The Academy

This course is primarily intended for professionals – veterinary practitioners, osteopaths, physiotherapists, farriers etc.–and persons wishing to become professional trimmers, but is also aimed at owners looking for more in-depth information on hoofs and general equine management. It does not replace hands-on experience nor does it offer owners, or practitioners, any officially recognised qualification to trim horses’ hoofs – see below – but is intended to give pointers in observation and technique used for the trimming and maintenance of fundamentally healthy hoofs. The treatment of more complex pathologies such as laminitis and navicular syndrome must always be accompanied by professional advice.

No form of responsibility can be taken by the Institut for any action performed on a horse. The techniques presented are to be used as guidelines and not as absolute since each horse and each hoof is different. By signing on to this course, the student indicates automatically acceptance of this condition.

It important to note that in no jurisdiction is there a recognised qualification for the barefoot trimmer. The various, primarily US-based, organizations such as Jaime Jackson’s AANHCP and IANHCP, the DAEP ‘qualifications’ handed out by K.C. Lapierre, are, by dint of the exorbitant fees they command alone, money-spinners and even in the US, do not have any federal recognition; in fact, US farriers are often insufficiently qualified to operate in other countries since the diversity in courses offered, varying from six weeks to three years, has no bearing on any local jurisdictions elsewhere.

In the UK and Europe there are various differing views too; in the Netherlands and Belgium, there is little regulation; there are farriers’ schools and official qualifications but they are not obligatory – anyone can set up as a farrier and do his thing.

In the United Kingdom only a qualified and in the UK registered farrier is allowed to perform acts of farriery (NB. hoof trimming is not considered a part of farriery) with fines of up to £10,000 and a gaol term for contravention – owners are not exempt. 

In Germany, the rules are similar, except that in 2007 a German state court recognised that barefoot practitioners exist and suggested they simply follow the first year of farriery training; this immediately raised a barrage if dissent since farriery was the one thing the barefoot practitioners were trying to avoid practicing and thus the judge considered exemption from qualifications (because there are none) the only sensible course of action. 

In France, again the regulations regarding farriery are similar to the United Kingdom except that in France the owner or anybody employed by the owner may carry out acts of farriery whether officially qualified or not; barefoot trimming is seriously frowned upon by the French farriers and numerous legal actions have been taken with varying results. However, it is interesting to note that the prosecutions were generally not related to actual acts but rather to the wording used by trimmers…(hint: if you intend to go professional in France and you are not a registered farrier, do not use the term parage).

Rest assured, in almost all jurisdictions, if you are trimming your own horse’s hoofs, there is no possibility of legal action. After all, we are doing nothing more than trimming the horse’s nails. Nevertheless, certainly if you intend to operate professionally, and certainly outside the jurisdictions mentioned, it will be worth your while to clarify the legal position with respect to the activities you envisage and how you present yourself and your services; as stated above, in France you should completely avoid any mention of the word parage even if this is the most commonly used term – onguliste or ‘entreteneur’ des sabots, but definitely not saboteur!.

The course is split into seven basic sections, some with further sub-sections:

The Horse looks at the animal itself, its origins and evolution, its basic needs and the ‘human’ view of the horse.

Anatomy and Locomotion is sub-divided into these two headings with anatomy explaining the language of anatomy, the equine anatomy in general and how it relates to the human anatomy. This sub-section finishes with a look at the equine digestive system and finishes with a more in-depth look at the equine digit. Locomotion examines the function of movement and the effects that horseshoes have upon it.

Management discusses the needs of the horse and how best to meet them in terms of feed, housing and general welfare. This includes a look at stabling, meadows and track-systems and their individual merits. It also includes a section on toxic plants.

Pathologies studies anamnesis, various pertinent pathologies, and the effects of the living and working environments upon the (general) health of the animal. There are two further sub-sections dealing with diagnoses and visual aids to diagnoses

Approaching the Horse… covers the very much forgotten aspect of actual contact with the horse. Every course tells us all about the technical part of an intervention – how to trim the hoof wall, how to rasp and, occasionally, the best posture for holding a hoof. What is almost always overlooked, even in veterinary circles, is ‘bedside manner’. This is extremely important and can be a major key to success or failure with any particular animal. …and the Owner: if we present owners with a gruff unthinking face or we don’t take time to explain things, even if the horse is happy, the owner might not be. So the final part of this section discusses the relationship with the owner and how we might best deal with the different types of owner we encounter.

Intervention is the reason most people are here and some will be surprised by the material that has gone before. But even now, we have not yet arrived at the trim itself; this section begins with a look at whether or not we should intervene at all. It may surprise some to learn that certain situations, circumstances or conditions can dictate that intervention is contraindicated (at this moment); this is discussed here before going on to the actual Trim.

Riding is the last section. Clearly it is not the intention of this course to teach how to ride. Nevertheless, it is worthwhile taking time to look at riding in general, the rider’s expectations and the horse’s position in the activities proposed, since these things are affected by and have an effect upon the hoof-care routine.

Finally, this course is as applicable to donkeys and other equids as it is to horses, although the likelihood that you will trim any equid other than a horse or donkey is remote! A pony is a small horse.