WHO’S “ME” ?
Ciao!
I’m Jade, barefoot trimmer & horse guardian. I started in my professional life as a Head Hunter in the luxury industry before trying myself as a groom/rider/stable co-manager in a dressage school.
Of course, like all of us, I’m passionate about horses, and why I finally ended up in the barefoot world.
WHO’S CAD’ORS?
I am a horse guardian since only recently (2018), and this horse is NOT the reason I started the barefoot journey. However, he is behind our name: Cad’Ors. His full name on paper is Casimir D’Ors, French Trotter, but that sounded very silly. Now, it’s Cad’Ors (pronounced KADORRR – French style please ^^). Don’t ask me why, but I nicknamed him again, Ciccio.
1ST STEPS TO UNDERSTANDING THERE IS A WORLD OUTSIDE OF CLASSICAL RIDING
My first solid horse working experience was in these splendid stables in Tuscany, Italy. All is beautiful in Tuscany. Our horses were mostly Iberian breeds and some Arabs cross.
The terrain in Tuscany is very hilly and stony, hence “not good at all for horses to be outside”. Almost all horses, but for our few ride out Merens, lived in luxurious boxes, skipped out 3 times a day and mucked out daily.
As time passed, I started questionning things, common vicious circles we encounter in situations like this. Like: hot dressage horses living in boxes, exercised almost only collected 1h/day, fed to stay round and muscular – regularly becoming explosive bombs…
The living conditions were my 1st observation because it’s easy to pick up on a horse emotional state when you litteraly live with them 24/7, get them through colic episods repeatedly, get to care for wounds because they went 20 minutes in a tiny paddock and got super silly and injure themself, when they need painkillers or sedation to work in calmness.
Feet, honestly, I never paid much attention, beside the stench. That was aweful and I thought something was wrong. But the farriers said it’s normal and I had not a freaking clue what feet should be like.
HOW DID I END UP TRIMMING?
Then I quit and got to ride a magnificent draft. That’s when he violently got me off his back that I started my barefoot journey.
Initially, we thought it was a behavioural problem as he had been doing this for several years. Since he foundered actually, I then dicovered…
However, as I got to know him better, I knew it wasn’t a behaviour issue only. He does have his temper, but something was off.
Turns out he had been severly foundered a couple years prior, he has major coffin bone remodeling on both front feet, calcified and fractured palmar processes and a variety of arthritic joints.
The owner wanted him barefoot out of beliefs, so he was and had been for several years. But the trim was not being helpful for his condition. Later on, we also understood that he was chronically foundered. He would founder every spring (spring grass) and every fall (acorns).
Since then, I have never stopped learning one single day! You get to understand more about the feet, but then… Oh! Nutrition is linked to the feet! And, what!!?? The teeth too? No way! Also the back, or even organs! Oh man! My head hurts so much!
MY REASON FOR CREATING THIS BLOG?
And so, I welcome you warmly to this wounderful adventure that is: The Barefoot Horse!
I aim at sharing with you as much as possible on what I have learnt and am learning still (it is a process, we all keep discovering and understanding new things. When you stop learning, then you’re dead, I believe).
When I started researching and educating myself on the topic, I found a wealth of information on the internet. It was high quality information but quite scientific oriented, and sometimes, difficult to digest.
My wish with this blog is to empower you as best as I can, so that you can have your own idea about many things horse-related. I want to make it clear and easily understandable in order to spread the barefoot message as far as possible.
For your information, my main inspirational persons in this field are:
- Pete Ramey – Hoof care provider (HCP)
- Dr. Tomas G Teskey DVM
- Dr. Robert Bowker VMD, PhD
- Podcasts from Alicia Harlov – HCP
- Paige Poss – HCP
- Guillaume Parisot – HCP (in French)
- Dr Eleanor Kellon – VMD
“GREAT AT DEVELOPPING WEBSITES AS WELL ?!” YOU’RE THINKING?
Because this website is awsome, right ?!
But no! No way I’d achieve this level of “websiting” ever!
By chance, life has gifted me with a lot of luck and amazing people.
One of the brightest (shines like a star and thinks as big as the sun!) is my boyfriend.
His French name is Guillaume, but because non native French speakers can’t get it right, he’s nicknamed William or Will 🙂
Will works hard to be a successfull entrepreneur: CEO of 2 companies (non including our common project) and specialises in Digital Marketing.
Will takes care of the form and I, the content. He’s arrassed me during the writing of my five first articles to make them easier to read. He’s helped structured my thinking a lot, so that you could get the most of it.
Will has also taught me a lot regarding SEO and how to help you find those articles better. [Funnily enough, P3, corium and DDFT are very clear terms to me… compared to SEO^^]
He then also takes care of whatever else needs taken care of for a website. To be honest, I don’t really know what it entails as, as you understand, it’s not (NOT AT ALL) my cup of tea.
All in all, he’s my rock in life and in this project, so I’m glad you get to meet him too 🙂