* The classroom portion of the AANHCP's first European training camp, taught by Jaime Jackson, will begin on Monday, July 19, and continue through Saturday, July 31, 2010.  The location will be in Germany at an equestrian facility located halfway between Stuttgart and Munich airports (and just 80 kilometers from either Switzerland or Austria).  We expect enrollment to fill up quickly so if you are interested, please get your application in soon.  Please email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it if you have questions (or click on the "Contact Us" link at left).

* The page for Naturally Trimmed Horses for Sale is now ready.  If you would like to place an ad, please click on the link at left for instructions.

* Effective immediately, all Step 9s will be conducted exclusively by Jaime Jackson.  In order to eliminate the variation in standards and procedures for graduating practitioners from the old program, all students must pass a stringent final review, final written and field exam with the orginial founder of the AANHCP, Executive Director, Jaime Jackson.  

A 3-Day NHC Continuing Education Clinic with Jaime Jackson will be held in Lompoc, California on March 19-21 and in Helsinge, Denmark August 6 - 8.  The three day clinics will be open to all students as well as current CPs for a total fee of $500 in the U.S. and $600 outside the U.S.  The clinics are recommended to any Student or CP coming through the 'old' training program but will be a requirement for any new CPs wishing to provide mentorships as field instructors.

For students, the clinic will satisfy the requirement of one mentorship.  In addition, the Step 9 final exam may be scheduled immediately following the clinic in order for students to complete the process in one trip to California.  Please click on "Educational Clinics" at left for additional information.

* We will be implementing a non-practitioner AANHCP membership for horse owners, NHC clients, and other supporters in the next few months.  Please stay tuned!

I recently asked several of our practitioners to provide answers to some very basic questions that we all get asked about natural hoof care and barefoot horses.  I thought the Q&A would be interesting for our members as well as other visitors to the website.  We all see and hear things differently so the various ways that the CPs provided similar information might be useful.  (And, it should also put to rest the idea that a horse must land heel-first!)

Thanks to Jaime Jackson, Louise Bach-Holler (CP-Denmark), Sherry Eucher (CP-Ohio), Dr. Luca Gandini (CP-Italy), Steve Johnson (CP-Kentucky) and Nick Hill (CP-Scotland) for contributing answers to the various questions.

1. Why should horses go barefoot?

Jaime: "The biology of Equus Caballus, the result of 1.4 million years of natural selection, demands that we work with its nature — not against it. The equine species is genuinely adapted to go barefoot. It is only through human ignorance of the horse's natural state that led us to the incorrect, and harmful, conclusion that shoes are necessary -- or useful. They aren’t, and, moreover, contribute significantly to the lameness we see everywhere around the world."

* New U.S. Prices Announced for NHC Training Program

Because Jaime Jackson will now be conducting all U.S. 'training camps' (the classroom portion of the training program) from his home base in Lompoc, California for the time being, our expenses have decreased and we are passing the savings on to NHC students.  Effective immediately, the tuition costs for students attending the U.S. training camps in 2010 have decreased from $9,000 to $7,000.   

*Jaime Jackson will be instructing the two-week classroom portion of the training camps in Lompoc, California in 2010 on the following dates: Monday, April 5, through Saturday, April 17; Monday, May 31, through Saturday, June 12; and Monday, October 11, through Saturday, October 23.  In addition, Jaime will be instructing the same two-week class in Germany beginning Monday, July 19 through Saturday, July 31.  For further information, please click on "Training Programs" at left and then click on the "Natural Hoof Care Practitioner" link in the drop-down menu. 

 Radiograph of wild horse hoof (a,b) showing P3 position relative to digital axis (x) [AANHCP Archives]

Our Model for Hoof Care Excellence                                                                                                

Our certified practitioners  use the foot of the wild horse as our model for trimming as a result of the landmark studies by AANHCP Founder, Jaime Jackson, on more than 1000 wild horse hooves.  That research found universal traits that we encourage and 'mimic' through our trimming methods -- no deviation in hoof wall angle, natural concavity, uniformity of thickness of hoof wall and what he called a 'mustang roll' around the bottom of the hoof wall resulting in a trim that is non-invasive, encourages strong, healthy hooves, and removes only what nature would remove in the wild.

The AANHCP uses the hooves of the wild horse living in the Great Basin as its model.  By following the official AANHCP guidelines on natural trimming, our certified practitioners (CPs) are able to mimic the exemplary hooves of the wild horse which give us our template and foundation for genuine natural hoof care.  Our CPs are taught the 'translation principles' as well, which are fundamental concepts and laws of nature necessary to be able to interpret and apply the wild horse trim in the field. The wild horse model is a result of the research originally conducted by Jaime Jackson in the 1980s in the U.S. Great Basin. 

When adhered to properly, the AANHCP guidelines prevent invasive trimming practices as well as methods that leave excessive growth which have a deleterious impact on the hoof's integrity and soundness.  Contrary to the misguided opinions of either its detractors, the wild horse model does not imply or yield a "cookie cutter" approach to trimming but instead facilitates the unique individual healthy growth patterns of each horse without causing harm or obstructing the natural gaits. 

Please be sure to read Jaime Jackson's current Director's Message on the plight of the wild horses and his vision for preserving these living symbols of the American west.

I. New Website Lists Soring-Rule Violators

The Horse Protection Act (HPA) is a federal law making the practice of 'soring' horses illegal, such as is frequently used in the competitive show world of Tennessee Walking Horses and other breeds. "Soring" describes the practice of creating pain with chemical or mechanical means on the front legs and hooves to exaggerate and create an artificial gait for the show ring.