Perhaps most importantly in today’s information age, thinking skills are viewed as crucial for educated persons to cope with a rapidly changing world. Many educators believe that specific knowledge will not be as important to tomorrow’s workers and citizens as the ability to learn and make sense of new information. –D. Gough, 1991
One of the most important assets you can have in equine management, and in life, is the ability to think critically and creatively. Critical Thinking is reflective and reasonable thinking that is focused on deciding what to believe or do….the process of determining the authenticity, accuracy and worth of information or knowledge claims. For most of us our thinking is so innate that we don’t question it or “think” about it. We know that we think things through, but don’t realize how flawed that process can be. Flawed thinking can lead us to make bad decisions even with good information. Many also do not realize that there are actual thinking skills and processes that you can learn that will help you identify and improve your skills. This course will give to the resources you need to challenge, evaluate and improve your thinking skills so that you are able to critically evaluate any situation you face, and also distill information from a variety of resources to help you address that situation. As many of you know, there is a lot of conflicting information out there. These skills will help you sort through that information. The Academy is not here to tell you what to think, but to help you learn how to think.
The purpose of this course is to provide an overview of the emergence of the modern “Barefoot” or “Natural” Hoof Care movement and the pioneering individuals on who’s work it is based. Included in this course is a journey through history exploring the relationship between humans and horses from antiquity to the present.
The purpose of this course is to provide students with an understanding of the methods and practices of shoeing farriers so they can understand why farriers believe and do what they do. Students will explore what and how farriers are taught, learn about various commonly used types of horseshoes and their purpose and explore the debate between advocates of shoe versus advocates of barefoot.
The purpose of this course is to provide the student with a working knowledge of the structures and function of the equine distal limb. Students will also learn the nomenclature associated with equine anatomy that will enable them to communicate effectively with other equine professionals.
The course provides students with an introduction to hoof pathology that is so common that it is largely unrecognized AS pathology. Students are introduced to the principles that produce healthy, maintenance free hooves in wild equids and how that compares/contrasts to hoof quality common to domestic horses.
The purpose for this course within the context of the overall curriculum is to provide insight into natural equine behavior. Most of us have developed what we believe is an understanding of equine behavior that is entirely limited to horses born and raised in the domestic environment, and generally managed by conventional methods that are not based on an understanding of the natural horse. By exploring in-depth studies of wild horse behavior this course aims to foster a deeper understanding of the true nature of horses, allowing us to alter or abandon common management practices that stress and debilitate horses by keeping them in environments and managing their lives in ways that do not allow for natural equine behavior.