12 lessons on your way to becoming a hoof expert
For your training we have divided the theoretical knowledge for work on your own horses into 12 lessons. The lessons consist of text, descriptions, many illustrations and images. Many lessons also include a learning control, which you can use to check your learning progress from the comfort of your own home.
In Level 1, we focus your theory training on knowing about the hoof and its structure. We look at the horn capsule from the outside, describe its structures and name them so that you learn the technical terms typically used by farriers and trimmers.
We don’t just want to describe the hoof, we also want to show you how it works: What happens when a horse puts weight on a hoof, how does it deform, how does it change and what does its appearance tell us about the horse and its movement. Furthermore, we will introduce the most important trimming techniques.
The theory lessons of level 1 – available
But we don’t stop there, because if we want to know how a hoof can change, then we also have to understand its inner structures. We therefore explain in words and pictures how the inside of the hoof is structured. Answer questions about how the bone structure is fixed and suspended inside the hoof and how the sentence “No hoof, no horse” is actually to be understood.
Based on this knowledge, we also give you an introduction to practical hoof trimming with the instructional videos for Level 1.
The theory lessons of level 1 in detail
Lesson 1: Form and function of the hoof – Part 1
Lesson 2: Form and function of the hoof – Part 2
Lesson 3: Biomechanics of the hoof – Part 1
Lesson 4: Anatomy – Part 1
Get your short free script level 1: Lesson 1
The theory lessons of level 2 – available
You have successfully completed level 1 and can now carry out the first trimming steps on your horse. Now it’s time to deepen your knowledge and learn more about how you can improve your horse’s balance and health by working on specific structures on the hoof. First of all, you need more knowledge about the anatomy of the horse. We now look at the horse as a whole. Learn more about its skeleton, its bones, joints and about the muscles keeping a horse in motion .
And if you want to achieve the optimal hoof balance for your horse, you also need to look at biomechanic markers of the hoof. This is how you learn to understand the horse better. Now, you can recognize when a hoof is too flat, too steep or loaded on one side, so that an imbalance is caused. You see how diseases occur. But don’t worry, there are simple methods to put a hoof back in balance. In the practical videos for Level 2, we show you how to identify and correct unfavorable hoof situations.
The theory lessons of level 2 in detail
Lesson 5: Hoof care implementation
Lesson 6: Biomechanics of the hoof – Part 2
Lesson 7: Anatomy – Part 2
Lesson 8: Gait and lameness analysis
Get your short free script level 2: Lesson 8
The theory lessons of level 3 – available
You are well on the way to acquiring a comprehensive basis for dealing with difficult hoof situations. To achieve this goal, you have to go one step further. The goal of level 3 is that you learn how diseases affect the hoof and its structure. It is not uncommon for horses to have disorders in the structure of their limbs that require special hoof trimming so that you can improve your horse’s health. These include diseases such as laminitis, osteoarthritis or navicular syndrome.
For this you need the theoretical knowledge about development and detection of these diseases and about practical treatment methods so you can help your horse.
Another element that is particularly important is gait analysis. We will show you how you can carry out a gait analysis and what information the gait pattern gives you about your horse.
The theory lessons of level 3 in detail
Lesson 9: Further trimming methods
Lesson 10: hoof diseases – Part 1
Lesson 11: hoof diseases – Part 2
Lesson 12: hoof diseases – Part 3
Get your short free script level 3: Lesson 10: Hoof diseases – Part 1 (18 of 40 pages)