Spring is coming!
Another month has come and gone and with it hopefully the end of winter. If you are like me you spend the winters inside hibernating and then spend all summer outside with the horses until you come in ragged at tired once its dark. I really don't understand the appeal of winter time, ice and snow makes farm chores even harder then they already are, the footing sucks for riding and the hooves are cold and wet making them hard to trim. I much prefer summertime rock hard hooves and sweating like crazy trimming in the 30 plus degree weather! I was clearly born in the wrong hemisphere!
With riding season getting underway around here I am starting to think more about my personal goals with my horses and starting to put together my riding/training plan for the year. I am not really a competitive person and don't have a desire to show my horses, but instead I love to train them to be the lightest I possibly can, and I absolutely love to work with my young horses on their foundations and watch them grow into confident and willing partners.
Spring Courses at OKSNHC
Our April and June 6 day courses are fast approaching! There are only a couple of spots left and I am excited to get back into the teaching season!
If you have taken any of our courses here please make sure to submit a review on our website here, these reviews are so important to prospective students so that they can get a feel for what the course entails and weather or not its the right fit for them.
And if you are thinking about the course, don't wait too long or your preferred date might be full! We keep class sizes small to allow for maximum learning and an overall warm and fuzzy atmosphere.
Private Trimming Courses - I have now posted the option of private trimming courses to the website. This is the same foundational knowledge that we teach in the 6 day course, but slightly condensed in a one on one setting where individuals can learn faster and ask more questions. This option is for those who cannot fit the regular 6 day course into their schedule or those who think they will need a more individualized experience. The only downfall to this option is that you miss out on the conversations with other students about their experiences and learning curves and often times I find that students learn better from watching each other struggle as it resonates and helps them to understand the journey and that they are not alone when feeling frustrated.
OKSNHC Followers Connect Facebook - Due to popular demand, last month I made our students only Facebook page available to the public. If you haven't joined yet follow the link above to do so. As the memberships grows I anticipate the group will become busier and more active.
This page is a safe place to post photos, ask for help and connect with other barefoot trimmers/students and enthusiasts. As admin of the group I will expect everyone to follow the rules and play nice. This group is meant to be an interactive place for people to connect and I will reserve the right to remove anyone that is interacting in a negative way without notice. This is also the easiest way to ask my advice about trimming techniques and any questions that you may have. If you are interested in joining click here. Please share this group with your friends if you think they would be interested as well.
We have had a couple of glitches where members couldn't see the box to create a post, if this happens to you please contact me and I will fix it.
The Study of the Equine Hoof
If you follow Lindsey Field and her page The Study of the Equine Hoof on Facebook or Patreon you might have noticed that I have continued to sponsor her studies for February. Lindsey really puts a lot of effort into educating people about the internal anatomy of the hoof and various pathology that she finds. If you don't already follow her you should check her out, and watch for her to offer a special promotion for her followers to save in our online store!
February / March Sales
In February we ran a contest to give away a free Online Hoof Anatomy, Theory and Barefoot Trimming Course. Congratulations to Sue Untershultz, Morgan Spencer and Pamela Harmon, we decided one winner wasn't enough so we choose 3!
We will be offering a another contest in March to give away some OKSNHC swag, stay tuned to our Facebook and Instagram pages for details.
We will also be ordering in a shipment of our Precision Canada tools in March, so if you have been waiting for something to come back in stock contact me to make sure I get it on the order list. We are also working on a couple of new things, custom made OKSNHC hoof stands and we are hoping to start carrying GE Nippers too!
