11.01.06
Barefoot natural hoofcare movement afoot
For years I have imagined how nice it might be to have horses who didn’t need horseshoes. Now I discover there is a natural hoofcare barefoot movement afoot based on studies of wild mustang’s hooves and revised theories of how the hoof is designed by nature to work.
Pioneers in this area include Jaime Jackson, Pete Ramey, Dr. Robert Bowker, Gene Ovnicek, Dr. Barbara Page (writings by, March 1999), Dr. Hiltrud Strasser (one of the early groundbreakers,) and others who have their own methods and followers in natural hoof trimming techniques. Many horse owners, myself included, are taking up rasps, nippers and hoof knives, and taking an active role in their horses’ foot care.
There is a lameness treatment center near me, Wakewood Farm in Plymouth, N.H., (Sue Wood 603-536-4614) under the auspices of the BOGHS Corporation, a California based non-profit lameness research foundation. Wakewood uses barefoot methods to rehabilitate and literally save incurably-lame horses and return them to useful, comfortable lives. I have learned that chronically lame horses with histories of founder and laminitis and special shoeing– even some horses who have been lame for years– are being made sound again by removing their shoes, trimming their hooves, and transitioning their feet into toughened, strong and durable natural feet after the wild mustang model. (Diet still plays a huge role in managing laminitic and foundered horses– ie. eliminating rich grain and feeding grass hay instead– as does exercise.)
The general idea of barefoot, over-simplified, is to keep the horse’s hoof short, maximize sole and frog contact with the ground, and provide the horse with lots of movement on varied footing to toughen up the soles. The basic concept is that the entire foot is meant to support the horse, not just the hoofwall (the hard outside edge of the hoof,) and that the hoof adapts itself to the conditions it is used to.
Bare hoof trim examples as pictured on Pete Ramey’s website
Observers state that the wild horse model averages 20 miles a day traveling over extremely rough as well as soft ground, and the hoof a mustang develops from birth could best be described as rock-crushing: it is short and wide, has thick hoof walls with rounded bottoms, has very low heels, and thick, tough, callused soles and frog.
One component of successful barefooting is setting up varied footing in the domestic horse’s living areas, and ensuring plenty of moving around. 24-hour turnout is the absolute best! Many practitioners recommend peastone gravel (rounded pea-size to marble-size gravel) placed in an area for horses to stand on. I am told it should be at least 4 inches deep to be effective, in a 10 ft.x12 ft. or larger area.
People who use pea gravel have told me their horses love the sole support and cushioning effect of it so much they will seek it out to loaf on, and sometimes even chase each other off of it! Purportedly, over time the peastone will stimulate hoof growth, keep hoof walls short, and most importantly help callus the soles and frogs. Pea gravel is being used effectively at the Wakewood Farm lameness center on their barefoot horse patients; good areas to have it are in run-in sheds and around water troughs.
Another aspect helping to make barefooting possible, especially in New England, is using hoof boots during transitioning (from shod to barefoot) AND in conditions which the hooves are not tough enough to tolerate well. Hoof boots, formerly thought of merely as spare tires to use when a horse threw a shoe or had an injury, have taken on a broader dimension. New horse boot manufacturers have sprung up, and established companies are expanding and improving their lines to meet the new demands of barefoot horse owners (see at end.)
Bare hoof trim examples as pictured on Pete Ramey’s website
Typical objections to the feasibility of barefoot horses are heard:
The wild horse doesn’t have to carry a rider
The ground in New England is too rocky
It’s too wet in this part of the country
My horse goes lame without his shoes
My horse requires special shoeing, has thin brittle hooves, is ouchy even with shoes, etc.
To each of these objections I hear reasonable and logical answers from barefoot enthusiasts. I read about barefoot endurance horses completing 250-mile, 5-day competitions using hootboots. I hear of eventers, ropers and reiners, draft horses– competition horses in many disciplines– going barefoot successfully. I find people exclaiming how their laminitic or navicular horses have become sound again without shoes. Most importantly, I have witnessed barefoot horses being ridden and seen it work on my own driving and riding horses. It is even working on a mare I owned for six years who I never would have believed could ever go barefoot, because when shod her hooves were crumbly and she has dropped soles in front.
Pete Ramey, a former farrier himself, now maintains over 700 barefoot horses in wet North Georgia’s rugged limestone mountains. There is a disparity of opinion about barefooting between many farriers and natural hoof trimmers, and even among trimmers themselves, which is to be expected in a divergent field. However, many farriers open to new ideas are learning about these new approaches, and some are even expanding their traditional horseshoeing practices to include natural barefoot trimming.
There are lots of good arguments for and benefits from taking your horse barefoot. It will work for some horses and horseowners, and for others it probably won’t, but it is worth your serious consideration as an involved horsecare provider. Many books about barefoot care are available; I recommend doing your research online into different theories and practitioners, then decide which books to buy.
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Following are a few websites on barefoot practice and hoof boots. I must also mention a New England trimmer and EasyCare boot fitter who has been of great assistance to my horses, Lisa Phelps EMAIL: hoofwalker@metrocast.net in Barnstead, NH.
BAREFOOT GENERAL INFORMATION and sites, U.S.:
general barefoot and boot info
The Horse’s Hoof barefoot horse news, extensive LINKS, and LIST OF TRIMMERS contact info
Pete Ramey’s website
Pete Ramey on hoof boots
Paul Chapman on trimming
Basic hoof care tips by Keith Seeley, natural farrier
To shoe or not to shoe, article by Keith Seeley
Barefoothorse.com, general trim guides and tips
Links to more hoof care articles
website by backyard natural hoofcare person
hoofcare with lots of photo examples
Tribe Equus WebRing on barefoot horses
Barefoot Horses WebRing, more links
heal the hoof, practice and education
BAREFOOT SITES OUTSIDE THE U.S.:
Equinextion, natural horse & barefoot articles, seminars– Canada
Applied Equine Podiatry Association– England
barefoot and bitless– Russia
barefoot, bitless bridle, holistic– Australia
barefoot hoofcare– New Zealand
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HORSE HOOF BOOTS SITES
EASYCARE INC. BOOTS: 5 styles of boots plus a soaking boot, prices $40-$80 each; Epics (attached gaiters), Bares, Original Easyboots (redesigned), Boa boots, Old Mac G2 boots (last two styles sold in pairs); comfort pads, other accessories available
HORSESNEAKERS (custom made to specs, $125-160 per boot– can be resurfaced) and HOOFWINGS (standard and draft sizes, $85-90 per pair)– also offer socks for hoofwings
SWISS HORSE BOOTS– sold only thru trained fitters, popular in Europe $136/pr. plus fitting fees
CAVALLO SIMPLE HOOF BOOT (sold at valleyVet.com and others) $99/pair
Other hoof boot brands I have heard of…
DAVIS BARRIER BOOT (temporary shoe replacement, also make soaking boots)
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USED HOOFBOOTS BUY/SELL/SWAP, start at bottom for most recent ads…
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TESTIMONIES by barefoot proponents:
Epic boots and others in endurance riding, photos and videos
blog by barefoot endurance rider who modifies her Easyboots
photos of Epic boots used on 250-mile endurance ride
Forum of hoof trimmers, Strasser method
barefoot testimony by vet at Tufts (Strasser site)
barefoot testimony by polo player (Strasser site)
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For related stories, see:
barefoot
turnout
See updated blog info on using peastone gravel for barefoot horsekeeping… and be sure to look for other folks’ COMMENTS at the end of all posts.
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Connie Moses, petArtist– self-built website: PortraitsWithHorses.com
(horse and pet portraits)
Liana D said,
November 1, 2006 at 5:19 pm
Just to inform that Equinextion website listed under links is not in the US but in Canada.
Keep up the good bloggin’
petArtist Cmoses said,
November 1, 2006 at 5:28 pm
FIXED IT, and thanks Liana!
I Gallop On said,
November 2, 2006 at 2:10 pm
This is an excellent post. My farrier is coming tomorrow and I’m doing the usual winter prep — having him remove everyone’s shoes and leaving my five horses “au natural” for the winter. However, we’ve decided that we’re going to try the natural route for the long run. We do a lot of riding in the high country of the Pecos wilderness and it’s pretty rocky up there. I’ve been reading Karen’s EasyCare and Endurance Musings blog and she has some excellent information about Easyboots. I’m hoping I can find some to fit my draft!
Kimberly
petArtist Cmoses said,
November 2, 2006 at 2:46 pm
Good luck Kimberly! I had a head start on my own horses: the Arab mare I always had left barefoot in winter, and her shoes had been pulled over a year for foaling so I just left them off. Our 3 yr. old has never worn shoes.
I have just started Epic EasyBoots on my mare’s fronts, and she is moving like her old self with them on (nice jog and long floaty trot.) Boas work well on our 3 yr. old and they come in very large sizes. Soon we’ll be installing pea gravel here too.