User:Mustang Roll

NATURAL HOOF CARE

Natural hoof care is a key component of the recent re-examination of all aspects of ancient traditional horsemanship and horsekeeping practices. Coined by 35-year veteran hoof care professional, Jaime Jackson, the term 'natural hoof care' has become increasingly popular with the renaissance in ‘natural horsemanship’, such as that documented in The Revolution in Horsemanship (2005), by Robert M. Miller, DVM and Rick Lamb, which recalls the horse care practices of Simon of Athens (ca.400 B.C.) and Xenophon (430-355 B.C.). Xenophon's detailed comments on hoof care in The Art of Horsemanship are particularly noteworthy: “[16] For getting the horses’ feet into the best condition… the right way is to throw down some stones from the road, averaging about a pound in weight, and to curry the horse on these and to make him stand on them whenever he goes out of the stable. For the horse will constantly use his feet on the stones… Try it and you will find your horses’ feet round…”

This insistence on promoting, selecting and/or breeding good, ‘naturally-shaped’ hooves remained a prominent theme in the pivotal work, Horseshoeing Theory and Hoof Care (1977), co-written by farriers Leslie Emery, Ph.D. and Jim Miller and veterinarian Nyles Van Hoosen. This collaboration did much to untangle the contradictions about hooves and horseshoeing present in nearly all previous (and many current) texts by farriers and veterinarians alike. The multiple references to the necessity of good breeding for correct conformation and naturally-shaped feet – to minimize unsoundness – did not go unnoticed by then-farrier Jaime Jackson in the early 1980s. Jackson credits Emery (et al.) along with the "awesome feet" of some formally wild mustangs that his clients had acquired as his inspiration for going into the wild in the early 1980’s to study feral horses and learn just what constitutes -- and what conditions shape -- natural hooves. In fact, it was in 1988 at the American Farriers Association (AFA) convention in Lexington, KY, that Jackson and Emery co-presented much of the findings on the wild horse hoof following Jackson's four-year study of wild horses in the Great Basin. Just a few years later, Jackson published the findings of his wild horse observations, along with his measurements taken of thousands of mustang hooves during BLM roundups, in his first book, The Natural Horse: Lessons from the Wild (1992, 1997 rev.). All of this recorded data resulted in the establishment of a bell curve for assessing deviations in domestic horse hooves from typical wild horse hooves. Common deviations in domestic horses include excessive toe lengths and lower hoof angles, both of which tend to impede ease and efficiency of movement and cause associated lameness problems. In 2000, Jackson met with a small group of interested practitioners to form the American Association of Natural Hoof Care Practitioners (AANHCP). The organization rapidly became an international presence with practitioners in more than seven countries. In keeping with its whole horse approach, the AANHCP changed the name, but not the acronym, to the Association for the Advancement of Natural Horse Care Practices in 2008.

Observations of the natural life-way of feral horses in their native habitat in the dry, rugged Great Basin of the western United States included the nearly constant foraging (16-20 hours per day) over vast tracts of sparsely vegetated terrain, prompted Jackson to ponder why domestic horses living in similar prime wild horse country environments often suffered from debilitated hooves. His investigations revealed that the domestic equines weren’t behaving like wild horses at all. True to the opportunistic nature of most animals, they were standing around waiting for the hay wagon to show up twice a day!

Jackson realized that domestic horse habitats need to not only simulate wild horse country (rugged and varied terrain), but also be designed in a way that encourages a greater volume of exercise than the average domestic horses receive. Paddock Paradise: A Guide to Natural Horse Boarding (2006), was written to provide the necessary understanding of the wild horse life-way to enable horse owners to effectively build such habitats. Those who have built them report virtually self-maintaining hooves, wild-horse-like back muscle development (from the increased exercise), and an absence of problems like colic and stocking-up – common with confined or minimally exercised animals. Feeding becomes a matter of scattering grass hays to simulate nibbling and moving patterns in the wild. Much less space is used to build these double-fenced tracks, and horses are kept off the lush grassy pastures which frequently causes obesity, and life-threatening laminitis (see Founder: Prevention and Cure the Natural Way (2000), by Jaime Jackson). The concept of Paddock Paradise also frees up large tracts of land in order to produce hay properly (see www.safergrass.org).

Frequent trimming to simulate the constant wear in nature is the foundation of natural hoof care. With the insistence of many natural / barefoot hoof care advocates that healthy hooves don’t need to be shod, one might wonder why were horses shod in the first place? The ancient Greeks and Romans went to war unshod. A few fairly reliable references to horseshoeing/horseshoes from the mid 6th to early 7th centuries A.D. are recorded, especially among the Druid blacksmiths. The references to shoeing don’t become commonplace, however, until 1000 A.D. when the invention of the Catalan Forge, in Spain (ca.790), increased the production of iron by a factor of seven. This led to a metal-working explosion about the time of the Crusades (1096-1270). Highly skilled artisans in metal began armoring knights and horses from top to bottom; attaching metal to horses’ hooves provided a very real and psychological threat to foot soldiers, especially when the iron-clad hooves of charging cavalry struck sparks from stones!

An interesting quote from Guibert de Nogent (ca. 1100) about the Crusades: “Truly astonishing things were to be seen, things which could not but provoke laughter: poor people shoeing their oxen as though they were horses…” implies that horseshoeing had become a fad popularized by the Crusades! This is not at all surprising when one observes throughout human societies the prevalence, indeed preference, for fads. The horse owning community is no exception – witness how often fads affect breeding for movement, color, conformation, etc., while often completely disregarding the fundamentals of sound livestock breeding.

Enter "On the Horse’s Foot, Shoes and Shoeing: the Bibliographic Record" and "A Brief Timeline History of Horseshoeing" (1990), by farrier Henry Heymering. Heymering’s list of ‘ten mistakes’ has much in common with both the conclusions of Emery et al. and also with Jackson’s studies of wild horses. For example, “(1) … The drier hoofs are, the stronger, tougher, more resilient, and better they are; (2) It is a mistake to think that a 45 degree hoof angle is normal… less than 53 degrees is a contributing factor to… and a host of other problems; (7) … We can only help the horse by trimming his hoofs in imitation his natural wear – which changes according the way he is used; (10) It is a mistake to think that by “corrective shoeing” we can eliminate most gait and conformation problems… (without doing… serious damage)… While farriers certainly can make minor adjustments which allow a horse to use himself better we cannot make a horse do anything.” Heymering’s book is a treasure trove of interesting and insightful information, both historical and practical.

The controversy, then, arises from the shoe or not to shoe question. Hoof boots – easily removed after work – improve every year and effectively replace horseshoes in many venues, but they are still not up performance standards for certain activities. Also, getting a good fit on odd-shaped hooves is still problematic. Some styles are harder to get on and off than others. Hoof boots are generally meant to be worn only for work and removed for turnout.

So many horses have been bred without regard for hoof quality. The resultant poor quality hooves can cause persistent problems with hoof deterioration, especially in wet climates, and loose/lost shoes, or to quote a rather humorous old saying, “The best candidate for a shoe is a good-footed horse.”

Maybe we should ask what is happening when a sore-footed horse is shod then immediately goes soundly. Did the foot undergo a miraculous and instantaneous healing? Or does the application of a shoe somehow ‘mask’ the pain in the foot? Remember, shoes are nailed on when the foot is ‘unloaded’, or contracted. When the foot is placed on the ground, or ‘loaded’, its attempt to expand against the binding force of the nails may create the same effect as grabbing one’s thumb after hitting it with a hammer – the old medical maxim that “pressure relieves pain”. This possible ‘symptom masking’ may lull a horse owner into thinking that a horse is now ready to perform, thereby aggravating the problem. Horses that are repeatedly asked to perform injured often have markedly shortened careers.

In contrast, from the Horse Owner’s Guide to Natural Hoof Care (1999, 2002 rev.), Jaime Jackson states, “… a newly barefooted horse may experience some tenderness following the removal of shoes. This is not due to the natural trim itself… it is a consequence of either lack of conditioning of the feet following deshoeing, or, the harmful effects of shoeing per se.” In the latter case, the reference would generally be attributed to feet weakened by shoeing – the same way human feet are weakened due to being protected by shoes much of the time… which brings us back to Heymering’s history of horseshoeing.

THE FUTURE OF HOOF CARE

The problems for the future of the domestic horse with regard to the shoes vs. no shoes controversy appear to be two-fold. First, what will it take to get breeders to produce better quality overall conformation, particularly feet and legs? Second, is it time to reconsider some of the things that we ask horses to do? Humans can choose to participate in extreme sports, but horses often don’t get a choice. Many horses will kill themselves for us if asked. If a war-time horse dies delivering a message that saves, say, 1000 lives, we bury it with honors and cherish its memory just like we do for fallen soldiers. But do we have the right to ask horses to risk their lives, health and longevity for sport and/or money?

Hypothetically, if all horse competition organizations announced that 5 or 10 years from now only barefoot competition would be allowed, one might envision a mad scramble to breed better-footed horses. In addition, some of the more extreme sports might either disappear or be scaled back.

Meanwhile, authors Miller and Lamb record their guidelines for hoof care, as follows:

1.    Shoe only when necessary.

2.    Shoe or trim at regular intervals.

3.    Provide barefoot vacations as frequently and for as long as possible.

The famed Spanish Riding School, in Vienna, Austria, doesn’t start training their Lippizaners until four years of age. The training is gradual to allow for the skeleton to mature and many of these horses are still performing ‘high school’ movements and ‘airs above the ground’ well into their twenties – barefooted throughout.

So, it seems that natural hoof care, like natural horsemanship, is at the forefront of our ‘new understandings’ about horses. Horsemanship, which includes hoof care, training, keeping, feeding, etc., is at a fork in the road. Time will tell if horse owners choose the path of greater partnership and concern for their horses’ well-being or the path of simply using horses for ego satisfaction and personal convenience and entertainment – like that dirt bike in the garage – which may be detrimental to the horses’ mental health, e.g. the solitary confinement of a stall, or physical health, e.g. hard work without sufficient preparation. The weekend warrior, who has his horse shod so he can gallop madly without worrying about having properly conditioned feet, does so without regard for the rest of the unconditioned horse. One might even consider using bare feet as a guideline for conditioning a horse. Gradual and consistent conditioning of the feet would help ensure the same for the rest of the body – and minimize the anxiety (mental stress) caused by ‘pushing’ horses too fast. Much of this behavior is due to ignorance and a view of horses as just another plaything. Quoting German veterinarian and professional rider/trainer Gerd Heuschmann in Tug of War: Classical versus “Modern” Dressage, “… training horses too quickly and incorrectly results in long-lasting damage – particularly in young horses…” (see www.xenophon-classical-riding.org). Experienced horsemen often advise newcomers to the world of horses to spend time getting educated about them before purchasing their first horse. Acquiring a thorough education in horsemanship takes time, effort and association with accomplished horsemen. High performance bare-footedness requires the correct approach in all phases of horsemanship.