Free online course in hoof care

ErinR76 · Free online course in hoof care

Ok so I know its about hoof care. But some of you might not 'be worried' about hoof care, saying, "I got a great farrier." Super! But you can't go wrong being informed! Pass this around to all your horse friends too!

http://www.equinesoundness.com/onlinestudentcourse.htm

becdubie

The free online course link seems to go nowhere.... Have you had any luck signing up?

learningthedance

becdubie

Elise....thank you for reading all the words for me. I was just clicking around on links trying to find somethign that would ask me to sign-up.

learningthedance

LOL No problem. I wanted to sign up to.

ErinR76

Did y'all get signed up? I read several folders worth last night. Most of it was review for me. I hope to fill in some holes or even learn a lot! We'll see!

Kim Cassidy

Free information doesn't always equate to good information

This is a Strasser based site. Beware.

becdubie

Thank you Kim. Could you elaborate what is not good about Strasser method? Honestly I don't know.

learningthedance

They also incorporate Jamie Jacksons works and Dr Robert Bowkers research. I am sure there are others too. Sounds like they have studied from many (as we all should) and taken what works best for them and combined that into one program.

I think that Strasser, in the wrong hands (as with anything) can be harsh. I think too many people take her "rehabilitation" protocol, and try to apply it to horses in the wrong setting and without the proper training. Her "basic" trim and "gradually" getting back, is what seems to get over looked and even I was guilty of that. Although I still think it's too aggressive where the bars are concerned in most cases.You have to keep in mind, she is a veterinarian, so her facility utilizes an arena lined with rubber mats, soaking booths, around the clock care and like I say, she is a vet. Put her rehab trim in the hands of a back yard trimmer though, and your asking for major problems and a very painful, cruel situation for a horse.

I agree that most of this is review, and I wasn't very impressed with the basic trim. Too much taken from the back of that foot and the frog. I don't really agree with the angles thing either, since each foot is an individual, and should be treated as such, IMO, Conformation has to be taken into account too, but I am sure there are some jewels of info in there some where.

I like the analogy of the "Easter Egg Hunt" that Nancy used on the other thread. Take what makes sense and leave the rest.

I also like the idea of discussing the material. Pro's, con's, danger zones, and what really makes sense. Don't throw the baby out with the bath water.

ErinR76

Point taken! The anatomy information is really good, (that's all I've gotten into so far!) and they do show some good looking criteria to look for in healthy feet and you can see healthy vs. unhealthy, and that alone would be worth it for people to take away.

gaitinalong

Thanks for the reviews and saving me some time.

I've read enough about Strasser to know she isn't someone I would want to listen to.

I hate to say this but natural hoof trims and natural horsemanship have been around forever. I learned both from my Grandpap who would be about 125 by now; a generation ahead of the Dorrance Brothers.

It is amazing to me, all the things he taught me as child regarding training and trimming that these modern-day Gurus of each tout as "new".

The methods are far from new. They are merely rediscovered and someone figured out how to capitalize on them and market them to new horse owners that don't have anyone else to turn to for help and instruction.

It's a shame all of this has gotten so far out of control that many horses are beginning to be the ones paying for it.

When I first watched the Ramey DVD's that someone loaned me, I kept silently commenting "yes, I know that; yeah that's not new" yadda yadda yadda.

He was telling me everything I had learned from my grandad. The only thing I wasn't familiar with were the clinical words and terms and how to do such agressive rolls on the horses that need it and whose hooves are healthy enough to tolerate it.

It turns out I have been trimming my horses correctly, via the "natural" methods all these years but I couldn't begin to technically tell anyone why.

So thanks again for saving me time from going to that site. I have a metabolic horse who is starting to deal with melanoma nodules in his ears and around one eye.

My research time is better served trying to figure out if there is a way to hollistically help him since the vet says it's better to not operate unless they start growing fast or break open. I am wondering if there's a way to dissolve them before they grow out of control or the roots to them go down into his brain.

ErinR76

it's my thread, I can hijack it if I want to:

you said, " I have a metabolic horse who is starting to deal with melanoma nodules in his ears and around one eye."

Do you think the two are related?

My gray mare has a melanoma nodule under the skin of the right ear, about the size of a chicken egg. So far I think I'm going to have it removed soon. So keep me informed on your research; inquiring minds want to know!!!

PasoBaby_CarolU

Since you hijacked it already, I have a gray mare with melanomas for11 years already. No problems and no compications. She has no metabolic problems - all tests negative, and has excellent hooves. I just say this because sometimes there is a link and other times none.

Clarissa

gaitinalong

ErinR76

Alright y'all, so don't follow the trim advice, but the anatomy and nutrition etc information is worthy.

ErinR76

Hey I learned something new! I always knew that ponies have denser/harder hooves than big horses but I didn't know why. I learned that the number of papillae which produce hoof horn is the same in all horses! Perhaps this also explains why draft horses have such shelly feet sometimes....the papillae is the same number of them for a larger area!