Foal limb soundness begins before a foal is born. It involves considerations of nature (genetic) and nurture (environment). Genetic factors include inherited conformation and behavioral traits from the stallion and mare. Environmental factors include physical space in the mare’s uterus, nutrition, training and disease prevention.

Choosing a mating that has a good chance of producing a structurally correct horse is important since conformation deformities predispose animals to unsoundness. Nutrition of the mare is especially important during the last three months of gestation, as the majority of the foal’s limb growth takes place during this time. Nutrition of the lactating mare and supplemental foal feeding affects the growth of the foal after birth. Imprint training should be done soon after birth as a preparation for hoof care that should begin during the second month of life.

Genetics

Sound legs start with the mating of a sound stallion to a sound mare. They each contribute one half of the whole. Some horses are said to be very prepotent, meaning they are capable of stamping their characteristics on their offspring no matter what the genetics of the other horse. Sometimes, we see exceptional “nicks” or good combinations that consistently produce good horses. In some cases outcrossing is desirable as it produces heterosis or hybrid vigor. The mule is an extreme example since it is usually hardier than either parent. Most horsemen realize that breeding is a “roll of the dice” but they do what they can to control some of the variables.

Unfortunately, many of our modern horse breeding programs are not focused on soundness. Instead, they are focused on beauty, color, disposition, speed, cow sense, early rapid growth, mature size, etc. Structural deformities are accepted where they should be cause for rejection. Structurally incorrect horses are then trained and put into use, eventually becoming unsound. A price must be paid for adopting the short term at the expense of the long term. Structurally incorrect horses may stay sound for a while, but very few unsound horses are structurally correct.

Heritability of skeletal structure in horses is one of the highest for any trait, estimated by some researchers as high as .65. This means that there is a 65 percent chance that crooked or sound legs are due to heredity and a 35 percent chance that they are due to environment. Selection of sound horses for mating is essential.

Prenatal (before birth) Environment

Foals grow to the size of the mother’s womb before birth. Some almost look like spiders when they are born, as their legs are so much more developed than their body size. The limbs complete much of their development in the womb and are largely a product of the nutrition received by the mare.

The cartilage in the leg is rapidly proliferating during gestation and its maturation to bone may be delayed in horses fed diets deficient in some minerals and vitamins. Calcium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Magnesium, Copper and Zinc are especially important minerals, as are Vitamins A and D.

Overfeeding of carbohydrates and protein can also cause problems. Excess protein is treated like excess carbohydrate by the body and may cause hormonal imbalance as well as nutritional diseases. Overgrowing in the confining uterine environment caused by a delayed foaling date causes some limb deformities.

Post Natal (after birth) Environment

Foals are naturally awkward when they are born. Their body size will grow faster than the length of their legs. The small bones of the knee or hock may not be completely formed at birth and are crushed by excessive exercise and body weight. Many times foal legs will straighten as the animal grows older and stronger.

Limb defects can be aggravated by many things. The stall should be safe and large enough that the foal won’t be injured by the mare. Exercise areas should be as safe as possible. Some foals have had a leg broken while in a stall or while exercising in a rough pasture. Other older horses in the same pen may purposely injure foals.

Fences that are sharp or not visible are especially dangerous. The fact that the foal has a short neck in relation to long legs may also aggravate deformities as he spreads his legs to eat off the ground. Standing with one front foot back and the other forward may also cause the development of club foot on the foot that is back if it becomes a habit.

The most important post natal consideration is the lactation of the mare. Too little or too much milk can cause limb development problems and lameness. Mares that are easy keepers and good milk producers have a higher incidence of foals with DOD.

Developmental orthopedic disease (nicknamed DOD) is the name given to various abnormalities of the limbs. These can have genetic or environmental origins. Horses bred to grow fast and mature rapidly are susceptible. Horses fed a high calorie, imbalanced ration are at great risk for epiphysitis – an inflammation of the growth plates of the long bones. Usually, this comes about from excessive grain and protein supplement consumption. However, overeating of high quality alfalfa hay may also produce it.

Types of Neo Natal (new born) Deformities

Foals with the knees or hocks turned in are called valgus. Foals with the knees or hocks turned out are called varus. When both left and right hock (or knee) joints are bent in the same direction, we say the foal is windswept.

A foal with a straight pastern and high-heeled foot is said to have contracted tendons or be club footed. A foal with the fetlock forward due to superficial tendon contracture is said to be knuckled over. Foals with the pastern down and the heels crushed with the toe up are said to have tendon laxity.

Early Limb and Hoof Assessment

Assess the foal’s limbs soon after birth. Most mild limb deformities can be helped by stall rest that limits exercise. Many problems are due to lack of cartilage and bone maturity and will improve with time if the affected areas are not stressed. If there is more than a 5- degree deviation in the limb, or concerns about the straightness of the legs, your veterinarian should assess the situation and make recommendations at this time. The hooves should not be trimmed until the foal is at least two weeks old, and then only if a problem is evident.

It is important to treat limb deviations before the epiphyseal growth plates of the lower leg bones close at about three months (short pastern), six months (long pastern), and nine months (distal cannon bone). After these plates close, very little structural change can be made in the limb by trimming or shoeing. It is questionable how much change can actually be made before that time. Severe angular (conformation) defects cannot be eliminated by corrective trimming or shoeing. Serious problems may require periostial stripping or check ligament surgery. Future plans for the horse should be considered in making this decision as its athletic career may be limited.

The Farrier’s First Visit

A foal’s feet should be checked by a competent farrier by the time it is two months old. You can help prepare your foal for the farrier’s first visit by (1) teaching the foal to stand and lead, (2) picking up and holding the foal’s feet daily, (3) providing the farrier a safe corner in which to trim the foal’s hooves, (4) having an experienced person hold the foal for the farrier, and (5) having an experienced person hold the mare close at hand.

Imprint training should be started as soon after birth as possible in order to begin the process of desensitization of the foal to the farrier. To do this, rub down the legs and pat the bottom of the hoof with your hand 40 or 50 times on each foot or until the foal relaxes. Repeat daily and then weekly and finally monthly. It is also important to clean out a foal’s feet each time the animal is handled to accustom it to foot handling.

Foot Balance and Trimming

Regular foot balancing will allow the foal to grow as straight as possible. The focus of trimming should be on keeping the weight of the foal evenly distributed over the limbs. The foal’s hoof may be trimmed more often than that of a mature horse, but less hoof is removed. The excess wall is trimmed down to the level of the sole at the toe.

Keeping the hoof length the same on the inner and outer sides of the leg (medial /lateral balance) is critical. This must be maintained because a foal frequently wears one side or the other unevenly. The animal will learn to compensate for minor structural faults. Avoid over-trimming of the sole and thus removing protection from the coffin bone. Trimming one side lower in an effort to straighten legs produces sheared heels.

Medial or lateral extension shoes made from aluminum or plastic may be glued or nailed to the feet of crooked foals to help in the distributing of weight more evenly over the bone column. Shoeing the foot may protect it from wearing away faster than it grows and sometimes it is necessary to maintain a balanced stance. If a horse is shod during the growing months, shoes should be reset frequently (every 3 to 4 weeks) and progressively larger shoes applied each time.

Having the hoof trimmed out of medial/lateral balance in an effort to straighten bones is not a good practice. Excessive stresses on the joint may cause damage, but the most noticeable effect will be the creation of a sheared heel. This may cause circulatory disturbance and lameness later on. The edges of a foal’s hooves should be kept rounded to avoid chipping.

When a young horse begins serious training, regular trimming and hoof care should include shoes that protect the foot or are necessary to enhance the action of the specific type of horse.

As a farrier and teacher of horsemanship for the past 45 years, I have run into many problems with horses that are caused by horse-loving people. Perhaps the most disturbing is the harmful, yet common notion, that “food is love.”

I have seen far too many cases of young horses crippled with developmental orthopedic disease resulting in club foot, epiphysitis and secondary hyperparathyroidism. I have also seen many older horses afflicted with low ringbone, navicular disease and, worst of all, laminitis and founder. Many of these conditions could be prevented or cured if horse owners would pay more attention to a horse’s condition and restrict its diet.

A horse is a combination of genetics and environment. When selecting for one trait over others, you typically get what you select for. However, strength in one trait often means weakness in others. When you add a faulty environmental component, it’s a recipe for disaster.

For example, for the last 30 years or so it has been popular to breed for rapid growth — producing maximum height at an early age. However, it has been shown in numerous controlled studies at various universities that feeding concentrated energy and excess protein to maximize a horse’s growth potential causes all sorts of developmental abnormalities and limb diseases. When you add excess energy in the form of grain and high protein alfalfa hay to the genetic component, the result is often a crippled horse. Unfortunately, these findings are largely ignored by people in the show horse industry.

Horses with extremely steep limb angles, especially of the pasterns and hocks, may also inherit under-run heels. The combination of concussion produced by the steep angles, and the added stress upon the deep flexor tendon and navicular bone region produced by the low heels producing a de-rotated coffin bone, is a predisposing formula for severe lameness.

Other factors include training a horse to carry most of its weight on the front limbs by keeping the head low, and shoeing with fad square aluminum shoes after “the heels were cut down to the widest part of the frog.”

Modifying the Diet

This horse also needs to immediately be put on a diet to reduce the stress on the foot structures and prevent a disastrous acute founder attack.

The first thing to consider when formulating a diet for a horse is the amount of feed given. Non-working horses should be fed about 1½ to 2 percent of their body weight. You can determine a horse’s body weight with a weight tape if a scale is unavailable.

For example, if a horse weighs 1200 pounds, then it should be fed 18 to 24 pounds per day. If a small square bale weighs 60 pounds, you should feed about 20 pounds or about one-third of the bale per day. This works out to 1/6th of a bale per feeding, or 10 pounds. Grain should be used sparingly as a carrier for medicine or supplements and as a reward for catching or training – not as a part of the regular diet.

A horse’s weight can be monitored visually using a 10-point scale developed at Texas A & M University. The ideal working horse is a “5.” A “5″ is a horse on which you can’t see the ribs but you can feel them. A “1″ is a horse that is skin and bones, a “10″ is a horse that is roly-poly fat. A horse in good condition is a “6.”

Careful monitoring and calculating of feed amounts is important for domesticated horses. You can best prove your love for your horse by calculating and feeding it a reasonable ration that is healthy for him. Over-feeding it is not love! Doing so may cut your horse’s career short and subject it to a life of pain, veterinary treatment and therapeutic shoeing.

This time of year it is wise to stay warm and safe when riding your horse. In addition, you want to ensure your horse has shoes that are going to give them protection from the elements of weather.

One thing that you absolutely want to make sure of is traction to prevent accidental falls in addition to winter horseshoes.

There are several options:

1) HorseshoeBorium® of screen size 8 to 10. This has the texture of coarse sand, has a mild steel matrix and is put on with an oxy-acetylene torch. It will cost several dollars per shoe. It can be put on as raised spots (best for snow and ice) or spread over the shoe (best for slick pavement).

2) Drill Tech Borium® of screen size 4 to 6. This has the texture of small gravel, has a bronze matrix and is put on in the forge on the shoe’s toe and heels. It is also expensive. It is preferred on draft horses.

3) Drive-in or screw in studs. Less expensive than Borium®. Screw-in gives the option of changing height and traction.

4) Weld toe and heel pieces made from square stock on the shoe. These can be made sharp – called “sharp shoeing.”

5) Weld 3/8th inch nuts on the shoe across the web. These are popular on working cow horses here in Nebraska and cost considerably less to install than Borium®.

For additional Winter Care tips you can download my tip sheet that has several more resources for keeping your horse safe and happy this season. Simply fill out the form below and we will send it to you by email.

If you have any additional tips please feel free to post a comment below and share them with me or go over to our facebook page and post them there.

The future will bring the foot care industry a combination of good news and bad news.

The good news is that farrier communication will be better and easier. Publications, the internet, conventions, summits, sponsored clinics and general sharing of knowledge make learning faster and easier. The bad news is that unsound ideas will be spread faster by the same media and adopted and put into practice by those weak in knowledge and experience. The “natural” and barefoot movements are examples of fads that continue to spread out of proportion to the application of sound research and common sense.

The good news is that farriery will continue to get easier, more effective and more lucrative for the skilled farrier. New materials and techniques as well as the proliferation of shoes, tools and accessories will be useful to skilled farriers who understand basic balance and therapeutic principles. The bad news is that persons weak in skills and understanding, because they are unwilling to pay the price to become competent, will continue to pass themselves off as qualified farriers by using these products. In so doing, they will hurt more horses and horse owners.

The good news is that business publications, accounting and contact management programs will make the farrier business easier to professionally manage than ever before. The bad news is that surveyed horse owners say good business principles are being ignored by many farriers. Hiring qualified employees to help expand your business has always been difficult. New levels of government watch-dogging and involvement along with the liability and risk of litigation will make it even more so. Continued intrusion by the revenue-seeking federal government will continue to be discouraging to small business owners.

The good news is that people with discretionary income will continue to look to the horse industry as a pleasant way to spend their time and money. There is a strong demand for sound, highly-trained, gentle horses. If horse people have good experiences, they will remain in the industry and support good farrier and veterinary care. The bad news is that less educated horse enthusiasts will buy unsound, poorly-trained, and even dangerous horses. These people will tolerate a standard of work lower than ever before from lazy con artists who have no intention of improving their skill level beyond what is necessary to fool ignorant customers. Fads and incompetence will continue to proliferate in the presence of an uneducated public.

The good news is there is always room at the top, and the hoof care industry is no exception. Farrier work is now and will continue to be practiced at a higher standard than ever before by a few dedicated craftsman. Opportunities will be good for the well educated and highly skilled farrier. Good craftsmen will get better, while the poor ones that have no desire to improve will continue to give the rest an image of ignorance. The poorly prepared farrier is bad news now and will continue to be in the future.

The September/October 1999 issue of the American Farriers Journal published my look into the next 25 years of farriery. I stick by those predictions and comments. The things that all farriers will need to know and do to stay in business in the future are the things that the most successful farriers are already doing.

Assess the foal’s limbs soon after birth. Most mild limb deformities can be helped by stall rest that limits exercise. Many problems are due to lack of cartilage and bone maturity and will improve with time if the affected areas are not stressed. If there is more than a 5- degree deviation in the limb, or concerns about the straightness of the legs, your veterinarian should assess the situation and make recommendations at this time. The hooves should not be trimmed until the foal is at least two weeks old, and then only if a problem is evident.

It is important to treat limb deviations before the epiphyseal growth plates of the lower leg bones close at about three months (short pastern), six months (long pastern), and nine months (distal cannon bone). After these plates close, very little structural change can be made in the limb by trimming or shoeing. It is questionable how much change can actually be made before that time. Severe angular (conformation) defects cannot be eliminated by corrective trimming or shoeing. Serious problems may require periostial stripping or check ligament surgery. Future plans for the horse should be considered in making this decision as its athletic career may be limited.

The Farrier’s First Visit
A foal’s feet should be checked by a competent farrier by the time it is two months old. You can help prepare your foal for the farrier’s first visit by (1) teaching the foal to stand and lead, (2) picking up and holding the foal’s feet daily, (3) providing the farrier a safe corner in which to trim the foal’s hooves, (4) having an experienced person hold the foal for the farrier, and (5) having an experienced person hold the mare close at hand.

Imprint training should be started as soon after birth as possible in order to begin the process of desensitization of the foal to the farrier. To do this, rub down the legs and pat the bottom of the hoof with your hand 40 or 50 times on each foot or until the foal relaxes. Repeat daily and then weekly and finally monthly. It is also important to clean out a foal’s feet each time the animal is handled to accustom it to foot handling.

Foot Balance and Trimming
Regular foot balancing will allow the foal to grow as straight as possible. The focus of trimming should be on keeping the weight of the foal evenly distributed over the limbs. The foal’s hoof may be trimmed more often than that of a mature horse, but less hoof is removed. The excess wall is trimmed down to the level of the sole at the toe.

Keeping the hoof length the same on the inner and outer sides of the leg (medial /lateral balance) is critical. This must be maintained because a foal frequently wears one side or the other unevenly. The animal will learn to compensate for minor structural faults. Avoid over-trimming of the sole and thus removing protection from the coffin bone. Trimming one side lower in an effort to straighten legs produces sheared heels.

Medial or lateral extension shoes made from aluminum or plastic may be glued or nailed to the feet of crooked foals to help in the distributing of weight more evenly over the bone column. Shoeing the foot may protect it from wearing away faster than it grows and sometimes it is necessary to maintain a balanced stance. If a horse is shod during the growing months, shoes should be reset frequently (every 3 to 4 weeks) and progressively larger shoes applied each time.

Having the hoof trimmed out of medial/lateral balance in an effort to straighten bones is not a good practice. Excessive stresses on the joint may cause damage, but the most noticeable effect will be the creation of a sheared heel. This may cause circulatory disturbance and lameness later on. The edges of a foal’s hooves should be kept rounded to avoid chipping.

When a young horse begins serious training, regular trimming and hoof care should include shoes that protect the foot or are necessary to enhance the action of the specific type of horse.

Foal limb soundness begins before a foal is born. It involves considerations of nature (genetic) and nurture (environment). Genetic factors include inherited conformation and behavioral traits from the stallion and mare. Environmental factors include physical space in the mare’s uterus, nutrition, training and disease prevention.

Choosing a mating that has a good chance of producing a structurally correct horse is important since conformation deformities predispose animals to unsoundness. Nutrition of the mare is especially important during the last three months of gestation, as the majority of the foal’s limb growth takes place during this time. Nutrition of the lactating mare and supplemental foal feeding affects the growth of the foal after birth. Imprint training should be done soon after birth as a preparation for hoof care that should begin during the second month of life.

Genetics
Sound legs start with the mating of a sound stallion to a sound mare. They each contribute one half of the whole. Some horses are said to be very prepotent, meaning they are capable of stamping their characteristics on their offspring no matter what the genetics of the other horse. Sometimes, we see exceptional “nicks” or good combinations that consistently produce good horses. In some cases outcrossing is desirable as it produces heterosis or hybrid vigor. The mule is an extreme example since it is usually hardier than either parent. Most horsemen realize that breeding is a “roll of the dice” but they do what they can to control some of the variables.

Unfortunately, many of our modern horse breeding programs are not focused on soundness. Instead, they are focused on beauty, color, disposition, speed, cow sense, early rapid growth, mature size, etc. Structural deformities are accepted where they should be cause for rejection. Structurally incorrect horses are then trained and put into use, eventually becoming unsound. A price must be paid for adopting the short term at the expense of the long term. Structurally incorrect horses may stay sound for a while, but very few unsound horses are structurally correct.

Heritability of skeletal structure in horses is one of the highest for any trait, estimated by some researchers as high as .65. This means that there is a 65 percent chance that crooked or sound legs are due to heredity and a 35 percent chance that they are due to environment. Selection of sound horses for mating is essential.

Prenatal (before birth) Environment
Foals grow to the size of the mother’s womb before birth. Some almost look like spiders when they are born, as their legs are so much more developed than their body size. The limbs complete much of their development in the womb and are largely a product of the nutrition received by the mare.

The cartilage in the leg rapidly proliferates during gestation, and its maturation to bone may be delayed in horses fed diets deficient in some minerals and vitamins. Calcium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Magnesium, Copper and Zinc are especially important minerals, as are Vitamins A and D.

Overfeeding of carbohydrates and protein can also cause problems. Excess protein is treated like excess carbohydrate by the body and may cause hormonal imbalance as well as nutritional diseases. Overgrowing in the confining uterine environment caused by a delayed foaling date causes some limb deformities.

Post Natal (after birth) Environment
Foals are naturally awkward when they are born. Their body size will grow faster than the length of their legs. The small bones of the knee or hock may not be completely formed at birth and are crushed by excessive exercise and body weight. Many times foal legs will straighten as the animal grows older and stronger.

Limb defects can be aggravated by many things. The stall should be safe and large enough that the foal won’t be injured by the mare. Exercise areas should be as safe as possible. Some foals have had a leg broken while in a stall or while exercising in a rough pasture. Other older horses in the same pen may purposely injure foals.

Fences that are sharp or not visible are especially dangerous. The fact that the foal has a short neck in relation to long legs may also aggravate deformities as he spreads his legs to eat off the ground. Standing with one front foot back and the other forward may also cause the development of club foot on the foot that is back if it becomes a habit.

The most important post natal consideration is the lactation of the mare. Too little or too much milk can cause limb development problems and lameness. Mares that are easy keepers and good milk producers have a higher incidence of foals with DOD.

Developmental orthopedic disease (nicknamed DOD) is the name given to various abnormalities of the limbs. These can have genetic or environmental origins. Horses bred to grow fast and mature rapidly are susceptible. Horses fed a high calorie, imbalanced ration are at great risk for epiphysitis – an inflammation of the growth plates of the long bones. Usually, this comes about from excessive grain and protein supplement consumption. However, overeating of high quality alfalfa hay may also produce it.

Types of Neo Natal (new born) Deformities
Foals with the knees or hocks turned in are called valgus. Foals with the knees or hocks turned out are called varus. When both left and right hock (or knee) joints are bent in the same direction, we say the foal is windswept.

A foal with a straight pastern and high-heeled foot is said to have contracted tendons or be club footed. A foal with the fetlock forward due to superficial tendon contracture is said to be knuckled over. Foals with the pastern down and the heels crushed with the toe up are said to have tendon laxity.

“Doug, I attended your Horse Expo seminar this past March in Lincoln and really enjoyed your lecture.  I never thought that I would have to bring out notes from what you talked about in such a short amount of time, but we ended up having a horse go lame on us this spring.  We saw some signs around Thanksgiving but the horse seemed to get worse recently.

“After some tests and x-ray’s, the vet diagnosed him with Navicular Disease.  The x-ray showed some history of deterioration and such, but the concern that I have is even though the x-ray indicates a historical problem we haven’t noticed it until recently.  We bought the horse a year ago and rode him quite a bit with no issues.  This brings me to the comment you made about those who may shave off too much of the heel.  We have had the hoofs trimmed twice.  I’m suspecting the trimming job.  Can you tell me what to look for again when looking at the heel?  We do have him on Bute which seems to help, and I think when he was shod he was better.”

Answer:  When shoeing for navicular disease, the most important thing is the alignment of the axis of the pastern with the axis of the distal phalanx or coffin bone.  The front of the upper one-third of the hoof should be parallel to the front of the pastern when viewed from the side.  Sometimes it is necessary to use a wedge pad in addition to the shoe to achieve this.  When these are in alignment, you will have the least amount of stress on the navicular bone.  For more information, see pages 558-566 in The Principles of Horseshoeing (P3).

On April 10th, I did a full-day large group clinic for the New Jersey Equine Veterinary Clinic — among the topics I presented was one on the “Barefoot Experiment,” and the response from veterinarians and farriers alike was very positive!  Of the several farriers who visited with me after the clinic about experiences they’ve had rehabilitating lame horses from these incorrect procedures, one farrier in particular said he had conducted a year-long experiment with two of his own horses.  Please see his “Comments ” added to this blog post.

More than one hundred years ago farriers were confronted with the same problems as farriers are facing today. The “shoeless experiment” was then proposed as a one size fits all solution by “the barefoot people.” (See page 2 of William Hunting’s, The Art of Horseshoeing, published by W. R. Jenkins in New York, in 1898).

It was a con man’s dream. It seemed too good to be true. No longer would horse owners have to pay to have their horses shod. Little training was necessary. The horse owners themselves could simply round the edges of the foot.

For inactive pastured horses it probably was all that was necessary to maintain the animal. But, for most other domesticated horses, that had a job to do, it was probably cruel. Well trained horses were plentiful then. If one went lame, they could simply get another. Heroic measures to save expensive animals were unheard of.

The experiment didn’t last long because:

1) People had a fairly high level of equine knowledge due to the widespread use of horses in the city as well as the country.

2) Emotion didn’t enter into a decision as much as common sense.

3) Common sense was more common than it is today.

4) Con artists hadn’t thought of the natural wild horse model to sell their ideas.

5) Even if they had, people didn’t see wild horses as an ideal.

6) People weren’t as consumed with the idea of avoiding learning and hard work as they are now.

7) If a horse went lame after being so treated, it was recognized immediately as an ineffective and cruel practice.

All that is necessary for a “trimmer” to start in business today is to read someone’s article or book, create a clever (and misleading) brochure, and advertise to often unsuspecting horse owners. The promoters say anybody can do this. No qualifications or experience are necessary [to cripple horses]. Certification is given to future practitioners by those who sold the con.

Twenty-five years ago, the AFA (American Farriers Association), would not allow me, as a horseshoeing instructor, to certify my own students. The reasoning was that this would be a temptation to certify my own students to make my program look good. At the time I felt they were questioning my integrity, and I was not pleased.

In retrospect, I believe it was the right thing to do. These “trimmers” or “barefoot people” are doing that very thing now. They are telling their disciples to watch a DVD, or read an article/book, or attend a short course. Then, pay a fee, and they will be certified and added to a list of certified “natural hoof care practitioners.” It’s brilliant!

I recently gave a presentation at a horse expo where I pointed out the flaws of so-called natural hoof care by unqualified persons. A local farrier came up to me later and told me how the natural trimmer in his area was good for his business as he was called to redeem horses that she had crippled by using her technique of cutting the heels down until they bled.

Trimmers, and other fad promoters, will go to great lengths to justify what they do. The founder and chief executive officer of an association of barefoot people sent me an email in 2001.  He was very critical of the German veterinarian who advocated radical and inhumane hoof trimming techniques. Yet his disciples and “certified practitioners” are now advocating and practicing the same things this veterinarian does. They are crippling horses that a qualified professional farrier has to try to rehabilitate.

Why would horse owners hire an inexperienced, unqualified person to trim or shoe their horse? 1) Perhaps no qualified farrier is available; 2) Perhaps they want to believe the appealing marketing story told by the con artist; 3) Perhaps their previous hoof care provider had done a poor job of educating his or her clients; 4) Perhaps they think they will save money; or 4) Perhaps they are ignorant of the damage that can be done.

I’m willing to believe the reason people buy into the natural trimming idea primarily goes back to the widespread ignorance about the foot and shoeing that exists among both the farriers and the public. I was raised by a mother who instilled in me a soft heart for abused horses. I feel a strong sense of responsibility to warn others of things that will cause unnecessary pain and suffering to our equine friends.

This near perfect barefoot con allows its promoters to take no responsibility for their mistakes and errors. They deny individuality of horses when they say one size fits all. They use the term “natural” to sell their “new and improved” technique. They simply blame the horse’s lameness condition on the shoes the horse used to wear.

What ever happened to “first do no harm?”

Our society is rejecting science and education as a whole. We are willing to pay more for entertainment than education. We value glamour more than substance. Emotional appeal is more convincing than scientific proof. The insanity of animal rights has replaced common sense. The prevailing attitude seems to be, “My mind’s made up – don’t confuse me with the facts.”

Who do you trust? Do you believe those who have experience and a track record over several generations of doing what is the best for the horses in their care? Or, do you believe those that have made up their own rules, even their own vocabulary, while ignoring anatomy and physiology, so they can sell their radical ideas and practices?

It comes down to making a choice. It’s wonderful to have the choice. But, with that choice goes the responsibility for the welfare of your animal. It’s a question of stewardship and trust.

Of course, some horses can’t tolerate shoes. Some people can’t tolerate them either. I’m not one of those. I want to get up and go again tomorrow. Yet, some people do fine without shoes. Does that mean that all of us should go without shoes under all terrain conditions and in all kinds of weather?

Of course not – we must account for individual differences. One size does not fit all. We are not all the same. Each horse is unique. That is why you need the services of a well trained and experienced professional farrier to help you decide what is best for your equine companion’s welfare.