TEAM EASY BOOT
Recently Easycare decided to form a team of boot users to try new products, give feedback on boots, write stories about their booting adventures, etc. I applied to be on the team, and just found out I was accepted. What that means for YOU is that I will become much better educated on boot use, and better able to advise and educate on the best hoof boot for your horse and the conditions in which they will be used. I am very excited to be a part of this team and can't wait to pass on my experiences to my clients and friends online. If you'd like to meet the members, and read what they are saying about the boots they are using, click the above link and it will take you to our type-pad web page where you will get to read many, many blogs by team members from all over the world who are barefoot and using easyboots for their discipline. If you see me out on the trail, chances are my horses will be wearing the latest boots from easy care and I'd be more than happy to tell you what I think about them. Happy Trails! |
Does you I.R. horse turn up his nose at yet another bucketfull of plain beet pulp, with yukky-tasting minerals hidden within? Have you tried cinnamon, but your horse has become bored with it? What if you brought Mr. Merrylegs a steaming bucket with the flavorful aromas of orange peel, strawberry, raspberry, peppermint, apple, nettle, banana, cherry and more? Now you no longer need to feel guilty about "depriving" your sugar-sensitive beast of the joy of eating. Visit Clair's website for herbal powders you can feel good about flavoring the feed bucket with. Your insulin-resistant horse will love you for it, and will be the envy of all the horses in the barn at feeding time.
Visit Clair's website
| BETTER BEET PULP
Have you been using farm store beet pulp and been disgusted by it's absolute filthiness, (which is why you should ALWAYS rinse traditional beet pulp shreds, whether they contain molasses or not)? There IS an alternative, which is more expensive, but may be worth it for some people. It is a product called SPEEDIBEET. SPEEDIBEET is a beet pulp product that absorbes water much faster than regular beet pulp. It contains no molasses and is much cleaner than traditional shreds. It is available in some farm stores, several of which are listed on their website. It can also be purchased by mail. This may be the solution for many folks who have an I.R. horse dependant on beet pulp for a large portion of their diet, who dislike the rinsing and more rinsing required of other beet pulps on the market. |
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| Lyrik models Michelle's Custom Rope Halter in yellow. Click on the picture to email Michelle about making beautiful custom rope tack for YOU! |
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AM I THE RIGHT TRIMMER FOR YOU?
Chances are, your horse and I will get along just fine, and she will probably be very happy and comfortable with the trim I provide. You, as an owner though, and I, may NOT be a perfect fit for each other. Because you have found me, I believe that you are looking for care beyond the ordinary. I believe that you are a person who is not content with "standard," "conventional," "traditional," etc, and my services certainly do not fall into any of those categories. If you chose me as your Natural Hoof Care Provider, you and I, and possibly other professionals, such as your vet, chiropracter, equine dentist, etc. will form a partnership (I hope) to provide the best care we can for your horse.
What do I expect from my clients?
*I love to trim horses whose owners care about them a great deal. I love to go home at night and be able to sleep, knowing that if there is a problem, such as laminitis, thrush, etc. the caretaker of that horse will be working with me, between trims, to correct such conditions. Such things as diet or boarding modification, thrush treatments, etc. fall outside my realm of care, but are very necessary to successful barefooting in many, many cases. Believe me, I WILL worry about your horse. "Should I have trimmed this, should I have told you that, etc., etc." Your horse is NOT just another set of hooves. I LOVE all horses, and love working with them to provide them the most comfortable, species appropriate care as possible. This is my life, and my career choice, and I take it very seriously. If you do not view your horse with this same perspective, I am probably not the right trimmer for you. Don't ask me to just do a "quick pasture trim." I will tell you I don't know how. And if I did know how, I wouldn't do it! A "pasture trim" is NOT a finished trim. I finish all my trims. Sometimes that means taking less, especially in the beginning, but I will never purposely leave "extra" wall, sole, etc. just to hurry things a long. My trims take approximately 30 minutes per horse, sometimes less on a well-mannered, well-maintained horse, and sometimes longer on a horse that is a bit of a pill, and definately more on a draft horse. If you need "quick trims" I am not the trimmer for you.
*I expect that you want excellent results, and I will work with you until my hair falls out to help you "get it right" for your horse. I will encourage you to do at least a minimum of research and reading on Natural Hoof Care so that you will better understand the why's and how's of what we are trying to accomplish, which is always and forever, an extreme state of excellent health for your horse.
*Shoes can cover a multitude of trimming and dietary sins. A shoe transfixes a hoof into a contracted position where it is no longer able to expand and contract, so loses feeling and appears to miraculously "go sound." This is not addressing the CAUSE, and since I investigate and try to correct the CAUSE, while working on the obvious symptoms that the CAUSE has caused, miracles will be slow to come, and when they show up, they will not be "miracles" at all, but simply an expected (and highly anticipated) result. If you are looking for a "quick fix," I am not the trimmer for you.
If you are under the mis-conception that lush pastures and sweet feed are "excellent nutrition," for your pampered equine friend, then you may be in for a shock when I tell you that all that extra sugar is probably causing the problems you are seeing in your horse, such as foot tendernes, chips, cracks, thrush, rain rot, laminitis, and founder, and suggest that you place your "healthy" horse on a low sugar/starch diet and limit his pasture turnout time by placing him in a dry lot or "paddock paradise" part of the time. If you'd rather cover up the problems we are seeing in your horses feet with steel shoes, rather than going to the trouble of fixing the problem , then I am definately not the trimmer for you.
If you think that the only time your horse needs a trim is when he has an inch of over-grown hoof, and you wait till then to call me, believe me, I am MOST CERTAINLY not the trimmer for you.
NATURAL HOOF CARE is not a cheap alternative to shoeing, but rather, a holistic approach to whole horse care, including, and especially, the feet, as they are true mirrors of total health. I expect you and I to form a partnership to provide the best holistic care possible for your horse. I would very much like you to do your homework, to research recommended web sites, read books and articles on Natural Hoof Care (I have many I can recommend) to read handouts that I give, to have your horse trained to stand quietly, (I am not a horse trainer) to keep appointments, and to most of all, be an involved and caring horse owner.
If this sounds like the qualities that you are looking for in your hoof care practitioner, then I AM the right trimmer for you, and I look forward to a long and lasting relationship with you and your horses. Thank you for chosing me as your Natural Hoof Care Provider. |
Welcome to the world of Natural Hoof and Horse Care! I'm glad you're visiting. Natural Hoof Care does not stop at the hoof, indeed, it does not even start there. Rather, we can apply natural hoof care practices to the hoof as a compliment to other lifestyle changes, such as nutrition and boarding arrangements. We must look at the horse as a whole, in a holistic sense if you will, with each body part being directly influenced by another...whether in a healthy or unhealthy way. I hope you look at the various pages on this site and become more aware of the interconnectedness of all body functions and balances and not apply holistic principles to just the hooves, but to the whole horse. Thank you for visiting.
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| Hoof Boots can help your horse transition much faster to barefoot, while also providing the occasional hoof protection many horses will need when ridden on terrain they are unaccustumed to. |
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Check out what's new on this site.
Below is a group that is dedicated to the IR horse. (Insulin Resistance) (Those horses with symptoms of cushings, laminitis and founder.) It has a ton of information and the people on it are extremely helpful and supportive. You will find real real help here.
http://groups.yahoo.com/groups/EquineCushings/
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Fabulously Educational Websites:
#1 Website. A must-study for all horse owners, especially those with laminitis/founder issues. For great feet, we start with the correct diet. This website will get you there.
www.safergrass.org
Here are several other highly informative websites. I suggest looking at them all when you get some spare time.
www.ironfreehoof.com
www.hoofrehab.com
www.tribeequus.com
www.4sweetfeet.com
www.natrc.org
www.aerc.org
Countryside Natural Products
www.madtack.net
Great resource for COMFORTABLE tack,
designed for the endurance horse. |
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Barefoot care for your horse. Natural Hoof Care can reduce or eliminate most hoof problems, including, flares, chips, cracks, thrush, stretched white line, balance problems, and much, much more. Natural Hoof Care, combined with a low-starch diet, and proper boarding conditions can totally eliminate lameness issues associated with laminitis and founder. Natural Hoof Care can also relieve navicular pain while restoring hooves to their natural form and function.
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