Because, shoot, it's the 13th already, and I don't believe I've incited nearly enough controversy yet this month...

...here's one for ya: my advice du jour? Go to Farrier's School. Or at least purchase the text books and read the certification requirements.

No, really -- I mean it!

First of all, the biggest stumbling block most aspiring trimmers face is how the heck to use a hoof knife, nippers, and a rasp. Not to mention how to gracefully wrestle a shoe from a hoof. I've yet to attend a barefoot hoof care clinic that did a good job of teaching tool handling skills. Now, who do we know that has that stuff down to a science?......Yeah, every certified farrier you ever met.

Secondly, some of the better and more intensive farrier schools do a fine job of describing and teaching rudimentary equine biomechanics, as well as how to recognize many gait abnormalities and their commonly accepted causes. (Do me a favor, though, and forget most of what they tell you to do to correct them.)

Finally...there is nothing more empowering than understanding what you DON'T want to do. And being able to coherently and in detail explain the difference between a barefoot trim and a farrier's work. It will also shed a lot of light on what's been done to a lot of the horses you'll pull the shoes from, and why. And THAT will shed copious light on what to do to alleviate any insult that may have been inflicted.

Now, I don't mean to cast aspersions here and imply or insinuate that farriers are the enemy of barefoot proponents, but "know thy diametrically opposed alternative hoof care theories" doesn't have quite the punch that "know thy enemy" does. As the famed Chinese General and military strategist, Sun Tzu, said:

“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not your enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.”

- The Art of War, Sun Tzu (c. 6th century BC)