Making Natural Hoof Care Work for You [Paperback]

Pete Ramey (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 168 pages
• Publisher: Star Ridge Pub; First Edition edition (November 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0965800776
• ISBN-13: 978-0965800778
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (47 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #166,368 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

70 of 70 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just a great eye opener!, August 2, 2004

By 

Dee Woltereck "Fotos By Dee" (Vancouver, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Making Natural Hoof Care Work for You (Paperback)

I would suggest to anyone looking into natural hoof care for their horse, to buy this book. It is not intended to replace your professional farrier or hoof groom, but truly to educate the owner about what a horse's foot is supposed to look like, be able to do and function well.
Anyone having trouble with founder, navicular and traditional shoeing not working out for them, should get this book and learn, learn and learn some more!
I was fortunate enough to meet Pete Ramey at a hoof clinic. He is absolutely astounding! Truly cares about horses and has a wealth of knowledge. He presents his own education/experiences in a matter of fact way and will also let people known when he doesn't know something. A very rare thing to have happen especially in the farrier community.
I have grown to a better horse owner and hoof groom because of his book and his insights to natural hoof care.
Not every horse can be fixed and many have long-term problems, but if you are looking for a possible solution to your horse's problem then this is the book to start out with.

67 of 67 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best, and a great help if you want to try your own trimming, October 12, 2006

By 

Joel Reiter (Cambridge, MN) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Making Natural Hoof Care Work for You (Paperback)

This is the best hoof care book I've ever read. It is both clear and persuasive.

When I became a horse owner in 1997, one of the great mysteries to me was hoof care. Everybody I talked to and everything I read told me something different. It took me a while to find a farrier I trusted, and two years later he had to give up his practice due to heath issues.

About that time I attended a Clinton Anderson seminar in which he devoted almost a whole session to natural hoof care. He sang the praises of Pete Ramey. So I bought Pete's book.

I was looking for a better understanding of hoof care in general, but I was also hoping to learn enough to start doing my own trimming. This book was a great help with both. Now for the first time I feel like I can look at my horse's feet and have some confidence that either they look like they're supposed to or I know what to do to make them better.

I've been doing my own trimming for over a year now. Here's some advice for anyone who hopes to do the same. Ramey's book is not a beginner's guide. He assumes you already own farrier tools, know how to use them, and that you know how to stand while you pick up a horse's hoof.

My advice is to start with just a $20 hoof rasp and some kind of a stand. I put a short piece of 4" PVC pipe on a wooden base, but an automotive jackstand or a real hoof stand would be better. Read the book, watch your farrier closely, ask lots of questions, and start applying what you've learned.

In the beginning you won't get much done. You'll gain new respect for the difficulty of a farrier's job as you fight your horse and become exhausted before you finish the first hoof. If your horse wants to move, I find it helpful to do what Clinton Anderson calls "touch and rub" (or porcupine game in Parelli language) - cheerfully lead the horse away from the trimming area and have him turn little circles for a while, then lead him back to the trimming area and give him the option to stand quietly. Smile and repeat as necessary. At some point he will get it. The more frequently you go through the motions of trimming, the quicker your horse will learn to cooperate. My horse will stand quietly now without being tied.

Even if your horse is an angel you will still become rapidly exhausted because you will be asking muscles to do something they've never done. So don't wait until it's time for the next trim before you pull out your rasp for the first time. Ramey recommends that you trim every four weeks, but I try to keep to a weekly schedule. Do what you can, concentrating on eliminating flare and maintaining a nice rolled edge on the hooves.

If you miss several weeks you'll find it hard to catch up with just the rasp, and a good hoof nipper will set you back $40-$90, so you might want to call your farrier back and start over until you're satisfied you'll be doing all your own trimming. I shared the book with a friend who does his own trimming and learned a lot in a hurry by working with him.

If Ramey ever comes my way with a seminar I'll try to attend. There's no substitute for being able to watch, ask questions, and get your hands dirty. Meanwhile, the book is a great resource. I think every horse owner should read it.

Edit, 12/24/2009

I bought some Clinton Anderson DVDs on the Black Friday sale. One of them was RFD TV Downunder Horsemanship episode 127, "Natural Hoofcare With Pete Ramey." This 2007 one hour episode of Clinton's TV show features Pete Ramey doing natural trims on two horses, with commentary as he works. Ramey's book was written in 2000, and he's learned a lot in seven years. He has become much more conservative, removing less material initially, as experience has taught him that much of what he once achieved by carving comes naturally with time. The video retails for $19.99. If you really want to master natural trimming, buy Ramey's ten DVD set, "Under the Horse," a full 20 hours of instruction for $250. He has additional DVDs available at [...]. But if you can't afford a $250 set of DVDs, the Downunder Horsemanship episode is an extremely helpful supplement to the book.

34 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Making Natural Hoof Care Work for You, November 20, 2005

By 

Janice Webster (Leesburg, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Making Natural Hoof Care Work for You (Paperback)

This is by far the best book yet on the subject of barefoot hoof care. It covers the transition, trimming, maintenance and nutrition. Scientific research, which he has worded for the layperson, documents explainations and photos. He includes many before and after photos and stories, some of which are inspirational and educational as to what can be achieved with foundered and laminitic horses that were to have been "put down". After reading this book, I had an excellent understanding of how all the pieces of the barefoot puzzle fit together and what I needed to do to make it work for me. I read this book before going to a live 2 day clinic by Pete. He is the real thing and what he writes is honest and from his heart. If you are considering transitioning your horse to barefoot, having problems with it working, or just a little bit curious about the concept, this book is the first one you should read... without a doubt!