Congratulations to Barefoot trimmer and EasyCare dealer, Karen Reeves of Keno, OR. whose work was recently featured in Equus Magazine. The magazine ran a nice article titled Healing a Hoof Crack, “A Hoof Made Whole”. Karen as many of you already know has quite a reputation for trimming and booting mules as well as hoof rehabilitation. In this article written by Robert Sproule, Karen takes on a gelding with a nasty crack that ran from the coronet band to the ground. The gelding’s persistent crack stemmed from an old injury to his coronary band. After exhausting all other means to rectify the situation and running out of options; the owner, although skeptical contacted Karen for her opinion. After a lengthy consultation the decision was made to give barefoot trimming a shot. Karen’s plan was simple, get rid of the thrush, return the hoof to it’s natural form and let the horse heal.
The photo above shows the condition of the hoof when Karen started. The hoof was shod and crack glued in hopes of offering some stabilization. All photos are courtesy of Karen Reeves.
Shoe pulled, before the White Lightning soak. Glue is still in the right heel area near the base of the frog.
With a balanced barefoot trim it took just three months to see the owner had made the right decision and they indeed were making progress. In just seven months of diligent horse owner care and natural barefoot trimming the horse had grown in a solid hoof wall that was crack free. There were ups and downs along the way but as you can see by the photos below, Karen’s assessment was spot on.
Karen’s photos along with a few quotes were used in the article and Karen was very happy to see this national magazine was open minded enough to print this kind of story. She feels barefoot trimming has come a long way and is being widely accepted. Karen says that taking a horse barefoot is not quite so foreign to the horse world as it used to be. A lot of this has to do with the advancements in protective hoof boots . New designs in hoof boots make the transition from horseshoes to barefoot much easier these days for both horse and rider.
Our hats of you to Karen for the fantastic work you did restoring this gelding and for helping Equus readers discover the amazing benefits of natural hoof care and horse keeping.
Many times problems like these stem from hoof imbalance. Does your horse have good hoof form? Not sure? Check out Karen’s thoughts on a healthy hoof form.
Trimmers, Karen’s presentation is an excellent educational tool and one you might find helpful to your clients.
Debbie Schwiebert
Vet Dealer & Hoof Care Practitioner Accounts
I manage the hoof care practitioner and veterinarian dealer accounts at EasyCare. An integral part of my job is to stay current in all areas of barefoot hoof care, which enables me to serve this vital group of EasyCare dealers at the next level.
