What is Performance Hoof Care? 50 million years of equine evolution + human innovation + cutting edge technology...
True natural hoof care is the wild horse
moving about on all types of terrain, naturally trimming its own feet.
Using the wild horse as our model, natural hoof-care practitioners shape
horses' feet to provide optimum support and circulation without the
application of metal or synthetic shoes. Hoof boots may be used for
transitioning or extreme conditions. This growing practice is endorsed
by all types of riders, from endurance, show, and pleasure riders to
municipal mounted police departments. (from
runningbarenaturalhoofcare.com) Jaime Jackson's
landmark studies of over 1000 wild horse hooves found universal traits
that are fostered with the natural trim. These traits include no
deviation in
dorsal hoof wall angle, natural concavity, and uniformity of thickness
of hoof wall with a mustang roll. The trim is gentle and non-invasive,
removing only what nature would remove in the wild. (from AANHCP.net)
With natural care, the hooves
become stronger, building callus, concavity, and also a strong digital
cushion that increases blood flow in the hoof. This profusion of blood
increases the production of fiber cartilage in the back of the foot,
which has been found to prevent or even heal problems such as laminitis
and navicular syndrome, according to research by Dr. Robert Bowker, DVM,
of Michigan State University. www.coronavistaequinecenter.com/publishedarticles.html
|
|
 |
| Wild horse hooves! |
|
|
|
WHY GO BAREFOOT?
In this video, Joe Camp, author of The
Soul of a Horse, explains it so well I decided to let him tell
you!
|
BUT, MY HORSE CAN'T GO
BAREFOOT...
I hear this almost daily
from owners who have been told this by trainers, farriers, or
veterinarians or from owners who simply shoe horses because they think
they have to. I explain that the natural trim is different than the
traditional farrier, or pasture trim. Those
types of trims can actually restrict proper growth and circulation,
which are needed to build strong, gravel crushing hooves.
|
COMMON MISUNDERSTANDINGS...
The Barefoot Movement, Barefoot Advocates, and Barefoot Trimmers (aka Natural Hoof Care Practitioners) are a growing and varied group. Some get a little extreme or evangelical about the concept of BARE... In my experience, most good barefoot trimmers are not against the concept of hoof protection when it is necessary, but are only against the outdated idea of nailing metal horseshoes to a living hoof!
Many horse-shoers like to point out that all us crazy barefoot trimmers like to wear shoes on our own feet, and use that as an argument for shoeing horses. My response to this is to agree, (yes, I often do wear shoes!) but point out that none of us are wearing shoes made of metal, and we certainly don't NAIL THE ILL FITTING METAL SHOES TO OUR FEET! We pay good money and spend a lot of time finding shoes that fit and are comfortable for our various activities, but no matter how comfy the kicks, we all like to take our fancy shoes off at the end of a long day! So do horses.
Fortunately, there are many different styles and designs of modern hoof-wear available for your horse. Some hoof boots fit some hoof shapes better than others, and all are made of hi-tech materials like rubber, neoprene, ballistic nylon, and NASA-strength velcro, so there is no longer any excuse to use old school clunky medieval technology. Lets get out of the iron age already!
TRIMMING PARTNERS, KAUA'I:
|
|
|