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| My philosophy is that any horse can go barefoot. I don’t see the need for shoes at all. If the horse is sore without shoes while going through rough terrain then the hoof wasn’t ready to be put through that abuse yet anyway. Shoes don’t protect the sole from injury and mask underlying problems rather well. |
| Another assumption is that shoes will correct certain hoof ailments such as navicular, founder, stone bruises, etc. but this is not the case. If the hoof is not in perfect health then it is detrimental to nail a shoe to fix the problem. The shoe does not remedy the problem but simply exacerbate it and hide the underlying lameness associated with it. Do not nail shoes on a hoof that is not healthy. AND if the hoof is healthy then why would anyone want to nail a shoe on it in the first place??? |
| I trim hooves according to what the sole is telling me. I have studied as much information as I can get my hands on and over time have changed my trim technique to do a maintenance trim from the top only. I have found through experimenting and following the advice of another well known trimmer, Kim Cassidy, that the mustang roll will stay longer using this style of trimming. Once the hoof has stabilized and only maintenance trims are being done on a regular 4-5 week trim schedule that nippers are no longer needed to trim excessive wall growth and the heels can be kept at the correct height by only giving a few short swipes of the rasp. I have had my clients tell me they aren’t sure if their horse’s need to be trimmed because the hooves are no longer chipping and cracking but keeping a nice roll all the way around the edge. They are happy that their horses’ hooves have never looked better. |
| The other part of barefoot trimming that needs to be addressed is the use of hoof boots. The Easycare Company is dedicated to keeping horses moving and rideable through a variety of terrain while keeping shoes off our beloved equines. Currently there are many styles of hoof boots that will fit all different shapes and sizes of hooves. Endurance riders are now taking their horses barefoot with the help of hoof boots. They say their recovery rates are quicker and their horses have more energy and are winning. |
| I also believe that most of our lame equines are affected by thrush and fungus. A great product has recently been discovered and is great at combating thrush. Oxine (chlorine dioxide) was a chemical used before the discovery of bleach and is still used in produce and poultry farms across the country. It is relatively safe and only kills the fungus and thrush instead of harming healthy tissue. The hooves can be soaked after trimming for the best penetration of the gas. The fungus is killed on contact and results can be seen within a few treatments. |
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My Philosophy of Barefoot
