Steps to
Trimming

My Philosophy of Barefoot

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. Staying on a more conservative side, I nipper the wall above the sole plane by 1/8" and then rasp the rest. I do trim bars and leave them passive to the ground but above the sole plane. I will trim frog but only if it looks diseased and tattered. Healthy frogs almost never need to be trimmed if they are calloused and firm. I start my role from the bottom and push my rasp at an angle to where the inner wall is left higher than the outer wall. The pysics behind this allow the hoof to pull inward with each step and disperse energy rather than absorb shock and contribute to wall flaring. To finish the trim I will put the hoof up on the post and push the thin side of the rasp downward to file off any excess rough edges. I will not thin the wall and try to keep the thickness of the wall the same.

The other part of barefoot trimming that needs to be addressed is the use of hoof boots. The Easycare Company and Cavallo are 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 like using the Simple Boots because they fit a variety of horses and are easy to apply.

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.

For maintenace and treatment of fungal infections another product I highly endorse is No Thrush. Read more about it on the No Thrush link.

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