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Develop True Hoof Care Competence Through a Structured, Real-World Training Pathway

Career in Humane Hoof Care

ISNHCP Natural Trim Training Program is for aspiring practitioners who want to understand hoof health without guesswork, shortcuts, or years of confusion trying to piece it all together alone.

Learn how to assess, trim, and manage the hoof based on the wild horse model, with a clear, step-by-step framework that connects hoof form to the whole horse. Map intrinsic connections between diet, environment, behaviour hoof wear patterns.

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Join a structured pathway with hands-on training, case-based learning, and direct mentorship.

Secure your place and gain access to foundational theory, live training modules, and ongoing guidance designed to build real competence—not just information.

Principles and Practice

Wild Horse Model Pathway

Join the most comprehensive training on the market and build your career around delivering soundness.

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Institute for the Study of the Natural Horse Care Practices

What Will You Learn

This programme provides a structured, in-depth study of the Natural Trim and the wider principles of Natural Horse Care. You will learn how to assess and interpret hoof form and function, apply trimming decisions based on natural wear, and understand how diet, movement, and environment influence long-term soundness. Alongside technical skills, the training develops your ability to handle, rehabilitate, and work with horses in a way that supports both physical and emotional well-being.

Step 1: Independent Study

Understand hoof form and function through the lens of the U.S. Great Basin environment
Apply consistent trimming guidelines in a non-invasive, evidence-based trimming framework
Principles of hoof and horse handling, and sequencing
Definition and conversations around humane hoof care for horses
Natural hoof care theory and science

Step 2: Cadaver Trimming

Natural Balance
Hoof Plexus, hoof mapping and marking navigational landmarks
Tool handling and preserving their longevity
Apply the natural trim method to variety of hooves
NHC hoof dissection and hoof notching
Equine adaptation and non-adaptive environements

Step 3: Horse and Hoof Handling

Creating safe trimming environment through trust
Practical application of horse and hoof handling principles
Systemising the trimming process through Sequencing practice
Relative Dominance as a medium of asserting boundaries without use of force
Use of emotional Intelligence to accurately assess horse's emotional state
Counter conditioning behavioural issues with Positive reinforcement

Step 4: Live Horse Trim

Cadaver practice
Trimming live horses at different capacity and variety of hooves
Taking measurements and interpreting data on live horses
Bullet List 5

Step 5: Mentorships

Pathophysiology of laminitis
Precision trimming and formation of the mustang roll
Hoof boot fitting
Organising your work station
Building business skills

What Our Students Say About Their Training

Student Results:

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Our Instructors

Meet Our Team

Our instructors bring expertise in yoga, mindfulness, and wellness, offering guidance and community support on your journey to well-being.

Edyta Jackson

United Kingdom

Metteline Hjorth

Denmark

Suzanne Van Der Linden

Netherlands

FAQs

Commonly Asked Questions

What is Natural Horse Care?

Natural Horse Care is a complete horse management system concerned not only with horse welfare, but more broadly, with equine well-being based on the research and observation of horses living wild and free in the U.S. Great Basin. These findings were documented in the book The Natural Horse: Lessons from the Wild, which laid the foundation for the wild horse model.

What makes the Natural Trim better than other methods?

We hold foundational belief that we ought to honour the hoof’s natural structures—even when pathology is present. The focus isn’t on making the hoof look pretty, but on supporting the internal systems so the hoof can continue to function correctly. Natural hoof balance, angle of growth, and horn quality all improve when we trim in harmony with the principles of NHC, not what we wish it looked like. The hoof actually adapts and reshapes over time—something that’s clearly visible when this method is applied consistently in conjunction with species appropriate diet.

Why do you leave so much toe wall?

Toe area naturally grows more callous because of the concentration of the weight bearing forces that form active and passive wear across the perimeter of the hoof wall. Unfortunately domesticated hooves often lose integrity due to unnatural diet.

Can my horse stay sound barefoot?

Feeling stuck is natural. Consider exploring different types of classes, consulting with a yoga instructor, or incorporating mindfulness practices to deepen your experience.

Are you against pasture turnout?

I believe grass can act as a silent killer, especially in horses with already compromised digestive systems. It has the power to destabilise the bacterial ecosystem of the hindgut and trigger low-grade inflammation that contributes to many chronic health problems.

Inflammation does not appear overnight. It can slowly degrade tissues and organs for years before visible symptoms emerge. Research into the human gut increasingly shows the long-term impact of microbial imbalance and chronic inflammation, while equine science is still catching up in fully recognising these connections. Most interestingly, some research shows that Paddock Paradise provides significantly more movement opportunities than pasture turnout ever could.

Why do you follow the U.S. Great Basin Wild Horse Model if we live in a different climate?

The Great Basin model is not about copying a desert climate. It’s about understanding the horse’s adaptive environment.

Wild horses in the Great Basin are genetically the same as our domesticated horses. What makes them so valuable to study is that they live without human interference and rarely suffer from the chronic hoof and metabolic problems common in domestication. Their hooves show us what healthy growth looks like when horses live in conditions aligned with their biology.

The Great Basin closely resembles the type of environment horses originally evolved in. While we cannot recreate that landscape in Europe, we can apply the same core principles: movement, herd dynamics, low-sugar fibrous forage, and varied terrain.

Natural Horse Care is about translating those principles into locally appropriate management. When we support the horse’s biology in this way, health becomes more stable and sustainable — regardless of climate.