Love to Hoof :))
Oh yes, I do LOVE to Hoof!
I love to ride them.
Pick them.
Nip them.
Rasp them.
Shoe them.
I love to transform trashy hooves into happy hooves.
Lame hooves into luminous hooves.
Hooves:
All horses have them. Need them.
Yet not all Horsemen/Horsewomen
(Not even all farriers!)
Truly understand them.
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Regarding HoofCare — “It’s Art!”
My Hoof-Mentor, my 60-plus-years-experience-farrier-Uncle, Ink Knudson, (Los Angeles/Malibu area) whom I originally learned HoofCare from, has a saying about farrier and hoof work: “It’s Art!”
And, silly me — I questioned him???
“What about the SCIENCE? What do you mean, ‘It’s Art’?”
After all, isn’t Art about Aesthetics?
Beauty?
The Golden Ratio?
(Whimsical? Fickle? Subjective!)
What does Science and Research have to say?
What about Veterinarians?
What’s best for the horse?????
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HoofCare is Art!
But through the years — Ink put a rasp in my hand as a teenager, yet it wasn’t until 1990 that I really endeavored to learn from him — I’ve come to know: He’s right.
Oh yes, there are elements of Science there.
But without the Art, it fails.
Falters.
Lets horse and hoof down.
Art vs. Science
So I just now looked up the definitions of Art vs. Science (there are many dictionaries and definitions out there: I picked this fairly randomly, BOLD emphasis, mine).
And I ask you, horse lovers, which sounds more like the desirable traits of a horse, a hoof, a trimmer or a farrier, to you???
Definition of Art, Oxford Dictionaries.com:
- Works produced by human creative skill and imagination.
- Creative activity resulting in the production of paintings, drawings, or sculpture.
- (the arts) The various branches of creative activity, such as painting, music, literature, and dance. (Dressage????)
- (arts) Subjects of study primarily concerned with human creativity and social life, such as languages, literature, and history (as contrasted with scientific or technical subjects.)
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A skill at doing a specified thing, typically one acquired through practice.
- The intellectual and practical activity encompassing the systematic study of the structure and behaviour of the physical and natural world through observation and experiment.
- A particular area of science.
- A systematically organized body of knowledge on a particular subject.
- Archaic* Knowledge of any kind. (*Archaic: Antiquated; belonging to the past)
- (Sounds a tad bit dry?)
Failures of Science
Yet, how many times has Science failed us?
Ever taken your horse to the Veterinarian, and had something go wrong??? (Nothing against Vets here, but sometimes it just doesn’t all work out as hoped.)
Ever had farrier issues, or hoof issues, or lameness issues with your horse???
Science, alone, doesn’t always get it right . . .
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Enter Art :))
That’s where Art comes in . . .
Art introduces another dimension.
Intuition. Feel.
A greater base of Inspiration.
(“Creativity”, as the definition states.)
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Combine that with good Science, and you really have something!
(I think the Vets I know will agree with me here!)
Something akin to Beauty.
Music.
Flight.
Soaring.
Floating.
Like hooves, when all goes well.
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As a pilot and multiple-generation horse breeder myself, I like to say:
“Hooves are the Wings on which Horses Fly!” DawnHoof
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So thank you for joining me on this Hoof-Loving Journey.
Please follow along: Engage. Comment. Quip.
Life is too short, without Hooves :)) and Humor!
:)) Dawn :))
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Please stop by and visit Soul Horse Ride, Dawn’s Creative Horse and Riding Blog — Inspiration, art, poetry, Soul Horse Rides, and Virtual Rides.
Also visit Dawn’s Life Blog, Journal of Dawn, and experience her pep-talks, poetic philosophy, and many Life-Strategies, including her: Guide to Greater Happiness and Depression Emergency Kit.
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To reach Dawn, call: (661) 703-6283 dawn@frazmtn.com *
* Since I still travel frequently, kindly call rather than email . . . if you send an email and don’t hear back from me, please call or text
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Love to Hoof 