Possible Trim Clinic

[FlyingCowgirl]

I just sent a message off to a Hoof Trimmer in California. I'm thinking of setting up a trim clinic in the Spokane area in the Spring when the weather starts to warm up again. I'm wondering if any of you would be interested in attending, if I can make this work out? It's a great skill to learn, or at least to learn the anatomy of your horse's hoof. Remember, No Hoof, No Horse.

You can look at Phil's website:
www.softouchnaturalhorsecare.com/

Also, here is a video on Youtube that will give you an idea of what Phil teaches.



I have one of Phil's DVD's and I do trim with the angle grinder. I have done Arabs, Ponies and Quarter Horses with this method. Horse are very accepting of this method, you'd be surprised!

Anyway, I wanted to reach out to this forum first before posting it out to strangers on Craigslist. Right now I'm just getting an idea of who would be interested.

[cowgurluponfox]

I would like to do it and learn how to do it on Fox.

[Laura]

YES!! Definitely - I'm in if you do it. I love being able to trim my own horses, but I would love to learn how to use the grinder. It seems so much more efficient - and it would have to be easier on this old body than hand tools!

[Laura]

Alisa -- I just went to his site and ordered the DVD. It seems he's out of grinders but recommends a Makita one as second best. What kind of grinder do you have?

I'm wondering if I should just go to Lowe's and get the Makita? I really would like to get started on this, as I've lost a lot of muscle due to being a couch potato while recovering from surgery.

[FlyingCowgirl]

Laura, if you want help, let me know. Do you have a hoof jack? I'm off on Monday and Tuesday, if you want to borrow mine and I can show you the ropes of this.

I think the Makita is higher quality than what he normally sells. It will cost more, but in my opinion it would be better. Be sure to get one with a paddle switch and not the ON/OFF switch. I have one with an ON/OFF switch and so I usually steal my hubby's DeWalt.

[Laura]

Yes, I have a hoof jack -- I got that last year when I decided to start doing my own trimming.

I would love to have your help! I do have to work Mondays and Tuesdays, but since I'm working from home I can do a split shift and work 4 hours in the early morning and then 4 hours later in the evening and so can have some daylight hours. Tuesday might be a better day for me as sometimes my son has his kids here Sunday night/Monday morning, and depending on his work schedule sometimes I have to run them into the daycare on Monday.

I'll e-mail you my phone number, in case you don't have it.

[FlyingCowgirl]

UPDATE:

Ok I have gotten some information from Phil and he's interested in coming to Spokane! So, if you want to be sure that I have a spot for you, please let me know now. Please tell me if Audit or Participate is what your interested in. Also, dates are probably March or April. No specifics yet. Will be in the Spokane area, Airway Heights maybe or Deer Park. Still working out those details.

Clinic details are here: As well as a general idea of cost.

www.softouchnaturalhorsecare.com/clinics.html

[Laura]

I have a friend who is interested too. I'll forward her the information.

Alexa joined the equestrian team at Reardan High, and they have meets in March and April that are either in Moses Lake or Wenatchee. I hope I can come! The Mark Rashid clinic in Othello is another weekend in April, and I wanted to go to that, even if just to audit.

[FlyingCowgirl]

Laura, do you have a schedule for the Eq Team and what weekend is the Rashid clinic?

I figured March/April would be ahead of the riding/show season... it would get people started, get horses transitioning to barefoot before the real riding starts. Plus hopefully the roads would be clear for hauling.

[Laura]

Well, the Eq Team meets are March 25-27 in Wenatchee, April 8-10 in Moses Lake, April 29-May 1 in Wenatchee, and May 12-15.

The Mark Rashid clinic at Kyya's in Othello - there are two sets - April 22-24 and April 26-28. I will probably go the Friday and Saturday, April 22 and 23 (since I have to work on Sundays).

I don't know if I have to be at all of the meets -- I hope not because I'm going to have a heckuva time getting all of those Sundays off of work. I'm hoping I can trade off and go for a couple of them and then have Alexa hitch a ride with one of the other moms for the other ones, though the leader said that a lot of the kids on the team didn't have horse trailers available, so I might be stuck going to all of them.

[StillPlayswithHorses]

I would love to come and audit the clinic, and maybe if all the stars align then my husband and I will have the same time off and he can come too!

[FlyingCowgirl]

Ok Paula, I've got you down.

Laura, I will look at a calendar later and see what I can figure out.

[FlyingCowgirl]

Here is a video of a gal that is trimming her mare the first time with an angle grinder. She has a grinder with an on/off switch rather than the recommended paddle switch. I use a paddle switch and it is not only comfortable and easy to use, but also has the added safety of when/if the grinder is dropped, it will stop running. And on/off switch cannot guarentee that, in fact it will keep running and may cause accident or injury.

Regardless, with a few safety measures, this is an easy way to get your horse's feet trimmed.

[highwayoflife]

I'd love to attend!! We use an angle grinder on all 7 of our horses here in Spokane, and used it on many of the horses we were training in Buffalo, worked out really well. Especially the spooky Arabian, he was the toughest horse to have his feet picked up, mainly because of the abuse he took from his previous trainer (always roping his feet), but we did eventually get him standing still and letting us use the angle grinder to trim his hooves.
Erin Wood, the natural hoof care specialist out of Seattle has been talking about coming to do a clinic here in the Spokane area if we can set it up, but we moved to Buffalo at that time.

[d2allen]

Nov 12, 2010 8:33:10 GMT -8 FlyingCowgirl said:

I just sent a message off to a Hoof Trimmer in California. I'm thinking of setting up a trim clinic in the Spokane area
You can look at Phil's website:
www.softouchnaturalhorsecare.com/

Hi,

I answered the poll to say I would not be interested in this trimming clinic. The reason is, Phil studied under Martha Olivo and practices what looks like "Strasser" type trimming (insists on a 30 degree hairline, and aggressively removes bars). Plus, I think a power grinder in the hands of an inexperienced person is asking for trouble. There is the risk of removing too much hoof.

I studied under KC La Pierre and received a Diploma in Applied Equine Podiatry. Although I do not trim professionally and am not active in KC's organization, I feel qualified to make these comments.

Deidre

[highwayoflife]

I think people shouldn't be afraid to use the grinder, with some practice and knowledge of what the hoof should look like, anybody can do it. The grinder does not take hoof off so quickly that it's hazardous. I have yet to find a case where someone has taken off too much hoof, usually they don't trim enough, which is fine. Better to be on the safe side. In Buffalo, there was a woman who we were teaching to use the angle grinder, but it was too big and heavy for her, so she opted to use a dremmel, it's far far slower than the angle grinder because it just uses sand-paper. But was small enough for her to handle. Certainly no concern about taking off too much hoof there.

In regards to Phil, I don't entirely agree with the 30% rule simply because every hoof has to be approached uniquely. I believe if people read and follow Peter Remey, they'll understand what the hoof should really look like, and can then use the grinder to shape the hoof the way it was meant to be. The grinder is certainly a lot faster and easier on the back than a rasp.

It would certainly be interesting to bring in a barefoot hoof care specialist and see what they have to say on the subject, both Morarre and Remey are going to be better to follow than going shod or the traditional 'boxed' trim that most farriers do now that often lead to lameness. So I would certainly not discourage people from following either 'method', their horses hooves are going to be a lot healthier by following either Phil or Pete.

[d2allen]

"It would certainly be interesting to bring in a barefoot hoof care specialist and see what they have to say on the subject, both Morarre and Remey are going to be better to follow than going shod or the traditional 'boxed' trim that most farriers do now that often lead to lameness. So I would certainly not discourage people from following either 'method', their horses hooves are going to be a lot healthier by following either Phil or Pete."

Hi David,

I don't think it's fair to put all farrier's in the same category as giving "boxed" trims that lead to lameness. There are many excellent farriers in our area who have gone to school, done apprenticeships, and have a good understanding of hoof structure, function, and how to trim and/or shoe.

As with any service (i.e., doctor, lawyer, home builder, etc.), you have to check credentials, references, and look at their work. Same with a farrier or trimmer. This also applies to instructors.

The point I was trying to make in my first post about Phil from CA is that he appears to have studied under Martha Olivo, who in turn is a student of Dr. Strasser, neither of whom are competent to teach because their model of the horse's foot is flawed. Personally, I would run away from anyone who has anything to do with Dr. Strassers's methods.

Another thing: you can't learn to trim from reading books. It requires hands on oversight and instruction from someone who really knows what they are doing and has a good understanding of theory as well as how to handle the tools.

There is a lot of emphasis on using a power grinder in the previous posts. Why is that? My guess is that people aren't maintaining their horse's hooves.

All of the above is my opinion, and people are free to do their own research and make their own decisions about what is right and where to seek instruction on proper hoof care.

Deidre

[Laura]

Well, I'm not a fan of the Strasser method either, but I think I could attend a clinic and learn some techniques with a grinder that would be useful. You don't have to take ALL the information from any one method/person/clinic, etc., but there is always something positive you can take away. I have been learning what my horses' hooves should look like from my friend/barefoot trimming mentor, so I'm not going to now just start trimming them differently based on what I see at one clinic.

I know a couple of people who use the grinder and have read a lot of testimonials about converts to the grinder method, and most of them say that it really doesn't take hoof off faster, just with less effort. It's also said that you can actually see each layer more clearly than you can when using the rasp. Arthritis has snuck into my body, and I also have had recent orthopedic surgery that has left me feeling more fragile -- so yeah...I'll take all the mechanized help I can get!