A.C.E.H.P.

Our First Qualified Student - Kristal Berry 

CONGRATULATIONS to Kristal Berry who has become the first Tasmanian student to complete the TAFE Certificate 3 Hoof Care Course. Kristal lives at Franklin and has now taken on learning about boat building so she can sail off around the world with her partner. Not many seahorses need a trim but I'm sure Kristal will be keeping her skills handy for those horses she comes across in her travels.

 

In 2004 I enrolled at the National Collage of Traditional Medicine here in Melbourne to do the Equine Myofunctional Therapy course. I thoroughly enjoyed the course as it went into depth in anatomy and physiology of the horse which is something I have a keen interest in. I am also a qualified Animal Technician with an Associate Diploma in Applied Science which is a qualification that enables you to work with any species of animal in confinement such as zoo's, wildlife sanctuaries or medical research.
 
It was during the EMT course I was introduced to barefoot trimming and in theory this made complete sense to me so my own horses Doulton and Kate both had their shoes removed in 2004.
 
Once I started practicing EMT I soon realised that if the upper body problems were related to poor hoof form and hoof pain I was never going to fix the problem without addressing the cause, I was merely providing a temporary fix and temporary relief for the horse. I saw this in my own horse Doulton who has zero pain tolerance so if something wasn't right I'd know about it. Transition wasn't smooth for him but boy has that horse taught me a lot, four years later he is sound and happy.
 
I did a couple of weekend barefoot trim clinics and started to maintenance trim my own horses, then progressed to trimming friends horses, I then found myself totally obsessed with hooves and the first thing I did and still do is look at the hooves before looking at the horse and I don't pat them I feel their muscles. I decided that I need to follow this hoof trimming path to learn more about how the hoof works and how it effects the upper body. I enrolled in the Cert III Hoof care course at TAFE Tasmania in Oct 2007.
 
This course offered everything I needed to become a professional hoof care provider. I have the confidence in assessing conformation and movement, I am able to identify hoof pathologies and provide a trimming treatment plan, provide advice and support to owners considering the barefoot lifestyle for horses that have been shod long or short term and I can give advice on feeding and housing regimes for maximum hoof health. All of this is backed up by a fantastic support team from my extremely knowledgeable lecturers Cynthia Cooper, Jeremy Ford, Jen Clingly and Marg Richardson.
 
This course has also opened doors for me such as being invited back to Tassie to lecture to the June intake of Cert III hoof care students on how hoof pathologies effect the musculoskeletal system and I lecture at Box Hill TAFE in Melbourne on the benefits of natural hoof care to the Cert II Horse Care course.
 
All this satisfies my interest in anatomy and physiology and it enables me to provide a whole therapeutic package to these wonderful creatures that generously give so much to us...our beloved horses.

 ‘I had a wonderful time and cannot thank the teaching staff enough for al their time, encouragement and patience! Their enthusiasm is infectious and their passion shines through – it has been an opportunity of a lifetime. Thanks so much!’  

‘This course really grounded my existing knowledge. At the same time it expanded the fields relevant to hoof trimming – there is so much that needs to be considered eg. Feeding and upper body work to truly get the horse healthy.

Great atmosphere, all lecturers really knew their stuff and excellent range of guest lecturers. Overall a great course for all levels of trimmer!’  

The food was fantastic, facilities were great and stud visits a bonus. Information available was excellent and all the websites mentioned will give us plenty of reading to follow up. The course provided plenty of laughs and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Darrall Clifford was brilliant – thoroughly enjoyed being able to listen to him for a day and half. I also enjoyed meeting past students and listening to the their stories and hearing how their careers have evolved.’  

‘Great venue, great meals. Fantastic field trips. Very happy with the course content – it has improved my knowledge and confidence. Loved the approachable attitude of the teachers.’  

‘A great course – not just for the barefoot trimming aspect but the overall big picture of horse health.’

'Very good trainers, very genuin and sincere, patient'

'all the pieces of the puzzle finally fit!  Have thoroughly enjoyed the course, presenters, mentors are excellent and are overflowing with great ideas and experiences

'I thought all of the trainers showed a respect for each other, they were professional and easy to listen to. They made the information interesting and fun!  I was never bored! I always felt that I received a lot of encouragement. My questions were answered and loved every minute'

'Helped set up my own business with guidelines and having backing and support to be more professional - is giong to be great for the hoof trimming world'