Equine Soundness Education

EQUINE SOUNDNESS INTRODUCTION TO TRIMMING CLINIC JULY 2012Winnipeg, Manitoba

CANADA

DAY 1 So you want to be a barefoot hoof trimmer! Well that should be no problem. So let’s get educated. How hard can this be, I was told by my Farrier, “you just have to remove what is long and that is about it”. So we went forward and took some weekend clinics, lots of them and studied on the internet and we became divas with the rasp and continued to keep the long walls at bay. We had beautiful looking feet on relatively sound horses……se we thought. Ignorance is bliss! Gotta love that feeling of not knowing what is out there and being just fine with that. In walks Claudia Garner, and she did just what she said she would do, she rocked and shook our worlds! She left us in a wake of short circuiting brain wave destruction. Just when we thought we had a handle on things! We all stopped right in our tracks, like deer in headlights! Now where do we go from here!???? “WE” are a group of professional bare foot hoof trimmers, farriers, animal chiropractors, horse owners who trim their own horses, and horse owners that have never laid a knife to a hoof. There were 11 of us in total and the ones that were the most confused and shell shocked were us “Professionals”. Our past education left us severely wanting in the hoof care world weather we knew it or not. Claudia started gently with us by first discussing what barefooting a horse really means. Then she continued into natural lifestyle and our eyes began to glaze over as we all “knew this…” another boring seminar on natural lifestyle.. when will we get to the trimming part. Claudia is very cleaver, if she would have started with day two on day one, everyone would have left crying! J DAY 2 We sat naively in the classroom in the morning of day two, we were waiting to have the visual and verbal conformation of how well we were doing caring for our horses and trimming their rock crushing feet into soundness. As the day progressed we went further and further away from what we thought to be true. Claudia opened up to a whole new world of Horse Feet. She opened our eyes widely to a world NO OTHERS had ever exposed us to. Pathological Hoof Form was a word and world we were totally unfamiliar with! None of us ever thought about the possibility to trim unsymmetrical feet differently than any other foot. The foot is what it is, how can a trim change that? This was never taught to us barefooters or farriers. As we all sat there and her descriptions of the pathologies rained down on us we were mesmerized. Her calmness, matter of fact attitude helped us along to digest and SEE the array of pathological feet…..under run heels, hi-lo syndrome, inside the vertical hoof walls, contractions (bulb, frog, sole, walls, heels) founder, navicular, bi-lateral imbalance, bi-lateral imbalance with under run or inside the vertical walls……..OH MY…and the list goes on. Claudia takes and breath, looks at us lovingly, and quietly asks all of us….”Now What? How is your trim working for you now?” No one says a word. The day Claudia walked into my life, I can personally say, it was a rude awakening. Her demand to accept nothing less than perfect while trimming was indeed hard to take and live up to. I had the privilege to work with her for 8 days and those days were intense and without a doubt the best days I have ever spent learning a new craft! The only other time I can ever say I have been so challenged and pushed to my limit was when I was taking my Commercial Pilots License. Any Commercial Airline Pilot when asked will tell you the hardest thing they have ever done in their lives was passing their Commercial Pilots License. During the Commercial phase of flying we must learn EVERYTHING for the first time and this Commercial phase sets pilots up to continue into ALL other Flying Careers, Airline, Air Force or even Space. Truly the hardest of all learning curves. Clearly none of these pilots have ever met Claudia! WOW! The Equine Soundness Professional Barefoot Trimming Course is truly the foundation on which we can stand as Professional Barefoot Trimmers. I have only begun my journey into the Equine Soundness Course but already I feel the satisfaction and security of a great institution for professional growth and development into becoming a Master Trimmer. Master Trimmer is my goal, Hooves are my obsession and Claudia is My Teacher. Claudia generously has provided horse owners and novice trimmers a FREE ONLINE Course which is available by contacting her. We (Francine and I…Hoofgeeks Barefoot Hoofcare) recommend this course to ALL of our trimming clients who wish to become more familiar with what we do and why barefoot is the right way to go with their horses. I can seriously say to ANYONE who is thinking about a trimming career or those who are already trimming as a profession to take Claudia’s Professional course. Even if they are farriers and make a living with iron, they need to know how this is affecting the horses and if their clients choose not to nail iron to the feet of their horses, then at least the farrier will know how to do a proper barefoot trim. My husband asked me the other day, “Don’t you ever get tired of looking at horses feet?” I told him “No, never! They are fascinating and no two of them are the same.” Humm I would not have said this three months ago? Thank you Claudia for opening all of our eyes! May the Horse be with you!
Christine Tomlin
Pine Rock Equine Services Manitoba

CANADA

June 2012
Claudia is a highly intelligent and open-minded person for whom I have a deep respect. She worked for a while as a Bitless Bridle Associate Clinician in the early days of the project and, since then, I have corresponded with her on a regular basis. I subscribed to one of her excellent seminars on barefoot trimming and learned a great deal. She is a careful and successful educator and a hard-working pioneer in her field. She merits support and I wish her well.
Dr. Bob Cook

November 2011
I've been using a rasp on my horses for about 11 yrs now, since I had my first unshod mustang and the farrier told me I didn't need to call him every time there was a chip on the hooves (usually it was the quarters but I didn't even know what they were called back then)and he handed me his old rasp and told me I could do it myself. Since then I've acquired 5 other horses, 3 were shod when I got them, all are barefoot and trail sound now.

I really appreciate the great information that is being shared by Claudia and Equine Soundness. I especially enjoyed the anatomy sections. I can't tell you how many times I've tried to find detail on the anatomy of the hoof, inside and outside, and now here it is, with the navicular bone and the tendons now revealed, which were previously a mystery to me. The more we know, the better it is for our horses. I try to encourage even owners of shod horses to educate themselves about the hooves. Sadly, many are all too happy to remain oblivious and don't even want to know how a healthy hoof is supposed to look like.

Thank you for caring enough about horses to make this valuable information available for horse owners who do care and are looking for more info.

Kathy
N. CA foothills

January 2011
I recently returned from my second practicum at Equine Soundness with Claudia and wanted to take a few moments to share my experience.
In the two plus years that I have known Claudia as a student at Equine Soundness she has been generous of her time, knowledge and resources in helping me further my education and training as a holistic hoof care provider.
Holistic hoof care emphasizes that it is not simply just a process to trim and balance the hooves, but about balancing the rest of the horse as well to achieve total well being of the horse for optimal hoof health.
Students are taught the importance of nutrition, environment and holistic management practices and how they impact both the mental and physical health of our equine partners.
Claudia extremely dedicated to her students and passionate about what she teaches.
Thank you for all you do!
Mary Lillie, Massachusetts

June 2010

Claudia, I just wanted you to know how good the presentation was last night. The graphics clarified a lot and made it easy to learn what you were teaching. Even though this is not Greek to me as I imagine it is for some, I got a much better visual image of the hoof.
I will have questions once we get deeper into it. Thank you for doing this.

Betsy Cares, South Carolina

May 2010
The first seminar I attended was with Pete Ramey, it was two days full of helpful information. I still needed/wanted more, so I attended a two day and one night seminar with Gene Ovnicek. After this I thought I had reached the top. I kept getting cases that were worse than the last so I went looking again.
I still felt that I needed some actual instruction as all the seminars were helpful but were without actual instruction so to speak. I searched for months looking to find a school that taught how to deal with Pathologies. I found Equine Soundness in Hopkins S.C. (4 1/2 hrs away) I felt that was convenient enough. I went down to meet the owner/instructor for a 4 hr visit. 8 hrs later she said I had to leave.
I had to see if this was what I needed.
After the first 2 hrs I knew it was, the other 6 hrs were just a head start on my education. I spent many weekends there getting one on one training (on live horses and cadavers).
The course was online, with homework every week. It took me 12 months to complete. We had 7 days of training and testing the week of our exam. This was probably the most difficult studying I have ever done. There were students from around the world there that week. I still currently attend online meetings once a week (when I am home) that are hosted thru Equine Soundness. The online meetings consist of people from around the world, trimmers, vets, and owners.
Don Vick, North Carolina

January 2009
I am currently enrolled in the Equine Soundness Hoof Care Certification [Online] Course. I just completed Day 5 of the first five-day mentorship portion of the program. What a wonderful experience it was! I opted to take this program in South Carolina with course founder, Claudia Garner. She was a gracious host and an excellent mentor. Her lectures and slide presentations were very educational, and it was clear when I read the material, saw the photos of her case studies, and actually met the horses at her clinic that she really knows her stuff.
Because I live in the Pacific Northwest, I was fortunate to get started in all this with Equine Soundness' instructors, Jerry Schmidt and Audrey Bryant. I received instruction from them that was very helpful, but I still lacked confidence in my abilities. Claudia provided me with valuable input on technique such that each day I became more confident using the tools. I'm sure that with continued supervision from Jerry and Audrey and with feedback from Claudia as she reviews my case studies, I will continue to gain confidence and develop more skill as a barefoot trimmer.
I am excited to participate in the second five-day mentorship program, and look forward to graduating from the course. Claudia's skill has inspired me to learn as much as I can about hoof care, and to share my knowledge with as many horse owners as I can. And I have no doubt that anyone who wants to learn how to trim would do well to enroll in this Course.
Gale Nelson
Sequim, WA
USA

November 2008

I have to say, this course is absolutely amazing. There was a lot in the first module that I already knew, but even so I have learned an incredible amount more. It is very professionally put together, the material is written in an academic fashion which is very appealing to me and yet it is very understandable at the same time.

I have no idea if there are other, similar courses out there, but I doubt it. It was actually recommended to me by someone online, so I was a little bit hesitant, but it has turned out to be a great investment and I'm really looking forward to the next module.

Thanks again,

Robyn Guest, St. Marys, Ontario

September 2008
My barefoot journey began several years ago when I became a first-time horse owner. Back then I knew little about horses and hoof care. After a few unpleasant encounters with local farriers I knew that it would be important to learn all I could about hoof care.

I went on to attend a few small clinics and started researching the many hoof care programs available, that’s when I found Equine Soundness. I am currently enrolled in their Professional Student certification program and recently attended a 5-day mentoring session that is part of the studies.

When I arrived for the session I already knew the basics of trimming. What I learned from Claudia was much more in-depth: how, when, why and what to trim. We reviewed theory (including anatomy, hoof function, nutrition and holistic lifestyle just to name a few) and were taught and practiced the mechanics of a basic trim. The session was thorough and intensive; we were challenged and tested each day.

Claudia’s knowledge, experience and dedication are unsurpassed. She was also very generous with her time and resources. It’s an excellent program! It met and exceeded all my expectations.

I will highly recommend the Equine Soundness educational studies to my future clients and friends who are interested in learning about natural hoof care.

September 2008
My interest in hoof care began in 2004, and was exhilarated when I went to a presentation from Equinextion in February 2005.

I began trimming myself that fall with a lease horse, and my trainer due to this experience converted the entire barn and farm into a more natural living habitat, trimming her horses and that of boarder/trainees herself.

I knew from day one that I needed to know more then your basic trim, I tried to research as much as I could, read the books that were available, and email the people who I could find to ask everything there is to know.

In 2006, I not only purchased my first horse, but I also realized that I had this huge inner desire to trim for other people and their horses! I had taken on a handful of clients, and kept searching for a school, or a program that would accommodate my life-style and needs. My search left me defeated and I had also learned that I was pregnant with my twins Sofia and Liam.

It wasn't until 2008 when Claudia’s program was suggested to me. I sent one email and after a 2 hour phone-conversation with Claudia knew that this is it.

Up until then I had taken a few clinics and trimmed with two other bare-foot trimmers; after purchasing my first Module I knew I had made the right decision. The information is well written, well demonstrated, and explained in detail. And even if I do get stuck on a subject, Claudia is available to answer any questions at any time.

The first 5-day Seminar with Claudia was intense and very educational. The information presented is much more in depth, precise and more hands-on then what I ever had absorbed from any other clinic. I left with a sense of clarity, yet with a lot of room for new challenges. I am eagerly looking forward to my next 5 days at Equine Soundness. Thank you Claudia and Thank you Charles.





	Equine Soundness is offering Hoof Care Courses for the discriminating seasoned professional Trimmer or Farrier, the professional Student, Horse Owner and Veterinarian. Years of experience in the field and in the class room have brought us to this learning platform. We are proud to offer you cutting edge information in an appealing format. Please feel free to contact us with any questions you may have. Online Courses All of our programs are self-paced Quality and affordable distance education No classes to attend Enrollment is open and students may begin their studies anytime Faculty are available by e-mail to mentor students throughout the program Our certificate program offers students cutting edge information Students are permitted up to 15 months to schedule and complete their certificate program The online courses can be taken and completed from anywhere in the world Practical Courses Are taught by experienced instructors Quality individual hands-on instruction Flexible schedule according to your needs Enrollment is open and students may begin their studies anytime Instructors are available in different locations of the US and in Australia Anyone who wants to study the theory of hoof care may sign up for these courses, but you have to take them in order as we know how important every single aspect of the horse in our care is. Online support is provided throughout the course. Students have the privilege of sending in and receiving feedback on their case studies. Testimonials EQUINE SOUNDNESS INTRODUCTION TO TRIMMING CLINIC JULY 2012Winnipeg, Manitoba CANADA DAY 1 So you want to be a barefoot hoof trimmer! Well that should be no problem. So let’s get educated. How hard can this be, I was told by my Farrier, “you just have to remove what is long and that is about it”. So we went forward and took some weekend clinics, lots of them and studied on the internet and we became divas with the rasp and continued to keep the long walls at bay. We had beautiful looking feet on relatively sound horses……se we thought. Ignorance is bliss! Gotta love that feeling of not knowing what is out there and being just fine with that. In walks Claudia Garner, and she did just what she said she would do, she rocked and shook our worlds! She left us in a wake of short circuiting brain wave destruction. Just when we thought we had a handle on things! We all stopped right in our tracks, like deer in headlights! Now where do we go from here!???? “WE” are a group of professional bare foot hoof trimmers, farriers, animal chiropractors, horse owners who trim their own horses, and horse owners that have never laid a knife to a hoof. There were 11 of us in total and the ones that were the most confused and shell shocked were us “Professionals”. Our past education left us severely wanting in the hoof care world weather we knew it or not. Claudia started gently with us by first discussing what barefooting a horse really means. Then she continued into natural lifestyle and our eyes began to glaze over as we all “knew this…” another boring seminar on natural lifestyle.. when will we get to the trimming part. Claudia is very cleaver, if she would have started with day two on day one, everyone would have left crying! J DAY 2 We sat naively in the classroom in the morning of day two, we were waiting to have the visual and verbal conformation of how well we were doing caring for our horses and trimming their rock crushing feet into soundness. As the day progressed we went further and further away from what we thought to be true. Claudia opened up to a whole new world of Horse Feet. She opened our eyes widely to a world NO OTHERS had ever exposed us to. Pathological Hoof Form was a word and world we were totally unfamiliar with! None of us ever thought about the possibility to trim unsymmetrical feet differently than any other foot. The foot is what it is, how can a trim change that? This was never taught to us barefooters or farriers. As we all sat there and her descriptions of the pathologies rained down on us we were mesmerized. Her calmness, matter of fact attitude helped us along to digest and SEE the array of pathological feet…..under run heels, hi-lo syndrome, inside the vertical hoof walls, contractions (bulb, frog, sole, walls, heels) founder, navicular, bi-lateral imbalance, bi-lateral imbalance with under run or inside the vertical walls……..OH MY…and the list goes on. Claudia takes and breath, looks at us lovingly, and quietly asks all of us….”Now What? How is your trim working for you now?” No one says a word. The day Claudia walked into my life, I can personally say, it was a rude awakening. Her demand to accept nothing less than perfect while trimming was indeed hard to take and live up to. I had the privilege to work with her for 8 days and those days were intense and without a doubt the best days I have ever spent learning a new craft! The only other time I can ever say I have been so challenged and pushed to my limit was when I was taking my Commercial Pilots License. Any Commercial Airline Pilot when asked will tell you the hardest thing they have ever done in their lives was passing their Commercial Pilots License. During the Commercial phase of flying we must learn EVERYTHING for the first time and this Commercial phase sets pilots up to continue into ALL other Flying Careers, Airline, Air Force or even Space. Truly the hardest of all learning curves. Clearly none of these pilots have ever met Claudia! WOW! The Equine Soundness Professional Barefoot Trimming Course is truly the foundation on which we can stand as Professional Barefoot Trimmers. I have only begun my journey into the Equine Soundness Course but already I feel the satisfaction and security of a great institution for professional growth and development into becoming a Master Trimmer. Master Trimmer is my goal, Hooves are my obsession and Claudia is My Teacher. Claudia generously has provided horse owners and novice trimmers a FREE ONLINE Course which is available by contacting her. We (Francine and I…Hoofgeeks Barefoot Hoofcare) recommend this course to ALL of our trimming clients who wish to become more familiar with what we do and why barefoot is the right way to go with their horses. I can seriously say to ANYONE who is thinking about a trimming career or those who are already trimming as a profession to take Claudia’s Professional course. Even if they are farriers and make a living with iron, they need to know how this is affecting the horses and if their clients choose not to nail iron to the feet of their horses, then at least the farrier will know how to do a proper barefoot trim. My husband asked me the other day, “Don’t you ever get tired of looking at horses feet?” I told him “No, never! They are fascinating and no two of them are the same.” Humm I would not have said this three months ago? Thank you Claudia for opening all of our eyes! May the Horse be with you! Christine Tomlin Pine Rock Equine Services Manitoba CANADA June 2012 Claudia is a highly intelligent and open-minded person for whom I have a deep respect. She worked for a while as a Bitless Bridle Associate Clinician in the early days of the project and, since then, I have corresponded with her on a regular basis. I subscribed to one of her excellent seminars on barefoot trimming and learned a great deal. She is a careful and successful educator and a hard-working pioneer in her field. She merits support and I wish her well. Dr. Bob Cook November 2011 I've been using a rasp on my horses for about 11 yrs now, since I had my first unshod mustang and the farrier told me I didn't need to call him every time there was a chip on the hooves (usually it was the quarters but I didn't even know what they were called back then)and he handed me his old rasp and told me I could do it myself. Since then I've acquired 5 other horses, 3 were shod when I got them, all are barefoot and trail sound now. I really appreciate the great information that is being shared by Claudia and Equine Soundness. I especially enjoyed the anatomy sections. I can't tell you how many times I've tried to find detail on the anatomy of the hoof, inside and outside, and now here it is, with the navicular bone and the tendons now revealed, which were previously a mystery to me. The more we know, the better it is for our horses. I try to encourage even owners of shod horses to educate themselves about the hooves. Sadly, many are all too happy to remain oblivious and don't even want to know how a healthy hoof is supposed to look like. Thank you for caring enough about horses to make this valuable information available for horse owners who do care and are looking for more info. Kathy N. CA foothills January 2011 I recently returned from my second practicum at Equine Soundness with Claudia and wanted to take a few moments to share my experience. In the two plus years that I have known Claudia as a student at Equine Soundness she has been generous of her time, knowledge and resources in helping me further my education and training as a holistic hoof care provider. Holistic hoof care emphasizes that it is not simply just a process to trim and balance the hooves, but about balancing the rest of the horse as well to achieve total well being of the horse for optimal hoof health. Students are taught the importance of nutrition, environment and holistic management practices and how they impact both the mental and physical health of our equine partners. Claudia extremely dedicated to her students and passionate about what she teaches. Thank you for all you do! Mary Lillie, Massachusetts June 2010 Claudia, I just wanted you to know how good the presentation was last night. The graphics clarified a lot and made it easy to learn what you were teaching. Even though this is not Greek to me as I imagine it is for some, I got a much better visual image of the hoof. I will have questions once we get deeper into it. Thank you for doing this. Betsy Cares, South Carolina May 2010 The first seminar I attended was with Pete Ramey, it was two days full of helpful information. I still needed/wanted more, so I attended a two day and one night seminar with Gene Ovnicek. After this I thought I had reached the top. I kept getting cases that were worse than the last so I went looking again. I still felt that I needed some actual instruction as all the seminars were helpful but were without actual instruction so to speak. I searched for months looking to find a school that taught how to deal with Pathologies. I found Equine Soundness in Hopkins S.C. (4 1/2 hrs away) I felt that was convenient enough. I went down to meet the owner/instructor for a 4 hr visit. 8 hrs later she said I had to leave. I had to see if this was what I needed. After the first 2 hrs I knew it was, the other 6 hrs were just a head start on my education. I spent many weekends there getting one on one training (on live horses and cadavers). The course was online, with homework every week. It took me 12 months to complete. We had 7 days of training and testing the week of our exam. This was probably the most difficult studying I have ever done. There were students from around the world there that week. I still currently attend online meetings once a week (when I am home) that are hosted thru Equine Soundness. The online meetings consist of people from around the world, trimmers, vets, and owners. Don Vick, North Carolina January 2009 I am currently enrolled in the Equine Soundness Hoof Care Certification [Online] Course. I just completed Day 5 of the first five-day mentorship portion of the program. What a wonderful experience it was! I opted to take this program in South Carolina with course founder, Claudia Garner. She was a gracious host and an excellent mentor. Her lectures and slide presentations were very educational, and it was clear when I read the material, saw the photos of her case studies, and actually met the horses at her clinic that she really knows her stuff. Because I live in the Pacific Northwest, I was fortunate to get started in all this with Equine Soundness' instructors, Jerry Schmidt and Audrey Bryant. I received instruction from them that was very helpful, but I still lacked confidence in my abilities. Claudia provided me with valuable input on technique such that each day I became more confident using the tools. I'm sure that with continued supervision from Jerry and Audrey and with feedback from Claudia as she reviews my case studies, I will continue to gain confidence and develop more skill as a barefoot trimmer. I am excited to participate in the second five-day mentorship program, and look forward to graduating from the course. Claudia's skill has inspired me to learn as much as I can about hoof care, and to share my knowledge with as many horse owners as I can. And I have no doubt that anyone who wants to learn how to trim would do well to enroll in this Course. Gale Nelson Sequim, WA USA November 2008 I have to say, this course is absolutely amazing. There was a lot in the first module that I already knew, but even so I have learned an incredible amount more. It is very professionally put together, the material is written in an academic fashion which is very appealing to me and yet it is very understandable at the same time. I have no idea if there are other, similar courses out there, but I doubt it. It was actually recommended to me by someone online, so I was a little bit hesitant, but it has turned out to be a great investment and I'm really looking forward to the next module. Thanks again, Robyn Guest, St. Marys, Ontario September 2008 My barefoot journey began several years ago when I became a first-time horse owner. Back then I knew little about horses and hoof care. After a few unpleasant encounters with local farriers I knew that it would be important to learn all I could about hoof care. I went on to attend a few small clinics and started researching the many hoof care programs available, that’s when I found Equine Soundness. I am currently enrolled in their Professional Student certification program and recently attended a 5-day mentoring session that is part of the studies. When I arrived for the session I already knew the basics of trimming. What I learned from Claudia was much more in-depth: how, when, why and what to trim. We reviewed theory (including anatomy, hoof function, nutrition and holistic lifestyle just to name a few) and were taught and practiced the mechanics of a basic trim. The session was thorough and intensive; we were challenged and tested each day. Claudia’s knowledge, experience and dedication are unsurpassed. She was also very generous with her time and resources. It’s an excellent program! It met and exceeded all my expectations. I will highly recommend the Equine Soundness educational studies to my future clients and friends who are interested in learning about natural hoof care. Mary Lillie Williamstown, Massachusetts September 2008 My interest in hoof care began in 2004, and was exhilarated when I went to a presentation from Equinextion in February 2005. I began trimming myself that fall with a lease horse, and my trainer due to this experience converted the entire barn and farm into a more natural living habitat, trimming her horses and that of boarder/trainees herself. I knew from day one that I needed to know more then your basic trim, I tried to research as much as I could, read the books that were available, and email the people who I could find to ask everything there is to know. In 2006, I not only purchased my first horse, but I also realized that I had this huge inner desire to trim for other people and their horses! I had taken on a handful of clients, and kept searching for a school, or a program that would accommodate my life-style and needs. My search left me defeated and I had also learned that I was pregnant with my twins Sofia and Liam. It wasn't until 2008 when Claudia’s program was suggested to me. I sent one email and after a 2 hour phone-conversation with Claudia knew that this is it. Up until then I had taken a few clinics and trimmed with two other bare-foot trimmers; after purchasing my first Module I knew I had made the right decision. The information is well written, well demonstrated, and explained in detail. And even if I do get stuck on a subject, Claudia is available to answer any questions at any time. The first 5-day Seminar with Claudia was intense and very educational. The information presented is much more in depth, precise and more hands-on then what I ever had absorbed from any other clinic. I left with a sense of clarity, yet with a lot of room for new challenges. I am eagerly looking forward to my next 5 days at Equine Soundness. Thank you Claudia and Thank you Charles. Miriam Braun Stoke, Quebec