About

AANHCP certified (2006) Natural Hoof Care Practitioner, Gudrun Buchhofer, is a dedicated student of the genuine and authentic Natural Trim based on research on wild mustangs of the U.S. Great Basin. In search for answers to her own questions arising from trimming, Gudrun is sure to have made a ground breaking observation as a result of her now eighteen year-long studies with her full-time barefoot trimming practice in the wet climate of Nova Scotia, Canada. In the end, it was a type of meticulous attention to detail that let her arrive at an amazing yet simple discovery. This most likely will explain problems with most all foals and ultimately all horses worldwide except those living in a biome natural to the species. Over the course of her book, which will be released in three parts, Gudrun will share the results of her observations on foals in the field and success with all kinds of hoof pathologies accompanied by lots of photos.

Education:

Gudrun Buchhofer's learning about the horse's hoof and free-range horse keeping began in 1992 through various books, articles and seminars in Germany.  Her first horse, Sunny, was boarded in a 4-star approved free-range equine facility with 24/7 turnout in a herd of thirty horses. Shortly before her move from Germany to Canada with Sunny on a cargo plane, in October, 1998, Gudrun took on trimming her own horse's feet as a self-taught trimmer with no prior hands-on instruction. Eventually, her journey led her to former farrier Jaime Jackson and the AANHCP (Association for the Advancement of Natural Horse Care Practices) in the United States. As she was eager to deepen her knowledge, and longing to work on hooves professionally, she enrolled, in 2004, in the Training and Certification Program with the AANHCP. This training involved extensive travel throughout the United States: Arkansas (2004), Georgia (2004 and 2005), North Carolina (2005) and California (2006) for field mentorships and clinics. She mentored directly under Jaime Jackson, Pete Ramey, Cindy Sullivan, Steve Dick and Richard Drewry; and attended clinics with Bruce Nock, ("Lifeway & the Natural Hoof"); Neal Valk, ("Natural Hoof Care & Veterinary medicine"); Cindy Sullivan ("Distal Limb Anatomy"); Richard Drewry ("Hoof Booting") as well as Carol Brett from Balance International ("Saddle Fitting"). In 2006, Gudrun became a certified Natural Hoof Care Practitioner through the AANHCP.         

After her certification and beginning her practice, she furthered her studies with Jackson, through continuing education courses, as well as participation in conferences in California (2006, 2012 and 2014), Arkansas (2007), Missouri (2007 and 2009), Nevada (2008) and Texas (2011). In 2008, she visited the BLM corrals outside of Reno, where she was able to see and touch the hooves of live wild mustangs. 

For about eight years, after her certification, Gudrun carried field instructor status for the training program and worked, for a short time, as training cell leader -- guiding ten students at a time. She was one of a group of instructors at a cadaver hoof trim clinic in Missouri in 2007; and in 2009, she and a team of colleagues from the AANHCP met with Jackson in the Netherlands to participate in a 3-day instructor training program workshop, among other educational activities. While there, she (and four other colleagues) assisted Jackson at a public hands-on workshop, demonstrating the Natural Trim. Gudrun’s most recent education course with Jackson was in 2014 in Lompoc, California.

Gudrun has translated into German and published two of Jaime Jackson's books (The Official Trimming Guidelines of the AANHCP and Paddock Paradise). Her interest in the "body" is based on her background in ballet and gymnastics in younger years and later in yoga. She received a certificate in Level II Reiki energy healing in 2003 and attended a one-day clinic in The Masterson Method of Bodywork.