Feet First: Barefoot Performance and Hoof Rehabilitation

This ground-breaking book explores the issues surrounding barefoot horses in the UK and looks in detail at how to improve overall hoof health, in both shod and barefoot horses. The book offers a practical, hands-on advice on achieving barefoot performance in a variety of disciplines - from eventing and hunting to endurance - focussing on the essential elements for healthy hooves: diet, environment, exercise and trimming or shoeing. In addition, the book has step-by step advice on rehabilitating problem hooves with case studies of horses with a range of issues, from navicular or tendon damage to metabolic disorders like laminitis and insulin resistance. The authors have successfully ridden and competed their own horses barefoot for many years and have helped many hundreds of their clients’ horses work successfully without shoes. AUTHORS: Nic Barker and Sarah Braithwaite trained originally in the US before founding UKNHCP (UK Natural Hoofcare Practitioners), a training and research organisation for farriers and trimmers working in the UK. Nic is based on Exmoor where she runs an equine rehabilitation centre specialising in hoof problems. She and her partner. Andy, hunt their own horses regularly with the Exmoor Foxhounds and compete in eventing and hunter trialling. Sarah lives in North Wales and has a busy hoofcare practice, focussing on hoof rehabilitation and performance. With a background in endurance, she works and competes her own horses not only over long distances but also show-jumping, cross-country and hunting.
110 colour photographs