My name is Natalie Cruz and I became a barefoot advocate and farrier after my Paint horse, Boomer, was diagnosed with navicular to explain his mystery lameness. The traditional, very popular farrier I was using never returned my calls when he could not keep the shoes on Boomer. So in desperation I left the shoes off and we began our barefoot journey. I contacted a local barefoot trimmer who gave me some trimming lessons and then she directed me to Pete Ramey clinics ( www.hoofrehab.com), and Martha Olivo, a local trimmer who supplied cadaver hooves for dissection so that I could gain more knowledge and expertise. After Boomer's successful rehabilitation to soundness which took 6 months, I began trimming horses for others in 2004. Boomer was high point adult games horse at Nokesville Horse Society in 2006 and 2007 with me aboard and he is now owned by 19 year old Janine Wellington. She was high point Sr. Youth games horse in 2008 and they still compete and win as of 2009. UPDATE as of August 2012: Boomer is 22 years old so now he competes in hunter shows but he's still going strong and is sound.
See other success stories on the pages that follow.....
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