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About UsMy name is Jackie and I achieved my qualification Diploma in Applied Equine Podiatry (DAEP) in October 2007 with the Institute of Applied Equine Podiatry. Prior to this I trained as a Veterinary Nurse and worked in small animal practice for 8yrs. Since then I have gained my A1 and V1 qualification which allows me to train / verify student nurses and assessors for the VN qualification. I have been horse mad all my life. From as far back I can remember all I ever wanted to do was to be around horses, whether it would be grooming, mucking out, riding, or even just watching them. I have owned three horses so far, two of which had terrible feet! I was always searching for an answer but never got it. I was always told ‘never let him lose a shoe’ or ‘he must always be shod’. No body ever suggested to me how we could solve the problem, but only offered reactive measures like more frequent shoeing or wedge pads for the heels. I was always told my horse just has bad feet and that was that. I have tried every lotion and potion on the market, none of which seemed to make any improvement worth noting. I decided to do my own research and had heard about many horses achieving shoeless high performance. Many professionals I spoke to were very negative and gave advice without understanding the theories behind it. Perhaps people are frightened to move away from tradition? I came across a whole host of different shoeless methods, some of which seemed partially logical, but always had at least one area that would raise concern for me. As a Veterinary Nurse I could not justify lameness, aggressive trims, or the removal of necessary structures as part of the rehabilitation process. How could this possibly be in the best interest of the horse? I then discovered the Institute of Applied Equine Podiatry, an organisation founded by KC La Pierre, a former Farrier who has studied the equine foot for over 20yrs and from this has developed the HPT (High Performance Trim) method of Applied Equine Podiatry. Every thing about it just made sense at last! I decided to attend one of his courses and have never looked back. My horse at the time had under run heels and flat feet. Against everyone’s advice I removed his shoes. He now has correct heel placement and concavity to his sole – much to everyone’s disbelief. I undertook the rigorous theoretical and practical training required to become an applied Equine Podiatrist and started to care for my own horse’s feet. Many of my friends were astounded at the results and have now asked me to care for their horses too.
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