I am Janine Mehr, longtime Equine therapist, AL Integral Hoofcare Practitionier and upcoming horse dentist and horse owner myself. I now have over 30 years of intensive horse experience in the professional and private sector in all areas. I have traveled the world for the horses and have gained a lot of experience.
My motivation is a healthy and natural horse. At first glance this sounds simple, but at second glance many people will feel what I mean. At the moment, we don't have many healthy or natural horses. Whether in the private sector or even less in the professional environment.
Since the beginnig of my "equine career", I have been asking myself what our standards in equine healthcare are and whether they have actually been set up correctly. If you go through life critically, as I do, then you recognize gaps. You realize that the knowledge taught and the practice carried out, often don't match what you see. And that the results are usually very disillusioning.
All of this has motivated me over the years to do my own research, which was often not very easy. However, this has opened up other, more far-reaching insights for me. At the same time, I also met the right people with the same spirit, such as Dr. Maksida Vogt. And I am grateful to have been able to work with such great pioneers.
Today I know what my criteria for a healthy horse is - the wild horse.
Only a horse born in freedom and the wild, untouched by human hands, i.e. without our normal care such as feeding, hoof care, dental care, other therapies, not selected by our human breeding ideas, but solely by passing on the strongest genetics for real natural life, can provide me with answers as to what a healthy horse is. And that's what I'm focusing on today. Fortunately, I can observe and research wild horses up close. I integrate these findings into my work. And the developments of this influence on our domesticated horses confirm that this is the right approach.
Every branch of medicine has its place, whether conventional or alternative medicine, different forms of therapy, and so on.
But everyone should develop a common goal and take a common direction, the healthy and natural horse. Without dogmatism or fanaticism and always critical of one's own work. We should not remain stuck in old beliefs that have often already been proven wrong. Not standing still because we have always done it this way. Don't stand still because xy taught it that way. And certainly not standing still because it's so convenient or because it's easy money. Always ask if what we think we know and do is true and right.
Every horse owner will get an honest answer from me. There will be cases where I can help to recover and there will be cases where we can only provide support. It always has to be considered individually from horse to horse. But every change towards a natural horse will always create an improvement for the horse and that is what we should all strive for.