Hoof talk with Ron aalders
Amsterdam April 2008
On our recent trip to Africa, we stopped in Amsterdam and met with Ron Aalders, world renowned farrier, well known for his "banana shoe application".
During our 8 hour stop over connection flight we enjoyed wonderful hoof conversation- sharing farrier experiences, hoof balance concepts, theories and practical application.
It was farrier euphoria- golden moments of round table discussion with Ron at the helm passionately sharing what he has learned along the way. What a kind, humble soul- you couldn't help but embrace him immediately with his honesty and integrity and drive to continually look and learn and share.
Ron works mostly with reiners, across Europe and North America and speaks internationally at farrier conferences and symposiums. He has perfected the banana shoe, originally designed by Dr. Ric Redden.
Ron has perfected his own "hoof mapping" using the exterior lateral view of the hoof to determine position of the navicular bone, center of articulation and extensor process. It yields similar results as Gene Ovnicek's hoof mapping protocol and offers yet another method to accurately assess a hoof for balanced trimming.
Like us, Ron believes strongly that it is crucial to properly balance a hoof about the center of articulation and provide optimal breakover.
Many thanks to Ron for his hospitality and candour. We hope we can reciprocate next time he is in North America and engage in further discussions as research in the equine hoof increases and new farrier applications are tested in the field.
Ron Aalders, Carlene Myers, Sylvia & Peter Kornherr, M.W. Myers D.V.M
