Horse Owners Guide to Natural Hoof Care

If you're getting away from shoeing and looking at natural care for your horse's hooves, this is a great primer. Covers basic and advanced hoof care. I would recommend this as a good introduction but don't use it as your only source.

For 300 pages, so little is said. I totally agree with all of Mr. Jackson's opinions on the natural hoof and the need to bring domesticated horses to a natural, holistic lifestyle to avoid the common and prevailing problems that plague a huge percentage of kept horses. He obviously has a deep understanding and wisdom on this point.BUT one thing that really bugs the heck out of me is when I spend good money on a big fat book and am continuallly directed to "see resources to find out more in one of my other books." Grrr!! >:0( Just when something gets a little beyond the basics in this book, I'm told to go buy another of his books! It's an awful lot of repetition and fluff and peddling. He could easily have said the same things in a book 1/3 this size for a much more affordable price.For the extremely green baby beginnner, this might be a fine book to get. But my advise- spend a couple of evenings searching out reputable names in natural hoof care on the web, what they have to say, and various forums on this topic. You'll learn at least as much as you would in this book. You'll also find oodles and oodles of photos of "bad" feet and perfect barefoot natural feet, learn terminology and see diagrams. You'll learn about natural rememdies, like the mild vinegar solution for white line disease, and about the optimal natural diet and environment to promote healthy feet.

This guide, by pioneer Jaime Jackson, stands among the best natural hoof care guides, with enough photos and detailed drawings to help demystify even the hoof mechanisms of blood circulation and hoof wall loading. I have already been trimming my own horse for a year, but now I feel increased confidence about my trimming techniques, and an even clearer mental image of the goal of balance and natural wear for my horse.I also recommend very highly any of Pete Ramey's books, probably the most famous of Mr. Jackson's proteges.

I really am enjoying this book. It will serve as a great reference for me if I can manage to get it back. I am already offering to loan it out to friends because it is so full of information, has great photos and clear instructions on how to trim. I found the writer to be non-nonsense and extremely clear. The only disappointment I have is that he refers to a companion video and I never got this, nor did I know it even existed. Even so, the instructions are clear enough that you can figure out what to do without the video I think. I really like this guy because he was a long-time farrier and so he really has had lots of experience with horses feet. He dispels myths about lots of things people tell you in order to keep your horse in shoes. H e obviously has the horse's best interest at heart. I recommend this book to anyone who is thinking of having their horse go barefoot or already has a barefoot horse. It appears to be a reliable source of information and it is written with such clarity. If you haven't gone barefoot yet, I think you will after you read this book.

My husband does all the farrier work on our horses. I got him this book so he could gain even more knowledge. He loves this book and has learned quite a bit from it

I'm grateful to Mr Jackson for his pioneering observations of the hoof in nature and for writing them up. But I didn't find the book itself particularly useful. It has very little step-by-step, practical text or pictures; and throughout there is a tendency towards pomposity that gets very off-putting.I bought this and Pete Ramey's book at the same time, reading Jackson's first, as Ramey advises in his book. Never re-read Jackson, but Ramey's is dog-eared from studying again and again. I also appreciate Ramey's voice--humble, sincere, doesn't have to be "right;" eager to learn from any source and to incorporate new research and better technique the minute they occur.

I love it

Jaime Jackson writes in a way that is easily understood by the average person. He imparts a wealth of information about the horse in a natural state as well as a domestic state. I recommend this book to anyone interested in or researching barefoot horsemanship. It is also, a good book to begin with if you are interested in caring for your own horse's hooves. Be sure to get the whole set of books by Jaime Jackson and Pete Raimey. Pete picks up where Jaime leaves off.

Love this book. Can be a bit technical at times but stick with it and it all sinks in either while you are reading it, or quietly contemplating your navel later on in the day or when you are gazing peacefully at the hooves of your horse/pony as they move around grazing in your own attempt to understand their movement and structure. His background as a farrier makes it all the more poignant that he would move away from shoeing and champion barefoot performance trimming, as many farriers have yet to discover this alternative to shoes and incorporate it into their repertoire of skills. I imagine in the future more and more will, as people will vote with their wallets when they see that the more natural approach, where possible, is also the cheapest and healthiest option. I am a huge fan of Jaime Jackson's work and will watch with interest the evolution of his methods and they spread into the world.

I bought this book a couple of years ago, and I keep coming back to it. It is an excellent reference book for anyone thinking of making the change to a barefoot horse. However the way it describes hoof conformation and mechanism makes it a useful book for any horse owner. You will without a doubt learn something you didn't know but definitely should about your horse's hooves!I highly recommend you buy this book if you are considering it! You will not regret it, it is incredibly complete. In one word: it has been invaluable!

Absolutely brilliant book. Have learnt so much and opened my eyes to a different world beyond shoeing and traditional vet advice to treat laminitis. Would recommend this book and others by Jamie Jackson as a must read. I have hope and feel positive after reading this book.

A*

Good present