Nic Barker's "Performance Hoof; Performance Horse": discuss

[ycbm]

Nic when I was there 2012-13 didn’t advocate using boots at all, and advised not trimming feet.

She has them for 12 weeks, usually. In that time they don't work if they would need boots, they take their own path on the track and can stay on softer bits if they want to. 12 weeks without trimming is to allow the horse to show what balance it needs for itself rather than have a trimmer impose their own ideas of what's right.

If a horse's feet or movement were failing to improve in that time I'm sure she would have different ideas about trimming, but they always do.

It's maintaining it when they get home that's often the issue.
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[sbloom]

Nic when I was there 2012-13 didn’t advocate using boots at all, and advised not trimming feet.

Absolutely. I was countering someone else saying they saw too many people whipping boots off and leaving horses sore, it was not about Nic.

 

[HashRouge]

Nic sent us home from Rockley with trimmer recommendations - I do think she's quite conscious that the average horse owner struggles with self-trimming!

FWIW I've ridden two of Nic's horses and they certainly had impressive feet. But, if you don't have the right set up, or time to do enough riding, it can be very hard to achieve. We certainly never managed it with out rehab boy. But that's okay - the farrier Nic recommended helped us along the way with some very sympathetic trimming

 

[ycbm]

Nic sent us home from Rockley with trimmer recommendations - I do think she's quite conscious that the average horse owner struggles with self-trimming!

FWIW I've ridden two of Nic's horses and they certainly had impressive feet. But, if you don't have the right set up, or time to do enough riding, it can be very hard to achieve. We certainly never managed it with out rehab boy. But that's okay - the farrier Nic recommended helped us along the way with some very sympathetic trimming

I'm glad people are being sent home with the right message and contacts, but it's not the message blog readers get when they see a picture of celery and an instruction that nothing sharper should be used on horses feet. Unfortunately, that's where the majority are getting their ideas about self trimming from.
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[paddy555]

I'm glad people are being sent home with the right message and contacts, but it's not the message blog readers get when they see a picture of celery and an instruction that nothing sharper should be used on horses feet. Unfortunately, that's where the majority are getting their ideas about self trimming from.
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so true. I remember a few years ago someone posted pics of their front feet. Can't remember where. They needed a trim. everyone was quite correct in their comments to that effect. No way. Per the owner Nick said no trimming, horses should self trim. They were the sort of feet that ran forward.
A month later, new pics, everyone correctly commented get them trimmed. Again no way , Nick said self trimming.
A month later more pics, feet well on their way now forward, again no way, Nick said self trimming.
What would have been a small trim after the first month had now escalated to a far more serious trim being needed and continuing trims to rectify the position.

Nick was correct in horses were over trimmed, trimmers took far too much off. Made them sore. No one could argue with that.
Self trimming was/is fine if you know what your feet should be doing and they are doing it. If you don't have the experience to know that (and many following her blog didn't, it was probably their 1st BF horse) then just repeating self trimming because she said horses should self trim was not the best idea.