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Eddie Drabek
AANHCP
Certified Practitioner & Field Instructor
(979) 533-1731 - Cell
(979) 578-8913 - Home
drabektx @ hotmail.comI’m located an hour SW
of Houston. I work in
Wharton, Fort Bend,
Colorado, Fayette, Austin,
Washington, Brazoria, and
the surrounding counties. |
Not in my area? Contact me and I'll be glad to try
and help you find someone, even if you are in
a different state.
I can't stress enough to ask for references when choosing a trimmer! Keep in mind some
online Trimmer Listings have no requirements at all to be able to add your name as a
trimmer, so you could be getting someone that has done a lot or research, mentoriships and
attended classes or clinics...or someone that has just watched a DVD or read a book. Don't
worry if you are offending someone by asking their experience, a good trimmer won't mind
answering any questions you have.
Websites for the American Hoof Association, Liberated Horsemanship, AANHCP, and Equine
Science Academy offer listings to help find a trimmer that has either been peer reviewed
or completed extensive certification courses (if no one is listed near you, contact the
closest one, even if it's the next state over, and they can usually help find you a
trimmer that they know of that has a good reputation and experience).
Students wanting to set up a mentorship with me please feel free to
contact me at anytime! I have a nice travel trailer you are more than welcome to stay in
for free to help save on travel expenses. I also have some clients that are further North
(such as Bertram or Navasota) and I don't mind meeting you at one of those places to save
you a few hours drive time further south to where I live.
I also give hoof care and/or equine enrichment/natural horsekeeping clinics to riding
groups,
4H, Pony clubs, etc. Most clinics are in my area, but I also travel out of state from time
to time.
Contact me if interested! Keep an eye on the front page
of this site for any upcoming clinics.
In my clinics I talk about the physics of the hoof, how to acheive high performance bare
hooves,
discuss lameness issues as well as pathological hooves and their causes/prevention, learn
how to
recognize healthy hooves as well as spot issues early on before they become problems,
learn
proper hoof maintenance and care, the physical and mental benefits of natural horsekeeping
and enrichment, and the critical role diet plays.
I have various hoof models to show, bone sets, charts, a power point presentation, and for
those
interested we can do a detailed cadaver hoof/leg dissection.
I feel every horse owner truly needs to understand equine feet...because as we all know
(let’s
all say it together!) "No Hoof, No Horse!" Ironically though horse owners pay
little attention to
hooves other than cleaning them out occasionally and having someone come trim or shoe
them.
Horse owners go to clinics on and read everything they can on training, grooming, feeding,
maybe even massage or saddle fitting. Yet the one part of the horse that can stop him in
his
tracks.. literally...and it’s surprising how very little owners truly know about it
and how to
prevent lameness and promote a lifetime of soundness. Once you realize just how hooves are
truly a window to your horses overall health and can be as easily read as a road map,
you'll
be glad you learned how to do so. It may very well save you a lot of heartache down the
road
if you learn to spot things WELL before they become problems.
Please understand....I don't give 1 day "How to Trim" clinics. I feel these
clinics can unfairly damage the reputation of natural trimming. I just don't believe
anyone can learn to trim safely, effectively or do natural trimming justice in a weekend.
Such clinics imply that you can and, unfortunately, I see it time and time again, they
lead to frustrated owners with sore horses, imbalances, cracks, etc. that the owner just
can't get rid of. It takes more than a day just to get used to using your tools and
holding yourself safely up underneath a 1000lb horse so that
you don't hurt your back, get kicked, etc....much less also learning how to actually trim.
I do gladly teach people to trim but usually only students with the AANHCP or Liberated
Horsemanship, OR someone that shows a commitment to learning as much as they can through
clinics, mentorships and research.
Strange as it may sound horse hooves (and the horses they are connected to of course!) are
my passion (my other is antique tractors...so there you have it, hooves and tractors.
I’m just
weird.)
When I saw the dramatic differences for the better in the horses I was trimming
I knew this was something I wanted to do for as many horses as possible. The more horses I
can help the better.
To see "hopeless" horses become sound, those we thought were sound begin
moving even better and their overall health improving...it is a truly powerful thing.
Me, riding my 5 yr old gelding Duncan. He was a "PMU baby" which explains
his unusual breeding; 1/4 Norwegian Fjord, 1/4 Belgian, and 1/2
Thoroughbred. Boy did that mix turn out to be one fantastic horse and the perfect match
for me. I can't say enough nice things about him and I'm constantly impressed by his
intelligence and heart!
I, like many unsuspecting men out there, married a horse nut. We met in
1994 and while many guys squash the horse bug or at least have the common sense to swat it
away, I got bit by it. In the beginning I'm sure I was merely trying to impress and woo my
soon to be wife, but after being drug to countless horse shows and Anderson, Shrake,
Lyons, Parelli, etc. clinics, I caught "horse crazyitis". Of which, if you are
reading this website you probably know, there is no cure...and here I am today.
My wife, Tiffany, has been around horses her entire life, lucky enough to have grown up on
a Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse Racing and Breeding farm. She was a Therapeutic
Riding Instructor for nearly ten years working with both the disabled and at risk youth
but for now is a stay at home mom, though she still holds her certification in hopes of
teaching again one day. She also pulls double duty as secretary for my trimming business
and this website!
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We have three great kids
(oldest son Riley, daughter Lauren, and our last but not
least, Jake). I suspect we have the most colorful diversified horse herd in Texas... 7 in
all- A Fjord, a bay blanketed POA, a palomino Shetland/POA cross, a dun roan
Fjord/TB/Belgian cross, a buckskin Morgan, a dun QH and a liver chestnut with flaxen/gray
mane and tail Arab/Welsh. Finishing off the Drabek family is 3 dogs and 3 cats and we all
live on a small farm in Southeast Texas. |
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I'm often asked how I became a
natural trimmer....
Like many that have discovered natural trimming, our journey began when one of our horses,
Scout, was diagnosed with navicular at age 7. Shortly after that we acquired a 14 year old
pony, Henry. He had suffered through laminitis multiple times over the years and was
currently in acute founder yet again. He had "elf shoe" curled hooves and
couldn't move without grimacing in pain. Both our vet and farrier told us we could
probably get a couple more years out of Scout with
corrective shoeing but agreed that would only be a temporary fix, injections might get us
a bit
further when the shoes start to fail. Our hearts sank when the vet said for Henry we could
consider cutting his nerves to buy him a little more time but moreso, he felt he was
completely hopeless and should be put down.
We refused to believe they were doomed. Through countless hours of research we discovered
natural trimming. Our gut instinct told us it was right and it made so much sense. But who
were we to argue with a farrier or vet? They say corrective shoeing, pads, raised heels,
stall confinement, cutting nerves, etc. were what horses like this needed - they knew
best...right? Plus my horses WERE barefoot at this time...so if it’s simply about
being barefoot they should be sound - right? |
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Photo to Left: Scout and my wife
having fun at Sam Rayburn Lake.
Today he's our most sure footed
mount earning him the nickname
"mountain goat". He's comfortable
barefoot even on the rockiest trails
...a far cry from the horse who couldn't
even walk on soft ground without a
limp.
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We decided to give natural
trimming a try. We were still skeptical but with Henry, it was his last
hope. With Scout we figured it made more sense to try the simpler approach first before
using a
more complicated/expensive/aggressive route.
We quickly learned it’s not about simply being "shoeless". A natural
trimmer trims the hoof so that it may function as nature designed it to. Plus, the WHOLE
horse is considered, from diet to lifestyle which is vital to healthy hooves.
After seeing the changes in all our horses (not just the lame ones!) I was amazed,
convinced...and
hooked. As hard as it was while still working full time as a police officer, I began
attending clinic after clinic travelling all over the U.S., I read everything I could,
worked alongside other trimmers, attended equine nutrition classes, and farrier and vet
symposiums and lectures on anything hoof related (as well as ones on diet/metabolic
issues) in order to get well rounded views and input. I eventually became certified
with the AANHCP, American Hoof Association, and
Liberated Horsemanship. My journey has been expensive and intense, but its all been
very worth it, and I still continue my education, attending clinics whenever I can.
Today I'm a full time trimmer and instructor that thoroughly enjoys teaching others
something I so strongly believe in.
Over the years I’ve witnessed many horses recover completely from lameness to move
freely without any clunky corrective shoes, pads, surgeries or extreme measures involved.
I've had many return to the show ring (and win!) after being told they'd never compete
again. I've gone from constantly hearing "what the heck is natural trimming?" to
seeing major horse magazines printing excellent supportive articles on the subject, top
trainers using natural trimming, and trimming horses that have competed at National and
even World levels. And yes, this includes horses that had pathologies....This past year I
had a past foundered mare go on to World in cutting and 2 past navicular horses competed
at the National Reining Breeders Classic. I have been contacted by several vets wanting to
learn more come to work with me, and I trim for some as well....something that would have
been unheard of just a few years ago when vets understandably had a hard time thinking
outside of the shoeing box. People are realizing this isn't ju st some fad...when done
correctly, it works, and it works well! |
Photo on right: My
daughter
(still in her church attire, which
she insists is perfectly suitable
for riding!) having a conversation
with a sleepy Sunday afternoon
Henry. Good 'ol Henry has taught
me a lot... including how to be a
grumpy old fart, yet still look
cute doing it! |
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