Two Day Hoof Clinic Outline

 

 

Participants are encouraged to print this outline prior to the clinic

Course meets the requirements for 20.00 hours of continuing education credit for veterinarians and 20.00 hours of continuing education credit for veterinary technicians in jurisdictions which recognize AAVSB's RACE approval program, including California. Veterinarians please pre-register by email at hoofrehab@alltel.net to receive CE credit and the CE Study Guide.

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Day one

   

    8:00 a.m.

 

Introduction (meet and greet)

 

Why make the change to Natural Hoof Care?

• Understanding the natural hoof and natural locomotion and their effects on your horse.

• Should joint problems be normal in our ten year old horses ???

• 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.

• It’s all about creating a healthier hoof!!!

 

Good help is getting easier to find every day 

 

Hoof protection during transition:

• Instruction on using hoof boots, founder padding and epoxy.

• 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.

 

The more I learn the more I learn I need to know.

• The benefit you can get from me is the knowledge a 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.

• The wild hoof (slideshow). What they can teach us.-Trimming the domestic hoof. Pitfalls in trying 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 cannot be “cut", how it can be built

 

Why are we balancing our horses to stand square on concrete?

• Why not balance them for movement?

• Recognizing false soles (slideshow)

 

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; the answers may surprise you

• Growing a hoof capsule around the coffin bone

• Heel bevel; setting up the heel height on the correct plane in the field, to follow 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

 

The end of 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 Pete will give a live horse trimming demonstration on horse's with minor problems.

    Pete will trim 2 horses and answer questions about them

    6:00 or 7:00 or so, we'll get done


 

 

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 will “cure” 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 will “cure” 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

 

Slideshow of major trims on deformed hooves

• Setting up proper mechanics to allow healing to began

• Circumstances that will complicate recovery

 

        4:00 Pete will give a live horse trimming demonstration.

Pete will discuss, evaluate and trim 3-4 horses with severe problems and answer questions

    7:30-9:00  Question/Answer session

 

"We are trying hard to hold onto the convenience of a weekend clinic while passing on as much information as possible. This is over 20 hours of instruction crammed into two days, so please read “Making Natural Hoof Care Work” and study the articles on www.hoofrehab.com before you come, to help build your background knowledge. Getting plenty of rest before this marathon clinic won’t hurt. This will maximize the benefits of the clinic for you and the horses in your care.

In the past, we did one-day clinics with horse owners each bringing their horse and doing work themselves during the clinic. We found that there was too little time to teach, the participants got bored watching each other struggle with their tools, and overall, everyone went home with too little information. With this new format, participants may not get their own horse trimmed, but when they get home, they know exactly what to do. Still, I highly recommend if possible that horse owners bring their farrier or Veterinarian. This is a ton of information and responsibility for a beginner to absorb in two days.” -Pete