Credibility and the future of barefoot hoofcare

We have some very talented individuals providing barefoot hoof care services these days. We're starting to present an organized front, and we're beginning to sound a lot alike in what we preach. This is all very good and positive news for barefoot hoof care and healthier horsekeeping practices. But it continues to be a very grass-roots movement, and while that in itself is not detrimental, the do-it-yourself presentation detracts from the overall plausibility of our cause.

To take our message to the next level, we'll need to present solid science, and little dissention amongst our ranks. We'll need a curriculum that would pass muster at least at a local college level -- which, frankly, surpasses the average AFA certification program! We'll need highly structured data collection. Most of all, we'll need the veterinary community's stamp of approval. And while lots of comfortable barefoot horses should make that case for us, all one has to do is look around at the popularity of horseshoeing to see why that's just simply NOT ENOUGH.

What can you, as an individual hoof care professional do? It might be more about what you DON'T do....but here are some suggestions:

• Take the time and expense to have your logo and website professionally designed. As they say, you never get a second chance to make a first impression, and that first impression should be one that smacks of scientific credibility. Home-grown websites, unless you were a web designer in a previous life, rarely pack the right kind of punch. This is why ad agencies and web design firms get the big bucks for what they do!

• If you're not comfortable writing scientific dialogue, then please don't try. Most of the half-baked theories floating around the barefoot hoof care forums have so little basis in science fact, they are instantly off-putting to anyone who ever took college level biology or chemistry. And they'll make anyone with a degree in veterinary medicine instantly disdainful. Going off half-cocked about your completely unscientific theories just amplifies the "crazy barefoot advocates" assessment the general equine community already stamps us with. With all due respect, you might very well have an excellent point, and a hunch that could lead us to new discoveries. But let's leave science to the scientists!
  
  At least get your terminology right, if you're going to plow ahead. For instance, there is a very BIG difference between "exasperate" and "exacerbate", and yet the former is, exasperatingly, often used where "exacerbate" is intended:
  
  exacerbate
  One entry found.
  Main Entry:
  ex·ac·er·bate Listen to the pronunciation of exacerbate
  Pronunciation:
  \ig-ˈza-sər-ˌbāt\
  Function:
  transitive verb
  Inflected Form(s):
  ex·ac·er·bat·ed; ex·ac·er·bat·ing
  Etymology:
  Latin exacerbatus, past participle of exacerbare, from ex- + acerbus harsh, bitter, from acer sharp — more at edge
  Date:
  1660
  : to make more violent, bitter, or severe
  
  exasperate
  2 entries found.
  1. 1exasperate (transitive verb)
  2. 2exasperate (adjective)
  Main Entry:
  1ex·as·per·ate Listen to the pronunciation of 1exasperate
  Pronunciation:
  \ig-ˈzas-pə-ˌrāt\
  Function:
  transitive verb
  Inflected Form(s):
  ex·as·per·at·ed; ex·as·per·at·ing
  Etymology:
  Latin exasperatus, past participle of exasperare, from ex- + asper rough — more at asperity
  Date:1534
  1 a: to excite the anger of : enrage b: to cause irritation or annoyance to2obsolete : to make more grievous : aggravate
  
  Similar definitons, yes. But trust me -- you cannot exasperate insulin resistance. You CAN exacerbate it, though!
  
  
• Case studies are powerful. But labeling them as such when you have but two pictures that represent totally different aspects of the hoof, and then making grand assertions about the dramatic changes that your pictures clearly do NOT show is pointless. Also, refrain from making grand blanket statements without showing a SERIES of successful examples. My favorite is "I can cure any navicular horse!" If only that were true! A much more accurate statement would be that "barefoot may be the only hope for HEALING your navicular horse".
  

We've come a long way. We've battled resistance all the way. We're starting to get it right now. Let's strive to finally eliminate the stigma barefoot hoof care still illicits, and -- pun intended -- put our best foot forward!