My name is Amber Copeland (Formerly),
I grew up on horses. I was blessed with a series
of ponies and horses as I grew up,showing locally and participating in 4-H, rodeos and parades and shows. In high
school, I was on the horse judging team in FFA and my very first job was "Horse Wrangler" on the Buffalo River,
at a place then called Buffalo Outdoor Center. My second job was starting colts for my farrier, Jim Thomas. After a while
he started taking me with him on jobs to hold horses and that's what got me started with hooves.
I had always
had horses in mind for a career. I didn't dream of being in hoof care when I was in school, instead I wanted to be a trainer,
but I guess the Lord had other things in mind. I learned to shoe to save money, and found I had a real knack for hoof care,
but I only did it on the side for a long while. I worked a lot of other jobs in the meantime, from a Tyson's chicken
plant to a pet shop and even cleaned stalls and started colts.
When I discovered natural trimming,
I really embraced it. Having a strong shoeing background (I like to think) that has helped me really see how natural
is so much better than shoes. I really see much better results with barefoot than with shoes, and have done a lot of
independent research to confirm that natural really is better. I now do barefoot trims exclusively and
have a loyal, happy clientele. It's really rewarding for me and the most satisfying to watch lame horses make a full recovery
and do better barefoot than they did with a lifetime of shoes.
I am working on becoming certified in
Natural Hoof Care, but everything was put on hold while I was on maternity leave, and I'm having to start over on that process.
While I was pregnant I took and passed, a Natural Hoof Care course from Penzance Educational Center (listed on my links
page), then went on to complete the Professional level and have my certifiate for both classes. I have also applied to the American Hoof Association for approval.I'll keep photographing
and doing more research on the latest hoof related discoveries so I can pass the information on.
God Bless!
