If you’re like many horse owners, you’ve probably experienced issues directly or indirectly related to hoof care. Maybe your horse is chronically “off,” and in spite of following the advice of perhaps multiple veterinarians and/or farriers, nothing seems to improve. Or possibly your horse’s performance isn’t what you believe it can and should be, and you suspect the feet are the problem but aren’t certain where to turn for reliable advice. How about just being frustrated with your current hoof care provider because of undependable service or bad work, and wish you knew how to take care of your horse’s hooves yourself – maybe even with the idea of a new career path in mind?
These very same questions and frustrations encouraged us at Liberated Horsemanship to create the International Gateway Clinic – a five-day workshop focused on the “why” of hoof care from a strictly scientific perspective. Our many years as university-level educators since the early days of the natural hoof movement have allowed us to train hundreds of students (including veterinarians) from literally all over the world! Yes, there are definitely shorter and less-expensive hoof care class offerings out there (several of which are taught by our former students), as well as videos and books on hoof care, but our innumerable years of experience have clearly demonstrated to us several important principles regarding hoof care education –
- There is but one correct way to trim every hoof, and that is the way that mimics the result of the effects of the forces of Nature as demonstrated by the feral horse in its aboriginal environment. An understanding of those forces is the foundation of how we trim and how we teach trimming.
- It takes the overwhelming majority of people the entire 5 days to learn how to correctly trim hooves. We’ve attempted to convey the same level of instruction in shorter clinics a number of times in the past, but even experienced hoof care professionals were not successful at grasping the principles and process.
- Similarly, the overwhelming majority of people also require in-person, hands-on training under the tutelage of an experienced hoof care educator to learn how to correctly trim hooves, which is why we have steadfastly refused to offer hoof care training in any other form.
- In addition to the actual mechanics of trimming, it is imperative for the hoof trimmer to understand both the theory behind why we trim as we do i.e. the “why” of hoof care, but also the other management and environmental factors that contribute – both positively and negatively – to proper hoof function and form, in order to be successful. Thus, fully half of our clinic time is devoted to lectures on these subjects.
While there are many reasons why we believe learning hoof care from Liberated Horsemanship will provide you with the best possible hoof care education, the single most compelling reason may well be the simplest: We offer an outstanding, science-based program with an extremely high success rate – not just with people, but with the horses under our students’ care. What better reason could there be? Our clinic is now approved as Continuing Education for the American Association of Veterinary State Boards (AAVSB), the American Veterinary Chiropractic Association (AVCA), and the International Veterinary Chiropractic Association (IVCA). So why not learn from the people who are teaching the veterinarians? Why not learn from the best?
And…we’re especially pleased to now offer our clinics at the White Stallion Ranch in Tucson, AZ USA! This award-winning guest ranch offers our students the perfect setting for both serious learning and relaxing time off.
You can read more about Liberated Horsemanship, the clinic, the venue, and the instructors here. And enjoy this short video showing some footage from a recent clinic –
