Re: Barefootin'

["shelton" <dshelton@cyberhighway.net>]

Darolyn,

I think it's great  you're hosting a clinic with Martha. What a wonderful,
motivated Lady! She's been a farrier for over 25 years. I attended a clinic
with her recently. We actually dissected a hoof at our small clinic. This is
an incredible learning opportunity whether you're interested in going the
barefoot route or not.

Some of the interesting things I saw were... She took a horse (shoes pulled
the day before) and returned his foot to a state in which the hoof mechanism
was again able to function properly. When the horse put his 'new' foot down
he was licking and chewing, interesting. Then he put all his front weight on
it and picked up the other foot. He moved it around and around trying to
find a position it was comfortable in. Finally he gave up and just held the
untrimmed foot up. Then we were feeling the difference in the lateral
cartilages in the trimmed and untrimmed foot. The amazing thing to me was
the difference in temperature. The trimmed foot was nice and warm, and the
untrimmed foot was cold in comparison. Amazing the immediate difference in
circulation. Big eye opener!

I'm looking forward to hearing about your experiences with Martha.

Cheryl