Barefoot horses

Barefoot horses refers to horses which are kept barefoot full time, as opposed to horses who are fitted with horse shoes. The hooves of barefoot horses are trimmed with special consideration to a barefoot lifestyle. The barefoot horse movement advocates a generalized use of barefoot horses, both in non-competitive and competitive riding, often coupled with a more natural approach to horse care. Keeping horses barefoot is seen in many parts of the world, including South America, Mongolia and other industrialized and non-industrialized cultures.

History

Horses were used for work and pleasure by man for thousands of years prior to the invention of horse shoes. Some of the oldest writings about the care of hooves are found in the works of Xenophon, a fourth century BC Greek cavalry commander, who wrote "naturally sound hooves get spoiled in most stalls," and included the instruction that their hooves should be toughened by putting a cobblestone area in their paddock, (a practice still in use today).

Removable iron horseshoes may have been invented by the Roman legions. [cite web
title = British Museum Website: hipposandal
url=http://www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk/explore/highlights/highlight_objects/pe_prb/i/iron_hipposandal.aspx
accessdate = 2007-08-23 ] Nailed-on shoes were certainly used in Europe by the Middle Ages.

The impact of horseshoes

Horses continued to be shod from the Middle Ages to the present, though well trained farriers have always practiced sound barefoot trimming for horses that did not require the additional protection of shoes. It has become standard practice in most equine disciplines to shoe the horse. However, there is a growing movement to eliminate shoes and bring the horse's hooves back to a more natural state. Advocates of barefooting have shown that there are many benefits to keeping horses barefoot, and that some of the negative effects of shoeing can be reversed once the shoes are removed.

Research and observation have shown that improper shoeing can cause or exacerbate certain hoof ailments in the horse.

Shod horses that are returned to a barefoot condition can, after allowing time for healing of the hooves, regain much that may have been lost while shod. For example, the owner may see improvement in areas such as surefootedness (because the horse can feel the ground better), stamina (because the flexing barefoot hoof acts like an auxiliary pump which assists the heart) and a better quality of movement overall.Fact|date=March 2008

Damage from improperly fitted and applied horse shoes can be seen in a gradual distortion of hoof shape, along with other ailments. Hoof soles are often sensitive when going barefoot for the first time. It can take weeks to months to a year, depending on how fast the hooves grow, before a horse is sound and usable on bare feet. During this transition period, the horse can be fitted with hoof boots which protect the soles of the feet until the horse has time to heal and build up callouses, though hoof boots, especially when not properly fitted and used, can cause hoof damage as well..

Benefits of barefooting

While horses have been used without shoes throughout history, the benefits of keeping horses barefoot has recently enjoyed increased popularity. Not only does the horse benefit with a healthier hoof in some cases, it can be less expensive to keep a horse barefoot, and many owners have learned to trim their horses' hooves themselves. As the health and movement benefits of barefooting have become more apparent in horses that have completed transition, horses are being competed barefoot in various sports (including dressage, show jumping, flat racing, steeplechase racing, trail riding and endurance riding).

The barefoot trim

There are several styles of barefoot trim in use today, including the Wildhorse Trim, the 4-Point Trim, the Strasser Trim, among others. Some types, such as the 4-Point Trim can be used alone, or with shoes. [ [http://www.equipodiatry.com/fourpnt.htm Equine Podiatry | Dr. Stephen O'Grady, veterinarians, farriers, books, articles ] ] Barefoot trims do not differ from the "pasture" or "field" trim farriers are trained to provide, taking into consideration hoof health and bony column angles, though each branded type of barefoot trim has its individual differences. In contrast, barefoot trims are designed to maintain a healthy, sound hoof without the use of shoes, and aim to emulate the way in which hooves are maintained naturally in wild horse herds, like feral horses ("mustangs" in the western United States, "brumbies" in Australia) as well as of wild zebras and other wild equine populations. It has been observed in wild horse populations that the hoof tends to make contact with the ground on four points, and the hoof wall does not contact the ground at all. [http://www.ecis.com/%7Ehplove/clo/heum9801.html#1 Summary Notes: 1998 Heumphreus Memorial Lecture ] ] This is another difference between the barefoot trim and the pasture trim, where the hoof wall was left long and in contact with the ground. Like wild horse populations, barefoot horses develop callouses on the soles of the hooves, allowing them to travel over all types of terrain without discomfort.

Important to the success of the barefoot trim is balance and shape. Included in the objectives are: 1) shortening the hoof wall and heel to the outer edge of the concave sole for best hoof conformation, and 2) applying a rounded bevel ("mustang roll") to the bottom edge of the wall to allow for a correct breakover (the moment when the foot tips forward as it begins to lift off the ground) and to prevent chipping and flaring of the wall.

There is some research which indicates removing horseshoes and using barefoot trimming techniques can reduce or in some cases eliminate founder (laminitis) in horses and navicular syndrome. [http://www.healthehoof.com/historical_hoofcare.html Laminitis, Navicular Syndrome, Coffin Bone Penetration - Natural Hoof Care, Maple Plain, Minnesota ] ]

Hoof health and overall care of the horse

The two things which can directly affect the health of the hoof are diet and exercise. Observers of wild horse populations note that the equine hoof stays in notably better condition when horses are in a herd situation and are free to move around 24 hours a day, as wild horses do, permitting good circulation inside the hoof. [The Natural Horse: Lessons From the Wild, Jaime Jackson, Northland Publishing, 1992] It is recommended that horses be allowed to walk at least (x) miles per day for optimum hoof health.

Diet is very important too, as changes in feed can directly affect hoof health, most notably seen in cases of laminitis. A healthy diet is based on free access to roughages (grass or hay) and some mineral supplementation, with a relatively low grain ration; feeds and forage with high levels of sugar (carbohydrates) correlate with higher risk of clinical or subclinical laminitis and with other hoof ailments. [ [http://www.safergrass.org/articles/index.html Safergrass.org Articles on grass carbohydrates and laminitis ] ] [ [http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=10256 The Horse: Laminitis: New Study on Sugar and Starch as a Cause ] ]

Controversies over the barefoot movement

The issue of which is better for the horse, shoes or barefoot, is the subject of some controversy. Opponents of the barefoot movement argue that domesticated horses are routinely put through abnormal levels of activity, stress, and strain, and their hooves undergo excessive wear and shock. Stable-kept horses are not exposed to the same environment as wild horses, which can affect their hoof quality. Additionally, humans sometimes favor certain traits over hoof quality (such as speed), and will breed horses with poor hoof quality if they are exceptional athletes. This can lead to overall decreased hoof quality within a breed and in riding horses in general. Advocates of traditional hoof care suggest that shoeing is needed to protect the hoof from unnatural destruction, and that the horseshoe and its various incarnations has been necessary to maintain the horse's usability under extreme and unnatural conditions.

ee also

*Horse care
*Horseshoe
*Hiltrud Strasser
*Jaime Jackson
*Laminitis
*Navicular syndrome
* on wikiquote
*Horse hoof
*Lameness (equine)

Footnotes and References

External links

*http://www.epauk.org The Equine Podiatry Association (UK)
*http://www.strasserhoofcare.org/ Strasser Method
*http://www.naturalhorsetrim.com/index.html information on founder and laminitis
*http://www.aanhcp.net/ The official website of the AANHCP
*http://www.barefoothorse.com Overview of barefoot horse topics
*http://www.hoofrehab.com Advanced topics on hoof health and rehabilitation
*http://www.ironfreehoof.com Pictures of barefoot hooves and step-by-step trim
*http://www.tribeequus.com An overview of the barefoot movement and lots of advice and links
*http://www.thenakedhoof.com.au Barefoot trimming techniques
*http://www.barefoottrim.com Source for natural trimming of horse hooves.
*http://www.horseperspective.com Advice and educational resources for keeping a natural horse.
*http://www.all-natural-horse-care.com/ Information on all aspects of natural horse keeping including natural trimming
*http://web.cetlink.net/~farrier/fads.htm Rebuttal of the anti-horseshoeing movement.
*http://www.easycareinc.com EasyCare Hoof Boots, source of educational articles on natural hoofcare.
*http://www.equineonline.net/france/equestrian_articles/driving_horses_shoeless.htm Article about driving shoeless (barefoot) horses
*http://www.endurancehorse.co.za Articles about and pictures of horses hooves after completing long distance rides barefoot.
*http://www.successful-natural-horsecare.com A practical site on all aspects of natural horsecare and horse keeping including transitioning from shod to barefoot.