Oregon School of Natural Hoof Care

Cheryl Hendersonm, Founder of The Oregon School of Natural Hoof Care, has had horses for 50 years and loved the companionship she shared with them while working cattle, trail riding, gaming, and appreciating this most noble of creatures.  Her formal education with horses began with natural horse clinicians, Pat and Linda Parelli, Dennis Reis, Barb Apple, Lee Smith, Steve Rother,  Ken McNabb, Clinton Anderson to mention a few.  This training in natural horsemanship helped her to have a better relationship with her equine friends.  Cheryl now utilizes it in teaching others how to handle horses when trimming hooves.

Cheryl’s journey to barefoot hoof care began with Martha Olivo, an early barefoot clinician and teacher in 2002, and for 3 years studied under Martha, helping her produce video’s on the hoof and hosted 4 groom courses for her.  Cheryl studied with other hoof clinicians, including four clinics with Pete Ramey, natural hoof care practitioner and author, one clinic with Gene Ovnicek, EDSS shoeing developer, master farrier, clinician and respected authority of the hoof, three clinics with Dr. Robert Bowker, MSU’s equine hoof anatomy researcher, one clinic with Ove Lind founder of the Swedish Hoof School.  Her office shelves have 100’s of hoof books and videos, produced by hoof researchers, farrier’s and other hoof care professionals.

As a photographer, Cheryl produced a 3 inch manual full of some of the finest photo examples taken of the hoof, for the students of the Oregon School of Natural Hoof Care.   Included in this manual are personal research data and trimming advice on how to trim the hoof and will be released in 2009 for public sales.

 After making a covenant to the horse, came 1000’s of hours of personal research on how the hoof works, making new discoveries that are now being published.  With four freezers full of hooves to study she has performed 100’s of dissections that are featured by other authors on equine hooves.  Cheryl has worked with the BLM mustang program, teaching at 4H & riding clubs, veterinarian symposiums, and guest speaking for equine events around the west.

Continuing her education, she has twice attended the annual World Laminitis Conference meeting with other researchers and hoof care practitioners.  Her knowledge on the hoof was shared as a contributing editor for, Living Legends magazine, a publication about our national treasure “the mustang”.   For several years now she has been a featured contributing editor for, The Horses Hoof, a global barefoot publication. 

Seeing a need for developing a valuable barefoot hoofcare business to the help our equine friends, she organized twelve other hoof care professionals from all trainings in farriery and barefoot care, and started The Oregon School of Natural Hoof Care, the first natural hoof school in the world.  This school is a non-denominational school, so to speak, presenting the trimming of many of the clinicians teaching natural hoof care.  The school has succeeded to teach for the last 3 years farriers, barefoot professionals, backyard horse owners and those wishing to develop a business in barefoot hoof care.

Researchers have asked for her work and photos for their own publications and presentations.  These are Dr. Robert Bowker, Pete Ramey, Yvonne Welz, Martha Olivo, and Dr. Robert Cook.  Her passion to participate in the war against the harm being done to the hoof by present hoof care and lifestyle practices continues, and her quest to find workable solutions is evident in her drive. 

She is available starting 2008 for 2 ½ day clinics.  These clinics include tools to learn how to use hoof knives, the rasp and understand how to trim hooves. People learn a better understanding of anatomy and a practical trimming program designed to teach how to have healthy hooves.   Included in her lectures are a diversity of freeze dried cadaver feet, unique dissections, and 100’s of bones to help explain the inside of the hoof.


 

Cheryl was a featured guest on The Nature Connection online radio show airing on Jan. 23, 2009 from 2-4pm PST. To meet the rest of the guests and listen to the entire, unedited show, please click here. To listen to Cheryl's interview, please double click on the Play Button below.