Not too sure about this :-/

It probably won't get published on her site because it is so negative about her approach, but I have written on her blog thingy (not something I normally do but I feel quite strongly about this) Anyway, Incase it never makes it to her page, here is what I wrote:
Sarah,

As I am sure both you and Caroline are aware, H & H is not quite so backward as you would have it appear, and many of its readers are indeed advocates for going unshod and for a more natural approach allround. As someone who has shod her horses in the past but now has done away with that approach and is a reader of H &H and a regular poster and participant in its online forum, I feel that you seem to have missed the point. I feel certain that you will not post this, owing to its slight 'negativity' towards your approach. But it has never been my view that horses and power tools should go 'hand in hoof' I certainly would not be letting anyone near my horse with such a tool. We all have accidents but an accident with a power tool would be irreparable and not something I would be willing to risk on my horse. It is my belief that a horse functions best with all four legs and hooves intact and the use of power tools where they are not needed is, to be quite frank, obscene. To then write a book on the subject and promote the use of 'power tools' by the generally untrained public, no matter how excellent your book it, is in my opinion irresponsible and I think that perhaps this may be the reason that Horse and Hound have stated: 'Its not for us' I feel certain that someone who is skilled can do an excellent job with these tools, but the risk factor of my animal losing a limb would personally mean that I would prefer to stay with the method of trimming that we already have established.

I wish you all the best with your book, I agree that the more unshod horses and ponies there are, the better, but I really hope that Horse and Hound never have to feature a story entitled 'Untrained Barefoot Trimmer Cut Horses Leg off with Angle Grinder'
 
queenbee said:
It probably won't get published on her site because it is so negative about her approach, but I have written on her blog thingy (not something I normally do but I feel quite strongly about this) Anyway, Incase it never makes it to her page, here is what I wrote:
Sarah,

As I am sure both you and Caroline are aware, H & H is not quite so backward as you would have it appear, and many of its readers are indeed advocates for going unshod and for a more natural approach allround. As someone who has shod her horses in the past but now has done away with that approach and is a reader of H &H and a regular poster and participant in its online forum, I feel that you seem to have missed the point. I feel certain that you will not post this, owing to its slight 'negativity' towards your approach. But it has never been my view that horses and power tools should go 'hand in hoof' I certainly would not be letting anyone near my horse with such a tool. We all have accidents but an accident with a power tool would be irreparable and not something I would be willing to risk on my horse. It is my belief that a horse functions best with all four legs and hooves intact and the use of power tools where they are not needed is, to be quite frank, obscene. To then write a book on the subject and promote the use of 'power tools' by the generally untrained public, no matter how excellent your book it, is in my opinion irresponsible and I think that perhaps this may be the reason that Horse and Hound have stated: 'Its not for us' I feel certain that someone who is skilled can do an excellent job with these tools, but the risk factor of my animal losing a limb would personally mean that I would prefer to stay with the method of trimming that we already have established.

I wish you all the best with your book, I agree that the more unshod horses and ponies there are, the better, but I really hope that Horse and Hound never have to feature a story entitled 'Untrained Barefoot Trimmer Cut Horses Leg off with Angle Grinder'
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'LIKE'
This is still going round my head that people think this is acceptable, I don't know enough about the structure of the hoof etc and to think I could learn enough from 1 book is idiotic. Can't wait to tell my farrier that he wasted all those years at college and is continuing to waste his time going to lectures etc when he could just buy 1 book.
If only training my dogs and horses was as easy as trimming their feet appears to be.
 
Ruth_Cymru said:
Reading her blog on 'Research by The Horse Trust (agony reading it…)' was interesting to say the least.
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Think it would be interesting to know what she would say on the 3yo that i knew that was put down to chronic arthritius, never had a shoe on, yet according to her blog on this ALL Lameness is caused by shoeing including laminitus!!!!

My elderly mare;
Well I could have saved a fortune on blood tests for cushings as I was under the impression that this had caused the laminitius (and therefore lameness), didn't realise that the Cushings was down to her shoes, who knew that the shoes on her hooves would cause issues on the pituitary gland in her head.

And as to H&H refusing it and her being disappointed, i'm sure that if it was a book on barefoot trimming and not a book on how to trim your own horses feet with power tools in a few easy pages they would have accecpted it, but really there is a reason that the majority of us work in specialised industries and earn money that way to pay other people who has specialised in a different industry for their services is because there is no way to specialise in lots of different industries, it's called subsistance farming and doesn't really work in the UK anymore.

Does anyone on the forum have the book and are comfortable trimming their own horses feet with power tools (and are brave enough to admit it)?
 
amymay said:
Indeed;)

And the barefoot brigade wonder why people are so techy about the subject....
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As a fully paid up member of the barefoot brigade I can assure you I (i'd like to say we but can't speak for everyone although I'll eat my rasp if you can find a barefooter on here who disagrees) detest this kind of thing, it gives us all bad name when we get tarred with the same brush!
In my opinion it makes a complete mockery of all we train for. mm's taken off the hoof become cm's by the time the imbalance has travelled up the leg and as someone who worked for a company where a chap cut a 10mm slot in his shin bone with an angle grinder when it snagged on the brickwork he was chasing out..... well.... god forbid there ever be an accident!

I find it really disappointing, we work hard to spread the knowledge we have and to encourage others that lammi, navicular, tendon problems etc are not always the end of the road without the 'us and them' stand off that threatens to appear then someone like this rocks up and we're the bad guys again... sigh
 
well said Queenbee!

I left a comment too, but it was not quite so forgiving as yours....

Sarah
I find you advocating using power tools on horses feet astonishing and downright lazy.
I am even more shocked that you are suggesting people can buy your ebook then take a power tool to their own poor horses feet.
You may say barefoot is better but not at the expense of inexperienced people crippling their beloved horses by trying to just on your band wagon.
I think Horse and Hound magazine acted responsibly and in accordance with popular opinion when refusing to endorse your product.
I am no ribbon hunter or posh 6 ponied daddy's girl. I am a hard working individual who puts every penny i can towards the best care for my horse. He isnt wrapped in cotton wool and is treated like the horse he is.

Regards,
Sarah

p.s. my horse is barefoot on his hinds (trimmed beautifully and professionally by my farrier) - now you didnt expect that did you!

:o:o:rolleyes:

That's what happens when i am bored waiting to finish work and get a bee in my bonnet.

I do apologies if it has offended any HHOers - i was just trying to make my point with enough gusto to get a response.
 
First of all I thought this was a clever device like the "power tool" dentists use that somehow get teeth, yet touch them on your finger and just tickle?? (though, unlike not being able to get the back teeth in dentistry with hand tools sometimes, cannot see any need for power tools in standard farriery - apart from shear laziness??)

But no - its a frigging angle grinder??????? WTF?!

This woman boasts she is self taught too???? IMO NOT a selling point of a "farrier"?! Surely this isn't even legal?????? How can she suggest people can do this themselves - how many people know the intricate anatomy of a hoof? Some people on my yard don't even know there are frigging bones in the hoof. And some of these "conditions" she suggests this will help - any decent farrier/vet team (with a combined study time of a minimum 9 years and plenty of qualifications to boot) would also want x-rays to shoe (or trim if you would prefer) from. But no, save yourself the dosh and a quick trip to B&Q and an e-book will sort everything!!

I think the HHO editor was very polite in her email declining to mention them in H+H!
 
The more of this joke of a website I read the more sick I feel. Urgh.

(BTW I have no problem with barefoot - just this!!!)





ALSO why in one part does she state that she hated how her horses were always footy after the farrierr, but her advice to some idiot that POWER TOOLED too much hoof away and horse was sore for a few days was "don't be too hard on yourself, hooves grow"
 
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MiCsarah said:
It's quite common in other countrys to use angle grinders. It's also how cows are done (there's somebody on here who's oh does cows with angle grinders)
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That'll be my OH, grinders are very common for cow hoof trimming, but the cows are held firmly in a crush and the leg is held up using a specially designed device, even then accidents do happen, but it's always the hoof trimmer who gets maimed and not the cow, we know of a few trimmers who are missing fingers!

Wouldn't let my OH near our horses with a grinder!
 
In the feedback section:

"The journey was lonely and often the information was too advanced, especially in the beginning. I wish I had purchased Sarah’s book years ago when I pulled the shoes! It would have saved me a lot of frustration. This is a marvelous book that covers the basics of barefoot trimming and the health of the hoof."

It shocks me that this person hasn't figured out why the info is too advanced for them.. wow. :confused:

This was also pretty shocking..

"I have only skimmed the book so far.. I gave them a quick trim on the weekend"

Okay so I have removed a bit of text, but the overall effect is the same- imagine taking up all maintenance for the feet after skimming through a book and watching a couple of videos!
 
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It would be interesting to hear what the welfare organisations have to say on this matter...

...and for a tongue-in-cheek moment...

I wonder how long it will be before Black & Decker hear about this, and add another £100 onto their £79.99 grinders and market them as a 'Horse Hoof Grinder'.....the extra £100 of course, just because it's horses.....

...and no, I do NOT agree with it!
 
for starters there is something almost everyone one here has missed...
there is absolutely NO way that this kind of trim can remotely be accurate, there will be NO balance what so ever. What kind of a trim is that!!! the mind seriously boggles!!!

Also my DH says the kickback of the angle grinder will make the lack of balance even worse (if thats even possible!)

Thats not trimming thats just mangling.
 
DragonSlayer said:
It would be interesting to hear what the welfare organisations have to say on this matter...
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Yes, wonder if she has been investigated ? Its about time the laws were changed to stop any crazy hacking away at horses hooves.

I'll stick with my highly trained and accountable farrier who knows how to balance my horse's feet.
 
sheep said:
In the feedback section:

"The journey was lonely and often the information was too advanced, especially in the beginning. I wish I had purchased Sarah’s book years ago when I pulled the shoes! It would have saved me a lot of frustration. This is a marvelous book that covers the basics of barefoot trimming and the health of the hoof."

It shocks me that this person hasn't figured out why the info is too advanced for them.. wow. :confused:

This was also pretty shocking..

"I have only skimmed the book so far.. I gave them a quick trim on the weekend"

Okay so I have removed a bit of text, but the overall effect is the same- imagine taking up all maintenance for the feet after skimming through a book and watching a couple of videos!
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I saw these two quotes too and thought :eek:!

Faracat said:
Sorry Alphamare - it's forum slang ( :o I really shouldn't use it) for 'quoted for truth'.
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I thought it meant quite fecking true!

strangely enough I still do not see my post on there:rolleyes::rolleyes:
 
It is really big in USA. You would want the horse to be very quiet, and you also would need to know what you were doing, easy to take too much off.

I went to a barefoot trimming class and the instructor did not like new students even using the nippers, only the rasp, as much harder to take too much off that way.

On another similar thread one poster noted that they use power tools in dentistry, I guess people just wanting to take the hard work out of it.
 
At my old yard there was an idiot dentist who used to come and do horses teeth using power tools. He also used to remove teeth without bothering to wait for the vet to sedate them. I'd prefer to have my horse done the traditional way, both feet and teeth done with hand tools by competent and properly trained professional farriers and vets thanks.
 
unbalanced said:
At my old yard there was an idiot dentist who used to come and do horses teeth using power tools. He also used to remove teeth without bothering to wait for the vet to sedate them. I'd prefer to have my horse done the traditional way, both feet and teeth done with hand tools by competent and properly trained professional farriers and vets thanks.
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My dentist uses an electric rasp in some cases, and she explained the reason why.

An old dentist had told her he wished these had been around years before, as if you have horse that needs lots of work (how many have bought horses who 'yes, he has had the dentist' and hasn't?..) and your own dentist then spends AGES rasping and rasping and rasping, with your horses mouth having to be strapped open...?

I had a horse come back from loan, teeth a mess, I knew it was going to be like that and my dentist showed me the electric rasp. You can touch the rasp with your finger, doesn't hurt, but does the job nicely of grinding stuff down ALOT QUICKER. She then finished off using traditional tools, and always explains what she is going to be doing next...on my other horses, whom she sees regularly, don't need the electric rasp.

It sounds like a set of clippers, my dentist is FABULOUS with the horses, and only one of mine ever needed sedating as the daft mare must have been chewing rocks as she broke a tooth and it had to be removed....

Tools such as this are as good as the person who uses them. For pure laziness, yes....shame on you. BUT used as an aid (such as my dentist) who ONLY uses it in cases like I have said, because it makes the job easier on the horse.....can't be nice for the horse, mouth forced open, for over an hour...

The horse? Changed animal. Told the ex-loaner that if she HAD gotten him seen to by the dentist when she should, then maybe she wouldn't have had the battle she did, and not have to bit him up to the eyeballs. I ride him in a happy mouth snaffle.... :D
 
I too was about TP cute the fact that it seems perfectly acceptable to put a power tool in a sedated horse's mouth!!!! Ahem!!? But evidently not near their feet!!!

Personally I have fantastic farriers and a dentist who has never needed to use a power tool even on a 24yo who had not seen a dentist for many years. I also think the routine sedation of horses for dentistry is ridiculous except for extreme cases but that's another thread...

There's no way I'd have my horses feet done in this way but it seems a bit of a double standard to heavily criticise when considering some dentistry practices!!
 
i think its awful like many have said a accident waiting to happen. its getting more popular i just think its blooming lazy and the risks far out way the pros ( i cant see any )
 
whilst I think my horses would not blink an eye at the presence of a power tool its certainly not something I would ever use :eek: However I think that given how a horse kicks etc it would prob be me that loses digits or even limbs not them ;). It is the mere thought of accidentaly removing too much sole ...... far too easy to do that, I would rather take it slow and sure thank you !!!


If one could have a power tool less like an angle grinder and more like a dentists tool maybe that might be a good tool to have ?
 
Hels_Bells said:
I too was about TP cute the fact that it seems perfectly acceptable to put a power tool in a sedated horse's mouth!!!! Ahem!!? But evidently not near their feet!!!

Personally I have fantastic farriers and a dentist who has never needed to use a power tool even on a 24yo who had not seen a dentist for many years. I also think the routine sedation of horses for dentistry is ridiculous except for extreme cases but that's another thread...

There's no way I'd have my horses feet done in this way but it seems a bit of a double standard to heavily criticise when considering some dentistry practices!!
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I would much rather my dentist be able to get my horse done quicker this way than the poor thing having his mouth forced open for ages. I think the difference people are thinking is that whereas the electric rasp is made for purpose, a hand grinder designed to cut metal is not designed for feet. As I said, you can touch the rasp when it's turned on with your finger, I wouldn't be doing that to a grinder.....
 
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