Barefoot Trimming Courses

[Hawks27]

Ive been saving up for a decent holiday but am now considering a training/educational holiday
there is a distinct lack of trimmers anywhere near me the few there are, are very expensive have travel fees on top and are fully booked!
After various issues with poor farriery and constant hoof problems with my horse I am now considering doing some training to help me at least interim tidy up my horse hooves/improve there maintenance in-between basic farrier trims.
Long term and financially/time allowed I would love to look at full training courses to properly qualify but I fear this won't be something I can do part time around job and I have a mortgage so cant afford to take a long sabbatical from work.
So can anyone recommend any good intensive training course 2-4 week if abroad, will do multiple day courses or week courses in UK as won't have as drastic travel costs but if going to states or elsewhere would have to be in one big block as cant afford flights etc more than once if at all.
Would just like to get some good basic skills in hand for now then consider full training / qualifications later if feasible, if someone could give me some rough costs / what to expect timewise too that would be lovely just on off chance am thinking I cant afford time/cash to fully qualify and its not as bad as am expecting (I know not likely but always good to know)
Thanks
The Hawk

 

[FFAQ]

The course I've just done was with Equine Podiatry Training Ltd and was 2 years part time. There were 13 residential courses with course work for each, end of year exams each year and 8 mentored case studies. The course fees came to about £6000

Good luck!

 

[bluebellfreddy]

Only problem with only doing a few weeks training is what is you get your own horses trim wrong? You won't be have the same experience on correcting it than having done a proper few years learning.

 

[Casey76]

Ask your farrier to show you how to tidy up round the edges. It's not rocket science to roll the toe/smooth out a chip - as long as you are not addressing the balance of the foot.

 

[Shady]

Hi Hawks, interestingly i have just spent weeks trying to find a good affordable trimming course and it is really hard! looked first in England and then Europe as i am in France, wanted English speaking as although i speak French if it gets too fast i lose the will to live!
i saw a few in America but then found this one in Spain
http://www.whole-horse-protocol.com/whp-level-1.html
this looks very promising and i nearly booked up as you can continue the levels etc, it's in English and the price is acceptable as i have noted they can be very expensive
i then came across somewhere in France down near Toulouse
www.sabots-libres.eu/
in short, it's run between 2 people , one a highly respected French trimmer, the other an English trimmer called Tim Bolton, he comes in to do short 2 day intense courses but due to demand he will be offering more , i think the french side is more indepth and offers more but i'm sending my OH to do the 2 days and he has spoken to Tim about furthering his knowledge afterwards
it is not expensive as their aim is to get the bf message out there in France( they are rubbish in my part), accommodation is provided, i think it looks good!
hope this helps!!!

 

[Hawks27]

The course I've just done was with Equine Podiatry Training Ltd and was 2 years part time. There were 13 residential courses with course work for each, end of year exams each year and 8 mentored case studies. The course fees came to about £6000

Good luck!

That's better than I was expecting to qualify thanks if I decided I have the time for a full career change I could consider that thanks

 

[Hawks27]

Only problem with only doing a few weeks training is what is you get your own horses trim wrong? You won't be have the same experience on correcting it than having done a proper few years learning.

I fully understand I wont be an experienced trimmer, I don't want to fully trim his feet he will still see trimmer every 9 weeks its just hes the best in area and cant come more regular so I just want to be able to keep on top of the excessive flar and prevent problems inbetween his trims I wont be doing anything with soles / balance just tidying the edges to prevent chips and cracks as he needs trimming every 6-7weeks at worst and cant survive the 9 weeks without issues. I'd just rather have some training to enable me to do this so I don't knacker his feet I don't intend to cut / trim just a little smoothing off of the rough bits

 

[Hawks27]

Ask your farrier to show you how to tidy up round the edges. It's not rocket science to roll the toe/smooth out a chip - as long as you are not addressing the balance of the foot.

Sadly he is not the most helpful farrier everytime I ask for advice he very short and unhelpful there is a real lack of good farrier/trimmer and service in this area as ive tried several and he does the best job but hes not great with feedback or advice

 

[Hawks27]

Hi Hawks, interestingly i have just spent weeks trying to find a good affordable trimming course and it is really hard! looked first in England and then Europe as i am in France, wanted English speaking as although i speak French if it gets too fast i lose the will to live!
i saw a few in America but then found this one in Spain
http://www.whole-horse-protocol.com/whp-level-1.html
this looks very promising and i nearly booked up as you can continue the levels etc, it's in English and the price is acceptable as i have noted they can be very expensive
i then came across somewhere in France down near Toulouse
www.sabots-libres.eu/
in short, it's run between 2 people , one a highly respected French trimmer, the other an English trimmer called Tim Bolton, he comes in to do short 2 day intense courses but due to demand he will be offering more , i think the french side is more indepth and offers more but i'm sending my OH to do the 2 days and he has spoken to Tim about furthering his knowledge afterwards
it is not expensive as their aim is to get the bf message out there in France( they are rubbish in my part), accommodation is provided, i think it looks good!
hope this helps!!!

That's fantastic thank you the course in france is very reasonable given it includes accommodation and food! certainly might be a nice taster course to trial before moving onto something more in depth and longer term, I would love to spend a couple of weeks in the states but fear that's a bit beyond the budget. September would suit me great too as not too busy then

 

[supsup]

I think in your position, I would try and offer your trimmer/farrier money to spend extra time to show you what to do. And invest in good learning material to study up on (I'd probably start with the free articles on Pete Ramey's webpage, or even better, buy his book "Care and Rehabilitation of the Equine Foot". ).
I think many good farriers/trimmers are just too busy to "waste" their time instructing owners, but maybe you can make headway by offering to pay for the extra time, and emphasize that you are not trying to replace his visits, merely keep tidying up in between, or learn what to do if a trimming interval runs a bit long.

The problem with short introductory courses is that you don't have enough time to to truly learn how to assess the individual case before you. You will learn in more general terms, but it takes experience to see a particular hoof and know what to do with it. If your only goal is to trim your own horse, it is much easier to be shown by someone what suits your individual horse, on the spot.

 

[Shady]

That's fantastic thank you the course in france is very reasonable given it includes accommodation and food! certainly might be a nice taster course to trial before moving onto something more in depth and longer term, I would love to spend a couple of weeks in the states but fear that's a bit beyond the budget. September would suit me great too as not too busy then

i hope you go! if you see a knackered looking bloke with a goaty wishing he had never said yes to his mad wife having a horse , that's my OH!! my lovely friend is going too so it might make a nice little educational break for you!
i fully accept that 2 days is not going to give the knowledge to access a hoof properly but it's a start and all knowledge is valuable, my farrier is rude and lazy and my horse is not going as well as he was so for me and the OH it's the beginning of understanding more about our horses feet!!

 

[Hawks27]

Sup sup hes really not interested non of farriers are, I had a lovely barefoot trimmer who would come every 6weeks and she was over twice the farrier cost and I was happy to pay she took her time and explained everything and gave me advice on his care and all was good but she immigrated and there are no others in the area and the ones further a field are fully booked.
Ive read plenty and watched lots but id just feel happier with some practical teaching from a pro and if I decide its something I could be good at and I have the time and funds I will look at doing the full course and get as much training as I can I don't do anything half assed and would never put my horse in harms way as ive said several times I just want to tidy him between trims to keep him more comfortable as he is suffering with the long intervals at moment. but rather than just have a go id rather someone showed me first thus taking some basic short courses for now then looking at more further down the line I will NOT be trimming his feet unqualified / inexperienced just a glorified nail file to keep them tidy and minimise chipping and cracking

 

[Exploding Chestnuts]

Sup sup hes really not interested non of farriers are, I had a lovely barefoot trimmer who would come every 6weeks and she was over twice the farrier cost and I was happy to pay she took her time and explained everything and gave me advice on his care and all was good but she immigrated and there are no others in the area and the ones further a field are fully booked.
Ive read plenty and watched lots but id just feel happier with some practical teaching from a pro and if I decide its something I could be good at and I have the time and funds I will look at doing the full course and get as much training as I can I don't do anything half assed and would never put my horse in harms way as ive said several times I just want to tidy him between trims to keep him more comfortable as he is suffering with the long intervals at moment. but rather than just have a go id rather someone showed me first thus taking some basic short courses for now then looking at more further down the line I will NOT be trimming his feet unqualified / inexperienced just a glorified nail file to keep them tidy and minimise chipping and cracking

Have you tried 20 mins per day on tarmac, that trimmed mine perfectly. My main issue was holding front feet up, would have liked a tripod.

 

[TPO]

First of all I'd say read, read and read then pretty much just try yourself. Do little and often as it's easy to get carried away.

A "swipe" around with a Riders Rasp or Radial Rasp will keep the beval tidy.


I think I've read every book going and the one that's made the most difference was the cheapest! Hoof Guided Method by Maureen Tierny from Amazon. It just made perfect sense and really "clicked" with me. She also runs online training at $50 which is all the theory and you can submit pictures of your own horses' hooves for advice. If you google there is a website.

I'm in pretty much the same situation as you having been let down by numerous farriers and trimmers doing bad jobs. Ironically the one trimmer who did do a great job (no qualifications, self taught and attended training by all different "schools") hit my youngster with a rasp so that was her let go (putting it mildly). I used to "tidy up" between trims but now I'm doing all 3 of them myself (following FGM) and I have to say their hooves are looking better than they have in a long time and they are moving better.

One of mine is retired, one is a youngster and the other is a light hack/schooling horse of my mums so self trimming isn't currently viable for any of them.

I looked into training but I don't have the time to do a full course like EPAUK, nor the inclination, and the courses abroad "worried" me so much as that I haven't seen that person's work so wouldn't like to pay all that money to get there and on the first day disagree with that person's ethos. There's the added complication, for want of a better word, of climate. Horses in Spain will have different terrain and climate than ours in the UK so will have adapted differently. My worry would be that the pathology you might see on Spanish horses would be different from those I have in a fairly wet but lush Scotland...

 

[Brightbay]

Contact Nick Hill He runs occasional "owner hoof maintenance" courses He also travels all over to trim so may well pass near you (even if you're in South Africa, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Scotland... ). http://www.cloverroseequine.co.uk/

 

[Hawks27]

bonkers, hes led out on the tarmac lane most days and this is the lane we ride down to get to the grass tracks, when we get back to the yard his feet are very rough around the edges and on occasions hes nicked his legs with his sharp hoofs when resting (think he catches his back legs with his front hooves when he is laid down). ive ordered a hoof buffer which looks like a sandpaper belt and am hoping it will help me just smooth off the edge of his feet when we get back from a hack to prevent this.
Brightbay thanks for the link I will contact them and see if / when might be in the area.
I can see me having a few short sunny holidays to trial out clinics this year figure if am going on my own might as well have an educational holiday as am not one for sitting around sun bathing!

 

[Timothy Bolton]

i hope you go! if you see a knackered looking bloke with a goaty wishing he had never said yes to his mad wife having a horse , that's my OH!! my lovely friend is going too so it might make a nice little educational break for you!
i fully accept that 2 days is not going to give the knowledge to access a hoof properly but it's a start and all knowledge is valuable, my farrier is rude and lazy and my horse is not going as well as he was so for me and the OH it's the beginning of understanding more about our horses feet!!

Just to add a little more information "from the horse's mouth" so to speak:
We offer a the course in conjunction with Pierre Enoff, from EquiLibre (http://www.equi-libre.fr). Enoff himself gives the course in French while I offer the same course in English and Dutch. It is not specifically intended for people that want to start working professionally as trimmers. Rather it is aimed at the owners that would at least like to make some contribution to the care of their horse's hooves, either trimming themselves or at least keeping things tidy in between visits by the professional.
We do regularly welcome professional people too: farriers, vets, osteopaths - you name it, they have all taken part at some time or another. We are currently hosting four representatives from the Royal Stables in Oman, although this is a course specifically aimed at this group and lasts four weeks.
The course is split primarily into two levels - with the possibility of an additional third level currently under discussion, dependent upon demand. The first day is fairly intense theory. This theory, unlike pretty well all other courses, is not based upon the old principles of farriery with a barefoot twist but the actual physical effects upon the horse and the biological response to those effects. It is followed on the second day with a practical session where everybody has a chance to trim live horses. We do not use cadaver hooves since these are in no way representative of the dynamic, living horse hoof. Not even for practice.
The second level course is really only intended for participants of the level one, since part of the theory session is revision and obviously answering questions that may have risen since the previous course. The rest of the theory session is give over to a more in depth study of the material. The practical day is a chance for everyone to show how their skills have developed working on their own horses. We give a lot of practical advice on not only what to trim, but also how to trim such that trimmer and horse (particularly horse!) are comfortable and safe.
Our view is that hoof - and horse - maintenance should not be shrouded in mystery; something that so many courses like to do to justify their extremely high pricing. Also we do not hand out "qualifications" (you just get a certificate to recognise that you attended) since, as with every other organisation, no matter what their requirements or training programme, there are no recognised qualifications anywhere in the world. Some organisations talk of members, with an expensive list of requirements to become a member; others talk about being "Diploma Accredited...". Neither of these titles has any significance whatsoever - it is just a nice vehicle for many - but not all, I should add - to try and convince clients that they are properly trained.
£6000+ is a heck of a lot of money to pay to learn essentially how to cut nails!

 

[Exploding Chestnuts]

If OP is thinking about a course, or even if not, she can get a proper farriers rasp, I have one off ebay, top quality, it lasts years if you only do one horse. I felt I wanted a tripod to allow me to do the job properly, the feet were well balanced and I rasped round every two weeks, and no farrier touched them. They did not chip. No sharp edges. He had really good feet, and had the mineral enhanced diet plus linseed.
I would be hacking five hours per week.

 

[ycbm]

http://www.equinecompare.co.uk/review/hoof-stand/

This is fabulous, and cheap for what it is!

 

[Andalucian]

Ask your farrier to show you how to tidy up round the edges. It's not rocket science to roll the toe/smooth out a chip - as long as you are not addressing the balance of the foot.

Be cautious, your horses have good feet, it isn't that easy on less well blessed equines.

 

[paddy555]

Just to add a little more information "from the horse's mouth" so to speak:
We offer a the course in conjunction with Pierre Enoff, from EquiLibre (http://www.equi-libre.fr). Enoff himself gives the course in French while I offer the same course in English and Dutch. It is not specifically intended for people that want to start working professionally as trimmers. Rather it is aimed at the owners that would at least like to make some contribution to the care of their horse's hooves, either trimming themselves or at least keeping things tidy in between visits by the professional.
We do regularly welcome professional people too: farriers, vets, osteopaths - you name it, they have all taken part at some time or another. We are currently hosting four representatives from the Royal Stables in Oman, although this is a course specifically aimed at this group and lasts four weeks.
The course is split primarily into two levels - with the possibility of an additional third level currently under discussion, dependent upon demand. The first day is fairly intense theory. This theory, unlike pretty well all other courses, is not based upon the old principles of farriery with a barefoot twist but the actual physical effects upon the horse and the biological response to those effects. It is followed on the second day with a practical session where everybody has a chance to trim live horses. We do not use cadaver hooves since these are in no way representative of the dynamic, living horse hoof. Not even for practice.
The second level course is really only intended for participants of the level one, since part of the theory session is revision and obviously answering questions that may have risen since the previous course. The rest of the theory session is give over to a more in depth study of the material. The practical day is a chance for everyone to show how their skills have developed working on their own horses. We give a lot of practical advice on not only what to trim, but also how to trim such that trimmer and horse (particularly horse!) are comfortable and safe.
Our view is that hoof - and horse - maintenance should not be shrouded in mystery; something that so many courses like to do to justify their extremely high pricing. Also we do not hand out "qualifications" (you just get a certificate to recognise that you attended) since, as with every other organisation, no matter what their requirements or training programme, there are no recognised qualifications anywhere in the world. Some organisations talk of members, with an expensive list of requirements to become a member; others talk about being "Diploma Accredited...". Neither of these titles has any significance whatsoever - it is just a nice vehicle for many - but not all, I should add - to try and convince clients that they are properly trained.
£6000+ is a heck of a lot of money to pay to learn essentially how to cut nails!

I had a look at our website ie sabot-libres but cannot find much detailed information. Can you tell us a little about your own training and what your methods are based on. Are you a farrier or if not which school of barefoot trimming did you qualify with etc.

 

[laura_nash]

I just want to tidy him between trims to keep him more comfortable as he is suffering with the long intervals at moment. but rather than just have a go id rather someone showed me first thus taking some basic short courses for now then looking at more further down the line I will NOT be trimming his feet unqualified / inexperienced just a glorified nail file to keep them tidy and minimise chipping and cracking

I would just have a go, if you're like me you will probably be too cautious if anything to begin with. Its a shame your farrier isn't more helpful, my trimmer was very supportive when I started helping out between trims and gave me plenty of feedback - to begin with it was just to extend the trimming interval but now I basically do them myself with a quarterly / 6 monthly check.

Doing your own horses feet that you (hopefully) know very well and know what they should look like when sound is very different from turning up to trim a strange horse or trying to do a rehab trim. Plus you don't have to leave it weeks between each trim and then take loads off, to begin with I did a tiny bit every week or so, these days its about once a month.

I have a save edge rasp for reducing the hoof wall if I've left it a bit long between trims and a radius rasp for tidying up (which is brilliant and my main tool). A hoof knife for removing any flaps on the frog (which is all it is used for) and some nippers for removing any chips that are hanging off (again that is all I use it for). A pair of decent gloves! Finally, I recently got a Finnegan Hoof Stand - which my back is very grateful for!

There is somewhere near me that does barefoot trimming short courses: http://macallafarm.ie/retreats-courses/natural-hoof-care-for-horse-owners, they seem very sensible people when I've had dealings with them (despite the names of some of their other courses!). Not much sun sadly but lots of lovely connemara ponies.

 

[Timothy Bolton]

I had a look at our website ie sabot-libres but cannot find much detailed information. Can you tell us a little about your own training and what your methods are based on. Are you a farrier or if not which school of barefoot trimming did you qualify with etc.

I am not a farrier. And as explained in the post you have quoted, there are no actual qualifications for barefoot trimming. I have spent many years studying trimming techniques, hooves, mechanics and biology. The knowledge I have gained far outweighs any non existent diploma or membership that is bandied around so much these days (when I started, all this little money spinning enterprises were either in their infancy or more often than not, did not exist).

 

[paddy555]

I am not a farrier. And as explained in the post you have quoted, there are no actual qualifications for barefoot trimming. I have spent many years studying trimming techniques, hooves, mechanics and biology. The knowledge I have gained far outweighs any non existent diploma or membership that is bandied around so much these days (when I started, all this little money spinning enterprises were either in their infancy or more often than not, did not exist).

What? surely it cannot be right that someone can just offer a course training people to trim feet with no qualifications at all?

 

[ycbm]

What? surely it cannot be right that someone can just offer a course training people to trim feet with no qualifications at all?

The people who started the qualifications that do exist had no qualifications at all. Those qualifications which do exist are not accredited in any way, because no organisation could be found to take it on, though the standards were formulated some years ago. The farriery syllabus does not cover trimming for hard work barefoot.

No-one, including farriers, have any more claim to train anyone else to trim for hard work barefoot than any other person. All anyone can do is look at the results people are getting, and make sure that they learn from people who have plenty of hard working horses on their books.

It's a mess, but it's what we've got and we have to live with it.