The Horse's Hoof: A Bridge Across Hoof Care
by Yvonne Welz ©2007
Whether you are just now learning about barefoot for the first
time, or you've been barefoot trimming since the "turn of the century,"
-- either way, you know that there are different methods, philosophies, and
schools of thought about barefoot hoof care. This can be confusing even
for the advanced folks -- much less the newbies!
Where does The Horse's Hoof fit into all of this? Where do we
stand? Very simply, we endorse no method, but present them all equally and
with respect. We are not here to tell you what is right and what is wrong,
but present the information to you, encourage you to educate yourself, and learn,
learn, learn! We've tried our best to personally learn as much as we can
about every method over the years, we've been formally schooled in some and
informally in others, and we continue to learn every day -- as we believe the
learning never stops.
We believe that "methods" evolve from people's own experiences,
and are often developed simply as "teaching tools." Since we all have
different experiences, there is so much to be gained from learning about
various different methods. Sometimes there are many roads that lead to Rome!
What may appear contradictory on the surface, is often not so, when examined
with an open mind.
Ultimately, no one "owns" the best or most correct way
to trim horses' hooves -- we are all on a journey together, and we have only
just begun to discover what the horse and its hooves have to teach us. All
we have to do is listen. Right now, we are sitting at the doorstep to the next
evolution of hoof care!
Here at The Horse's Hoof, we try hard to be the bridge that
links together the common elements between all good hoof care methods from all
sources. Everyone wants sound, healthy hooves that withstand the stresses
of daily use and improve over time. There is no right and no wrong when it comes
to exploring techniques and methods - there is only the horse, and in the end,
it is the horse which dictates the choices we make.
Please consider The Horse's Hoof to be your bridge across hoof
care. Both our website and our magazine will continue to present to you
-- without bias or judgment -- the latest knowledge and information from a wide
variety of experts and resources from around the world.
(June 2007)
©2007 by The Horse's Hoof. All rights reserved. No part of
these publications may be reproduced by any means whatsoever without the written
permission of the publisher and/or authors. The information contained within
these articles is intended for educational purposes only, and not for diagnosing
or medicinally prescribing in any way. Readers are cautioned to seek expert
advice from a qualified health professional before pursuing any form of treatment
on their animals. Opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do
not necessarily reflect those of the publisher.
