First a little history...

Horses have been on this earth for approximately 55 million years.  The ability of the species to survive for this length of time is nothing short of miraculous.  One of the key factors attributing to
their longevity is their innate adaptation to their environment.

The first known ancestor of the horse; eohippus had four toes.  As the environment changed from forest and boggy ground to open dry grasslands, the need for four toes became obsolete.  The
animal, unable to take cover in dense foliage had to become quick and agile in order to survive i.e. Out run it's predators.  Therefore a more efficient flight of limb was essential.

Over the next few million years or so, four toes gradually developed into one strong yet almost weightless hoof.  This passage of evolution gave rise to the species we know today - Equus.  This
single hoofed horse has been in existence for approximately the last 10 million years.  Therefore it would stand to reason that the hoof, with which the horse is now equipped, is more than able to
serve the animal well in it's purpose.  So why did we have to interfere by attaching steel shoes to this marvelous creature of evolution?

By taking the horse out of its natural habitat and domesticating it, man changed it's immediate environment, in particular, the ground beneath it's hooves.  However this change did not have it's
disastrous impact on the horse until quite recently, say in the last 2000 years or so.  The practice of shoeing horses probably began with the Celts.  Horses became quite a valuable commodity in
battle.  However their living conditions left a lot to be desired.  They were stabled for very long periods of time (whenever not being ridden basically) with absolutely no access to pasture.  This
forced confinement meant that the hooves became very unhealthy.  Lack of at liberty exercise and being in continual contact with manure and urine soaked bedding resulted in the hooves
becoming soft.  The hooves would rapidly wear down when being ridden and the horses would often end up severely lame. Naturally this was not good for a horse that was to be used in life or
death situations such as winning battles.  A type of shoe was devised to prevent this wear.

In this day and age there is absolutely no reason to keep a horse stabled for such long periods of time.  Every modern domesticated horse should have access to some type of field or paddock.  
Whether its one acre or hundreds of acres, there are many things we can do as responsible horse owners, to keep our equine companions happy, mentally and physically.  It is fair to say that
many domestic environments still fall short of the ideal but this is why good hoof care is of paramount importance.


A natural (and realistic) lifestyle for domesticated horses...

I will use the term 'natural lifestyle' quite regularly so I will explain exactly, in my opinion, what this entails;

1) No steel, rubber or plastic shoes should be applied either with nails or glue to the horse or ponies hooves.

2) Horses and ponies should have access to a field with or without pasture 24/7 (more on this later) with good shelter (natural or man made) from wind, rain or sun, which does not impede free
movement.

3) Horses and ponies should always be kept in the company of peers (goats, sheep and/or cows just aren't as good at encouraging at liberty exercise).

4) Horses and ponies should not be stabled unless a serious injury has been sustained and confinement is necessary.

5) No rugs or clipping.  Rugging may be necessary in extreme or sudden climatic changes eg: it's Summer and the horse has no natural defence during an out of the ordinary cold snap (can occur
more than once during Summer in Victoria!)  Or if the horse is being confined to a stable due to injury.  Clipping a horse is never necessary - it seems to be for the owners convenience only with
little regard for what the horse needs to stay healthy.

6) All feed (hard feed and hay) should be fed at ground level.  This is where the majority of the horses natural diet is found in the wild.  But more importantly, it also enables the teeth to align
correctly which in turn allows for the proper break down of feed and grass before going onto the next stage of digestion.  This is vital for good health and the prevention of tummy upsets such as
colic.


How and why a barefoot trim is different to a 'traditional pasture trim'...

The aim of a barefoot trim is to mimic how the horse self trims in the wild when living on appropriate terrain.  There is no better trim than one a horse can give himself living a 'natural wild horse
lifestyle'; the horse must have enough room to roam and constantly, be in the company of peers, the ground must be abrasive enough to wear away the hooves naturally, the horse must also
travel distances of at least 30 kms per day in order to achieve this wear...sound unrealistic?  It is for most domestic horses.  This is why trimming is required at regular intervals.

The wild or feral horses hooves don't go through unnatural phases of being too long (when the farrier hasn't been for a while) and then suddenly short again (when the farrier has been).  They
remain relatively the same length all year round.  The growth keeps up with the wear and the wear keeps up with the growth - the way nature intended.  This constant hoof length means that
there is no undue strain placed on the structures of the hoof or the rest of the horses body; bones, ligaments, tendons and muscles.

Barefoot trimming is performed keeping this in mind.  Monthly trims are recommended.  The horn of the hoof grows about 10mm per month on average regardless of the size of the horse or
pony.  Environment, age, amount of exercise and nutrition play a significant role in the rate of hoof growth too.  So you can see that leaving more than 4 weeks between trims can change the
shape of the hoof substantially.  This will become clearer as you read on.

There are quite a few differences between a 'pasture trim' (farrier trim) and a barefoot trim but the main one is the way in which the hoof wall is trimmed.  A pasture trim leaves the outer hoof wall
longer so that it carries the full weight of the horse above.  Basically the hoof is trimmed in the same way it would be if it were about to have a shoe nailed on; flat from heel to toe and all the way
around - a correctly trimmed bare hoof is anything but flat! A barefoot trim takes the wall down so that it is almost level with the horny sole all the way around from heel to heel; the wall length
should basically be only very slightly above the sole, so if the sole naturally arc's up in the region of the quarters, (which is often the case on a healthy horse receiving sufficient movement, ridden
or otherwise on good firm terrain),  so too should the hoof wall. This natural arc is one of the features of a naturally healthy hoof that allows it to expand on impact with the ground. It is then
finished off with a beveled edge so that the sole, frog and inner hoof wall (the water line) become the main weight bearing structures.  It makes much more sense to allow 3 hoof components to
share the burden of carrying a 300 - 800 kilo equine than relying on the hoof wall alone.

A pasture trim can cause bruising and pain to the solar corium; (sensitive laminae that bonds the pedal bone to the horny sole).  The hoof is designed to absorb the impact created from the weight
of the body above.  The phalanges; (pastern and pedal bones) align, descend and finally the hoof impacts against the ground.  The shock that must be absorbed is very great indeed.  If the frog
and sole don't connect with the ground in the back 3rd of the hoof during this impact, the limb descends further than it should and bruising within the hoof capsule will result.

Hoof wall 'flaring' is another common issue in horses that are pasture trimmed and shod.  Because the hoof wall is not designed to bear weight, it buckles under pressure and becomes malformed;
flares.  This flaring in turn causes the white line (sensitive laminae which attach's the hoof wall to the pedal bone) to stretch which as you can imagine, is quite painful for the horse. Incidentally, I
believe this is another reason why many shod horses hooves become somewhat numb; the excess wall length binds the hoof, preventing necessary hoof mechanism, just as a horse shoe does.   
The white line of the hoof is similar to what holds our finger nails onto our fingers.  I think everyone has felt that shooting pain when we accidentally catch a nail on something and bend it
backwards - especially when we women, have long finger nails!  Uneven hoof wall flaring, such as at the toe or quarters only,  is also the result of incorrectly balanced hooves and can predispose
the hoof to Laminitis (founder).

Another disparity between the two trimming methods is the height of the heels vs the length of the toes; though traditional farriers, (please forgive my gross generalisations here :/) seem to follow
current trends in trimming styles. Many years ago all the race horses were trimmed with low heels and long toes, causing all sorts of delayed break over issues.  Break over refers to how the hoof is
turned over from heel to toe during locomotion.  In recent years, the opposite appears to be the go (particularly with Quarter horses); the heels are kept high while the toe is made quite short. In
both scenarios, shoes were applied after this type of trimming method was carried out. It is unfortunate that this improper way of trimming leaves the owner feeling that their horse is unable to go
barefoot as there is no way a horse trimmed in this manner, could comfortably be ridden unshod.

Of course not all farriers trim this way - there are many, many excellent traditional farriers out there and quite a few are now incorporating barefoot trimming methods into their repertoire, which is
great to see! In fact, the original pioneers of the "Barefoot Movement" were actually traditional farriers for many, many years before ditching the practice of pasture trimming and shoeing.

So in a nut shell, a barefoot trim brings the heel down so that it is just about level with the sole; you should just be able to catch your fingernail on the trimmed hoof wall.  The toe may be backed
(if required) to give the hoof an ideal break over point, otherwise leverage on the hoof may be too great, resulting in contraction of the heels and eventually the entire hoof.  

This is how the horse would self trim - if given the opportunity - on appropriate terrain.


Interesting hoof and horse health facts...

  • Horses are generally shod out of tradition; "it's the way it has always been done"  rather than out of a perceived necessity.

  • The limb of a shod horse receives 70 to 80% more shock when walked on concrete than a correctly trimmed barefoot horse trotting on concrete.

  • The outer hoof wall should not be the only weight bearing structure of the hoof. The primary function of the wall is to provide protection; from external knocks or blows, for the sensitive
    internal structures; such as the pedal bone.

  • Horse shoes suppress sensation, circulation and hoof mechanism, one of the reasons why shod horses frequently trip and stumble - they can't 'feel' their own feet!

  • As well as providing traction, the frog also assists the heart and lymphatic system by acting somewhat like a 'pump' in the foot, (I could devote a whole other page on this subject alone, this
    is the least complicated way of explaining it); with each step taken, contact with the ground presses against the frog which in turn causes the entire hoof to expand and the pedal bone to
    descend. This allows the hoof to fill with blood (normal circulation), and once the hoof is lifted off the ground, the blood is then forced back up the limb towards the heart.  The frog of the
    shod horse often doesn't receive sufficient pressure from ground contact, hence overall health is compromised.  You may have noticed how a horses legs (even unshod horses) are puffy
    after spending the night locked in a stable.  Horses need to be on the move constantly in order to support their circulatory system by getting sufficient frog-ground pressure.

  • Laminitis is preventable and curable with a physiologically correct barefoot trim.  Applying therapeutic shoes and starving the laminitic horse or pony only makes the problem worse.  
    Controlled in hand exercise (once the acute stage is over), frequent trims (+ applying pads and boots to the afflicted hooves) and controlled grazing and feeding is the key to recovery from
    this, often unnecessarily fatal, disease.

  • Spring time isn't the only time of the year that horses or ponies can suffer from Laminitis.  Autumn is also a season to watch out for.  This is because the sugar content of stressed grass
    (caused by overnight frosts and warm sunny days), is also very high.  Because the days in Autumn are still relatively warm and sunny the sugars in the grass sky rocket during daylight
    hours.  However if there is a frost over night, which is often the case during this season, the fructose present in the grass isn't able to fall as it usually would during a mild evening.  The frost
    basically freezes the sugar into the grass.  As the sun comes up again the next day and the frost thaws and the sugar content just continues to rise from where it left off from the day
    before.  So you can see, Autumn could actually be a more dangerous time for Laminitic prone ponies and horses.  In this instance it would be wise to take the horse or pony off the grass
    and keep them in a bare yard with access to safer feed you provide.  You must however be very careful about what you choose to feed your laminitic prone equine.  Some grass or even
    old season meadow hay can still be too high in sugar.  Soaking hay for half an hour to an hour in warm water before feeding is recommended.  Let the hay dry off somewhat before feeding
    and never reuse the same water for soaking as this is where all the sugar has ended up.  Please click here to obtain more detailed information on this subject.

  • Hoof or heel contraction is caused by shoeing and/or incorrect trimming.  

  • Heel first landing is desirable, toe first landing is not.  Toe first landing usually indicates navicular or heel pain.

  • The pedal bone of a shod horse can be worn away at the toe by toe clips found on the majority of horse shoes. Yes! The actual bone inside the hoof!

  • The pedal bone should always be parallel with the ground and this is only possible if the heels are trimmed to the sole and the toe is trimmed to achieve correct break over.

  • The hoof is made up of an average of 17-24% water, the frog having the highest percentage of 40%.  The hoof will absorb moisture as and when required from the environment (if
    available).  Hoof grease and oils prevent this absorption so should never be applied.  Well hydrated hooves are far better equipped to withstand impact because they are more flexible and
    the frog is more 'spongy' therefore better able to do it's job.  As we all know, dry hooves continually crack and split. However, I am not a firm believer in soaking hooves in water daily or
    even weekly during Summer. The hoof needs to be harder during the dry months because the ground is harder; a soft hoofed horse won't be so comfortable on rock hard ground.

  • Though having said that, over grown hoof walls or unbalanced hooves will split regardless of whether or not they are well hydrated, possibly with the exception of Shetland ponies whose
    hooves can be as hard as stone and will only self trim if they are living on a rock somewhere...like the Shetland Islands from whence they came. Shetland ponies are the perfect example of
    hoof adaptation to the environment or what we barefoot trimmers refer to as 'breed appropriate terrain'. Shetlands run into problems with their feet when we put them out on soft lush
    pasture. Their hooves just grow and grow because they're not meant to live on this type of ground. I wonder if in say, a thousand years or so, their hooves will eventually adapt? In the
    meantime, it is of paramount importance that these little ponies receive very frequent trims.

  • The more movement a horse gets, the healthier the hooves will be; the term "use it or lose it" springs to mind here. This is why stabling (even overnight) and rugging are discouraged; they
    both restrict free movement.  Cold horses kept together in a herd will run around and play to keep warm.  There is minimal incentive for a horse paddocked on it's own to move around.

  • Horse rugs interfere with the horses inbuilt thermo-regulatory system by preventing the hair of the horses coat from standing up to trap or release heat next to the horses skin.  This is also
    why clipping is detrimental to a horses health.  Rugs also prevent heat from being dissipated from the horses body resulting in over heating and uneven heat distribution.  Horses are able to
    maintain a core body temperature of 38 degrees Celsius in tropical or sub arctic conditions.

  • A 'bleached out' coat is usually the result of a mineral deficiency; generally copper, not from being un-rugged in Summer and bleached by the Sun.

  • Many conformation issues are the direct result of incorrectly balance hooves.  Some of these can be corrected but not all of them.  It depends on whether the hooves were unbalanced
    during the growth stage of the horses life.  Standing under or 'camped out' conformation can easily be rectified by a correct trim.

  • No amount of massage or chiropractic work will last if the hooves are not comfortable for the horse to stand on.  If the balance is out even in just one hoof, the muscles further up the body
    will be tight and no doubt full of trigger points (knots).  

  • If your horse is only 'sound' when wearing shoes then he isn't truly sound.

  • The closer we keep horses to their natural living conditions, the better off they will be mentally and physically.

  • Remember, it's important to question tradition, in this case the tradition of shoeing horses, always ask why? Don't just accept it because it is the way it has always been done.

  • Don't just take my word as gospel either, follow the links below to read an expert opinion on the subject.

The Unfettered Foot
Breaking Traditions - Horse Shoes


All the best to you and your four legged friends!
Dianne Pascoe
Hepburn Equine Sports Therapy