That of course is wrong, and in my opinion deceiving and deceitful.  As animal care specialists farriers, barefoot trimmers, hoof care specialists, etc. are responsible for providing our clients with as much information as possible so they can make a truly informed decision on the care of their animals.  Doing so not only make our clients better decision makers and care givers for their animals, it also makes us better at what we do as it forces us to keep up to date and informed.

What is particularly refreshing is when some quotes a study for what it is and puts it in a realistic perspective.  A prime example of this is Dr. Jeff Thomanson’s presentation about his study on the vibrational properties of horseshoes.  (For the record I have not seen or read the entire study.  I have tried to find the study but haven’t had any success yet so if any one can help me obtain a copy of it I woul shure appreciate it.)  Dr. Thomason referenced this study during a presentation at 2008 University of Pennsylvania’s Technical Horseshoeing Conference. 

The refreshing and impressive thing about Thomason’s conclusions is that, despite his research showin that unshod feet showed an increase in vibration  over shod feet by about 25%, he felt that number was statistcally irrelivant.  How about that, some honesty and fact in presenting information that could have easily been used to strongly support shoeing horses (and unfortunately is being quoted and used by some shoers to slam the barefooters).

So here is my challenge to you.  Every time you read an article, barefoot or otherwise, seek out an article with the opposite point of view.  Every time you you read a scientific study seek out a study with an opposing conclusion.  And every time you read a reference to a study or article try and find that material so you can read the quote in its full context (this might actually shock you.)

I don’t expect everyone to come to the same conclusions.  We all see, interpret, and understand things differently.  My hope is that by challenging yourself to do this you move yourself out of that group of mass followers, chasing after trends, and letting those chasing you money lead you around like a bull with a ring in its nose.  Instead you will become one of the well informed, making decisions that are truly in the best interest of your equine partners based on having all the facts available to you.

Let me tell you about this horse I came across.  The mare, about 8 years old, is kept at a high end boarding facility I was doing some work at.  I noticed the horse as soon as I drove in because she showed obvious lameness and what, on a quick drive-by assessment I thought were signs of laminitis.  Now a drive-by assessment is not much more accurate than a drive-by shooting and I am not jumping to any conclusions based on that drive-by.  Once I finished up the horses I was there to care for I asked the barn hand about the mare.  He just shook his head and walked me out to the paddock where I got the whole story.

This mare was unfortunately prone to laminitis and had foundered in the past.  Her feet were being cared for by a “barefoot specialist” and the owner refused to allow anyone else to have a look at the horse, including vets.  According to the barn hand the owners theory was “this horse would get better on its own in the wild and it doesn’t need any human intervention to help.”

Now here is where I have my first problem.  The simple fact is that in the wild this horse would have been given a new name, dinner!  Whether it is horses, deer, rabbits, or any other animal living in the natural wild environment, you will be hard pressed to find a lame animal because the become easy targets to predators and a part of the food chain.

Looking at the horses feet from my position at the fence I was not impressed with how they looked, but I also know that I couldn’t judge the trim based on what I was seeing at the moment.  Horses that have had laminitis often have quicker and distorted hoof wall growth and it looked like the horse might be due for a trim. I made this comment to the barn hand who informed me that the horse had been trimmed hours ago and he took me over to see some other horses this “barefoot specialist” had just trimmed.

My tour of another six horses revealed animals with four hooves trimmed at four different angles, four different lengths, with long toes.  This specialists theory is that wild horses have four different shaped feet (which he apparently learned by tracking and following wild horses) and that is what he was duplicating in the horses he trimmed.  (Does anyone else hear the duck going “quack, quack”?)

So here is my theory.  This specialist should be made to wear one oversized slipper on one foot and one high heel shoe on the other foot, not be allowed to take them off, and forced to carry on his daily life wearing only this footwear.  If his legs and back are fine after a couple of weeks (or even a couple of days) I will personally eat that footwear.

Is the guy doing these trim totally wrong? No.  The fact is that the hooves of wild horses will be found at different angles and shapes.  What this guy is not doing is applying his mind and some common sense to his work.

People, like horses, often end up with different lengths to their feet, different heights, etc.  What medical science has taught us is that, left this way, these problems will usually end up in other medical problems such as back, hip, tendon, and muscle problems. By applying some simple knowledge of movement, a good orthotic or adjusting footwear doctors can easily eliminate those stresses on the body caused by the uneven movement or weight distribution.

Now lets apply this to horses.  Barefoot trimmers have the ability to bring a horse into total balance in a single trim.  With a rasp, and possibly a set of nippers they can set the hoof angles at the most appropriate angle for that horse, they can set all the hoof lengths so they are similar, and overall set that horse in balance.  If the horse has no physicall problems or conformation faults, that horse will have virtually no unecessary stress on this joints and tendons.  If the horse has movement problems or conformation issues you will have almost an inch of growth over the next six to eight weeks that will easily identify  how the foot needs to be trimmed to keep that horse comfortable.

At this point a barefoot trim may be adapted for that particular horse, especially if the issue is a conformation problem that can’t be corrected.  This is not a suggestion that each foot be trimmed different or that because a hoof grows a certain way we leave it just because.  If you cannot identify the source of the problem, conformation or otherwise, than the foot should be trimmed in balance with the rest.

Use a little common sense and keep in mind that we have the ability to think and reason so we can not only solve, but also prevent problems, and simply mimicing problems because that is how it is with wild horses is not utilizing any of our ability to think and reason.

Unfortunately I have. I say unfortunately because the almost universal response is that no magazine wants to publish an article that supports shoeing or opposes barefoot trimming right now because “natural” hoof care is what is selling. So rather than rant and rave privately to magazine editors I figure I would do what everyone else in the world seems to be doing and post my rants and raves for the world to see.

Is this an anti-barefoot, anti-natural trim blog?  Absolutely not!  I fully support barefoot horses, and most of the horses I work on remain barefoot.

Is this an anti-horseshoe, anti-farrier blog?  Definitely not!  Farriers are some of the most well trained, knowlegeable, and skilled professionals in the world, especially when it comes to hoof care.  There is a need for their services, whether it is in doing a barefoot trim, or shoeing a horse for the horses best interests.

This blog will definitely be an anti-misinformation (no BS) blog which will attempt to provide a balanced view of hoof care.  You can expect to see reviews of magazine articles, websites, and publications as well as news of new research, new techniques, and from time to time my thoughts on other happenings in the equine industry.

Enjoy reading, and please feel free to comment.