Linda
Cowles Hoof Care
Serving the greater SF Bay Area and
Northern California
healthyhoof@comcast.net
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Upcoming HealthyHoof.Com Hoof Care Clinics
International lecturer & clinician in Integrative & Sports Medicine
July 18 & 19, 2009
CHANGE OF VENUE!!
Now to be held in Sebastopol, CA
$250 if registering before June 15
Register online at www.ultimatesaddlesolutions.com
An educated consumer is a powerful voice for the health and welfare of the horse.
Empower Yourself Today.
We are assessing clinic demo horses; does your horse have ulcers or frustrating movement problems? Contact Linda Cowles at HealthyHoof@comcast.net to bring your horse! |
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Whole Horse Health & Hoof Boot Chat Email Groups
Go to http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/wholehorsehealth to join a new email group that focuses on healthy horse care. This group isn't just about barefoot, we talk about about diet, environment, vet care body work, chiropractic, acupuncture and acupressure. There are more than 18 professional trimmers and 3 or 4 farrier's on the list (who also do barefoot trimming), and folks who shoe are welcome here too. It is a low volume list right now. It is a restricted group in that it is closed to people trimming invasively or promoting an invasive trim approach.
Go to http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/hoofbootchat to join a new group that discusses hoof boots and hoof protection that isn't nailed on, including glue on boots, rehab boots, hoof casting materials and techniques. I've invited manufacturers and several publications to join, so join us if its an area you're interested in. This group welcomes vets, trimmers, farrier's, as well as boot users. NO sales pitches! We will start a Used Boots For Sale list if it is needed. |
Auburn University (Alabama) Study on Laminitis Rehabilitation using Ramey Protocols!
This exciting study is documenting the rehabilitation of laminitic horses using Pete's trimming protocols, and is exciting because it will offer veterinarians. documentation describing what was done and what the rehabilitative progress and results were. It is NOT comparing shod to unshod recovery or stating that one option works better than another! Its a simple set of case studies proving that the suggested parameters work if the guidelines are adhered to.
The Study Introduction can be found here: http://hoofrehab.com/AuburnUvetschool.htm
The AAEP Manuscript can be found here: AAEP Manuscript
Would you like to participate? The trimming criteria (in the above manuscript) is based on Pete Ramey's trim. If you think you want to go for it and are not sure if your trim is “right”, we can get someone to look at it.
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To participate in the study as a co-author, you need to provide:
- Two lateral x-rays; the first is taken after removing shoes and before trimming, the second is taken before the end of 12 months - whenever you see significantly improved wall attachment
- A video of the horse showing body condition and movement at the beginning and end of the study.
- Hoof and body pictures would be nice too.
Take Video & Pictures
Video horse before shoe removal for body condition and movement
Use barium paste markers to id points of comparison
- Marker 1 - from the edge of the hairline following a tubule to the point of the toe, then UNDER the toe towards the toe callous
- Marker 2 - on the tip of the frog
- Marker 3 - from the hairline at the heel to the point of the heel and across the heel towards the seat of the corn
Take X-ray
- Make the distance from hoof to X-ray machine consistent for each x-ray.
- Always have the plate touch the medial hoof wall.
- Have both front feet on level blocks. The beam needs to be level with the blocks and 1 CM above the blocks so that the beam shoots parallel to the coffin bone.
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New Case Study
Chickapea
October 21, 2008
October 30, 2008
November 6, 2008
December 11, 2008
January 17, 2009
February 3, 2009
February 20, 2009
Big changes in just 4 months! |
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From This:
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To This: |
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In August 2006, Pete Ramey encouraged myself and a large group of "pretty good trimmers" to form a non-profit organization with the objective of creating a comprehensive group of top-notch professional trimmers who adhere to a conservative, non-invasive approach to barefoot.
If you are a hoof care professional and want to apply for membership to AHA, please go to the AHA web site above and start your application!
Why join if you are a busy professional who already has as much work as you can handle? AHA is more than a promotional list! We get together on-line to discuss problems and solutions, including discussing leading-edge topics. Our Annual Meeting (Planned for Auburn University in 2010 so that we can see Dr Taylor's Study results up close!) provides a place where you can work beside other high caliber professionals to learn new ways of assessing and resolving trimming and horse management problems and to discuss techniques and challenges
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"UNDER THE HORSE" DVD Series
NEW!! 20 hours CE credit now available for veterinarians and vet tech's!!! |
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This video is designed to teach equine professionals and horse owners new ways to recognize and treat hoof pathology. It focuses on the ability to identify and recognize a truly healthy equine foot and demonstrates steps taken to drive a pathological hoof towards a healthier state.
GREAT NEWS! NOW - 20 hours CE credit available for veterinarians and vet tech's! The American Association of Veterinary State Boards RACE committee has reviewed and approved this program as meeting the Standards adopted by the AAVSB.
This DVD set (plus an additional test after viewing) has meet the requirements for 20 hours of continuing education credit for veterinarians and veterinary technicians in jurisdictions which recognize AAVSB's RACE approval program, including California .Contact Dianna at hoofrehab1@windstream.net for details) |
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"Tools Of The Trade"
http://hoofrehab.com/toolsofthetrade.htm
| This video is designed to teach equine professionals and horse owners how to select and maintain hoof trimming tools. It will teach you to put a razor-edge on hoof knives, loop knives and nippers using files, diamond stones and Dremel Tools.
Using demonstration on cadavers and live horses, Pete shows you how to succeed with glue-on boots, hoof epoxies, hoof casts, pour-in pads, impression material and cast/pad combos.
The 10 disc set Under the Horse should be prerequisite in all training programs. |
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The
Natural Hoof is a Product of
Movement
The robust hoof shape needed
for today's riding is modeled
after the mustang hoof found on
horses wandering in hard, rocky
areas like Nevada and Arizona.In
this environment, the hoof is
worn by the horses' constant movement.
The edges of the hoof from the
toe to the "quarters"
(the sides of the hoof wall at
the base of the hoof) become rounded
by loose soil & rock. These
rounded edges enhance stability
in off-road conditions, deflect
rocks & dirt, & enhance
traction. Mustang Roll refers
to this rounded edge, a characteristic
that ultimately shapes the rest
of the hoof with movement. New
Trimming Techniques & Hoof
Boots Eliminate "Barefoot
Transition"! [continued
with pictures]
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Why "HealthyHoof"??
Someone sent me an email a few weeks ago that asked a very good question; "I stumbled across your web site by accident, and as I looked through your case studies, I noticed that many of the feet appear to be anything but healthy - why do you call it Healthy Hoof??!!"
It's a great question. I started this web site 4 years ago because many of the horses I was trimming had extremely unhealthy looking feet, feet that nobody thought could ever be sound, much less sound barefoot, yet in two or three trims, I was seeing remarkable changes, and I wanted to share the results. Most of these horses regained their soundness in spite of where they started out, but a few only became comfortable. Under the circumstances, it was the best we could hope for.
And in 2004, the most "popular" trim style in this area was a Strasser or modified Strasser trim, which is invasive yet results is a "nice looking" sole. I learned a version of this trim, I wasn't able to keep horses sound with it, and I heard horror stories about horses with good feet who were chronically tender after Strasser trims. This site's objective is to emphasize that it is hoof comfort and soundness that are important, not how "correct" or attractive a trimmed hoof looks.
Most of these horses are very sound by anyone's standards. The feet that are not healthy, are educational. Learn from them! |
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