Focused On Hoof Health Weekend

The Focused On Hoof Health Weekend is about hoof health, structure and function. The course will focus very much on the hooves so it’s applicable to all horses whether they’re shod or unshod. It’s open to all. It’s aimed at horse owners so it’s not going to be full of technical jargon, but it will have loads of information in there. This is not to teach you how to trim, but to give you a deeper understanding of the horses foot.

Day 1: Structure and Function of the Hoof

We’ll take an individual look at the frog, sole, wall, bars, lateral cartilage, digital cushion and other anatomy. What they do, where they are, what they should look like and some of the common problems that can occur.

You’ll see how the different parts of the foot work together as a whole, and how the hoof will compensate and adapt to a weakness or problem, within the hoof or anywhere else within the body.

We’ll cover the most common infections and weakness that hooves can suffer, why they happen and what to do about them.

By the end of the day you’ll have a good understanding of hoof shape and balance, hoof health and anatomy, infection control and commonly seen problems (some may even be so common you think of them as normal!)

Day 2: Practical Demonstration

In the morning we’ll dissect a hoof, so you can see the structures we spent all Day 1 learning about. You’d be amazed just how much understanding you will gain, just from seeing (and feeling if you’re not too squeamish) exactly what’s inside the hoof capsule. This is the part of the course that almost everyone enjoys the most…even if you think it’s a bit yucky before hand.

In the afternoon armed with all our knowledge, we’ll look at live horses. You’ll learn basic gait analysis, how to spot gait abnormalities and maybe even how to prevent some lamenesses. Obviously, we’ll all be bone fide hoof anoraks by now so we’ll take a good geeky look at all the hooves and how each horses gait has affected their structure, growth and balance.

Focused On Hoof Health Day

If you find it difficult to get away for a whole weekend in one go, you’re welcome to attend Day 1 and Day 2 of a Focused On Hoof Health Weekend separately. You will need to attend Day 1 first and Day 2 second to get the most out of the course and to understand the material on Day 2. Priority will be given to people wanting to book both days together, but I’ll be as flexible as possible to fit you in. It’s also worth being aware that not all courses will be at the same place, so locations of each course may vary and some courses won’t have lunch included.