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Q & A
How do I Get Started in Natural Hoofcare?
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Question
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I've been thinking about starting a career as a natural hoofcare professional. There are so many methods and experts out there to learn from and there's a lot of controversy between them. Everyone seems to think their method is the "cure-all" for all horses and all problems. Where do I start?
Answer
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The most important thing to remember when starting on any career path, is to try your options... test the waters. In my own opinion, I would recommend studying under more than one of the leading experts. The more knowledge and tools you can add to your expertise, the better.
There is not a one-size-fits-all trim or method. Each of the leading experts is respected for a reason...their successes. It doesn't mean there is success in every situation, with every horse, or with every hoof. Each method has also had it's failures. Your success will come from learning all the tools and techniques from each of them that you can, and learning (mostly through experience) which techniques work great in certain situations, and which techniques do not.
When learning about natural or wholistic hoofcare, it is also extremely important to study the many aspects that commonly contribute to success or failure... the environmental variables. This can include footing, nutrition, workload, discipline, health care, etc. This will help you to coach your clients on the right path for their individual horses. There are some books available such as Dr. Strasser's "A Lifetime of Soundness" and Jaime Jackson's "Paddock Paradise", both of which discuss enhancing the management and living space of horses for optimal health. In addition, there is a multitude of books available on nutrition, herbology, homeopathy, essential oils and more... all of which can ehance the services you offer to your clients.
For a listing of our recommended books, please visit our Amazon.com Book Recommendations page. Also check out the website TheHorsesHoof.com as they sell books specific to natural hoofcare in their online store.
In addition to the information below, please check our Links page for more websites pertaining to natural hoof care.
I'd highly recommend joining a Yahoo! Group that is related to natural hoofcare. There are expert hoofcare professionals and veterinarians on these lists as well as many horse owners who are asking common questions, posting hoof pictures for advice, etc. You can learn a lot from these groups. Go to http://groups.yahoo.com and in the search box, type "natural hoofcare". My personal favorite is the NaturalHorseTrim Yahoo! Group.
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