you have over dinner. We may want to view a DVD by Pete Ramey also. I will stay in the area for a long weekend and work with each participant on her horse. The group is invited to watch and learn during every trim. Suggested Cost: $100 with horse. $50 audit. $50 to trim additional horses. I will bring rasps and Hoof Jacks as needed. Flexible fees for students and rescues. About 10 students usually are needed to cover the airfare. A local organizer must pull things together for me. Again the price is flexible; I would like to come home with a minimum of $500 in my pocket. My intent is to help horses and their people. I will do body work on as many horses as I can, before trimming. Straight Horse, then Straight Hooves. I expect each group of attendees to then create a support group. Help each other. Help others. It’s the only ways we can help all the horses who need us! You Can Do It!
Hi I am really tired of looking for shoers that dont know how to trim,
I lost my shoer because she moved and now well me and my son want to
do it ourselves, I loved your video and would like more information,
on how to trim we dont shoe they are barefoot so any suggestions. Thanks
Eiaron
Hi Eiaron,
Nice to hear from you. I was a trimmer from ’02-’10 (now into training as PT for horse) and spring after spring, former clients would call me to say that their vet commented on how gorgeous their horse’s feet were! The vets would never believe the owner did them. Sadly, one after another vet, thought it was a fluke. That owner was special. That horse was special. And on and on. Very sad really. I say trimming hooves is just part of grooming and I can promise you even with a couple mistakes, you will do a better job than the shoer. After all I am minutes from Olympic Land (Unionville, Penna.) and the home base of U. of Penn New Bolton Center (site of the Barbaro disaster) and I never see any good feet here. If not here, where?
If I had to whittle this down to a few simple thoughts:
1. Since the horse lands on the back of his foot, he absolutely must have a healthy frog. I do not routinely trim the frog but I will tidy it up when necessary. I clean my horse’s feet every day. (Where we are it’s too wet to leave them packed) and I very carefully pick around the frog. Make sure there are no flaps or cracks that can trap debris which down the road help create thrush. You can even trim flaps with super good Kitchen Scissors. Just remove what you have to and the horse will exfoliate his frog when he wants to. I have an inexpensive list of treatment solutions on my site. But treat like your life depended on it until you have a healthy frog. No “butt cracks” (see front page photo) on any foot, ever. Treat until they are healthy. Most people stop treating the second the horse doesn’t flink from picking. Wrong. Treat until the frog looks good. Where I am its a real challenge as we are some type of wet for 10 months! And it won’t even hurt healthy feet to have a weekly soak. (recipes in article)
2. Put the mustang roll on the edge of your horse’s feet. 45 degrees, top and bottom. I have grown out a feet that were flared from the hairline. I never took a thing off the top side of the outer wall; normally I trim up the outer wall 1/3. Still that full flare grew out in one hoof growth without any problem. Horse was 100% sound the entire time. I have to get those pics up!
3. If you would like to send me photos of picked out, scrubbed feet on a clean surface, I would be glad to comment. I suggest photo angles in one of my articles. Just check the photos as you take them. If the light is wrong, take again. Also taking photos after every trim will be very helpful as you can check your work. If possible trim with a friend who can coach you. (They hold the horse, you trim.) The charge is whatever you would like to donate. Paypal is on my front page.
4. Most horses will over time ride out on the surface they live on. If you horse gets short strided, Ouch that hurts! just get a pair of boots (with the money you aren’t paying the shoer!). Easy Care Epics with a black 1/2″ pad work for a majority of the horses. Talk to customer service about measuring and fitting. When you put them on without pads for fitting, they should not rotate. Wear them with pads though. Pads essentially give your horse the Back of Foot, he needs to grow again. My horse was in padded Epics from age 7-11. He hacks out in barefeet but if we go to a rocky place, back go the boots. He was a racehorse.
I hope this helps. Get yourself a good rasp. I like the Black Master now. If you are young and/or strong you won’t even need a hoof jack. I showed you many hand holds in the videos. Just tidy up the feet every week or two and you won’t have much work. The horse will, over time, grow the feet he wants.
If you decide to send photos my email is 4sweet.feet@gmail.com
Dawn
hi dawn, i love your youtube videos. you did a wonderful job. good communicator…sofia
Thanks Sofia.
I am so glad you liked them. I had hoped to make more but my volunteer editor is now too busy. I did treat myself to a camcorder but I don’t have a program to do a good editing. It’s not that easy to get folks to film me either!
Yet, Hope springs eternal.
I would like to do just an overview on clicker training and how you can use it with any riding style or just for fun. The other one I would like to do is evaluating hooves. I think that’s really important. Take care and don’t be a stranger!
Dawn
My sister and I found your video’s very helpful and we have spent a lot of time watching them We are over in England and there is a lot less owner bare foot trimming over here
Super! Glad I could help. I just finished a new article for Easy Care Boots. Check out their blog. I think you will like it.
Cheers! Dawn