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Equine Podiatry
Firstly I'd like to explain that I am most definitely not an 'anti-shoe' fanatic. In fact I would never be so impudent as to insist on any aspect of somebody else's horse care so long as there wasn't an underlying and immediate welfare issue involved. I still clip and rug my horses (despite having read the excellent articles that abound on how we compromise their thermo-regulatory system), they're stabled at night in the winter because I can't bear to leave them out in howling wind and rain. One is ridden in a rope halter but the other is still in a bridle as I'm not quite brave enough, nor a good enough rider, to risk testing his brakes without a bit. I applaud (most of) the theories and application of true natural horsemanship, worry about others (there's always a bandwagon isn't there?) and utilise and see the merit of many aspects of traditional horsemanship too. Horses for courses, so they say.
However the more my knowledge base increases, the more passionate I am about horses feet. They truly are a biochemical & biomechanical marvel, something most people never realise. There is simply nothing better for them than to be without shoes, but ONLY IF YOUR PERSONAL CIRCUMSTANCES AND EXPECTATIONS will allow it and you have the help of a good podiatrist. Please don't let your horse suffer unnecessarily by trying the 'natural' route alone or without doing your research first. Podiatry is all-encompassing care of the feet, not simply another word for barefoot. It is not simply about removing shoes, but about establishing equilibrium within the foot and structural balance in the whole horse. This enables the horse to utilise its own innate ability to heal itself whilst maintaining a healthy foot capable of a workload matching it's current level of usability.
Equine Podiatry will seek to address the prevalent problem of 'Deformed Hoof Syndrome', which is essentially any visible change to the desired normal appearance of the hoof capsule. This can include familiar and noticeable deviations such as mechanical flare, where the bottom third of the outer hoof wall flares out and often splits and cracks due to excessive or uneven pressure. Also underrun heels, which are often actually long underslung heels, and contracted heels which are usually due to a lack of structure in diseased frogs. This lack of structure means there is insufficient outward pressure on the bars to keep the heels out where they should be.
Individual circumstances must always be taken into account, and owners advised of whether it is truly beneficial or in reality detrimental to their particular horse to have their shoes removed. Similarly, for a horse that is regularly trimmed but whose feet are still wearing away unevenly, could the horse be weaving endlessly on a sloping floor? Equine Podiatry is care of the whole foot and this is where lateral thinking should be used to take into account external influences, or previous illness and injury.
In her book 'No Hoof No Horse', Dr Gail Williams states that in her opinion sore backs and foot imbalances are intrinsically linked. By thinking outside the box and working alongside other therapists such as chiropractors and masseurs, it is possible to improve both the feet of the horse and associated torsion and strain in the skeletal and muscular structures. If a horse has been compensating for a foot imbalance for many years, it will take time to re-educate muscles and this is where the Equine Podiatrist needs to see the 'bigger picture'. However good the trim and accompanying aftercare, a misaligned spine will still cause the horse to move in an unnatural manner.
Be Responsible and make an informed decision on what's best for you and your horse, and only you. Not what suits your friend at another yard, or by following the latest popular fad.
My own belief is that you should only take your horse or pony out of shoes if you are fully prepared for the high level of commitment that keeping a working shoeless horse entails. Your success and the well-being of your horse depends entirely on how realistic you are about your goals and the amount of effort its requires from you. Shoes do indeed serve a purpose and have done so for hundreds of years but their purpose is far more for our benefit than for the horse's, especially with our modern day frenetic lifestyles. Being honest, most horses have to fit in with whatever free time and money their owner has. Taking your horse out of shoes may mean you have to spend seemingly endless hours handwalking him in pads for the first few weeks. Could or would you do that? It is always amazing to hear people ask, "how soon can I ride?". Deformed feet are not yet considered the same as a damaged tendon or ligament, although I certainly feel they should be. If your vet ordered 3 months rest for your horse's tendon you would obey without question, yet people are rarely prepared to give their horse enough time to rebuild good structure in his feet. This is despite the fact that you may almost certainly be offsetting the chances of him getting ringbone, sidebone or the dreaded navicular syndrome later in life.
We attempt to restore the lost equilibrium of the foot by nailing on various alternatives to the rim metal shoe for additional 'protection and support'. Wedges are used to prop up the heels, while tendonectomies on the deep digital flexor tendon are performed to lower the fetlocks.
Feeding supplements are used to stimulate hoof growth but without thought for overloading the rest of the endocrine system. Due to the adverse effects of long hours standing in waterlogged muddy fields, then rapid drying out on woodchip bedding, various petroleum based substances are painted on the feet to either repel or lock in moisture, and necrotising agents used to kill thrush infections which inevitably lead dead tissue behind for other organisms to feed on.
Essentially, a combination of ignorance, unsubstantiated knowledge, misguided good intention and lack of control over our own horse's daily has negative side effects on every aspect of our horses welfare and most definitely harms their feet. We then try to reverse these unwanted changes caused by our own interference, by pouring endless amounts of time and money into extra meddling with no real understanding of what or why we are doing what we are doing.
I found an excellent article on the internet just this week, which can be found at http://www.horseperspective.com/navicular.html If you have time, please read this now before you continue.
How a foot should really look!
Wild horses that live in dry and arid conditions have feet like iron and travel long distances daily searching for food. Their feet have adapted to their lifestyle and are conditioned by their environment. Environment is probably the most important aspect of keeping your horses without shoes and unfortunately our damp muddy climate in the UK means we have to go to extra lengths to achieve what would happen far more easily in Montana!
Nature has provided the perfect foot for the purpose it was intended, and the means to modify that base model depending on the ecological requirements of individuals living in vastly diverse terrain such as rocky barren land to waterlogged marshes. Our lack of understanding of the complexity of the equine foot means that we are unable to correctly promote the proper stimulus for optimum performance.
Never exceed the workload that your horse's bare feet are capable of achieving. Despite what may be touted to the contrary, it is not the norm for your horse's feet to abscess during the transitionary period. Abscessing should be as unfortunate and occasional an occurrence in the unshod horse as it is in the shod horse. There are good hoof pads and hoof boots readily available to protect your horse's feet while they are still weak and vulnerable. Please also realise that going without shoes is rarely the cheaper option, especially in the initial stages!
If you only see your horse once a week and want to go out for a hack on hard or stony surfaces without conditioning or rehabilitating his feet, then please only remove his shoes if you are prepared to substitute them for hoof boots, particularly in the early stages. Some breeds, especially Cobs, Arabs and Icelandics, have naturally good strong feet that require little conditioning other than decent regular maintenance. Others may take up to 6 months to rehabilitate. Remember, most horses have been shod since they were 2 or 3 years old and it can take a long time to reverse the impact this has had on their feet.
Horses can and do live totally normally working lives without shoes, including endurance, eventing and hunting. These horses really do exist. So too does the unshod hack, and their feet benefit hugely from the dedicated care of both their owner and equine podiatrist.
If you decide that shoeless isn't for you then that's fine too. Your horse or pony is your responsibility. But please read as much as you can on horses feet so that you know whether your farrier is doing the best job possible. If possible try to only use front shoes, as back shoes aren't quite so necessary and reduce the risk of kick injuries in the field. If your horse remains shod all round, then how about removing his shoes for a couple of months during the winter when the ground is soft and you can only ride in the sand school at night? It will give his feet a break and enable you to combat some of the long term residual infections such as thrush and white line disease. The negative effects of shoeing often aggravate these, and unnatural consequences such as a deep central sulcus to the frog are perfect breeding grounds. It is very difficult to successfully treat white line disease when a metal plate covers the solar surface of the hoof wall.
Conclusion
The only reason for shoeing should be for owners who choose to keep their horses shod because it suits their lifestyle, or because the intended use of the horse exceeds the current health and maximum useability of its unshod foot.
Until it is globally recognised what the underlying functionality of the foot really is, then there will be never be a valid method of balancing the foot in line with dynamic mechanics that takes into account its application on a living creature that already had a perfect mechanism of its own.
Page 2 ~ So Why Did I Choose No Shoes? | About the Services Offered
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