There is truly nothing better than a day full of learning, laughter, and being surrounded by people who care so deeply about the wellbeing of their horses.

Ida Hammer first convinced me I could learn to trim my own horses feet back in 2019 and yesterday I was finally able to attend her Intermediate Trim class.

If any of you have thought for even a moment about learning to trim - I cannot recommend Ida highly enough. She will teach you everything you need to know, in a way that you can understand, and perhaps most importantly - in a supportive and compassionate way.

hoof health, RehabBarbara ParksSeptember 30, 2024Comment

Learning to trim my own horses' feet...

Learning to trim my own horses has been a real adventure. It’s simple and endlessly complex all at the same time.

Even in my PT program, we glossed over the feet because that was “farrier territory” - but I knew it was something I needed to understand more deeply in order to really help the horses in my care.

hoof health, RehabBarbara ParksJune 20, 2024Comment

Lessons from Internet Drama

Recently someone took a before and after photo collage I shared of Malachi, a horse in my care for rehabilitation, and posted it in a Facebook conformation evaluation group. The poster was questioning my integrity, suggesting these results were not possible and the photos or the way I took them must have been manipulated to achieve the results I was claiming - and ultimately the comments got turned off…

That’s a normal thing nowadays but honestly it was disappointing because some nice discussions were starting to happen around the differences between conformation and posture and what is actually possible in rehabilitation.

Rehab, hoof health, horse health, Train Your EyeBarbara ParksMay 5, 2024Comment

Internet Drama...

So an interesting thing happened tonight.

Someone took my Malachi before and after from the other day and stuck it in a conformation group to talk about why my photos weren’t good comparisons and to express doubt about the truthfulness of my claims or how this could be possible.

The word used was “gimmicky”

Rehab, horse health, Train Your Eye, hoof healthBarbara ParksApril 24, 2024Comment

Soapbox Post: Medic-lateral Hoof Balance

Other professionals may relate to this… sometimes in our lives the same issue keeps popping up over and over again in different horses.

It feels like we have common “themes” of diagnoses or lack-of-diagnoses at different times.

I’m not sure if it’s just because that’s what I’m paying most attention to, some kind of psychological bias, or if the universe is telling me it’s time to buckle down and figure this thing out.

hoof health, Rehab, Train Your EyeBarbara ParksApril 19, 2024Comment

Heel First Landings

I’m still hooked on hooves - so this week’s post is all about the biomechanics of the hoof!

When we walk, we land with our heels first. The soft fat pad under our calcaneus combined with the flattening of the arch helps to cushion the impact as the foot contacts the ground. As we roll over our toes, the arch raises and the soft tissue structures are stretched, which creates a more rigid foot to push off with. (This is called the windlass mechanism.)

Getting In Touch With The Sole Of The Horse

No, I didn’t mean soul!

Today we’re talking about the horse’s sole. The extremely important material covering the bottoms of his feet.

The sole protects the sensitive internal structures of the hoof from the outside world. A horse with a thick sole will travel across rocky surfaces with ease, while a horse with a thin sole will often move comfortably on soft surfaces and then pick his way carefully across stony paths.

hoof healthBarbara ParksOctober 28, 2019hoof, sole, horse, foot, feet, pete ramey, barefoot Comments

Pete Ramey Clinic 10-12-19

Pete Ramey is one of the leaders in the hoof care industry - and I was lucky enough to attend one of his clinics this weekend in beautiful Shelbyville, TN!

We talked anatomy, nutrition, trimming, boot fitting, and glue on shoe applications over the course of two days.

hoof healthBarbara ParksOctober 14, 2019pete ramey, hoof, foot, feet, clinicComment