Barry Quam

14 January 2022

Barry has been a life long friend of Ross Smith. Over the years Ross has been called to work on some of the Quam's horses.

Just recently in November 2021 Ross used the COBIT on a three year old horse that Barry asked him to look at. Barry had sold the horse but by the time he had reached his destination he was "dead lame." The horse was returned to Barry who had a veterinarian look at him and they found separation of the hoof wall at the toe. Before Ross saw the horse, wedge pads had been put on and the toe left long. When Ross arrived he first used the COBIT to find the center of balance and the correct breakover point. The COBIT determined that the foot was badly distorted forward. Then Ross trimmed the feet and moved both the toe and the heels back. After the trim the horse was immediatly travelling much easier. Problem for Barry at the time was that the ground was very rough so soon after, he trailered the horse to Moose Jaw for Ross to put shoes on him which really helped. Barry stated the horse is "travelling really good now."

Barry saw Ross use the COBIT for the first time with the three year old horse. Barry stated "it was amazing too because it's all common sense and I think that a person can get away with going barefoot more and let the sole toughen up. It really is amazing when Ross talks about it. He uses it on our horses and we are lucky that they have good feet. The stories that Ross tells about the COBIT are amazing."

Twenty five years ago Barry's daughter Rusty had a couple of grey horses that were thin soled horses. Ross was called and he set the shoe back on their feet, and let the toe hang out over the shoe and they ran amazingly. Rusty qualified with these horses for the $50,000 round in the Calgary Stampede twice. Barry stated "and that is where it started," the road to the Center of Balance Horseshoeing.

Barry also stated that at the time Ross was working on his daughter's horses "he set our old horse's shoe back too but what he told me is that he should have done more. From what Ross knows now to then, he knows he should have been more extreme because now you can find the center of balance (with the COBIT) and shoe to that."

Interview with Barry Quam, December 1, 2021 at Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan