This 80-page manual will teach a method entirely new and on a different plane from anything of the kind that has yet been presented. Educators on trimming and management of the equine hoof are numerous, but their writings leave novice trimmers without the tools to help them improve hoof form while doing no harm. I have developed a useful algorithm to map and chart the hoof prior to trimming that can do just that.
The ABC HoofPrint Trim method ensures balance from heel-to-toe and side-to-side, even for the beginning trimmer.
Case studies on foundered horses were the impetus for developing the HoofPrint Trim. A need to come up with a usable and easy trimming protocol that safeguards the hoof from harm was the driving force. For many hoof care providers, mapping and understanding how to balance the hoof can take years to learn and master. The HoofPrint Trim method has shortened this long learning curve by giving students of the hoof a basic understanding of its structure through the use of three gauges, which help them decide where to trim. They now have a quick and easy mapping method to use when trimming hooves.
I have developed this method not because I expect to be financially repaid but because I hope that by a careful and unbiased study of its contents, the reader may acquire knowledge that will be of benefit to our equine friends. I trust that my experience, as set forth within these covers, will be of assistance to each reader in correcting the unbalanced capsule and to understanding the importance of trimming.
I have attempted to make my explanations so simple with illustrations and photos that the reader will be able to use the HoofPrint Trim for almost any puzzling hoof condition. When done correctly, this method enables the trimmer to form a correct prognosis and an accurate plan of action. I have personally researched and challenged myself for years to prove the consistent reliability of the HoofPrint Trim by teaching others this simple and safe practice for balancing and trimming hooves.
The theories presented herein to the reader are those that I have tested thoroughly and found to work. Like any new approach in an age-old practice fraught with dogma, some readers may be skeptical. I hope that even the most doubting reader will test the methods with an open mind.
Although not all hooves can be brought to a complete and rapid recovery, the HoofPrint Trim provides a healthy boundary to assist the most difficult of hooves to achieve a form that better protects their internal structures during the stages of repair. Poor hoof conditions result from many factors: lack of timely trimming, disease in the hoof, bone demineralization, lack of good hygiene or diet, and poor hoof care for a long period of time. Consequently, these hooves do require more frequent trimmings and treatment to affect recovery, whether the recovery is complete or the best that can be expected in light of permanent damage to the bones and internal structures.
This is an age with scientific equipment to prove out theories, an age when our equines are more friends and companions than vehicles for tasks. It is a time that we listen to the needs of these amazing creatures with unbiased interest and fairness. What you will read in the following pages is evidence that hoof care is vitally important for our equine friends. This book is for them.
