The Thoughtful Horseman: Barefoot Hoof Care

About a thousand years ago, we began nailing metal to horses' feet in an attempt to protect them from the unnatural living conditions we were subjecting them to. It was a medieval solution to medieval horsekeeping practices. To think that nailing metal shoes to the remarkable foot of the horse is the best we can do to keep him sound in this day and age is truly disappointing.

After 55 million years of evolution, the horse is one of the most tenacious species; clearly he has evolved to function admirably in the rugged conditions which formed him from prehistory. Selective breeding has changed little about the horse's basic physiology, Dr. Robert Bowker, Dr. Chris Pollitt, and other forward thinking researchers like them are finally looking to the horse in his most robust state, feral and unfettered by man's interference, to unlock the mysteries of how best to keep him healthy in domesticity.

Many vets and farriers remain skeptical about the idea of barefoot hoof care. A decade of barefoot ideas and theories have not all shown great promise; some philosophies have advocated invasive trimmings techniques, and just about everyone involved with horses can relate a horror story linked to these radical ideas. But there's a new regime at the forefront of barefoot hoof care, and pioneers like Pete Ramey are teaching a more conservative approach. Ramey's 16 hour, 10 DVD series, "Under the Horse", has been praised widely, including a glowing commendation from the American Farrier's Journal. Soon, researchers at Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine will publish their findings from several studies documenting the results of natural hoof care.

From acute laminitis to caudal heel pain or navicular syndrome, the hoof responds dramatically to this type of care. Very soon, what has been a grass roots movement towards more natural horse keeping will become a revolution.

In 2003, I began my journey into the remarkable world of barefoot horses. My original curiosity quickly became avid research. My great joy at turning my own herd into magnificent examples of the barefoot trim turned hoof care into a passion. And the passion has become my mission. My trimming is based upon the physiological trim described by Dr. Bowker at the Equine Foot Lab at Michigan State University, as taught by Pete Ramey and the American Hoof Association.

Visit my Case Studies for countless photos chronicling transitions from shoe pulling to remarkable barefoot soundness.

Please contact me at 619-865-9614 or email maria@thoughtfulhorseman.com for more information, and to join the revolution.

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