The Academy

The world of the equine foot is a complex one. Far more complex than the foot itself. For centuries, it was the farrier that attended to the horse's feet - a name that has become synonymous with shoeing horses whereas, in fact, it is merely the anglicised form of ferrier, the Old French word for Blacksmith – indeed, the Dutch word for farrier is hoefsmid or Hoofsmith. This principally military connection with the horse has given the farrier a position of control and is used to justify the 'centuries of knowledge' claimed. Despite this claimed knowledge, the farrier's art has essentially not developed beyond the adoption of new materials when they have become available – lightweight alloys, plastics – and the farrier is still practising an activity rooted in the Middle Ages.

More recently, there has been an upsurge of interest in 'natural hoof care' - a somewhat ambiguous phrase which is also the subject of criticism, although it could be argued that the context of the word natural, rather than the premise, is the main target; it is not the hoof care itself that is natural, rather hoof care that attempts to replicate natural use and wear. Certainly a praiseworthy development but one which also has its roots in the world of the farrier (the majority of the early proponents, and thus too the founders of many natural hoof care establishments, were trained as farriers).

Both the farriers and their modern-day 'natural hoof care' counterparts make great claims regarding the complexity of the equine foot and the care thereof. Many traditional owners will cite the fact that the farriers' training is three years, while ignoring the principal subject studied – how to shoe. The advantage the farriers have, is not their training but rather their united approach to shoeing. Natural hoof care has obviously seen a niche in the market and developed training schemes, quite naturally, along the lines of farriers' training. Here, however, there is something of a problem; the approach of the natural hoof carers is not unified. What is fairly universal, is the basic theory which still leans upon the traditional farrier's vision of the hoof.

What is also very universal, among farriers and natural hoof carers alike, is the mystification of the art. Obfuscation means that most people will consider hoof care too complex to attempt themselves; it also means that high prices can be commanded for natural hoof care courses which propose very dubious – and often non-existent – science and provide no recognized qualification whatsoever. Unfortunately many owners are unaware of this fact and when someone arrives toting false promise in the form of a so-called diploma (e.g. DAEP), they believe they are being served by someone with formal and recognized training. This is actually far from the truth – there is no country in the world that recognises such a ‘diploma’.

The Academy’s courses depend upon demonstrable scientific evidence rather than on perceptions – and misconceptions – derived from the practices of the farrier. We do not make a mystery of the science and we do not make a secret of the art. It can be studied and practised by almost anyone. All that is needed is an open mind, common sense and, for the practical side, a little muscle! Our cumulative knowledge spans more than sixty years - more than sixty years of unbiased scientific study, without the preconceptions that stem from a farrier's background nor from the traditional veterinary approach that is almost always based initially on the shod horse.

Some of the material contained within these courses was developed in association with Pierre Enoff from EQUILibre® and the Institut du Sabot in Porta, France.

Why scientific evidence? Because the development of this form of maintenance of barefoot horses is the result of a process of reflection: observation, theorization, experimentation.

Observation of the progressive deformation and deterioration of shod hoofs and of the pathologies associated with shoeing, for example those of KC Lapierre when he was just a farrier; observations of the "natural" hoofs of the horses at liberty in the United States by Jackson and Ramey, both also originally farriers by trade; comparison of the internal structures of the hoof, shod and unshod - in particular the atrophying or development of the digital cushion, among others by the German vet Dr Hiltrud Strasser and by Swedish Horse Hoof... From these observations is born the desire to reproduce the "wild" horse hoof by means of what is commonly called "natural hoof care".

Theorization of the function of the foot: what are the functions, what are the constraints of each element of the hoof, the foot, the skeleton? In this field, Pierre Enoff has contributed a great deal to the understanding of equine locomotion through his study of mechanics which have resulted in conclusions in complete opposition to the the traditional concepts (the hoof-wall is not weight-bearing; the frog is the most essential organ of the hoof; caudal structures should be low).  From this comes a rationalization of the objectives of hoof trimming: conserving the optimal functioning of the foot, at the same time cleaning the zones attacked by bacteria: this is the "hygienic trim". At the same time, the importance of a holistic approach to the horse must be realised: feet, food, lifestyle...

Experimentation : putting into practice this theory through trimming has long confirmed its validity, on every type of equine - heavy horses, ponies, donkeys - and with regard to all equine activities: excursions and trekking, naturally, but also jumping and endurance. It has also allowed the healing of splits and cracks, flares and seedy toe, and the saving of many horses with laminitis or "navicular syndrome" from euthanasia...

Far from mysterious, this is a clear and demonstrable practice which is open to anyone interested.