Thorsten Kaiser formed the Institute for Barefoot Equine Management in 2003.
After Thorsten’s endurance horse Khan was having chronic lameness issues and swollen legs, he recognised the need for quality hoof care that focused on healing the hooves with longevity in mind, rather than making the horse usable as quickly as possible – and often for a limited time only.
Also identified was the need for quality education for horse owners, as well as people who wanted to work as professionals in the field. As it currently stands, in New Zealand, anyone could pick up a rasp and become a trimmer or farrier.
Thorsten wanted to create a framework that develops and trains professionals that horse owners can rely on when they have hoof longevity in mind.
Thorsten concentrates on two main focus points:
- thorough and detailed Holistic Hoofcare training and education,
- quality-focused hoofcare, with time taken to address hooves, horse, and owner questions adequately, rather than being volume-based and quickly move from horse to horse.