Does anyone have a recommendation for a trimming course or certification program for owners? I am not interested in trimming as a business but want to learn how to do my own horses. I could reasonably take 1-2 weeks off at a time to attend a course in person. TIA and happy holidays
2 Likes
never been there but have driven by the Oklahoma Farrier School south of OK City
it has been there for decades, they say they start a new class every Monday, LENGTH 2 weeks (108 hours of instruction) 15% Classroom, 85% hands-on-work
do a Google search for Oklahoma Horseshoeing School in Purcell, Oklahoma
4 Likes
I learned from my retiring trimmer. I have absolutely no inclination to trim any other horses. Not that a course would hurt me at all but it isn’t going to happen right now due to elder care duties.
I have read some books on anatomy and follow a few trimmers on SM.
I have watched Julie trim her for 15 years and asking lots of questions all the time. She did do a tutorial session with me and I can text her pictures anytime to be sure I am not doing anything heinous to her feet. I have been doing her myself since September and I haven’t messed her up yet. I do trim every 2 weeks so I never have to do a lot and for me, it is easier to maintain balance.
Several people have asked if they could hire me 
. NO…oh hell no. I struggle with my fitness, have some back issues and I am 68, so just doing my own is really all I can do. I usually do fronts one week and the hinds the next week. It is tough work. Be sure you get a hoof stand and good tools.
I tried 3 different farriers this year because Julie was injured (before she decided to retire). One didn’t trim much and couldn’t get her boots on after 3 1/2 weeks. Normally her boots fit through 4 1/2-5 weeks, one got her super short and I could still get her boots on at 7 1/2…they were short! The one I asked if he could trim her at 8 weeks said she was ‘fine’. He chunked out some old retained sole but didn’t touch her with a rasp. I gave up and said that I couldn’t do any worse.
Susan
5 Likes
Exactly what I was looking for thank you.
1 Like
A good hoof stand is on my list. I’ve been rasping her fronts with a nice rasp my farrier gave me with her hooves balanced on cones… luckily she is patient with my shenanigans.
My motivations are similar. I haven’t met a farrier who I trust fully, and a lot of them have been really bad. Her current farrier is great, but we’re about to move and my job will likely take us to a rural area with no options. I would love to have her on a two week cycle and taking a bit off at a time would be how I’d prefer to do it as well. There’s just so much to learn and I don’t have enough time left here to learn it from her current farrier
1 Like
Here’s a pretty good basic instructional video to get you started-
“Natural Balance Hoof Triimming”
by Gene Ovnicek RJF
Then start scouring online articles.
As you read and learn more you’ll
become more proficient and your eye for detail will improve.
3 Likes
Ditto @Kyrabee and @Marla_100.
Ovnicek’s books are great.
www.barefoothorse.com is really good beginner-friendly site to learn what’s what, and see how some challenging feet were trimmed, as well as how to do the trim
Nothing beats hands-on instruction to really learn to use the rasp and knife properly and effectively (get the job done, efficiently).
I learned from Cindy Sullivan of Tribe Equus, as she came through NC every 6 weeks. She trimmed the first time, showed me what and why, next time she trimmed a little and had me do a little, then she’d trim 1 front and hind and have me do the other, then she’d have me trim a few days before she came and we’d discuss, then she came every other time through.
It REALLY helps to learn on your own horse when that’s what your goal is, in case there are some nuances for your horse.
But it definitely can be done!
3 Likes
Daisy Bicking does 4-day workshops in PA on trimming and glue-ons: https://www.integrativehoofschool.com/courses/category/in-person. I seriously considered going to one in Nov and my farrier was supportive. It didn’t work out but now I’m thinking maybe May!
9 Likes
Not all horses will tolerate the Hoof Jack, mine is still like new
after 20 or so years, so I just learned to trim without using one.
EquinextionOnline. com used to have a great pictorial booklet
for sale that was a good primer
for problem hooves. Lisa Huhn
was author.
1 Like
This is basically how our old farrier, who we’d used for 12 years before he moved cross country, taught my husband. Three or four sessions like this, with my husband doing increasingly more each time, while the farrier gave him guidance. And they went shopping together for good tools at the professional farrier supply store.
My husband mainly touches up between trims done by our current excellent farrier (lucky both to have found him through a veterinarian, and that he’ll come out for just a few trims), but it’s good to have the knowledge.
Want to add that we’ve always had good-minded, cooperative horses with great feet. That helps.
1 Like
I’ve wanted to do this one! We should do it together!
1 Like
I’m in!!! It would be more fun with a buddy, and good motivation to actually do it this time! I do think it’s weird that it’s over Memorial Day weekend, but at least that means Mon is a free day off work.
2 Likes
The Equine Lameness Prevention Organization has a 3-day barefoot hoofcare class.
ELPO 3 Day Barefoot Hoofcare Skills Course
(Others have mentioned Gene Ovnicek - he is an advisor to ELPO.)
2 Likes
It’s interesting to me that the online course is more expensive than the in person one. I guess there’s a lot more content in the online modules?
I’m normally a big fan of online classes, but I’m hesitant to try it for something like trimming. So much of what makes someone good at trimming is actually using the tools, which is extremely hard to teach online.
2 Likes
I did the one week version of this about a decade ago. It was very useful for maintaining the ponies in Haiti. The ELPO’s method is very anatomy-driven. I found that working off of sole landmarks helped me keep from making major errors.
2 Likes
[quote=“Libby2563, post:12, topic:791827, full:true”]
I did the one in November and loved it - Daisy is a very impressive person on several counts. She is the most intellectual and well-read farrier I’ve ever met, and is extremely logical and objective in what she does. She is a true scientist and a natural educator. I don’t know Yogi Sharp as well (I follow him/the Equine Documentalist on Facebook and have gotten a consult in the past), but I would put her in that ballpark - if she were a vet, she’d be at an R1 institution pushing the field forward with her research.
That being said, there is a lot of information to pack into the 5-day course so we did get a little off track by the end. But she is also happy to be flexible and tries to accommodate people’s preferences and need. For instance, we were curious about wanting to see the internal structures of the foot fresher than the many preserved specimens she has already and uses in her discussions so we changed gears one afternoon and she offered up one of her cadaver legs for a dissection, which was fascinating. If you go, I recommend thinking ahead of time about what you want to get out of it and letting her know in the initial survey form ahead of time.
Importantly, her work is as a farrier but her approach is 1000% wholistic and integrative - as someone with a horse with a variety of “general physical malaise” that may or may not result in lameness, it was an absolute relief to hear someone talk about general nonspecific body pain and chronic postural issues (i.e., camped under/goat on a rock) as something that should be noticed and addressed (whereas I find a lot of vets are likely to not know what to do with malaise/postural issues that don’t result in explicit lameness or specific body pain). I wish I could send my horse to her for hoof rehab as I am super frustrated by the local options here (and she’s too far for me to afford her coming to me).
Has anyone done the 3-day ELPO workshop? I’d like to do another hands-on workshop in the spring (I might go back to Daisy’s as a refresher if I can’t find anything else, but I think another approach would be good education).
6 Likes
@LamenessRus, that’s so helpful, thanks for sharing! Did you have any experience trimming before the course?
2 Likes
This is why people want to learn to trim their own horses: churning out farriers in 2 weeks who say they’ve been to school to learn a skill that requires years of study before you can legally do it in other countries.
I’d never seen so many lost shoes, awful trims, unprofessional behavior and shoers incapable of reading a radiograph or forge a shoe til I moved to the USA.
Based on that can’t say I’d recommend a farrier school. Pete Ramey does barefoot courses that are sure to be better in every way. I have a friend who did a course with Pete and said it was excellent
4 Likes
if you would read their web page, the two week course is for people like OP who want greater knowledge on how to take proper care of their Own horses
The in-depth program is for those wishing to become farriers for profit
1 Like
Only some rasping I had been trying to learn on my own, and various readings I’d been doing to educate myself, but nothing formal. It was an interesting mix of folks - most were hoof care professionals (farriers, barefooters, etc) continuing their education, a few were professionals that were long time students of hers/apprentices, a few owners educating themselves (like me), one or two folks with day jobs just keeping their own herd sound. So a good mix.
1 Like
