STRASSER HOOFCARE SPECIALIST CERTIFICATION COURSE
(North America)
The profession of Hoofcare Specialist, presently still largely unknown in much of North America, constitutes a unique, holistic approach to equine health care, especially in the area of lameness prevention and healing.
The Strasser Hoofcare Specialist is an individual with profound knowledge of hoof anatomy and physiology, the causes of hoof problems and lameness, and the physiologically correct method of trimming a hoof to restore or maintain soundness. He or she also understands the complicated interactions of the hoof with the horse as a whole, and the effects that hoof problems and diseases can have on the entire organism.
Furthermore, the Hoofcare Specialist also understands the basic nature of the horse and its physiological and psychological needs for health, soundness and longevity. He or she knows which conditions must be present in a horse’s lifestyle for it to be healthy, and which conditions are harmful, from incorrect boarding methods to improper rider position and the use of horseshoes. An awareness and general understanding of holistic and alternative healing methods are part of the holistic, non-invasive approach the Hoofcare Specialist has to aid in the restoration or maintenance of a horse’s soundness.
The Hoofcare Specialist also functions as an advisor, counselor and teacher, educating clients about a horse’s requirements for a lifetime of soundness. He or she does not use or advocate the use of chemicals, drugs, pads, or horseshoes to cover up a symptom (for example, lameness) but, by removing the cause and restoring proper hoof shape, facilitates the healing of the underlying damage or deformation causing this lameness. The goal is not to restore the horse to usability as quickly as possible, but to effect permanent healing of the health problem and a full lifetime of soundness.
Advanced training for Hoofcare Specialists to upgrade to holistic equine health practitioners is now available in Europe, including further training in areas such as anatomy, homeopathy, physiotherapy, acupunct massage, and phytotherapy.
Course instruction (theory and practical) is given via correspondence and, during Practicum I & II, in a classroom/clinic environment and in the field.
Course duration is September to May (approximately).
Practicum I (7days) takes place in the greater Vancouver area, BC, Canada & local travel. Expected dates are in February. Students will attend in groups of about ten; actual dates for each group will be announced for each year.
Practicum II (14 days) takes place at the Institute for Hoof Health/Hoof Clinic in Tuebingen, Germany, plus travel, and ends with the certification exam (written and practical). Expected dates are in May. Actual dates will be announced for each year.
Course fee: $10,000 CDN for Canadian students; $8,000 US for American students. This includes all classes and seminars, Practicum I & II, textbooks and handouts, and exams. Tools and equipment, postage, accommodations, meals and transportation are not included.
Minimum attendance: 5 students; maximum class size: 25. Pre-registration is mandatory.
Continued validity of Hoofcare Specialist Certification is conditional upon annual attendance of an Advanced Training Seminar (in North America or Europe), in order to assure a consistently high level of skill and to keep Hoofcare Specialists up to date on new findings and information in the field.
For more information or to register, contact:
Dr. Hiltrud Strasser, Blaihofstr. 42/1, 72074 Tuebingen, Germany--Tel/fax: 011-49-7071-87572, email: hufklinik@t-online.de
Sabine Kells, PO Box 44, Qualicum Beach, BC, V9K 1S7, Canada
STRASSER HOOFCARE SPECIALIST CERTIFICATION COURSE
(North America)
APPLICATION AND CONTRACT
SECTION I: COURSE OUTLINE
1. The course runs from September to June, approximately. Actual dates for Practicum I & II will be announced for each year.
2. THEORY: approximately 8 months of correspondence studies, including:
a. Review of Basic Hoof Seminar:
1. Horse Health and Environment
2. Hoof Anatomy and Function
3. The Sound Hoof: Characteristics and Trim
4. The Effects of Shoeing
5. Problems after De-shoeing
b. General Anatomy & Histology
c. Holistic First Aid (Recognizing Pain, Pathology)
d. Lameness Categories & Diagnosis
e. Conformation & Movement: Sound State, Deviations & Rehabilitation
f. Lameness & Treatment I: Change in Skeletal Alignment without Separation (incl. Overextended Flexor Tendon, Clubfoot, Contracted Flexor Tendon, etc.)
g. Lameness & Treatment II: Change in Skeletal Alignment with Coffin Bone Separation (incl. Laminitis, Coffin Bone Rotation/Drop, Lost Hoof Capsule, etc.)
h. Lameness & Treatment III: Contraction
i. Injury-related Lameness: Bones, Ligaments, Tendons, Muscle
j. Other Common Hoof Problems & Treatment: Poor Quality, White Line Disease, Cracks, Ossifications, etc.
k. Tools & Job Safety
l. Client Consultation & Documentation
3. PRACTICUM I: 7 days on Vancouver Island, BC, Canada, with some local travel. Expected dates are in March/April. Students will attend in groups of about five; actual dates for each group will be announced each year. Includes general Q&A, trimming instruction & practice, basic horse handling, apprenticeship, and midterm exam.
4. PRACTICUM II: 14 days at the Institute for Hoof Health/Hoof Clinic in Tuebingen, Germany, with some local travel. Expected dates are in June; actual dates will be announced for each year. Includes general Q& A, review of holistic first aid & anatomy/histology, trimming instruction & practice, hoof dissection & bone study, clinic cases & lameness diagnosis, apprenticeship, hoof model construction, equine nutrition, hoof boots & fitting, saddling/bitting/riding methods, horse handling & psychology, and introduction to homeopathy, acupunct massage, & kinesisology. Ends with certification exam (written and practical).
5. Homework assignments, photos, and a midterm exam will show the student’s understanding of the fundamentals covered in the prerequisite Basic Hoof Seminar and the correspondence segments of the Course, before he/she attends Practicum II and takes the certification exam. In addition, the student will accompany a certified Hoofcare Specialist on rounds for several days in Canada and/or in Germany (apprenticeship).
6. Course outline and sequence of topics is subject to change and may vary.
SECTION II: REQUIREMENTS AND PREREQUISITES FOR ENROLMENT
Any person wishing to enroll in the Strasser Hoofcare Specialist Certification Course must meet all of the following criteria and prerequisites (special arrangements may be made at the instructor’s discretion):
1. be at least 19 years of age
2. have at least 5 years of experience in dealing with horses
3. have at least high school graduation or equivalent
4. be of average physical fitness
5. have attended a Basic Hoof Seminar
SECTION III: COURSE TERMS, CONDITIONS, AND RESTRICTIONS
1. Course fee is $10,000 CDN for Canadian students, or $8,000 US for American students, to be paid (unless otherwise arranged by student and instructor) in monthly installments of $1,000, due at the 1st of each month, beginning at the time of enrolment (signing of the contract). If enrolment takes place before September, $1,000 is to be paid at the time of enrolment, with regular payments commencing in September. If payments are not made on time, instruction (whether by correspondence or practicum) will cease until payments are again up to date. Course fees must be paid in full before a student may attend Practicum II and receive certification.
2. Each segment of the Course must be completed within the time specified by the North American instructor (usually one month, unless otherwise noted), and the homework/assignments for each segment must be returned to the instructor by the due date along with that month’s payment, before the next segment and/or its assignments will be mailed to the student. A student must complete the Course in one year (September to June, approximately). If a student is unable to do so, only in exceptional circumstances and at the instructor’s discretion, may the Course be extended to 2 years. However, all segments must still be completed in sequential order (Theory, Practicum I, Practicum II).
3. A student must have completed all Course segments and homework assignments, and must have attended Practicum I and taken the midterm exam, before he/she may attend Practicum II, and must have completed Practicum II before taking the certification exam. In the event of a missed Practicum I, the next scheduled Practicum I must be attended (or, in exceptional circumstances and at the instructor’s discretion, the Practicum I may be made up at a mutually agreeable date, at an extra charge of $400 CDN/day). In the event of a missed Practicum II and certification exam, the next scheduled Practicum II must be attended, at the end of which the certification exam may be taken.
4. A student who fails the certification exam (theory or practical) will not receive certification. The student must study the areas in which he/she showed weakness, and may retake the certification exam during the next Practicum II or, at the instructor’s discretion, at a mutually agreeable date and location (and extra charge, at the instructor’s discretion).
5. Withdrawal from the Course is not permitted. In case of a student’s inability to continue the Course due to unforeseeable circumstances, Course fees paid to the date of withdrawal are non-refundable, and all Course materials (handouts, textbooks, etc.) must be returned to the instructor.
6. Any and all Hoofcare Specialist Certification Course materials, as well as any materials handed out during Basic or Advanced Hoof Seminars, are subject to copyright laws. Unauthorized use or reproduction is strictly prohibited.
7. Insurance is the sole responsibility of the student. The student must understand that working with and around horses and handling sharp tools are inherently dangerous. There are physical risks associated with taking this Course and practicing as a Hoofcare Specialist; therefore, attendance of the Hoofcare Specialist Certification Course and practice of the profession of Hoofcare Specialist are completely at the student’s own risk. Neither Dr. Hiltrud Strasser or her estate, nor her designated North American Course instructor Sabine Naujoks or her estate, assume any liability for any accidents, injuries, damages or death which may occur, for whatever reason, either of or to the student, or any properties, animals, or Third Parties during the Hoofcare Specialist Certification Course or thereafter.
8. Neither Dr. Hiltrud Strasser or her estate, nor her designated North American Course instructor Sabine Naujoks or her estate, assume any responsibility or liability for the student’s ability or proficiency upon his/her completion of the Hoofcare Specialist Certification Course.
9. Dr. Hiltrud Strasser and/or her designated North American Course instructor Sabine Naujoks have the right pursuant to Section VI to terminate a student’s enrolment in the Course for any reasonable cause (including but not limited to dishonest behavior; substance abuse; incompetence, disobedience or insubordination). Course fees paid to the date of expulsion are non-refundable, and all Course materials (handouts, textbooks, etc.) must be returned to the instructor.
SECTION IV: HOOFCARE SPECIALIST TERMS, CONDITIONS, AND RESTRICTIONS
1. Certification of a student as Strasser Hoofcare Specialist upon successful completion of the Course entitles the graduated student to use the patented methods developed by Dr. Hiltrud Strasser on his/her clients’ horses and to call him/herself a Strasser-certified Hoofcare Specialist.
2. Certification as a Hoofcare Specialist is valid for the period of one year. Each year, certification is extended for another year upon participation in an Advanced Training Seminar. Failure to re-certify results in the loss of the right to use the methods developed by Dr. Hiltrud Strasser on clients’ horses, and of the title of Strasser Certified Hoofcare Specialist. In the event that no Advanced Training Seminar takes place in North America within one year of the certification date, the next scheduled one must be attended, or arrangements made for a private Advanced Training Seminar. Cost of the Advanced Training Seminar is the same as a Basic Hoof Seminar.
3. Certification as a Hoofcare Specialist does not entitle the individual to hold seminars or Courses on the knowledge and/or skills he/she has gained in the Course. A Certified Hoofcare Specialist is encouraged to write articles on subjects relating to this profession, as long as a copy of any articles is forwarded to Hiltrud Strasser or Sabine Naujoks.
4. If a Certified Hoofcare Specialist wishes to give photo consultations or hold "information evenings" (1-3 hour sessions giving basic information), he/she may take an optional exam at his/her second Advanced training Seminar to prove his/her skill and ability in these areas. Successful completion of this exam will qualify the practitioner to give photo consultations and hold info evenings. Material for info evenings will be provided to the individual and must be returned upon request to Hiltrud Strasser or Sabine Naujoks. Permission to give info evenings and photo consultations is valid only as long as the individual remains certified, and may be revoked for any reasonable cause (see Section IV, Paragraph 7).
5. Certification as a Hoofcare Specialist does not entitle the individual to open a Hoof Clinic or other facility for lameness rehabilitation using the Strasser methods unless by special arrangement with Hiltrud Strasser. Franchise fees may apply.
6. Certification of a Hoofcare Specialist may be revoked at any time if the individual deviates in his/her hoofcare practices from the principles and methods developed by Dr. Hiltrud Strasser, or for any other reasonable cause (including but not limited to dishonest behavior, substance abuse, etc.) Certification is revoked immediately if rhe individual shoes a client’s hors(s), or shoes/has shod her/her own horse(s).
SECTION V: APPLICATION FOR ENROLMENT
I, _____________________________________, hereby wish to enroll in the Strasser Hoofcare Specialist
Certification Course (North America), held from _____________________ to ____________________. I certify that I meet the requirements and prerequisites for the Course as outlined in Section II, that I have read, understood, and agree to be bound by the terms, conditions and restrictions for the Course as outlined in Section III, and that I have read, understood, and agree to be bound by the terms, conditions and restrictions of the Strasser Certified Hoofcare Specialist as outlined in Section IV.
I furthermore understand that the Hoofcare Specialist is a profession currently virtually unknown in North America, and as such is not recognized at this time by any state, provincial or federal authority.
NAME: _____________________________________________________________________________
DATE OF BIRTH: _____________________________________________________________________
ADDRESS: __________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
TEL/FAX: ___________________________________________________________________________
OCCUPATION: _______________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
SIGNATURE DATE
___________________________________________________________________________________
WITNESS DATE
SECTION VI: CONTRACT
Between ________________________________________, Hoofcare Specialist Student, and Dr. Hiltrud Strasser, Hoofcare Specialist Instructor, for the Strasser Hoofcare Specialist Certifcation Course (North America, held from ______________________________ to _______________________________.
I, ___________________________________________________, hereby declare that:
______________________________________________________________________________________
SIGNATURE DATE
______________________________________________________________________________________
WITNESS DATE
I, Dr. Hiltrud Strasser, hereby declare that I will instruct the Hoofcare Specialist Certification Course according the outline given (though actual sequence of classes may vary), in person and/or via a designated Course instructor.
I furthermore assure that I will conduct the instruction of this Course according to the most up-to-date and correct scientific facts and findings about equine anatomy and physiology, and that my designated Course instructor(s) are also qualified accordingly.
______________________________________________________________________________________
SIGNATURE DATE
______________________________________________________________________________________
WITNESS DATE