KC La Pierre Trimming

[Alibi]

Any one had any experience of their horses being trimmed this way?

Did it work out? What type of horse did you have it done with? Why did you choose this method?

I've heard mostly good things about this trim, but would be interested in hearing from people already using it.

Thanks!

[intouch]

Lots of fans on www.intelligenthorsemanship.co.uk (or maybe .com)

[Alibi]

Thanks Intouch, i've already been on there, but thought i'd ask on here too.

[Bebe]

Bebe is being trimmed by a KC La Pierre Equine Podiatrist. I decided to go down this route after having problems with 2 farriers in succession. Bebe was unshod last winter due to hoof problems caused by a farrier I'd used earlier in the year, which my new farrier admitted he couldn't fix using shoes. She coped fairly well for most of the winter with the help of Old Mac boots but I wasn't happy with the way my farrier almost seemed scared to trim her whilst she wasn't shod. In March she came up very footsore and I ended up having front shoes put back on. I wasn't happy with the shoeing job my farrier was doing then and when her hooves started looking almost as bad as they had when she'd become lame under the previous farriers care (long toe, long underrun and contracted heels, flat soles), I decided enough was enough.

I did loads of reading and decided that a KC Equine Podiatrist was the way to go. Thankfully one of the EP's travels my way fairly regularly (there are only 4 certified EPs in the UK at the moment) so I was able to get Bebe onto her client list.

The differences between the farriers trim and the KC trim don't seem to be that extreme, the difference is the EP spends an hour doing the job and is extremely meticulous about getting things just right. My farrier used to take 10 mins at the most to do all 4 hooves!

Bebe has been trimmed 3 times now. She goes over every surface I can throw at her with no problems (no hoof boots either), her hooves look 100 times better than they did before the KC trims and continue to improve with each trim. The tripping problem that Bebe had before has gone, she's moving straighter than ever before and seems to be very happy with her little feet. I'm over the moon!

[Bay Mare]

Hi

Have heard the term but haven't got a clue what KC La Pierre trimming is! Can anyone enlighten me please :) ? Is it a lot more expensive than 'normal' trimming?

Ta

x

[Alibi]

Thanks Bebe!

The KC book is on my xmas list and I'm finding loads of useful stuff of the net, lots of positive stuff, somebacked up by vets, etc. unlike the info i can find about strasser.

How often is Bebe trimmed?

[Alibi]

Bay Mare, the KC website is www.equinepodiatry.co.uk

Its basically a barefoot trim, personally can't tell you much more as i'm still learning about it myself.

There is a free seminar in Wales in January 05, which i'm going to get booked on to to find out more.

On the IHDG someone said it was about £45 each session, and they are every 6 - 7 weeks, which makes it a similar cost to having shoes put on.

[Bebe]

Bebe's trimmed every 5 weeks, her hooves do grow pretty fast though and she was shod at 5 week intervals too. Hopefully once we get her heels back where they should be she'll start to self trim in better balance and the trims can be further apart. Her hinds are wearing themselves really well now, they had hardly anything done to them at the last trim.

It costs me £40 for a trim which is more than I was paying to have her shod in front but it's well worth it. Bebe's hooves already look better than they have done in months (maybe even years, hard to remember) and she's much more comfortable than she was even in shoes towards the end of being shod.

The KC trim (High Performance Trim) is basically the trim that a farrier should be doing for unshod horses but rarely does! The sole is left alone rather than rasped flat as happens when the hoof is prepared for shoes, flare is removed if it's present (Bebe's were hugely flared), heels are kept low but not lower than the frog, toes are short. The method of trimming is non-invasive and the trim itself actively encourages correct hoof wear, function and growth. This is a very simplified explanation but it's how I understand it, not having the technical background or training that a farrier or EP has.

It has made a world of difference to Bebe in a very short time.

[flowergirl]

My horse is KC trimmed too and I have just done the 5 day course which is excellent. I investigated many different types of trim, Strasser was to invasive and I didn't think others made so much sense for the UK wet climate.

My horse has been barefoot for 4 months now (he is 17.1hh russian orlov) and I am hacking him out for a couple of hours a day on all surfaces - still careful on stones etc but he is improving all the time.

the KC trim concentrates in putting all the horses structures of the foot into balance, there is a program to follow to build the strutures that are lacking in your horse. It's more than just a trim, the owner has homework (depends what the horses foot is like but mine was 10 mins walking on tarmac a day for the first month to increase the inner wall) so you must be committed, But I think its the best option out there and I am so impressed with KC therioes and my horses progress that I have decided to train as podiatrist (KC trimmer).

KC's website is www.equinepodiatry.net there is a forum so you can ask any questions lots of articles on there.

[Alibi]

Flowergirl - does the 5 day course then allow you to trim your own horses feet?

How exciting for you to train as an EP! How long will that take roughly? Whats involved??

Glad to hear you've had success with the trim too.

Thanks

[flowergirl]

Hiya

Yes the course does give you enough to go home and do your own feet, a lot of people on my course are doing just fine trimming thier own horses now (I'm being a wimp and doing the back feet and the front feet with my EP!).

To qualify as an EP you have to do three five day courses and a LOT of homework plus a practical and written exam. You can do it in whatever time it takes as long as you have completed all the hours for the course and completed all the assingments. There is also a reading list to.

The best thing is my horse is never sore after trimming, he has consistantly improved and his feet look great, all KC's theories are backed up with science so theres no guesswork.

:)

[Alibi]

Originally posted by flowergirl
all KC's theories are backed up with science so theres no guesswork.

:)

That is why i am liking the look of this method more and more!! I'm a research sort of person, like to have hard evidence. Not something easily found with the Strasser method, eventhough i've seen it work for a friends horse, i'm still not convinced.

Hope Santa brings KC's book early - i need to read it!!!

[flowergirl]

hehe! try the articles on KC website they should keep you going!