Hoof Care Practitioner, Sally Hugg of Oroville California has been selected as EasyCare’s April Dealer of the Month. A quest to help her own horses who were having problems with shoes is what led Sally to a career in the hoof care business. She was originally a registered dental assistant. She began trimming just to help her own horses. Attending a Pete Ramey clinic in early 2006 inspired her to learn as much as she could. It was then that she started working her way through the training program offered by AANHCP. Her business has steadily grown since she began in 2006. She now has 100 horses in her practice.
Sally has been an EasyCare Dealer since 2006 and currently carries the Easyboot Epic and Easyboot Glove. “Gloves are my overwhelming best seller,” she says.
Sally is no stranger to hoof boots. As a matter a fact she was one of the original Easyboot Epic Testers. She has seen a lot of changes since then. “Boot use has gone from obscure to commonplace for recreational riders, and now endurance and competitive riders are using the Glove. I believe that boot use is only in its beginning stages and will see a much greater acceptance as boots continue to evolve and improve,” she says. Sally also feels that the natural hoof care industry has been gaining momentum for the last few years and that it is already one of the fastest growing segments of the equine industry in the USA today.
There are many keys to being a successful trimmer. Sally feels it’s important to look at the whole horse, not the just the feet, and to be a keen observer of how horses move. Her most rewarding experience as a trimmer was when she aided in saving a foundered therapy horse that was scheduled for euthanasia. The Easyboot Epics were instrumental in getting him back on his feet. “Seeing lame horses moving pain free, with the light back in their eyes because their feet don’t hurt is the best part of my job,” she says.
Sally is one busy lady. On top of her full list of horses she trims regularly, she also teaches anatomy clinics and mentorships for students. Sally is a founding member of Pacific Hoof Care Practitioners and currently serves on the board of directors and is also chairman of the education committee. In addition she has a supplement she sells called California Trace. Initially formulated for her own horses, she began supplying it to her customers when she started her hoof care business in 2006. “The idea was simple,” she says. “Supply the elements most commonly deficient in the diet without adding unnecessary ingredients.” It was sold by word of mouth at first but sales have steadily increased every year. Last year she was able to make improvements to the product and even found a mill to make it exactly the ways she wanted. The supplement is currently supplied through hoof care practitioners and is also available on the website. Visit www.californiatrace.com to learn more about it and pick up your own supply. Sally plans to introduce a new product formulated just for performance horses too. Look for it to be available later this year. She says, “It’s gratifying to know that I am helping horses grow strong hooves from the inside out.”
If you’re in the Northern California area and need some hoof care assistance, or just need someone to help answer your questions, Sally is just a phone call away. Contact her at 530-534-4844 or email her at barehoof@gmail.com. She’ll be glad to help you with your hoof care needs.
