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| This is me learning to trim on a cadaver hoof. |
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My name is Anita Martin and I grew up in the wonderfully wet state of Oregon, near the coast. I had three horses as a kid growning up and I tried trimming them all. The first one was a pony named Ginger, who died of unknown causes, the second was a two-year old, unbroke gelding named Rukus, and believe me, his name fit him perfectly. I was about 12 years old and tried my best to train him. Read books etc, but he was just too much horse for me. I rode him in the summer after breaking him to saddle and ground-driving, but then after a few wet months of winter lay-off, he turned into a full-blown bucking bronco. We sold him to a guy who was going to train him for roping. He needed a job like that. My third horse was a nice bay mare named Misty. She was quarter horse/morgan, and was really a sweet horse. I showed her in 4-h, but didn't win many ribbons due to her over-dependance on whatever other horse she ended up stalled next to, but she was a great trail horse and barrel racer. She developed heaves after eating moldy/dusty hay, and ever since that time I have been especially particular about the hay my horses get. I sold Misty after I graduated from high school and moved away to go to college. She died a few months later of what we now think was tansey poisoning, and which was probably also what killed my first pony. Luckily, we don't have tansy, or at least I've never seen tansey here in Virginia, although we have lots of other dangerous plants lurking in our pastures.
After selling Misty I got married and got a job and had three children. I did not have the time or money for a horse. My children, however, discovered they really liked horses after riding a friends horses on a trip to Oregon. Soooo, we went the lesson route and I met some really nice people whom I still treasure as friends today. We finally bought a horse and our lives changed forever. Our little arab mare grew round in the belly after a couple of months and so I had a vet out and sure enough she was pregnant. She had a little filly, and I was lucky enough to be there to witness the event. It was almost as exciting as having one of my own children. It was an experience I will always remember, and one of the things that bonds me so closely with Amira (the mother) and Tara (a.k.a. Shantara), the filly.
I had already decided before we bought Amira that we would do natural hoof care and she would never wear shoes. She was only 2 1/2, much too young to be having a baby. I found a trimmer and got her trimmed, but her behavior was awful. I was really embarrased at "My" lack of control of her. We practiced picking out her feet every day, but she was really obnoxious about having her feet done. The second trim wasn't much better and I felt that I didn't want to put anyone through trimming her, so I decided to do it myself. I had plenty of time to work with her. About that time I just happened to find Jamie Jackson's book at the library and read the whole thing, borrowed a rasp and a pair of nippers and went to work. It was VERY hard work. It took me about an hour each trim to do two hooves, and then the toes were always too long. I was scared and she was still being a brat. So, I decided to join the AANHCP and go to one of Pete Ramey's clinics. That was a turning point in my life. I was amazed at the things I learned. I highly encourage all my clients to attend one of Pete's clinics. He is an awesome teacher, and he is able to travel around the world learning new things that he brings back to his students.
After attending that clinic I knew that I had found my new vocation in life. I went back home and kept trimming my own two horses. I also went to some natural horsemanship clinics to learn more about handling horses. Amira began to behave much better during trimming, and is now one of the easiest, most respectful horses I have to trim. It TAKES TIME to train a horse. Some horses take longer than others. I encourage everyone, especially those with difficult horses to pick up those feet EVERY DAY. Even if you forget to carry a hoof pick, just pick up their feet while they are munching hay. Look at them, rub their leg, and set it down easy, BEFORE they think to grab it away. They WILL get better, but getting angry and frustrated will only make things worse. Think "baby steps."
Our family now has 5 horses, one for everybody to ride, plus our little minature. See Our Horses page to meet them.
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I might not be anything like your "average" farrier. I drive a car. I don't wear a cowboy hat, or even a baseball hat. I have a pony tail. I don't have a swagger, a southern drawl, or huge muscles. I don't have a trailer full of metal horseshoes, but I do have a car full of easy boots. I'll be nice to your horse, and nice to you too!
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