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Frequently Asked Questions regarding the Physiological Trim & Barefoot
Horses
Q:
What is laminitis, and how can the physiological barefoot trim help my
laminitic horse?
Q:
What is navicular syndrome/navicular disease, and how can the
physiological barefoot trim help my navicular horse?
Q: Doesn't my horse need shoes to protect his feet and provide additional
support?
A:
The simple answer to that question is NO. But you cannot expect to simply
pull the shoes, perform a "pasture" trim, and ride off across rocky
terrain
into the sunset. The horse's foot must first recover from any damaging
trimming or shoeing that probably occurred before you made the decision to
try
the research based physiological trim. This means:
a. Allowing the horse to grow and callous the natural sole plane
b. Healing any fungal/bacterial infections that may be plaguing the frog
or white line
c. Growing out flares and growing in healthy, well connected hoof wall
d. Allowing the horse to spend most of his time moving (and moving A LOT)
over terrain most like what you intend to ride him over, so that the hoof
adapts properly to that terrain. THIS IS CRITICAL. The hoof will acclimate
to the environment that it works in the most frequently; if the horse
stands
on soft, yielding ground 23 hours a day, and is then expected to spend an
hour working over hard, rocky trails, you will probably need to use hoof
boots. If, however, the horse is, say, a carriage horse that works on
asphalt all day, and then goes home to a soft pasture, be prepared to have
your
trimmer make frequent visits. The hoof will adapt to the abrasive surface, and will continue to grow at the accelerated "asphalt" rate while the
horse is
in his soft pasture environment. It takes time for the equine foot to
adjust to the demands of the environment, but once equilibrium is reached,
the
growth rate is constant.
(Back to FAQ Index)
Q: We require the horse to carry additional weight, and ask him to do
things he wouldn't do naturally, like jumping. Isn't that why he needs
shoes?
A:
The weight of the rider does indeed impact the horse, and the way that the
horse moves. And yes, we do ask the horse to perform rigorously. There
are numerous studies comparing ridden and non-ridden horses.
Interestingly, differences in riding style and proficiency often create
disparaties as
wide or wider than the disparaties between ridden and non-ridden horses.
Chew on that for a minute! I could sit here and cite studies all day that
would give you plenty of food for thought on the subject of how what we
ask of the horse impacts him. Without a doubt, it DOES impact the horse.
And certainly not just the horse's foot. But research is teaching us how
shoeing and traditional hoof care compromise the equine foot. It has also
taught us what an unbelievably effective shock absorber the bare hoof is,
and how shoeing compromises that shock absorption. It stands to reason
that the best foot for a horse asked to perform unnatural tasks would
simply be the soundest foot, and a foot with the maximum ability to absorb
shock.
If you want to spin your brain on the subject, here are a few studies that
will give you an idea of the complexity of the topic:
Effects of the rider on the linear kinematics of jumping horses
The effects of a rider's mass on ground reaction forces and fetlock kinematics at the trot
Effect of rider and riding style on deformation of the front hoof wall in warmblood
horses
Q: My horse has poor conformation. Can't he be trimmed/shod to compensate
for this?
I've always heard that corrective shoeing can fix gait abnormalities. Is that
true?
These two questions are actually very similar. If the hoof were a block of
wood, there would be no harm in either idea. Unfortunately,
trimming/shoeing to compensate for conformation or to "fix" a horse's gait
ignores the anatomy of the foot. It is impossible to "change the angles"
of the dorsal hoof wall without invading the natural, balanced sole plane.
By invading sole plane at either the heel or the toe to achieve a new toe
angle, the structures of the foot (P3, lateral cartilages) are quite
literally tipped. Bad idea, unless you'd be willing to compromise the
soundness of your horse's feet. Poor conformation is simply not fixable,
but I personally know quite a few fabulous horses with less than perfect
conformation. Gait problems can stem from poor conformation, but they can
also indicate musculoskeletal discomfort, poor saddle fit, and poor
riding.
Angular limb deformities in the adult horse may require more frequent
trimming, because of imbalanced wear/growth of the hoof. But the position
of
P3 and the lateral cartilages will always dictate the optimum balance of
the foot.
(Back to FAQ Index)
Q: Why do you recommend trimming every four weeks or even
more frequently?
A: The goal of the trim is to emulate, as closely as possible,
adequate daily wear to the hoof, as if the horse was moving the 20-some
miles a feral horse would move. Hoof wall growth is dynamic; that
is, it responds to the environment to find its optimum rate of growth.
It will also respond to "insults" -- believe me, if you take too much bar
at one trim, it will grow back with a vengeance in 4 weeks! That
said, there is a certain amount of growth that is typical -- about a
quarter of an inch a month. We're striving to keep the wall
approximately 1/16th of an inch longer than the level of the sole.
This allows the sole to play its role in primary weight bearing, while
ensuring that we keep the wall out of the primary weight-bearing role...a
quarter of an inch makes a BIG difference in the vernacular of the healthy
bare hoof!
(Back to FAQ Index)
Q: My horse has bad feet. I've tried pulling his shoes and letting
him go barefoot before, but he was dead lame as soon as my farrier
finished his trim! He simply cannot go barefoot!
A: I have yet to see a hoof that simply could not go barefoot. But
very often the feet I treat are so weakened by year-round shoeing, carving
the sole, infected frogs, and poorly developed lateral cartilages that the
horse absolutely needed hoof boots and pads to continue being
"serviceable" while I determinedly grow new hooves for him. By taking a
very conservative approach to transitioning these cases, it is usually not
terribly difficult to keep the horse from ever being "dead lame", with the
obvious exception of horses with severe conditions like laminitis or
navicular syndrome. And even those horses can be kept comfortable while
they heal!
As a compassionate horse owner, you would absolutely be willing to
sacrifice your daily rides while your horse healed from an injury. Healing
his hooves is no different, except that in order for the horse to heal, he
must be getting adequate movement! Where many soft tissue injuries demand
stall rest, forming a healthy new foot needs miles and miles of pressure
and release to the back of the foot. We cannot develop the back of a
severely underdeveloped hoof without it. Find a situation where he can be
on varied terrain with a herd of other horses, instead of in a stall. Or
make the commitment to walk...or ride him gently, if he goes
comfortably...at least several miles daily. Buy him hoof boots and pads to
ensure he is comfortable and landing properly. When his transition is
complete, you will never regret the decision to see it through. I promise!
(Back to FAQ Index)
Q: What is laminitis, and how can the physiological
barefoot trim help my laminitic horse?
A: Laminitis is, simply put, an inflammation of the sensitive and
insensitive laminae of the hoof. (The laminae are the "velcro" that hold
the boney column up inside the hoof capsule, and attach the hoof wall to
the inner structures.) The inflammation, if left unchecked, or if sudden
and severe, can result in tissue death, destroying the laminae. Once the
laminae are destroyed, or even just damaged, the boney column literally
slides down within the hoof capsule. In its most severe form, the coffin
bone (the distal phalanx, or P3) actually penetrates the sole of the foot.
Even in its less severe forms, laminitis is acutely painful.
The causes of laminitis are largely metabolic. In other words...be very
aware of what you are feeding your horse! Excess sugar and non-structural
cabohydrates in the horse's diet are the most common triggers; both cause
disturbances to the gut flora . Insulin resistance in horses exacerbates
this problem, and IR horses should be on a strict diet low in
sugar/non-structural carbohydrates...no green pasture, no molasses, no
grain, no alfalfa. In fact, a good standard for your horse's diet, even if
he is NOT insulin resistant, is not to exceed 11% NSC (non-structural
carbohydrates). Other upsets to the gut flora which can trigger laminitis
include vaccinations, colic, sudden changes in diet, ingestion of nitrogen
compounds (from artificial fertilizers), ingestion of agrichemicals like
herbicides or pesticides, corticosteroids, and untreated infections.
Horses with Cushings or Peripheral Cushing's disease are at increased risk
for laminitis.
By allowing the foot to develop adequate sole, we provide needed support
for the inner structures. Keeping the hoof wall rolled to minimize the
separation force as the horse moves helps to minimize the external forces
that can stretch the weakened laminae. But the best trim alone will not
cure a laminitic horse...the horse's diet MUST be addressed to stop the
inflammation of the laminae!
(Back to FAQ Index)
Q: What is navicular syndrome/navicular disease, and
how can the physiological barefoot trim help my navicular horse?
Navicular syndrome is the "catch all" diagnosis used for horses exhibiting
non-specific lameness that tests positive for pain in the heel area of the
foot.
Navicular disease is the diagnosis for horses exhibiting heel pain who
also show bone loss or remodeling of the navicular bone, damage to the
deep digital flexor tendon and/or impar ligament, and fluid in the
medullary cavity.
How does the physiological trim help horses with navicular sydrome and
navicular disease?
Dr. Robert Bowker's work has shown us that a toe first landing caused by
heel pain creates the improper mechanics that then lead to the injury of
the tendons, ligaments, and bones of the foot. It is important to know
that not all horses with this sort of damage are lame, and also that many
horses showing NONE of this damage are frequently diagnosed with "navicular
syndrome"...heel pain leading to the toe first landing. While not all
horses with dramatic bone loss and injury to the internal structures can
be returned to 100% soundness, many of them can be made much more
comfortable with good, physiological barefoot hoof care. That generally
includes trying to find the cause of the heel pain.
In a HUGE number of "navicular" horses, chronic frog infection is the
culprit. You can't see it, you can't smell it, but if the heel is
contracted and the frog is thin and atrophied, soaking to heal the frog
can make a drastic improvement in the horse's comfort level. Boots and
pads also can make a tremendous difference for the horse.
Other "navicular" horses have a very long toe and underrun heel, forcing
the foot to break over late and stressing the DDFT and impar ligament, or
making it altogether impossible for the foot to land heel first and roll
over the toe. Rolling the toe aggressively on an accelerated schedule will
fix the retarded breakover, and gradually encourage the hoof capsule to
migrate back under the bony column where it belongs.
(Back to FAQ Index)
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