Should I go to a barefoot clinic...

[Amy]

At the Horse Expo in MD last month, my trainer and I sat in on the "Shoeless not Clueless" seminar. We were both very impressed and have talked about going to a 3 day clinic in March. Are any of you familiar with the "High Performance Trim" (HPT)? I have read several articles about how the hoof naturally works and it makes so much sense to me that barefoot would be more effective, however, Tango's front feet get very ouchy on any uneven terrain, and he seems to travel much better with front shoes. I guess he might be considered flat footed, in all my ignorance, that is the conclusion I have come to. The clinic is designed so that the horse owner should be able to apply this trim to their own horses by the end of the 3rd day, relying on a professional only when needed.

What do you guys think? Here is the link to Equine Podietry: www.thenaturalequine.com/IEP_20503/Page_1x.html

It seems to make sense, but I'm also a little skeptical...is this just because it's not conventional wisdom?

Thanks for your opinions!

[Smay]

..just go to the clinic barefoot? Either way - GO! And take copious notes. And report back here to us. That is your assignment, should you choose to accept it. Good luck.

[Amy]

;D

[ClaireLV]

Yes Go!!! There are lots of foot 'problems' here at the moment, we could all use another perspective. I'm all for trying to keep things natural, if and when appropriate.

[Linda]

And while you are at it..... Get your hands on the May/June 2002 issue of "The American Farriers Journal". There is an article, "A Table With All the Trimmings" that runs pages 1A to 15A (meant to be removed from the magazine) that is inserted between pages 60 and 77. This article has pictures, sections of horse hooves, and written descriptions of the different trimming styles for Bergeleen, LaPierre (High Performance Trim), Manning, Ovnicek, Redden, Savoldi, and Strasser. The way this is done, you will get to see the differences in the bars, height of the frog, and the thickness of the sole that is left. The trims don't look that much different from the side of the hoof, it is the underneath where the differences lie. Very interesting article.

You can always put Old Mac's boots on the front feet when you ride on ground more abrasive than your horse can handle barefoot. I find this to be a great compromise.
Linda