Going to clinics is important for maintaining and improving my professional skills but they're also important for my mental health! They give me a chance to refresh the knowledge I already have and keep up to date with new ideas and techniques developed by people around the world. It also gives me a chance to talk and argue and laugh with other hoof care professionals who can relate to the ups and downs of life as a hoof care professional.
Gene Ovnicek gave a two day clinic in Ljungbyhed, Sweden over the weekend of August 23-24, 2009. Gene has made a name for himself in the US and abroad as the developer of ‘hoof mapping’ and trimming and shoeing guidelines based on those measurements called ‘Natural Balance Trimming’ and ‘Natural Balance Shoeing’. ‘Natural Balance Shoeing’ has received a lot of attention recently as it has proved itself to be a very successful shoeing technique. Research on the hooves of wild horses as well as thousands of hoof dissections and veterinary research contributed to the development of the techniques Gene uses.
Blacksmiths, barefoot trimmers, and horse owners from Sweden, Denmark, and Norway were in attendance. There was a half day lecture outlining the research that went into the development of the techniques Gene Ovnicek and his students in the “Equine Lameness Prevention Organisation” (www.e-hoofcare.com) use. The rest of the day one was filled with demonstrations of those techniques on a horse with healthy feet and legs and on a lame horse with very unhealthy feet and legs. For day two we divided up into small groups and got our hands dirty trimming and shoeing a variety of horses.
I didn’t go to the clinic alone. I attended with my two friends Christina Keppie and Lene Mette Petersen. Christina is a fellow barefoot trimmer, horse feeding specialist, and owner of a very unique stable for barefoot horses in Herlev, Denmark. Lene is a very talented farrier working on Sjælland in Denmark. We learned a lot from the clinic and came away with a lot of questions to ponder over the months ahead.
Carola Lind was one of the Swedish horse owners in attendance (her horse's blacksmith was there too) and she happens to be a professional photographer. These are some photos that she took at the clinic.
Gene Ovnicek
Lecture
Large group Hoof Mapping demonstration
Hoof Mapping (more on this to come in a later post)
'Natural Balance Shoeing'
Tools of the trade
Coffee is an essential piece of equipment. :)
It's great to see new tools that make the job easier. This was a new one for me and for Gene.
Two Swedish blacksmiths had these pneumatic devices to help shape cold shoes. Ingenious! Work smart not strong, I say!
Small groups the second day.
From the left: Christina, Lene, and me.
Lene is so tallented and she was the star pupil in our group. Here she is measuring her work to be sure it's
perfect before nailing it on.
Anne Banke, a Natural Balance Trimmer in Sweden and organizer of the clinic, points out that, indeed, the shoe is
perfect.
Me, Anne, and Lene
The most awesome tattoo!
I am a sucker for close ups so here are a few from some of the horses we worked on during the clinic. Carola is such a great photographer! 
More to come on this palomino mare in a future post. She was the lameness case from day one.
