Jill Willis, Founder
Jill stepped down from her role as a co-administrator of the natural trim training program in early 2022. In addition to promoting the concepts in the books used in the training program, she is also working on a 'Principles of NHC" course that will focus on everything related to the wild horse model other than the trimming.
"As a great number of the natural horse and/or hoof care practitioners who've come through the AANHCP or the ISNHCP, I have had horses for most of my life AND had an established career in an entirely different line of work before entering the (AANHCP) natural trim training program in 2007. Many of us seemed to share the common denominator that we wanted to do something to help our own horses and came out of the training wanting to help horses throughout the world.
"I am one of the lucky ones. I did not come to natural hoof care as a 'last result' like so many others who are now dedicated and staunch believers. I discovered the AANHCP as a result of researching a wellness and preventative path for my then-19-year Arab gelding, Apollo, who I have had since early 1995. Before he advanced into his 20's, I had wanted to expand my knowledge base on the topic of "Senior Care" so that he could thrive well into his 'later years' (as so many horses do in the wild). One thing led to another and I was hooked! And never looked back. Finding the AANHCP and the books by Jaime Jackson was a bit like discovering that the earth was not flat.
"I love my work and I love the horses. I envision a day when those people who really understand how to care for a horse - from their hooves and diet to their need to live in a herd and be free from confinement - will be the majority of those responsible for these creatures. We need to throw out the molasses-laden feeds and supplements, get rid of the alfalfa, remove the shoes, trim them properly and allow them to run with others of their species. It is all so simple and yet it is a battle we fight daily due to the contradictory practices used in traditional horsekeeping." ~ Jill