Can anyone tell me about its reputation and/or the folks that run it?
My goodness, what a grandiose name! 
One would be hard pressed to live up to that sort of title.
yes, high falutin
I met a graduate today. Am curious. It sounds like a certificate program, takes a year?
Nevr heard of it - but anybody can hang up a shingle.
KC Lapierre, the owner instructor, told me himself that he got his “PhD” from a place that turned out to be, (when I checked it) a mail order diploma mill. Anyone can get any degree they want (the website even said if it was not listed just make up one that you think you deserve) for about $75, “ready to frame” .No professors , no buildings, no educational courses, no educational requirements, nothing except your money and your statement that you think you earned the degree of your choice from your “life experience” . :yes:
Anyway, anyone with a semblance of physical fitness and basic horsemanship skills should be able to learn to trim as good as anyone from his “institute” ,from other places for a fraction of the cost and time. As to hoof trimming “diplomas” , I don’t see getting one from someone with a phony PhD as something I would want to brag about.
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my exp
I met a graduate recently. He gave me an earful about my horse even though I’m not a client and did not request an appt. My horse received a diagnosis based on a description from the boarder whose horse he was trimming! My vet, my farrier, and vets/farriers in general were trashed. His unsolicited opinion: “It’s a shame you wasted so much money and time on treatments your horse didn’t need.” (injury to hoof last year addressed through surgery).
The institute has some shoeing alternatives that do look interesting – but oh my goodness, whatever happened to bedside manners?
To get certified with KC takes an online course plus 5 courses that are 5 days each (so 200 hours of lecture and hands on work).
I took 4 courses and the online course a few years ago. It is a very good education.
Sadly are you will hear about is the “PHoney Degree” and the thread will never go beyond that.
If you are truly interested PM me or Auventura Two-she is a graduate of the program.
As far as how that individual trimmer behaved-well manners are not a requirement for the course-unfortunately
the hoof materials
LMH, have you seen the hoof materials in action (online/for sale on their web site)? What are your thoughts?
Yes-I took and completed the online course for “level 1”
As I said, the education was valuable and continues to be valuable to me.
do you (does anyone) use the hoof materials
THe web site shows hoof wear that appears to be textile-based with a hardening agent (not glue) and non-nail hardware to fix it to the foot. Wondering how it holds up.
Yes, ignore those who simply go on and on about the “PhD” and don’t offer any thoughts on the training given to the students, please.
If you search some of AT’s threads you will undoubtedly find pictures of her work, and if someone with a brain and the desire to help horses can trim like that, based on that program, just how bad can it be, despite that “PhD” 
Despite KC’s “marketing tactics” (which are a lot more honest than anything you’ll hear in an election campaign this fall) there is no “wild horse” footprint imitation and and no “absolute” applied to every horse other than the credo, “Do no harm.”
IMO, the most valuable part of KC’s program is the “Spectrum of Usability.” Far as I know, this is the only hoof care training program that has anything resembling a “decision tree” or “decision science.”
So for anyone who would be critical of KC’s phony “PhD,” I’ll laugh with you, but every time you vote in an election for public office, laugh at yourself. Even if you didn’t vote for them, you are forced to pay taxes to support their programs.
KC is in business. You have a choice to buy or not to buy his wares. Try withholding you dollars to express your disapproval of congress. See what happens.
For this kind of program I’d be more impressed by a summary of experience and references than an advanced degree. A degree from a less-than-rigorous institution (or a fake institution), or a degree that is unrelated/irrelevant can undermine a person’s credibility. It just looks suspicious.
I wonder if graduates are just folks wanting to advance their knowledge or is this more for a career…
Self accrediting is an interesting concept. Its sort of like creating a name brand, brand recognition, claiming authority over one’s domain. In a word, “differentiation.”
Differentiation can create the perception of value. So can “conformity,” such as a degree from an accredited institution.
There are no accredited institutions from which one can obtain a degree in farriery, hoof care, or equine podiatry. Thus no place to go to “conform” to an accepted standard (in academia).
There are multiple “certifications” available to anyone who can meet the criteria and pass the test. In general, the public is not aware of the certifications, or they place no recognition or value on the certifications.
Thus, you are what you say you are.
I’m an equine locomotion engineer. :lol:
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I have tried his PHW and it was ok for a light use.
I currently have 2 of mine in Equicasts and prefer the ‘rigidity’ of it to PHW for my current use.
Most people that I met going through the program went on to be professional trimmers.
Most of the work I see of his students is excellent-certainly there are bad ones but I see more good than bad.
Here’s my site www.hphoofcare.com and I’m certified with KC’s program. I felt it was a very valuable educational tool. KC is highly scientific in his teachings and theories and you won’t hear hardly a thing about the ‘wild horse hoof.’ The trimming method is based on the internal arch theory (e.g., the way the hoof deals with energy on impact, structure + function = performance, biomechanical and neurological balance, etc.) I find his teachings to be similar to Dave Duckett. Be prepared to take a lot of mathematical and mechanical notes. KC’s teaching is very heavy on the hoof and limb from a “medical” standpoint - not just cutting this or rasping that to create a specific angle or length. He deals with the entire horse including the diet, environment, genetics, even the way the horse is ridden, to decide why specific issues are occuring in the hooves.
The 1st level program is pretty intense with 200 hands on hours required (trimming cadaver hooves, cadaver dissection, tool use, trimming live horses), plus 10 learning modules that take approximately 1 month each to complete. There are also two written exams - one to be completed after Module 5, then a final upon completion of the modules. There is a lot of required and suggested reading and further study including scientific studies, theories, and farrier texts. The final exam is very strict also with students not passing if all criteria are not sufficiently met. The final exam involves evaluation of a live horse, including gait analysis and history, action plan to address all issues present, and trimming of horse. KC watches how you interact with the owner (either the real owner or a fill-in), including how you instruct them to handle the horse during trimming. Students have not passed because their handler was leaning against a post or talking on a cell phone. He feels it is critical that the handler be active and engaged in influencing the horse’s body position during the trim. This keeps the trimmer safer. So you learn a great deal about how to interact with the handler and how that interaction influences how you are able to get under the horse.
KC is a perfectionist and demands that work be done correctly or not at all. He had me in tears a time or two, but darnit it was good for me He forces you think outside the box. He uses visuals and outside sources not related to horses at all to teach you about body awareness and being in tune with the horse. Sometimes while attending a 5-day course, you are treated to special speakers lecturing on specific topics not entirely related to hoof trimming, but related to equine management in general.
Horses must be handled with absolute respect and he spends a lot of time training students positions that increase comfort for both trimmer and horse. He teaches appropriate correction or discipline for ornery horses, should it be needed. He teaches you special considerations on dealing with arthritic horses, or those with various medical conditions (DSLD, EPM, Shivers, etc).
I felt that his program was professionally delivered, tactful, and extremely thorough. More advanced topics are not covered in the 1st level program (reading radiographs, dealing with advanced pathologies, or using tools such as hoof wraps). There is an advanced level program that is equally as thorough, but it deals with the more advanced topics. I began this course, got halfway through, and had to quit because I just don’t have enough time to attend the required courses.
As with anything, there is always more learning to do, and I like getting information from varying sources - not just one. I feel that KC’s program was an excellent foundation from which to build on.
As for the unprofessional DAEP that you met - I’m not sure what to say except to contact KC directly and report the problem to him. People have individual personalities and while I would not personally dress down an owner, some may feel it is within their duty or right to do so. I try very hard to be as professional, tactful, and considerate to owners as possible. I have met certified farriers who are rude and unprofessional, so clearly not one group holds any sort of monopoly.
What I gathered from KC and the program, was that he has attempted to “stand out from the crowd” in creating a school that will one day become accredited. The program currently counts as continuing education credits for those holding veterinary licenses, which was a big step in the right direction for the program. He does a great deal of work in the UK, and other European countries because over there, a license is required to trim hooves. His program is accepted by the powers that be, so the IAEP has really grown in the UK. There used to be a course held in South Africa as well. I’m not sure if it’s still going or not.
amend/add
Hi,
I should probably say that the other boarder might have encouraged him to talk to me, or suggested I would be interested. Truthfully I’m happy to hear opinions, but this person was especially “assertive,” maybe a bit dogmatic.
On the other hand he was bright and keenly interested/enthused.
I like the idea of a systematic program and a place to disseminate research-based findings, but a standalone program with one teacher will have some limitations.
Sorry - one more post - :lol:
I agree with Tom regarding the Spectrum of Usability. I do it on every horse every time. (exceptions to this are big barns with greater than 8-10 horses. Time simply prohibits it in these situations, unfortunately. Though I will do it for individual owners if they specifically want it done.) It is a very valuable tool that assesses every structure individually, and scores the hoof and the horse on the “whole” to determine the level of work the hooves can take at that particular moment.
I don’t get the panicked phone calls from owners that they took their thrushy, thin soled horse out on a rocky trail ride and now he’s bruised and lame. They know based on the Spectrum, what the hooves are capable of during that trim cycle.
If structures are weak or damaged, the score will reflect it accordingly. The owner will then know that they need to be using boots and pads, working on more forgiving surfaces, or staying off the horses back all together. Owners have a much greater understanding of each structure, what they do, how they work together, why they are important, how to rehabilitate or develop the hooves, and so forth. Owners like being knowledgeable and in control of their horse’s soundness.
If I could take only one thing away from KC’s course, it would be the Spectrum.
An example http://www.hphoofcare.com/spectrum.jpg. Halfway down the page is more information about the Spectrum: http://www.hphoofcare.com/Articles.html
The web site shows hoof wear that appears to be textile-based with a hardening agent (not glue) and non-nail hardware to fix it to the foot. Wondering how it holds up.
It is just hoof cast material that has been around for years. It was the latest “hot thing” to try back in the 1990’s from the 3M company.KC has revived the idea and has given it a big name and charges more $$$ for his brand . Something to consider is that hoof casting probably constricts the movement of the rear of the hoof more than properly applied shoes would.
As to the idea of “spectrum of usability” , it is a very fancy (and marketable $$$$$ ) word for “common sense”.
