Samodzielne werkowanie

________
Podczas kursu z Karen Rolf rozmawiałam z jedną z uczestniczek o tym, w jaki sposób zajmuje się kopytami swojej klaczy. Przeczytałam kiedyś na międzynarodowym forum PNH jej post, w którym mówiła, że od pewnego czasu sama werkuje kopyta . Wykorzystałam jej obecność na kursie i poprosiłam o więcej szczegółów. Rozkuła kobyłę w październiku i od tej pory kowal do kopyt się nie dotknął. Dokładnie wyjaśniła, jak to robi, pokazała zdjęcia kopyt. Główne i prawie jedyne narzędzie to tarnik. Poza tarnikowaniem wycina farfocle z podeszwy, jeśli się jakieś zrobią.

Postanowiłam też spróbować. Nie uda się, nieszczęścia nie będzie, wrócę do kowala. Mam trochę łatwiej, bo moje konie bez podków. Wykorzystam wakacje, więcej czasu będzie.

Dla zainteresowanych przytaczam jej maila (za zgodą autorki), w którym opisuje, jak to robi i gdzie się uczyła.

Subject: barefoot trimmers, where to start

Here's the website that opened my eyes: http://www.barefoothorse.com/ Marjorie Smith has done an outstanding job with the information she has given and the basic explanations. I printed off pretty much all the material - it makes a small book. I took up the 'how to trim' part and used it to do Tessa the first few times. This site is all you need to get started. There's great info on how the foot should work with pictures of the proper 'mechanics' of the heel first landing. It is
hard to see at first with your own horse, but just keep watching as many horses as you can - focus on one front foot and see if you can determine which part lands first. If it is a toe first landing, you will see the foot go out and then come back before it hits the ground. A heel first landing and the foot extends to the maximum and lands at that point. The shoulder is also
freer.

This second website is very good too but was a bit overwhelming for me, because they point out so many of the real bad type of feet that need professional help and made me worry. But, they also say 'make it a process' and a lot of other very PNH stuff. I also liked the idea rasping 'from the top' first. http://www.ironfreehoof.com/

When I started, I gave Tessa a really strong mustang roll (through the white line to the sole as Marjorie recommended) the first few times. Both times she was a bit sore for a day or two (and I felt bad). So, then I made it less strong, only going TO the white line - and that has been very successful - she was not sore.

After a few months I bought Pete Ramey's book from Amazon, and then went on his website and read most of his articles. They are FANTASTIC and an essential as an addendum to his book. In the end, what he really comes down to is - don't do anything except a mustang roll unless you have a really good reason. http://www.hoofrehab.com/ He has some graphic cadaver pictures in color. One or two of which are pretty gruesome (they look very, ah, fresh) but they give an excellent idea of what the insides look like so you can start to 'see' through the outside of the hoof.

It takes me about 20 minutes and at least 10 horse cookies to do each foot. I clean it out real good, look at it, start rasping, and if I or Tessa get tired, I set it down, give her a cookie for being patient with me wait a moment and start again. This kept me from getting too direct line and also to do less. It is HARD to bend over, hold a hoof, make the stupid rasp actually work and have the horse stand still all at once. I use a variety of positions to get each part of the hoof. I have started using my left hand a bit although being right handed, I do about 70 percent of it with the right hand.

The basics in how to try this out without doing any harm:

1) Dont' touch the sole - ever

2) Touch the frog ONLY if you are convinced it is rotten/dead (read up on Ramey's site - he has several articles just on the frog).

3) Do the mustang roll around the whole foot

4) Keep the walls of the foot even with the sole or just above it at the back of the foot (if you are starting with the horse having been seen by a farrier, the walls should already be at the level of the sole, so you just need the rasp to keep them there).

5) Work on the feet every 2 - 3 weeks. Do 2 at a time, so you don't tire yourself or your horse - esp if you're just starting out. Any time you see any chipping, get out your rasp and smooth it away.

6) The key is to work towards a heel first landing so, after you do a bit of rasping/mustang roll, walk your horse out on hard ground to see if he is landing heel first. If not, then ponder what needs to be done to make that happen. YOu can wait a day or two before you do more if you aren't sure. Don't go overboard, though. If your horse is landing toe first, you could work towards a 'flat' landing and that is an improvement. Sometimes they need more heel to do the heel first landing until the rest of the foot is ready to take on its job of support.

7) Don't compare the feet to each other as much as make each foot the best it can be given its particular shape. Follow the shape of the sole as you guide.

8) Have your horse out 24/7 and if not, then as much as possible - they need movement.

9) Buy boots if they are AT ALL sore when you ride, because they need movement - that is how they will heal and grow tough feet - by the blood pumping through them. The boots will make it comfortable for them and encourage them to move with you on them. Do not leave the boots on when they are in the pasture though, they are not made for that and injury or fungus could
start if you left them on all the time. I have the Easy boot Epics and they are fantastic. They may seem expensive, but I have had them for 6 months and they are still perfect.
So, in the long run, they're cheaper than shoes. I only got two for the front feet. Some
people get them for all four. I needed them for about two months. The Epic website has
a page you can print out to measure your horse's feet to get the right size.

10) Trust yourself and give you, the horse and the feet time to adjust. If you stick to the above you really can't hurt the feet much - and they will always grow back if you cut too far. So, if you do something that makes them sore, don't give up. Sure, you'll feel badfor awhile. Just apologize to the horse and then become more aware of the foot and what it needs.

That's about it. I've actually been amazed at how easily it has gone. I stayed awake several nights in the first few weeks worrying that I was 'ruining' her. But, she let me know it was okay!