Jaime Jackson (born 1947) is a former farrier and author of many books focused around natural horse care and

natural hoof care Natural hoof care is the holistic approach to horse hoof care based on the wild horse model, including natural boarding (Paddock Paradise natural horse boarding), natural horsemanship, a reasonably natural diet, and the natural trim itself. Mod ...

as well as other non-fiction books. He is best known for his research of the wild, free-roaming horses in the U.S.

Great Basin The Great Basin () is the largest area of contiguous endorheic watersheds, those with no outlets to the ocean, in North America. It spans nearly all of Nevada, much of Utah, and portions of California, Idaho, Oregon, Wyoming, and Baja Californi ...

in 1982-86. His first book on horses ''The Natural Horse: Lessons from the Wild'' (1992) describes what we know today as the wild horse model. Based on research and findings of the U.S. wild horse populations at Litchfield BLM Corrals the Natural Trim Method was developed. His greatest innovation Paddock Paradise natural boarding system is revolutionising horse management around the world. Published in 2005, "Paddock Paradise: A Guide to Natural Horse Boarding" became a foundation for the alternative boarding system also known as Track System.

Career

''The Natural Horse'' was based upon Jackson's studies from 1982 until 1986 of the

Mustang The mustang is a free-roaming horse of the Western United States, descended from horses brought to the Americas by the Spanish conquistadors. Mustangs are often referred to as wild horses, but because they are descended from once-domesticate ...

in its natural environment in the

of the

western United States The Western United States (also called the American West, the Western States, the Far West, the Western territories, and the West) is List of regions of the United States, census regions United States Census Bureau. As American settlement i ...

. Jackson discovered that not only did wild horses live longer than domestic horses, but they also suffered none of the hoof maladies that plague those kept in 'captivity', notably

navicular syndrome Navicular syndrome, often called navicular disease, is a syndrome of lameness problems in horses. It most commonly describes an inflammation or degeneration of the navicular bone and its surrounding tissues, usually on the front feet. It can lead ...

and

laminitis Laminitis is a disease of the feet of ungulates, found mostly in horses and cattle involving inflammation of the laminae. Clinical signs include foot tenderness progressing to inability to walk, increased digital pulses, and increased temperatur ...

. 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 believed that even horses with severe hoof conditions deemed 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 A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

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. In 2009 Jamie Jackson established another organisation called Institute for the Study of Natural Horse Care Practices known as ISNHCP. The organisation aims to provide education on genuine Natural Hoof Care based on the Wild Horse Model. 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. According to veterinarian Robert Cook, Professor of Surgery Emeritus at

Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine The Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine of Tufts University is a graduate school of veterinary medicine located in North Grafton, Massachusetts. The Cummings School is the only college of veterinary medicine in New England. The school is also ...

Tufts University Tufts University is a private research university in Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts, United States, with additional facilities in Boston and Grafton, as well as Talloires, France. Tufts also has several Doctor of Physical Therapy p ...

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 restore and maintain optimal health. Jackson has moved away from client work, his efforts are now directed into further written work, consultations, and the training programme known more by its acronym ISNHCP.

Paddock Paradise and natural boarding

This natural horse boarding concept was introduced by Jackson in his book, ''Paddock Paradise, A Guide to Natural Horse Boarding'' (Star Ridge Publishing). The premise of this boarding model is to provide safe, humane living conditions that use the horse's natural instincts, and thus to stimulate and facilitate movement and other behaviors that are essential to a biodynamically sound horse. Jackson concluded from his studies based on the behavior of wild horses, that domesticated horses appear 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. The paddock paradise model is unlike a traditional situation with stalls, small paddocks and/or lush green pastures (which Jackson calls "founder traps"). It is designed to encourage movement through the creation of a series of fenced 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 is the tendency for people’s behavior or beliefs to conform to those of the group they belong to. The concept of herd mentality has been studied and analyzed from different perspectives, including biology, psychology and sociolo ...

foraging Foraging is searching for wild food resources. It affects an animal's fitness because it plays an important role in an animal's ability to survive and reproduce. Foraging theory is a branch of behavioral ecology that studies the foraging behavi ...

for small amounts of food strategically available throughout the day, maintaining a watering hole near or at the source of drinking water, and behaviors related to horses as

prey Predation is a biological interaction in which one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not ki ...

animals, relative dominance (

pecking order In the zoological field of ethology, a dominance hierarchy (formerly and colloquially called a pecking order) is a type of social hierarchy that arises when members of animal social groups interact, creating a ranking system. Different types o ...

), grooming, resting and sleeping behaviors.

References

*Cook, Robert. "Is It Time for Hoof-Care Revolution?", ''Veterinary Times'' v.38, pp. 24–27, 2008. *''Equine Wellness'' 3(5), September/October 2008, pp. 26–30. *Hansen, R.M. "Diets of Wild Horses, Cattle and Mule Deer in the Piceance Basin, Colorado", ''JRM'', 29(5), Colorado State University, 1976. *Jackson, Jaime. "Hoof Anatomy 101", ''Equine Wellness Magazine'', March/April 2010. *Jackson, Jaime. ''Paddock Paradise'', Star Ridge Publishing, 2006. *Jackson, Jaime. ''The Natural Horse: Foundations for Natural Horsemanship'', Northland Publishing, 1992; rev. Star Ridge Publishing, 1998. *Jackson, Jaime. "Understanding Wear Patterns", ''Equine Wellness Magazine'', May/June 2010. *Jurga, Fran.
The Natural Hoof: A Sign of the Times
" ''The Horse'', 10 October 2001. *Lambert, Annie. "Lose the Shoes? Is Barefoot for Everyone?", ''Barrel Racer News'', April 2010. *Matthias, Gerss, and Appelt, S. "Our Computer Controlled Active Stable System", ''The Horse's Hoof'', No. 32, Fall 2008, p. 1. *Taylor, Walt. ''American Farriers Journal'', v.26, #6, November 2000, p. 5.

Bibliography

;Equine Books: *''The Natural Horse: Lessons From The Wild'', J. Jackson, Northland Publishing, 1992, Star Ridge Company *''Horse Owners Guide to Natural Hoof Care'', J. Jackson, Star Ridge Company *''Founder: Prevention & Cure the Natural Way'', J.Jackson, Star Ridge Company *''Guide to Booting Horses for Hoof Care Professionals'', J. Jackson, Star Ridge Company *''The Natural Trim: Principles & Practice (Formerly Known as: Official Trimming Guidelines of the AANHCP)'', J. Jackson, 2006 *''Paddock Paradise'', J. Jackson, Star Ridge Company, 2007 *''The Natural Trim: Principles and Practice'', J. Jackson, J Jackson Publishing, 2012 *''Laminitis: An Equine Plague of unconscionable Proportions'', James Jackson Publishing, 2016, *''Training Manual: ISNHCP Natural Trim Training Program'', NHC Press, 2017, *''The Hoof Balancer: A Unique Tool for Balancing Equine Hooves'' (2019) NHC Press, *''The Natural Trim: Basic Guidelines'', James Jackson Publishing, 2019 *''The Natural Trim: Advanced Guidelines'', James Jackson Publishing, 2019, *''Navicular Syndrome, Healing and Prevention Using the Principles and Practices of Natural Horse Care Based on the U.S. Great Basin Wild Horse Model'' James Jackson Publishing, 2021, ;Other Books: *''The Canvas Tipi – How to Make and Pitch Your Own Canvas Tipi'', Lodgepole Press, 1982 *''Guard Your Teeth: Why the Dental Industry Fails Us, A Guide to Natural Dental Care'', James Jackson Publishing, 2018 *''Buckskin Tanner: A Guide to Natural Hide Tanning'', James Jackson Publishing, 2019, *''Cheyenne Tipi Notes (1903): Technical Insights Into 19th Century Plains Indian Bison Hide Tanning'', 2019, *''Living Behind the Facade: Memoirs Of a Gay Man's Journey Through the 20th Century'', 2019, George Somers with Jaime Jackson, James Jackson Publishing, *''Platform: A Humanitarian Model For An Egalitarian Society'', James Jackson Publishing, 2019, *''Zoo Paradise: A New Model for Humane Zoological Gardens'', James Jackson Publishing, 2019,

External links

Official websiteThe Institute for the Study of Natural Horse Care Practices
a Natural Hoof Care Training and Education program, created by Jaime Jackson
The Association for the Advancement of Natural Horse Care Practices
(AANHCP)
Paddock ParadiseNatural World Publications
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jackson, Jaime Equine hoof Living people 1947 births

Career

Paddock Paradise and natural boarding

See also

References

Bibliography

External links