I completely agree with Solaris! I don't throw my two cents in that often, but for some reason I feel your pain on this one. You need a trainer who is on the same page as you are. This one is not! Despite the family connection, you need to separate yourself from the trainer/student relationship. I totally agree that if it is not 'fun' it's not worth it. If Digger is getting confused and frustrated it will eventually sour him to the work all together. I do believe we need to push ourselves

[quote user="Gailforce"] would a person be able to teach themselves to do the barefoot trim with the help of reading and/or videos? [/quote] Yes, it is possible! My daughter and I did, but we have an awesome barefoot farrier who gave us some tips. It's really spendy, but Pete Ramey has a video series that is used to teach farriers how to do barefoot trims. It's called Under the Horse http://www.hoofrehab.com/underthehorse.htm . I have a friend who actually found somewhere online

I do! I have an OTTB who had very sensitive feet. He has made a good transition to barefoot and we don't have to use them as much anymore, but they are still necessary when we go on sharp rock or gravel. First of all, you need to make sure you have a good barefoot farrier. A natural barefoot trim is quite different from a 'pasture' trim that most farriers do. Check out http://www.hoofrehab.com/ and http://www.barefoothorse.com/ . These are great resources for going 'au naturel'

[quote user="Gailforce"] the most obvious thing i see is that the barefoot trim has rolled the edges of the hoof and the normal trim is flat. what other differences are there?[/quote] The barefoot trim actually balances the hoof so that the heels are even and at the proper height, and in general the angles of the hoof all around are equal to the angles of the coffin bone inside the hoof to maintain the integrity of the hoof. When the hoof is balanced it works the way it was designed to

What a cutie! I love him! Not that you can really tell from a picture, but he looks like he has a great demeanor........a soft, kind eye, I guess, and really relaxed and comfortable. I agree with everyone here. It's best to start from the ground-up. Even if he had been trained and raced, you would still want to build that relationship and bond with him. It's actually good he hasn't been raced, even if he has had a sorted start possibly. The OTTB I've worked with needed to be started

[quote user="Solaris"]horsehair in their hoohahs[/quote] LOL!

I know you specifically said no brand names, so I won't drop names, but I have found interchangeable gullet systems to be very helpful in minor adjustment situations. My horse changed a whole gullet size when he filled out with muscle. I have also found the interchangeable gullets helpful when using the saddle on multiple horses of similar shape and size. I wouldn't trust it in drastic cases, but when it's just a couple sizes different it's very helpful. I know there are many different

He is a very handsome boy! I would love to see him move. If you ever get video of him, you should post it!

First of all, yes, this forum can be very helpful and useful! What determines that in every individual circumstance is the maturity level of the advice seeker. This happens in every aspect of life. Don't we all just want to hear things that tickle our ears? I agree that you have to sift through the advice you get, as with anything, to see what will really work for your situation. "Take it all with a grain of salt"! I have had very good experiences here for the most part. I did have

Ok, sorry, I'm a bit slow, I didn't see the person's post above mine who mentioned the Pete Ramey video series........but I did go do the research for anyone who is interested. It looks like horseflix.com has gone out of business, but the series is called "Under the Horse" and you can see a description and reviews on it at http://www.horseflix.com/under-the-horse-p-298.html . At least you can see what each video covers and if you are interested in it you can research it for