Certification (Natural Balance)

The Equine Lameness Prevention Organization is the only organization authorized to offer certification for the hoof care science of Natural Balance.  

The Natural Balance Certification program, establishes consistency and quality around the Natural Balance Hoof Care protocol, while it promotes a high level of farrier professionalism.  For many professional farriers Natural Balance Certification represents an achievement toward a better understanding of foot function and biomechanics.   Natural Balance Certification Programs offer the opportunity to learn and develop practical, common sense skills that farriers can use to treat and prevent lameness, as well as improve overall horse performance.

                Equine Lameness Prevention Organization

For those people who are lucky enough to own and have a relationship with a horse, the overall health and soundness of that horse is always a concern. However, many horse owners may not fully appreciate the importance of good hoof health and function until they are faced with a lameness issue. The fact is that the number of horses and horse owners is constantly growing, yet the amount of space available for the horses to live in is rapidly decreasing.  This fact is partially responsible for the increase in the number of hoof related lameness cases over the last 20 to 30 years.  One goal of the Equine Lameness Prevention Organization is to offer education and information to horse owners and equine health care professionals on ways to better manage the hoof care and health care needs of our domestic equine friends. With the assistance of practicing veterinarians, farriers, and other equine professionals, the ELPO is developing some practical and common sense guidelines for managing horses in a variety of environments and living situations. At the same time, with assistance from the ELPO members and the scientific community, we hope to gather meaningful research data that will offer support and direction for current and future hoof care programs . Through these combined efforts, we hope that the ELPO and other organizations like this will be able to offer comprehensive guidelines to assist hoof care providers in the treatment of equine pathologies, and ultimately help prevent lameness problems from occurring in the first place.