Pete and Ivy Ramey, who I absolutely admire and respect have decided to take a break from doing live clinics for 2008. They have produced an outstanding DVD series on Pete's work and clincs and I encourage anyone that is interested in Natural Hoof Care to purchase those and study them.
I would like to continue spreading the word and help horse owners to continue to learn from us who are living our dream of helping the horses!
Two day
Hoof care clinics
Day One
Why make the change to Natural Hoof Care?
Understanding the natural hoof and natural locomotion and their effects on your horse.
Why so many joint problems ???
Increasing shock absorbency, flexibility and allowing a natural breakover.
Natural movement will help increase performance, soundness, protect from injury and add years to your horses' life expectancy.
What can we do to create a healthier hoof?
Places to find good help.
Hoof protection during transition:
Instruction on using hoof boots, and founder padding.
How to provide your "barefoot" horse much better protection than metal shoes can offer. How to succeed!
There is generally no reason you can not continue riding your horse immediately after the removal of horseshoes.
I know more today than yesterday but not as much as I will know tomorrow .
The benefit you can get from me is the knowledge I have gained from the hundreds of horses in my care at home. You're not hearing someone's "theory" or "ideals." This is what works in the real world.
What the wild hooves can teach us.-Trimming the domestic hoof. Why we shouldn't try to force the hoof to get there too fast.
The sole
Is the sole really an idle passenger, or a window to the inner structure?
Why concavity Should not be “cut", but be allowed to build.
Why are we balancing our horses to stand square on concrete?
Why not balance them for movement?
Is the hoof wall protecting the sole or is the sole protecting the hoof wall?
What is the primary weight bearing surface?
The importance of heel first landing and health of the frogs and digital cushions
What part does the digital cushion pay? And what is it?
Treating thrush and fungus
Hoof trimming step by step
Proper hoof form
What is the purpose of the hoof wall?
Growing a hoof capsule around the coffin bone
Trimming the hoof to match the inner structures.
Judging natural breakover
12:00 – 1:00 Lunch
Setting up forces to strengthen the laminae
What is passive on the bottom of the hoof?
Are naturally worn hooves telling us something?
Flaring of the hoof wall shows us past or present excessive length
What about under run heels and runaway toes?
What does it mean “when your horse won’t grow heel”?
Hoof trimming step by step
Tool maintenance and sharpening
4:00
Ida will give a live horse trimming demonstration on horse's with minor problems.
Question and answer:
Day Two
8:00
When a horse short strides and shows tenderness on gravel where is the pain coming from?
A description of the structures in the back of the hoof
Strengthening the digital cushion and building lateral cartilages
Heel contraction is a symptom of the weak underlining structures
Decontraction
Navicular Syndrome: Treatment and prevention
What's happening to the navicular bone and why
Dr. James Rooney’s theory
Dr. Robert Bowker’s theory
Building proper structure
How what we learned yesterday applies to Navicular Disease
Founder: Treatment and prevention.
The difference between laminitis and founder
Dr. Chris Pollitt’s research
Dr. Robert Bowker's research
How diet is affecting your horses hooves
How what we learned yesterday applies to founder
White line disease, seedy toe and hoof wall cracks
What is it, what causes it and how we can treat and prevent it
Club feet Hoof problem, or essential adaptation?
Looking at the big picture
A club foot is usually not a hoof problem, it is an adaptation to another problem located above the hoof
Trimming club feet
12:00- 1:00 lunch
Finish laminitis discussion
Trimming pathological hooves
Setting up proper mechanics to allow healing to began
Circumstances that will complicate recovery
4:00
Ida will give a live horse trimming demonstration.
Ida will discuss, evaluate and trim 2 horses and answer questions.
Question/Answer session