Cavallo Horse & Rider Competition #7 Results
1st - Lee Shanhun - A pair of Cavallo SIMPLE boots – donated by Cavallo Horse & Rider Inc.
2nd - Deborah Collins - HAF Treeless Saddle Pad – Donated by Horse Connection
3rd - Kerry Killeen - ‘The Soul of a Horse’ book - Donated by Joe Camp
4th - Deb Cardilini - AEBM DVD
Congratulations to Lee, Deborah, Kerry, and Deb, the winners in our latest quiz competition.
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Cavallo Horse & Rider Competition #6 Results
1st - Louis Botha - A pair of Cavallo SIMPLE boots – donated by Cavallo Horse & Rider Inc.
2nd - Carlene Wilson - ‘Through the Eyes of the Horse’ (autographed) – donated by Carlos Tabernaberri
=3rd - Lee Shanhun - Barefoot Saddle Cover – donated by Horse Connection
=3rd - Deb Cardilini - AEBM polo top
Congratulations to Louis, Carlene, Lee and Deb, the winners in our latest quiz competition.
Cavallo Horse & Rider Competition #5 Winner - Steve Golding
Runner up - Julie Leitl
Congratulations to Steve & Julie, the winners of our latest competition - Caption this Photo.
Steve has won a pair of Cavallo Hoof Boots for his horse and Julie has scored a 'Barefoot Stories' book
Steve's winning entry was:
' Look here, it says in this book that I can manage very well without metal shoes nailed to my feet. I knew I was right. '
Julie's entry was:
' Gee, this must be dad's book...wait till I show my mates this one!...'Naked Horse - Dare to be Bare' '
Cavallo Horse & Rider Competition #4 Winner - Jo Carrick
I am a relative newcomer to the current equine world. I moved from Sydney to the lovely south coast of NSW 7 years ago and rediscovered an old passion.
A colleague introduced me to the beautiful arabian and to the fun and challenges of endurance riding. I am by no means up in the elite levels of the sport but find that having goals to work towards keeps me motivated and reasonably fit (although this aging body of mine protests often!)
This same friend then free leased me Mischief, one of her mares. I had been her rider from the beginning, infact we both started endurance together. My friend Kimaleen also graciously gave me the okay to make Mischief my first 'barefoot pupil'. I waited and waited for a local respected trimmer to come. While waiting I started searching the 'net' for info. I became quite obsessed. There was so much information to access. I couldn't stop reading and learning. The more I read, the more obvious it became that supporting a barefoot horse made sense.
The 'trimmer' never did come. I bought some cheap equipment and nervously started to trim. That was 2 years ago. I had a 12month plan for Mischief's feet. She never faltered. During that year she completed her final 2 80km rides and earned her 'yellow log book' Her beautiful strong hooves were a testament to the right decision made.
Earlier this year I sadly returned this beautiful little mare to her mother Kimaleen. (Mischief is to become a mother). The search for my own horse lead me to a lovely gentle grey mare Tess. I have had her now for several months and have started work on her feet. We have not done an endurance ride yet but the prep work and trimming is promising. Her feet are looking healthy, I ride her on all surfaces types and she has quickly stopped 'tiptoeing'.
I work as a nurse in the emergency dept of the local hospital. By chance there are quite a few of us who advocate the 'barefoot' principles. Not all are endurance riders but we share the belief that our horses hooves if maintained properly have the ability to adapt to whatever their environment demands.
We do our training in the mountains between Cambewarra and Kangaroo Valley. The terrain is at times very steep and the surface underfoot is often unforgiving. All our horses, arabians and quarter horses handle the challenge extremely well.
Due to the flu scare there is not much happening around here. All our horses are fine so far. Luckily I have an old disused trotting track to train on, but it sure gets boring! Hopefully things will settle in the near future.
Cavallo Horse & Rider Competition #3 Winner - Penelope Bassett-Scarfe
This is my horse’s barefoot story, his registered name is Ginmarra Jellybean, and he is part Arab and part Stock Horse, and was born on the outskirts of Goulburn in New South Wales in spring 2002.
I’ve had many horses in my life, and my stock horse gelding of 33 years, was well and truly retired and I had thought that this old companion that had been with me all those years would be my last horse, until Jellybean caught my eye.
There was a severe drought in the Goulburn area, and so many horse breeders were selling their yearlings for very much less than they would normally sell for. Jellybean was one of those yearlings, and so I took the opportunity to buy him, my decision was also swayed by his colour and his personality. I had never had a strawberry roan horse before, with the potential to become grey over time, and that also interested me.
So Jellybean came home to my 100 acre property which was a bush setting with Kangaroos, wallabies, foxes and hares, about 50 kilometres out of Goulburn City. The property had no paddocks, and was only fenced around the perimeter, so Jellybean became quite accustomed to spending a lot of time around the house, where he would get his feed and treats, and spend time with me and the other domestic animals.
Over the next 12 months Jellybean and I became very close to each other, and he regarded the cats the dogs and myself as part of his herd.
By the time Jellybean was 2 and a half years old, I was on his back, riding him every day through the bush, and along the roads, he had been a really easy horse to educate and he was very receptive to whatever I asked of him.
I soon realized that the natural landscape of the rocky terrain, marshlands and stoney roadways around the property and along the roads outside of the property had a natural hoof trimming effect on his hooves, and his hooves were naturally exfoliated. The marshlands and river area on the property kept his feet hydrated. I could see no reason to shoe him as he never skipped a beat, or showed any sign of discomfort on any of these surfaces and he was very comfortable on any of the different terrains. Also when I took him out onto the roads outside of the property I was aware he was quite at ease with the hard and sometime sharp surfaces.
I moved from Goulburn to Melbourne because I wanted to spend some time with my Father who was in his 80’s. Jellybean was sent by horse transport to live with some thoroughbred racehorses. I was very observant of the way in which these racehorses were shod, and I believe the shoeing regime they have for those horses actually could cause the hooves to grow incorrectly, and eventually cause problems. I also observed that the basic hoof anatomy, proper hoof balance and the effect on the whole structure of the horse were not taken into consideration, and these thoroughbreds were expected to do their best galloping at great speeds with feet that did not have form and healthy angles, and also had their feet flattened by incorrect shoeing.
I wanted to find out more about the structure of the hooves and so I did a short course of trimming and looking after the barefoot horse. I was fascinated with what I learnt about the hoof anatomy, hoof balance, and much more including how to develop high performance bare hooves. After I did this short course I realized that the whole structure of the foot depends on movement, and if that movement is restricted by a metal shoe which squeezes, compacts and compresses the foot, then the coffin bone (peddle bone) is moulded to an incorrect shape. The blood circulation is also affected and so I had been shoeing my previous horses the traditional way all those years and possibly causing them stress and discomfort.
I found out that by allowing Jellybean to stay barefoot, he was able to cope with all the different surfaces, and that his unshod hooves could feel the ground he was walking on. I also discovered that the foot is a pump and needs to have a blood supply, and that blood circulation to the feet allowed him to make adjustments accordingly. I believe any horse can become barefoot, once the feet are given the chance to function properly.
Jellybean now lives a natural lifestyle with a herd of other barefoot horses, and I am pleased that I took the time to pursue a healthy barefoot lifestyle for him. He is also now ridden in a bitless bridle and a treeless saddle. Now I have many years ahead of pleasure, riding a horse that has no pain or stress attached to metal shoes, metal in the mouth, and a saddle that fits with no restriction on movement or his spine. This makes him a metal free horse.
Cavallo Horse & Rider Competition #2 Winner - Julie Scott
Congratulations to Julie, the winner of our latest competition. Julie has won a pair of Cavallo Hoof Boots for her horse!
This competition was open to new Members who joined between 1st December 2006 and 31st March 2007 OR any existing Member (prior to 1st Dec) who signs up a new Member for the AEBM between 1st December 2006 and 31st March 2007.
This was drawn on the night of 3rd April.
Cavallo Horse & Rider Competition #1 Winner - Jeanette Norman
Congratulations to Jeanette Norman [member no. 179] of Mareeba Qld, the winner of our first Cavallo-sponsored competition!
This competition was open to all existing Members of the AEBM plus new Members who joined before 30th November 2006 and was drawn on the night of 30th November. Jeanette Norman wins a pair of Cavallo Simple Boots.