Integrating Hoof & Body Health

 

ABOUT US

LH is an educational corporation. Our programs are designed around the recognition that the feet of equines and other ungulates are a living part of the whole body and that the relationships between hoof, mind, and body are reciprocal and inseparable. Factors that affect the health of one, either directly or indirectly, affect the health of the others.

The information in our programs is vitally important for understanding the risk factors, causes, and management of hoof pathologies and for properly identifying the origins and treatments of hoof, gait, and postural abnormalities. Hoof shape and health are also essential diagnostic windows into the state of overall physical and mental health.

Established in 2003 by Bruce Nock, M.S., Ph.D.

 

EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS

LH recognizes the diversity of the community interested in hoof care. Accordingly, we have programs for horse owners to equine veterinarians, and zoo professionals. We offer three internationally recognized equine hoof care training programs, a new hoof care certification program for zoo professionals, and a Masterclass designed exclusively for veterinarians, animal chiropractic practitioners, and vet techs who want to know about hoof function and its inter-relationships with the mind, body, and environment.

Advanced Seminar for Equine & Zoo Clinicians

The Masterclass

 

This seminar is designed especially for and limited to equine veterinarians, equine chiropractic practitioners, equine veterinary technicians, and hoofstock veterinarian zoo staff. This five-day seminar provides in-depth information about the interrelationship between hoof and body health and factors that increase or decrease the risk of pathologies and abnormalities.

Hoof Care Training Programs

All three programs begin with the Gateway Clinic.

Training & Certification For People Aspiring To Be Hoof Care Professionals

This course is for people seeking a career in hoof care or who are already trimming professionally and want to augment and validate their knowledge and skill through our certification program.

Training & Certification for Mounted Professionals

The Houston Mounted Police helped to legitimize natural hoof care when they successfully transitioned their horses from shoes to barefoot. Seven Houston Mounted Police Officers have attended our training programs. Now, LH offers a training program, led by Houston Police Officers Scott Berry and Danny Pryor, designed especially for people who care for mounted working horses.

So, you don’t think your horses can go barefoot? Read Mounted Police: Why Your City Can and Should Have Mounted Police written by Dr. Bruce Nock, M.S., Ph.D. & Senior Police Officer Scott D. Berry, BAAS, MSSL. 

Training & Support for Non-professionals

A program designed for non-professionals who want to trim their own horses or want to knowledgeably evaluate the health of their horse’s hooves and the work of their professional hoof care provider.

 

Training & Certification For Zoo Professionals

People have been trying to maintain and improve the health and integrity of the hooves of horses for hundreds of years. A lot was learned over those years. Until recently, however, most of it was about how to prepare and apply shoes or some other artificial contrivance … none of which is in any way relevant to barefoot zoo animals. Successful hoof care for animals living in captivity requires a multifaceted approach that includes trimming that encourages the hoof to grow into its optimally functional aboriginal form along with a lifestyle and environment that support hoof and animal health and prevents the emergence of abnormalities and pathologies. These principles and the methods to implement them are the focus of the LHZ certification program.

 

 

UPCOMING EVENTS

  • Special Online Event, November 19 & 27, 2023: LH held a two-hour, in-person workshop at this year’s American Zoological and Aquarium Association Mid-year Meeting (i.e., AZA Mid-year Conference) and at the American Association of Zoo Keepers National Conference (i.e., 2023 AAZK National Conference). The workshops provided a glimpse into the information participants get during the first phase of our training program—the 5-day Gateway Clinic. The information targeted zoo professionals but is highly relevant for all ungulates, including horses. To make the information even more broadly available to both the zoo and horse communities, we will repeat the workshop (twice) … this time online. There is no fee. Just register and you will receive a Zoom link. You do not need a Zoom account.

Here is what you will hear during the workshop: First, Bruce Nock, MS, PhD will give an overview of LH’s thoughts about hoof care. Then, Ann Corso, Co-founder of LH Barefoot Initiative, Director of LH Barefoot Training Programs, and Master Hoof Care Professional will describe important external characteristics of a healthy hoof—if you know what a healthy hoof should look like, you can detect early signs of abnormalities that can be corrected with minor interventions rather than extreme, invasive procedures that often have adverse outcomes. Steve Hebrock, MS, Master Hoof Care Professional, and Certified Booting Specialist will follow with a description of how an optimally functional hoof impacts the ground—which provides important diagnostic insights into the quality of a trim and the cause of certain hoof pathologies. Then, Cindy Hall, Certified Zoo Hoof Care Professional and instructor in the LH Training and Certification Program For Zoo Professionals will close it out with a description of how the multifaceted approach Liberated Horsemanship advocates greatly improved hooves at Naples Zoo where she is the Animal Operations Manager.

November 19, 2023, 2 PM EST. Register early. The workshop is limited to 100 participants.

November 27, 2023, 8 PM EST. Register early. The workshop is limited to 100 participants.

  • *April 29 (arrive on the 28th) – May 3, 2024:   International Gateway To Hoof Care Clinic.  White Stallion Ranch, Tucson, Arizona. Registration is open.
  • April 29 (arrive on the 28th) – May 3, 2024:   Masterclass.  White Stallion Ranch, Tucson, Arizona.  Pending AVCA approval for CE credit (All previous events were approved). Registration will open soon.

*All three equine hoof care programs and the program for zoo professionals begin with the Gateway Clinic. After attending a Gateway Clinic, all other phases of the hoof care training programs are scheduled at the convenience of students and instructors.