Seven days of glorious weather (for England) in the stunning scenery of Yorkshire´s Calder Valley, County Durham and various places in between, were a sharp reminder of how difficult it is for people to stop their horses getting quite obese and the subsequent ensuing pathologies associated with that sugar overload. Spending it in the company of two ladies who were quite instrumental, quite the pioneers, in highlighting the enormous advantages of barefoot health for horses in the UK when they started down that equine road around 15 years ago, made the trip even better.
Discussing best practice and confirming the WHP ethics and protocol to be exactly what our equines need in order to maintain optimum health, both physical and mental, these two fabulous ladies also validated that there is no one trim method, no one living situation, that will work for all horses.
In order for barefoot horses to go from strength to strength, it must be accepted that sometimes we have to take the middle road. Sometimes we have to adapt, provide the best possible environment within whats available or even the best possible trim within what a particular horse can offer us. One specific should never be imposed upon our equines.
Appreciating the associated problems of mostly soft going, compared to the parched ground of southern Spain, was another example of how one size does not fit all! The foundations are not always black and white, but that doesn´t mean the resulting hoof wont be a ground breaker ;)
WHP courses are geared to the reality of modern equestrianism, modern horse husbandry and that owners or guardians come from all walks of life. I hoped my trip would provide something new to learn and bring home with me. Indirectly it did. I learnt to have the courage of my own convictions
Discussing best practice and confirming the WHP ethics and protocol to be exactly what our equines need in order to maintain optimum health, both physical and mental, these two fabulous ladies also validated that there is no one trim method, no one living situation, that will work for all horses.
In order for barefoot horses to go from strength to strength, it must be accepted that sometimes we have to take the middle road. Sometimes we have to adapt, provide the best possible environment within whats available or even the best possible trim within what a particular horse can offer us. One specific should never be imposed upon our equines.
Appreciating the associated problems of mostly soft going, compared to the parched ground of southern Spain, was another example of how one size does not fit all! The foundations are not always black and white, but that doesn´t mean the resulting hoof wont be a ground breaker ;)
WHP courses are geared to the reality of modern equestrianism, modern horse husbandry and that owners or guardians come from all walks of life. I hoped my trip would provide something new to learn and bring home with me. Indirectly it did. I learnt to have the courage of my own convictions