~ HOOFCARE AND REHABILITATION FOR HORSES AND DONKEYS
Hi! I am Anya Lavender of Lavender Hoofcare. *** ©
I have well over ten years experience and am a qualified, professional Equine Podiotherapist (DipEPT) This site is dedicated to one large part of my services – That of a Hoofcare Practitioner and rehab specialist.
I am also an experienced trainer and you can also visit my training page for information on training horses & other animals.
***
*******
In this day and age, especially in Western countries, the horse is used
mostly as recreation and sport. They are seen these days less
as a utility and more as a pet. Therefore their health and happiness
is important to us, not just from an economic point of view. Horses are usually kept in steel horseshoes and hoofcare is
something that the vast majority of owners are quite uneducated about.
They employ a farrier to carry out trims and shoeing and often blame
these professionals, rightly or wrongly, when their horse's feet become damaged or too
weak to keep shoes on, etc. It is therefore vital, for the sake of our horses, that we educate ourselves as best we can, to make informed and objective decisions on their care, including the choice of professionals we choose to pay for help. What are the Principles of Trimming?
***** Below are a few articles & papers to consider. Whether you're a 'beginner' or
another professional, I am interested to hear opinions on what I've written, so don't be shy! ^^ This paper above is rather 'heavy', but worth the effort I have been told!
*******
Horses are also often kept singularly, in small paddocks,
yards or stables, often on soft ground or bedding, and only 'worked'
for an hour or so each day, if that. Horse owners are often in ignorance of what damage is being
done through these management practices. Even those owners who
understand that metal shoes can damage horse's feet generally look upon
them as a necessary evil. I am here to tell you there are now
effective alternatives! Natural Hoofcare is a holistic management philosophy. It involves
the whole horse and it's environment, not just the hooves. The horse
needs to be kept as naturally as possible, preferably running with a
herd on large acreage and moving around as much as is possible. *******
Even some farriers and vets may not have adequate knowledge of
the complete workings of the equine hoof and how a metal shoe effects
it, as farriery is unregulated in Australia(& USA & elsewhere), so farriers may or may not have done any comprehensive study, and vets may or may not have specialised in equine hoofcare & lameness. In addition, much of the scientific information which has led to good understanding of hoof function has only recently been
available, thanks to modern studies & people like Dr Robert Bowker & Gene Ovnicek! And of course, countless 'field studies', such as has been done by people like Andrew Bowe and Pete Ramey. Look at some recent studies; ***
So it stands to reason that if we want
to ensure our horses have the best care, it is up to US to learn what
that is, and to maintain it ourselves, or find a professional to
maintain that quality of care.
I am available for hands on hoofcare, help and instruction if you are within reasonable
travelling distance of Healesville, Victoria.
Please contact me if you're interested in services or learning more.
* Best Angles for Pictures * Links & more info ~ feel free to suggest further sources to add!
