Jaime Jackson
Encyclopedia
Jaime Jackson is a 35-year veteran hoof care professional, lecturer, author and researcher on wild and domestic horse hooves. He is best known for the practice of natural hoof care first written about in The Natural Horse: Lessons from the Wild (1992).
of the western United States
. Jackson discovered that not only were wild horses living longer than domestic horses but also were suffering none of the hoof maladies that plague those kept in ‘captivity’, notably navicular syndrome and laminitis
. Following his research, he began experimenting on the hooves of domestic horses to find an effective way to trim their feet and allow them to remain barefoot and strong. In 1990 he stopped all shoeing of horses and, instead, began to advocate for the wild-horse trim. He soon concluded that even horses with severe hoof conditions deemed to be incurable by veterinarians and farriers could, over time, be restored to good health through barefoot trimming and natural horse care (i.e., naturalization of the diet and boarding situation).
In the early 2000s, Jackson created the American Association of Natural Hoof Care Practitioners (AANHCP), a non-profit organization
devoted to education, training and certification of the Natural Hoof Care Practitioner. Since then, the organization has expanded its scope and has changed its name to the Association for the Advancement of Natural Horse Care Practices. Jackson is its Executive Director.
The guiding principles to natural hoof care, according to Jackson are:
Within a few years, a large, worldwide barefoot movement formed to promote the healthy benefits of barefootedness and natural horse care. Although the studies of Dr. Hiltrud Strasser
are also well known in the 'barefoot world,' the principles and methods of the wild horse trim taught by the AANHCP have little similarity with the trimming practices taught through the Strasser Program. According to veterinarian Robert Cook
, Professor of Surgery Emeritus at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine
at Tufts University
in Massachusetts, Jackson provided "indisputable evidence, available for more than a decade, disproving the claim that domesticated horses need shoes."
Jackson's book, Paddock Paradise: A Guide to Natural Boarding (2006), further advances the concept of using natural horse care to maintain and/or restore optimal health. The premise of Paddock Paradise is now generally recognized as a means to provide safe, humane, living conditions which use the horses natural instincts to stimulate and facilitate movement and other behaviors that are essential to a biodynamically sound horse. Jackson notes that because the hoof is adaptively cross-linked to the nexus of natural behavior and movement, it can be restored to its native integrity and soundness by putting horses in a simulated natural environment. This is especially noteworthy given the dismal results of a study published in the November 2000 edition of the American Farriers Journal, which stated that less than 10 percent of the 122 million equines around the world are clinically sound. The concept of a "paddock paradise" is designed to encourage movement through the creation of a series of pathways or 'tracks,' with various stimuli, such as strategically placed feeding spots and watering holes, incorporated within or alongside the track in order to activate curiosity or movement.
Jackson resides in Central California
and maintains an active trimming and rehabilitation clientele.
Based upon numerous studies of the wild horse, research shows that horses will thrive physically, mentally and emotionally if kept in an environment that takes into consideration the most basic elements of their natural world by situating and propelling them into forward movement. According to Jackson, who founded the American Association of Natural Hoof Care Practitioners (AANHCP) in 2002, the hoof is adaptively cross-linked to the nexus of natural behavior and movement and can be restored to its native integrity and soundness by putting horses in such a simulated natural environment.
Natural horse boarding is unlike a traditional situation with stalls, small paddocks and/or lush green pastures ("founder traps"). It is designed to encourage movement through the creation of a series of paths with a quantity of various stimuli such as strategically placed feeding spots and watering holes that are incorporated within or alongside the track in order to activate curiosity or movement. Natural horse care practices include elements of natural hoof care, encouraging herd mentality
, foraging
for small amounts of food strategically available throughout the day, maintaining a watering hole near or at the source of drinking water, behaviors related to horses as prey animals, relative dominance
(pecking order
), grooming, resting and sleeping behaviors.
Career
The Natural Horse was based upon Jackson's studies from 1982 until 1986 of the wild horse in its natural environment in the Great BasinGreat Basin
The Great Basin is the largest area of contiguous endorheic watersheds in North America and is noted for its arid conditions and Basin and Range topography that varies from the North American low point at Badwater Basin to the highest point of the contiguous United States, less than away at the...
of the western United States
Western United States
.The Western United States, commonly referred to as the American West or simply "the West," traditionally refers to the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. Because the U.S. expanded westward after its founding, the meaning of the West has evolved over time...
. Jackson discovered that not only were wild horses living longer than domestic horses but also were suffering none of the hoof maladies that plague those kept in ‘captivity’, notably navicular syndrome and laminitis
Laminitis
Laminitis is a disease that affects the feet of ungulates. It is best known in horses and cattle. Symptoms include lameness, and increased temperature in the hooves...
. Following his research, he began experimenting on the hooves of domestic horses to find an effective way to trim their feet and allow them to remain barefoot and strong. In 1990 he stopped all shoeing of horses and, instead, began to advocate for the wild-horse trim. He soon concluded that even horses with severe hoof conditions deemed to be incurable by veterinarians and farriers could, over time, be restored to good health through barefoot trimming and natural horse care (i.e., naturalization of the diet and boarding situation).
In the early 2000s, Jackson created the American Association of Natural Hoof Care Practitioners (AANHCP), a non-profit organization
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
devoted to education, training and certification of the Natural Hoof Care Practitioner. Since then, the organization has expanded its scope and has changed its name to the Association for the Advancement of Natural Horse Care Practices. Jackson is its Executive Director.
The guiding principles to natural hoof care, according to Jackson are:
- Leave that which should be there naturally.
- Take only that which should be worn away naturally in the wild.
- Allow to grow that which should be there naturally but is not due to unnatural forces.
- Ignore all pathology.
Within a few years, a large, worldwide barefoot movement formed to promote the healthy benefits of barefootedness and natural horse care. Although the studies of Dr. Hiltrud Strasser
Hiltrud Strasser
Dr. Hiltrud Strasser is a German veterinarian, who has worked for many years on the anatomy, physiology, pathology and rehabilitation of horses' feet...
are also well known in the 'barefoot world,' the principles and methods of the wild horse trim taught by the AANHCP have little similarity with the trimming practices taught through the Strasser Program. According to veterinarian Robert Cook
Robert Cook (veterinarian)
Robert Cook has published many papers, mainly on diseases of the horse's mouth, ear, nose and throat both in scientific and horseman's journals, covering both various topics:*equine diagnostical and surgical endoscopy;...
, Professor of Surgery Emeritus at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine
Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine
The Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine is one of the eight colleges and schools that comprise Tufts University and is the only school of veterinary medicine in New England.-Degree programs:...
at Tufts University
Tufts University
Tufts University is a private research university located in Medford/Somerville, near Boston, Massachusetts. It is organized into ten schools, including two undergraduate programs and eight graduate divisions, on four campuses in Massachusetts and on the eastern border of France...
in Massachusetts, Jackson provided "indisputable evidence, available for more than a decade, disproving the claim that domesticated horses need shoes."
Jackson's book, Paddock Paradise: A Guide to Natural Boarding (2006), further advances the concept of using natural horse care to maintain and/or restore optimal health. The premise of Paddock Paradise is now generally recognized as a means to provide safe, humane, living conditions which use the horses natural instincts to stimulate and facilitate movement and other behaviors that are essential to a biodynamically sound horse. Jackson notes that because the hoof is adaptively cross-linked to the nexus of natural behavior and movement, it can be restored to its native integrity and soundness by putting horses in a simulated natural environment. This is especially noteworthy given the dismal results of a study published in the November 2000 edition of the American Farriers Journal, which stated that less than 10 percent of the 122 million equines around the world are clinically sound. The concept of a "paddock paradise" is designed to encourage movement through the creation of a series of pathways or 'tracks,' with various stimuli, such as strategically placed feeding spots and watering holes, incorporated within or alongside the track in order to activate curiosity or movement.
Jackson resides in Central California
Central California
Central California, sometimes referenced as Mid-State, is an area of California south of the San Francisco Bay Area and north of Southern California...
and maintains an active trimming and rehabilitation clientele.
Paddock Paradise
Paddock Paradise is a term used to describe natural horse boarding, a concept introduced by Jackson in his book, Paddock Paradise, A Guide to Natural Horse Boarding (Star Ridge Publishing). The premise of a natural boarding model is to provide safe, humane, living conditions which use the horse's natural instincts to stimulate and facilitate movement and other behaviors that are essential to a biodynamically sound horse.Based upon numerous studies of the wild horse, research shows that horses will thrive physically, mentally and emotionally if kept in an environment that takes into consideration the most basic elements of their natural world by situating and propelling them into forward movement. According to Jackson, who founded the American Association of Natural Hoof Care Practitioners (AANHCP) in 2002, the hoof is adaptively cross-linked to the nexus of natural behavior and movement and can be restored to its native integrity and soundness by putting horses in such a simulated natural environment.
Natural horse boarding is unlike a traditional situation with stalls, small paddocks and/or lush green pastures ("founder traps"). It is designed to encourage movement through the creation of a series of paths with a quantity of various stimuli such as strategically placed feeding spots and watering holes that are incorporated within or alongside the track in order to activate curiosity or movement. Natural horse care practices include elements of natural hoof care, encouraging herd mentality
Herd mentality
Herd mentality describes how people are influenced by their peers to adopt certain behaviors, follow trends, and/or purchase items. Examples of the herd mentality include stock market trends, fashions in apparel, cars, taste in music, home décor, etc...
, foraging
Foraging
- Definitions and significance of foraging behavior :Foraging is the act of searching for and exploiting food resources. It affects an animal's fitness because it plays an important role in an animal's ability to survive and reproduce...
for small amounts of food strategically available throughout the day, maintaining a watering hole near or at the source of drinking water, behaviors related to horses as prey animals, relative dominance
Dominance hierarchy
A dominance hierarchy is the organization of individuals in a group that occurs when competition for resources leads to aggression...
(pecking order
Pecking order
Pecking order or just peck order is the colloquial term for a hierarchical system of social organization in chickens. It was first described from the behaviour of poultry by Thorleif Schjelderup-Ebbe in 1921 under the German terms Hackordnung or Hackliste' ...
), grooming, resting and sleeping behaviors.
External links
- Official website
- The Institute for the Study of Natural Horse Care Practices, a Natural Hoof Care Training & Education program, created by Jaime Jackson
- The Association for the Advancement of Natural Horse Care Practices (AANHCP)
- Marjorie Smith
- Pete Ramey
- Kathryn Watts
- Paddock Paradise