Achievements of Barefoot horses. Informative articles on bare hoof health.

The whole is greater than the sum of its parts....

5/3/2018

So why is this not considered in a horse?

A heart warming video of horse and rider in harmony, jumping with no saddle or performing dressage moves with no bridle, is becoming commonplace on social media these days. But dare to comment anything other than ooo`s and coo´s, and people immediately want to shut you down. No matter how constructive or relevant your comment may be, you are tutted out the room if you point out the unbalanced hooves, or the falling-in shoulder, or the leaning seat of the rider etc.. It truly is great that people are becoming more and more aware of how much happier their horse is, and how much better they go, the less paraphernalia used. When people take the time it takes to bring a horse on, instead of forcing outlines and gaits in horses much too young, it is a joy to see. But, and its a big but, if they don’t bring on a balanced horse, in the long term, they are gaining nothing.

In short, an uncentered rider will have the horse counterbalancing to compensate for this. This counterbalance alone will cause asymmetry in their muscles. But even with a balanced rider, if a horse is not asked to work in balanced lines this same asymmetry can occur. If hooves are not cared for correctly, again, sooner or later there will be imbalances in the horses body compensating for the lack of correct foundations. Teeth are so rarely even considered in the equation when it comes to a horses balance. A dentist often comes along, rasps the molars and doesn’t even glance at the incisors. They will take money removing the wolf teeth, often very unnecessarily so, and floating in ´bit bites`, without a thought for the balance of the incisors and why, possibly, a horse is wearing his molars in a certain way. They just don’t look at the whole horse!

Balanced feet + balanced teeth + balanced muscles + balanced rider = A Balanced Horse

When it comes to resolving imbalances in a horse, we have to trim their hooves for balance, whilst working on resolving any muscle misalignments. During the process careful observation of the horses way of going must be made to assure balanced hooves are what a particular horse requires, and not, actually, some imbalance due to his conformation or way of going. It is always very much a chicken and egg situation. Teeth are very much incorporated into the process.
Not so long ago I was called to a new client, with a 7 year-young horse, who’s hinds had a severe mirrored imbalance. The owner was most surprised to see me look in his mouth before even picking up his feet! Despite having been attended by a very popular barefoot trimmer for some time, no one had ever checked this horses jaw, and no one could figure why he continued to wear his hinds in such an odd unbalanced fashion. His molars totally imitated his hind feet. Happy to say a couple of visits from the dentist and his hooves, once rebalanced, maintained their symmetry. This is why we practice the Whole Horse Protocol. Keeping quiet about the little things, makes them become big things and it is the horse, not the defensive oo’ers and coo’ers, who suffer.

Barefoot fallacies - A little light on a vast topic

22/1/2018

Rock crunching - Barefoot

Having been invited to give a short presentation of the Whole Horse Protocol on February 7th, and realising really just how difficult it is to explain the complete paradigm in just a couple of hours, I thought I would provide some forethought on one of the most fundamental aspects of it here. It has been a while since I made a news entry, and this one is not really news. More a repetition of previous information. But with so many new people discovering there is an alternative to metal shoes for their horses well being, there is no harm in recovering old ground.

There are several misconceptions when it comes to the barefoot horse. First would probably be that many believe it to be just a case of removing the shoes. Of course if that were so, we would already be in the majority with our naked hooves. But there is a big difference between being barefoot, or simply unshod. Taking a horse barefoot is a lifestyle. It requires an owner, rider or trainer to become active in their horses hoof care. It requires the right diet, movement, environment and patience - whilst a horse transitions to healthy functioning hooves. Employing a trimmer knowledgable in all this and more, or becoming educated yourself (if you wish) is the way forward. Being correctly advised on hoof boots, if and where necessary, is also important. Not all horses need them, but it very much depends on the individual and what you ask of your horse.

Performing - Barefoot

A bare hoof will wear away to nothing, is another common cry from the uninformed. Of course if you removed shoes and immediately trekked off over the mountain, you would return with a very sore, if not lame, horse. When you consider how long your horse has been shod, you must remember the first tool out of the box when removing those shoes is patience. Transitioning includes diet, environment and the correct trim, as the hoof gains balance, integrity, callous and strength.

Another misnomer is that certain breeds can never go barefoot. Thoroughbreds in particular are renowned for having poor hooves. This is not so much the believed genetics, and far more so the management of them. Shod from a very early age and fed high starch and sugar diets does their hooves no favors at all. Given the right diet, exercise and trim, TB`s can go barefoot, like any other breed.

Saying a competition horse, a performance horse, can not go barefoot is completley untrue, yet much bandied around as a reason for keeping a horse shod. You will learn just a small handful of the many hundreds of top level performance horses now enjoying barefoot health, at my presentation and on my Level 1 Whole Horse Protocol course.

Horses are shod to provide traction, is what we have been lead to believe for too long now. Consider how the naked hoof flexes in a way the shod hoof can not, and how the bare hoof has better shock absorption. How does your car hold up when you run it on the rims, as opposed to rubber tyres?

A huge disbelief is that pathologies like navicular or founder can not be resolved without shoes. Not only can they be resolved without shoes, but the results are quicker and better. Again, addressing the diet, environment and the trim is the route to take. Having a feeling of deja vú now? Navicular and founder are more often symptoms of bad diet, management and erroneous hoof care.

A misconception is that farriers are more knowledgeable than barefoot trimmers continues to be given air time. No doubt there are good and bad in both camps. But most trimmers have studied not only hooves and their anatomy, but also pathologies, biomechanics, the modern options available to protect hooves in this day and age, and also nutrition, saddle fit, rider biomechanics, bodywork and more. Those that haven’t ventured so far more often than not work alongside an equine nutritionist or osteopath, for example. You will also find your trimmer will encourage you to become better informed about your horses hooves, if you haven`t already done so. As I stated earlier, this is a lifestyle, and one that very much involves the owner being on board.

On the subject of the farrier, there is also a big difference between a farrier trim, or pasture trim, and a natural balance barefoot trim. A farrier learns to prepare a hoof for a shoe, and unless they have specifically learnt a barefoot trim, even if they are not going to shoe the foot they still trim as though that is the case. This usually involves thinning the sole, removing calloused material, lowering the walls to the same height as the sole and cutting large pieces of insensitive frog.

A pasture trim

Finally the price difference between shoeing and barefoot trimming is a big subject of conjecture. You may well find that experienced trimmers charge more than a farrier would for a trim. But the work and knowledge involved is a world apart, and it will save you money in the long term. Barefoot horses have correctly managed diets and are therefore far less likely to suffer a colic or laminitis. They are much less prone to odd lameness issues as their cartilages, tendons and ligaments develop more integrity and strength than their shod brothers. The more prevalent diseases in these modern times like Cushings and other Insulin related issues are far less likely to affect a barefoot horse.

As the title implies, this really is only the tip of the iceberg, or the apex of the frog (!), when it comes to the Whole Horse Protocol. If you would like to assist the presentation held at Agro Jardin, Estepona, Málaga, on February 7th at 5pm, please call the center or contact us here to confirm your attendance. It is free, and a great opportunity for an equestrian shopping fix, or garden supplies, as it is the most complete Garden store in the area.

Shank´s Pony*

20/4/2017

In order to strengthen hooves we need to condition them. To condition them they need to move. In a previous article we discussed the first phase of conditioning, the transition period. This very much includes diet, and I can´t repeat enough that nutrition is the skeleton key, the mother of all keys, to a healthy hoof.
Getting Tough
But now I´d like to get us moving! Having established the condition of your horses hooves (including assessment for any possible organ issues) and adjusted the diet accordingly, we must now assure that the hooves benefit from this good nutrition. To do so they need circulation. Good circulation improves hooves quickly and strengthens them easily.

In order to get the circulation going we need to stimulate the hoof by pressure. Quite simply, pressure is what will improve the strength and condition of your horses hooves. But that pressure needs to be carefully gauged to the condition of the hoof!

Just as you would not get out of your armchair and run a marathon, but start by walking a good distance and slowly building up speed and distance as your body tells you it can, you would not have your horse galloping up rocky mountain sides.

To establish the level of pressure your horses hooves can tolerate, you do need to know how to ´read´ your horse pretty well, or just simply start with sand. A great exfoliant to remove false sole and clean up frogs as it gets in to all the nooks and crannies of the sole, including the central sulcus** and collateral grooves. It also provides even pressure over the entire solar plane. This stimulates blood flow, which creates new cell growth and promotes strong healthy hooves.

Once you have established your horse is comfortable moving over sand, if you don´t have a course grain sand available as the next step, then move to stones. Pea gravel is a winner here. Again, providing pressure all over the solar plane, this controlled environment is a great conditioning surface to strengthen hooves.

Please note I said ´controlled environment´. If you don´t have pea gravel available and your “stones” are as nature made them, of varying sizes, shapes and finishes, some smooth some sharp, then you must take care with this next step in strengthening hooves. Again, build up the time slowly. Walk them a short distance then move off to a soft verge, if you can. Or dismount to lighten their load, if ridden, as you negotiate a rocky path.

If you are doing your conditioning out on the trail, remember concrete and asphalt are great surfaces to build up heel integrity, but, they can also very much wear away hooves that are not yet strong enough to cope with this. So again, limit the time on these surfaces, building up slowly.
Just as pressure stimulates growth, too much can cause the opposite or wrong growth. Foundered hooves for example, where the P3 has rotated and caused pressure on the many capillaries trapped between the bone and the sole, can suffer further deformities and even necrosis if they receive too much pressure before they are ready. A horse really flicking out his hooves at the swing phase and then landing almost on the bulb, rather than the heel buttress itself, will cause the heel to push forward and collapse. So in order to assure the correct stimulation to strengthen the hooves you must be aware of how your horse moves, and encourage free movement, coming through from the hinds. (If you are unsure this is where someone trained in biomechanics, an Equine Massage Therapist of Osteopath for example, is of great help. Straightness Training, of which there are many schools, so don´t be afraid to check out a few, is also an incredible tool on the road to recovery or transition)

Having established the current condition and the actual movement of your horse, you now work regularly, building up time or distance. As you started your marathon training, you don´t sit back down between sessions and do nothing. You slowly build up your sessions, including being generally more active in all areas of your life in order to reward your efforts, not be the undoing of them. If your horse is in recovery from a serious pathology then do not discount hoof boots as you start this journey. I still stand fast behind Equine Fusion, with their flexible soles that aid stimulation and therefore circulation, to perform this job magnificently. They can also be fitted with pads for extra comfort in those extreme cases, or for heavier horses.

* Believed to be of Scottish origin, from shanks' nag (shanks-naig, attested 1774).
walking, as a way of travelling: As there's no public transport, I suppose we'll have to use shanks's pony.

**If your horse has a very deep, contracted, central sulcus be very aware that sand can be an irritant to any infection there, worsening it.

Jim crack corn......

26/3/2017

Feeding corn/maize to horses is a contentious subject. Due to it´s high calorific content it is often top loaded when a horse needs building up after illness or weight loss (due to excess work, or extreme seasons for example), and whilst horses in hard work, such as endurance horses, race horses or elite eventers will find this vital energy supply beneficial to their performance, the starch level of this grain and where it is absorbed must be given very careful consideration.

The health of your horse can depend very much on how that corn is prepared. Considering the high starch levels in corn, around 75%, for the health of your horse you want that to be entirely, if not mostly, digested before it reaches the hind gut. It is important to note that the foregut has a limited capacity for digesting sugars and starches. Excess sugars and starches are passed into the hindgut (cecum and large intestine), where they can cause gastric ulcers, digestive upset or laminitis. The hind gut being designed to digest fibre, a process of fermentation in the cecum, and having the relevant bacteria and microbes to do so - because just like humans horses can not digest fibre.

When undigested starch and sugars reaches the hindgut, the microbial fermentation process in the cecum produces a higher level of lactic acid. This creates a more acidic environment in the hindgut (lowering the pH), resulting in the state known as hindgut acidosis.

Digestibility of cereal starch varies from 20% to 90% in the foregut depending on the process used. Physical processes have a lesser effect than thermal and hydrothermal ones. Physical processes increase significantly the prececal digestibility of cornstarch but have a moderate impact on other cereals. Starch digestibility is increased by thermal and hydrothermal processes whatever the botanical origin. Further investigations are needed to identify the process which allows the highest prececal digestibility and decreases the hindgut fermentability of starch.

Adapted from Meyer et al. 1993. USDA-APHIS

The graph illustrates the differences in pre-cecal (before reaching the cecum in the large intestine) starch digestion when horses consumed either whole, cracked, ground, or extruded (cooked with pressure and moist heat until it “puffs”) corn. You can see that by grinding or extruding corn, as much as three times more starch gets digested in the small intestine prior to reaching the hindgut. Whole corn and cracked corn are definitely to be avoided, whilst ground is still not ideal it is the more readily available of the two better options.

Ref; KER, Science Direct, Meyer, The Horse.

Pretty is as pretty does

23/1/2017

,....and on this occasion we are talking quite literally about "top show".

Time and again I´m asked about TOPICAL PRODUCTS to improve hoof health. Those who know me know my mantra; A healthy hoof is 75% alimentation (the correct diet equines are designed to eat), 20% motivation (environment, exercise) 5% reformation (the correct trim). In short, a healthy hoof comes from the inside out.

In June 2016 I wrote an article regarding dry hooves. This is really an addition to that article. It was summer time, here in Spain, when I wrote that. A time when many go into overdrive, concerned their horses hooves are going to get dried out and suffer because of this. A time when people turn to external paints and polishes believing it is best for the protection of their horses hooves.

Event lines and deformed coronet all telling a story behind the shine

Only the sparkles to support this hoof with no definition to the lateral cartilage

A pair of most unappealing, but highly polished, (Scotch) bottoms

What is still startling, is the number of hoof specific products for sale that proudly advertise a pathologically sad, if not downright deformed, hoof on the jar or tin. If this is what is sold to the public as a healthy hoof it is little wonder that education is taking three steps forward, two steps back. People rely on the knowledge of a large manufacturer, expecting them to be correctly informed.

The marketing photo with a topical hoof care product

A close up of the hoof on the product to the left

This is not from a product, I found this on a blog - "How to care for healthy hooves"!

Above from left to right; Collapsed heel, long toe. Despite appearances this photo is not distorted (a humdinger of a mess!) and the center hoof is gravely in need of a trim with underslung heels and exceptionally long toes. A very contracted hoof with no benefit of supporting lateral cartilage.

There are many external products that are beneficial to horses hooves. Products that combat bacterial and fungal infections. Products that can give a helping hand, in the form of a protective barrier, when dealing with old nail holes, some cracks and poor wall structure. Keeping bad microbes out during the healing of these things can possibly avoid white line disease and assist in the transition of weak hoof walls. But only if these products contain ingredients that preserve the protein and elasticity of the hoof wall.

Tough as it may appear, the a horses hoof is made from the same protein as our own skin. Actually being 95% protein. Most of the chemicals used in the preparation of horse hoof products can denature, thereby destroy, the protective function of the protein. FORMALDEHYDE, PINE TAR, ACETONE and TURPENTINE will harden the hoof and make it shine, but this causes the protein to be "chemically cooked" and therefore the hoof loses some of it´s elastic quality and ability to absorb shock. SHOCK ABSORPTION being a primary function of the horses hoof.

A hoof wall without elasticity is MORE PRONE TO CRACKING and, unable to "breathe" naturally, it can not maintain a healthy moisture content.

Look out for products by Red Horse or Life Data #redhorse #redhorseproducts #lifedata #lifedatalabs

Marring by Metal - or, the harm caused to hooves by shoes

30/12/2016

By lifting the hoof off the ground all the weight is transferred to the wall, causing PERIPHERAL LOADING. The sole and frog no longer contact with the ground and will contort more easily. Bars become trapped and deform, bending to the point where they can cause movement of internal structures.

Despite people always saying to the contrary a shod horse has LESS TRACTION OR GRIP than a barefoot horse. If you have the opportunity to ride a barefoot horse and then a shod horse over the same terrain you can experience for yourself how much more sure footed the former is over tarmac, concrete, snow, wet grass and even ice.

A shod horse has LESS PROPRIOCEPTION, or tactile sense, so is unable to make wise choices as to where to place his hooves - this also increases the possibility of injuries.

NAIL HOLES cause dryness to hoof horn, weakening the walls and equip fungus and bacteria with an entrance.

The actual NAILS act as a conduit for environmental temperatures to penetrate deep into the hoof. This can be clearly seen on thermographic images

BINDING OF THE HOOF leaves them more prone to injury due to greatly decreased circulation. Impairing the natural flexibility, which is necessary for optimal hoof mechanism, also reduces speed of growth due to lack of nutrients and oxygen reaching the tissues.

The lateral cartilages of the hoof enable the two sides to move up and down independently. DECREASED LATERAL FLEXIBILITY increases the risk of inflammation, wear to the joints and therefore injury. Removing this lateral movement, which protects the hinge joints on uneven or irregular footing, leaves these cartilages unable to perform their job.

Raised from the ground this DECREASES SHOCK ABSORPTION properties of the hoof. The cartilages and digital cushion are in the back half of the hoof, and unable to function without contact to the ground.

Metal shoes are ADDITIONAL WEIGHT to the extremities. The artificial change of movement will always have a negative impact to internal structures and tissues over time, but when you then consider some of the shoes used to exaggerate gaits, even more biomechanics are negatively altered.

Research at the University of Zurich showed that metal shoes generate a VIBRATION FREQUENCY of 800 HZ. A frequency that is harmful to live tissue and can cause arthritis.

DAMAGE WHEN FORGING OR STRIKING, or kicking another horse, is obvious. A bare hoof can cause sufficient damage, but that caused by a shod hoof can be lethal.

Growing at approximately 1 cm per month, a healthy hoof also wears away what it does not need. MAINTENANCE INTERVALS of the shod horse are often not regular enough and, unable to wear their hooves naturally, a change in posture between shoeing is common. Over time the hooves slowly deform, leading to various problems, like contraction and migrated heels. The natural symmetry of the front hooves changes to an elongated narrower foot.

Walk awhile in my boots....

2/11/2016

....and any dissimilarities in our gait will soon become apparent. If someone walks with their feet turned out, duck style (!), they tend to wear the outside edge of the heels down first. If someone who walks toed in, pigeon style, then puts those same shoes on, they will find their ankles rolling as they try to keep their balance. They would have worn the inside of the shoes down first.

Show me hoof boots worn down at the toe, as in this photo, and I will show you a horse with unbalanced feet. In this case one who has toes too long. Or, when you show me hoof boots worn down like this, I would also have to ask if the horse is constantly hill climbing! This is the wear you can expect if a horse constantly sinks, or drives, their toes into an incline as they ascend a hill or lands toe first as they come down a decline.

Uneven wear is seen not only at the toe, but also to the lateral side. A full, WHP, assessment of the horse who wears these boots is required.***

The arrow indicates the approximate correct toe length

We love hoof boots. A great innovation for the horse. One that has actually been around for centuries (made from straw and leather), but only making it´s mark this past couple of decades with the advent of amazing new materials, the power of the internet and the resurrection of the barefoot horse. Yes, lovely people, remember, of the some 6000 years we have domesticated and utilised the horse it is only the last 2000 of those years that we have been shoeing him with metal. Barefoot is not the fad ;)

But now people are expecting hoof boots to perform miracles. When you go out running do you carry a person on your back? How much do you weigh? How far do you run every day? What type of surface do you run on? Have you discovered how cheap running shoes cause your feet to hurt? (and subsequent problems in hips, back, shoulders!) and, What do you pay for a good pair of running shoes?

When it comes to purchasing boots for your horse, be realistic. Whilst it is very reasonable to expect them to hold up to the job in hand, and do so for some time, they all have their limits. Those limits are dictated by all the afore mentioned elements. Your 350kg native pony is going to get a lot more wear out of his or her boots than a 750kg Warmblood*. If you trek out at walk, with the occasional trot, your hoof boots will last much longer than those who are in serious training for Endurance or Cross Country events, and spend many hours every week at trot and canter. If the terrain you ride on is like the surface of the moon, it is obvious boots will not last as long as those ridden over soft forest trails. When boots are not the correct fit or shape for a hoof, or the horse has imbalances in their body, the boots will wear unevenly, even break, due to constant pressure on a specific spot rather than dissipated over a larger area as they are designed to do.

There are a tiny, tiny, number of hoof boots on the market today that do not withstand the regular wear and tear they are designed for. If your boot is one of the many that are well designed and manufactured, yet they are not withstanding what can be deemed reasonable wear and tear, then you need to consider all of the above possibilities.

To help avoid any of these issues your first port of call is availing yourself of a professional in barefoot hoof care, to be sure your horse benefits from a correct natural balance trim (and the dietary and environmental advice that would accompany that). That same professional should be able to measure your horses hooves and advise which boots would be the best fit, not just for size, but also for the style of riding you do and the type of terrain you do it on. Failing that, retailers who are happy to discuss options with you and give good guidance when it comes to measuring for boots**, are readily available. And don´t forget, what you spend on hoof boots today, you more than save on hoof and horse health in the future.

* Are you aware that sports shoes for men have more reinforcement than those for women? This confirms that manufacturers realise men are, usually, heavier than women and it would actually be more beneficial to us women to purchase shoes designed for men. They would give us more foot support. This fact needs serious consideration when booting the heavier horse, or one who does work at a higher pace for a lot of hours. This is when the correct pads can often assist the longevity of a boot and by proxy the health of the hoof.
** Don´t forget to allow for growth between trim cycles when measuring.
*** The boot in the photo was purchased over one year ago through another source, and photos sent to me when the client complained he didn´t feel he had received value for money (after one year!). It did not take a lot of investigation to learn the horse was being trimmed in the ´pasture´ style and subsequently had toes far too long, hence the pronounced wear in that area. Had this been a correctly balanced hoof on a balanced horse you can see from the amount of surface still at the heal that these boots would have trekked on a good few hours or kilometers yet.

Keep Calm & ... check magnesium levels.

1/11/2016

Advocates of the use of Magnesium Oxide for many years now, here at WHP we have seen time and again the results of feeding this mineral. From overweight, tying-up or laminitic, to sweat-itch, nervousness or separation anxiety, MagO has been so beneficial to many horses. It is not a miracle mineral, but assisting over 300 enzymes work within the intestines, regulating blood sugars and aiding the correct absorption of other minerals within the body, Magnesium is definitely a mineral that needs serious consideration in a horses diet. It is actually the one mineral nearly all human beings lack in their diet!

Having been able to source pure human-grade magnesium oxide here in Spain, from a reliable source, this is what we made readily available for our horses and those of our clients. But never known to sit back on our laurels, we have finally sourced Magnesium Chloride flakes here in Spain, at a great price - and we like to share. When it comes to the horses health we are very happy to share all our good finds and resources.

Just as we share the great short feed we have manufactured for our horses, with no financial benefit for us*, we shared our cheap and quality supply of Magnesium Oxide. Now, having found Magnesium Chloride, we will make this available to our clients and those of you who wish to contact us and organise a purchase. 1kg bag of MagC @ €9
- contact hoofconsultation@espiritu-del-viento.com for information on how to pay and organise collection from our installations, or additionally pay for postal or courier delivery.

Why Magnesium Chloride instead of Oxide?...
...A well researched and written article on Magnesium
http://www.gravelproofhoof.org/magnesium

* Equilibrium Hoof & Heart food is manufactured by PiensoACC We chose this company because they are a dedicated horse food manufacturer, they are here in Spain, and they were prepared to listen. They do not produce feed for cats, dogs or birds - all of which can be very detrimental to a horse´s health and such manufacturers are to be avoided - accidents do happen. The feed can be purchased directly via their website or, with prior notice, we will happily sell you H&H directly from our installations, only charging what we pay for the feed.

Coke or Pepsi, these hooves need canning.

29/8/2016

Too commonly seen on one particular breed, some people believe this hoof ´type´ is the actual conformation of the PRE (Pura Raza Española), and the given name of “Topino” has crept into everyday equestrian language here in Spain as an excepted hoof form.

I am here to tell you it is not the natural conformation of the horse, PRE or otherwise. Whilst not all hooves conform within the realms of our perceived “healthy” shape (and there in lies the problem**) it really is only a very small percentage that are deformed naturally (via birth - bad conformation). The unnatural deformity I speak of occurs for two or three reasons or maybe just one!

Many large stud farms give the PRE a fabulous start in life. Born outdoors and left to roam hectares of land for the first 2 or 3 years of life, the young stock develop great lateral cartilage, digital cushions and beautiful balanced hooves. They are then herded up stalled, or sold on* (and stalled), to start their human education. Within a few weeks of this life change they are shod. Those fabulous 2 or 3 year-old hooves are shod, thus bringing to an end their story. The strong digital cushions, lateral cartilages and naturally balanced hooves supporting the untouched and still developing body of that 2 or 3 year old are now frozen in time! Those same hooves are expected to perform under the weight of a 6 - 7+ year-old body....... You are now thinking other breeds are also shod as 2 year-olds and expect that baby hoof to support the weight of the developing and then adult body, and they are not sporting Topino hooves. Bare with me.

The other scenario is the horse is far too precious to be born outdoors and the dam gives birth on a luxury, deep, banked up, straw bed. They spend the first couple of weeks in this clinical, totally unnatural and detrimental environment. Detrimental because the first 24 hours after birth are crucial to the development of the hoof. The continued confinement does nothing to help develop strong tendons and ligaments at the pace nature dictates either. The beautiful foal only gets to see the light of day when paraded out for shows or anyones viewing. See * above.........

In both cases the immature hoof is shod as is. That “as is”, in the case of the youngster who has benefited from the outdoor life the first two, three, maybe even 4 years of his or her life, is metal being nailed on to very overgrown walls and overlaid bars. Because what happens to a hoof that is accustomed to movement equaling wear when it finds itself shut up in a stable and going nowhere? Initially it grows very, but very, quickly. Accustomed as it is to being constantly on the move and on a natural diet it puts out the hoof it has needed for all that time. Finding him or her self shut up in a confined space and only moving an hour or so a day the youngster is usually not shod for the first month or two of it´s education. So when it is shod the farrier is presented with tall hooves, already beginning to contract, and some, believing this to be the norm for the horse, remove very little of this height. Others intentionally leave the hooves long to give the horse more height!

In the case of the very precious youngster, who´s boxed hooves are often literally boxed by the time it comes of age (!), they too are shod, with little thought for correcting the angles - after all that is how they have grown and the foal is moving around “perfectly fine” on those hooves. Those infant hooves have never benefited from freedom and the correct wear, so they are already overgrown, and by proxy of the confinement in a stall probably suffering thrush, thus further speeding the contraction of the heels due to the poor health of the frog.

**The common denominator being both present tall, narrow hooves and too many farriers have never seen the healthy alternative to know they are not correct.

Now, farrier education is somewhat lacking here, but more and more do exist who are getting themselves properly informed on the anatomy and bio-mechanics of the hoof. Many, however, are like many horse owners and have never seen stunning, naturally beveled, low, balanced feet. When they do the lack of accompanying education leaves them to believe they have worn away too much! So for all the education many now seek and receive, they aren´t seeing truly healthy hooves and how they function, therefore have no idea what to model their trim on.ª

Then, for reasons of budget or lack of thought or “Grandfather syndrome” they are not re-shod again for weeks (in some cases months), thus being left to get taller, and with the frog and heels being completely incapacitated they become more contracted. Perpetuating the cycle. It was very common place not so long in the past to not have a horse re-shod until it began to lose it´s shoes. This could be anywhere between 8 weeks and 3 or more months. Do not forget that these long cycles and long hooves will also then be disguising other pathology´s. White line disease, deep thrush infections, internal imbalance of bones, ligaments and more.

So again the hooves continue their cycle of becoming more contracted. I would add here I had a client some years back who bought their horse to me to resolve various issues. After a few months the beautiful boy was well and truly on the road to whole horse health when his owner suddenly realised his 17h horse was now only 16.1h (yes, that is how ridiculously overgrown his hooves were) and despite being over the moon with the improved health and performance of his horse he did not want one so “small” so returned to shoeing and permitting his hooves to become Topino again. Very sad indeed.

Why are we not seeing Topino hooves in other breeds? One reason is the majority of equestrians in other countries have a norm of only 6 to 7 weeks for a shoeing cycle, so the hoof has a chance of retaining some normality for much more time. Another being that there is a longer tradition of shoeing going back to the days when the shoe was made to fit the horse and not vice versa. Also youngsters tend to be left unshod whilst doing their initial arena work, and not until they are hitting the trail or put into what is considered ´serious´ work are they shod. So their natural hoof keeps itself pretty balanced, tidy and at the right height and that is the hoof that is shod when the time comes. Using the example of the stunning PRE who is purchased from Spain and shipped abroad, I reiterate, the new owner, presented with these Topino hooves and having no experience of other PRE´s here in Spain, believes them to be the norm. After all, the horse appears to move just fine on them. That lovely dishing dancing movement that everyone loves - it isn´t just down to the breeding. It comes at the price of hoof health.

In summary, there is only one reason for Topino hooves. Now, lets get educating.

ª Lack of knowledge of what a healthy hoof truly looks like is not limited to farriers here in Spain. The world over there are farriers and owners who have never had the opportunity to see a truly healthy functioning hoof and are totally unaware that what they see, daily, is not correct. Apprentices learn via what is presented to them, what is available, as do owners.

Runaways - a common scenario of the shod hoof

24/8/2016

Following on from my article about underslung or migrating heels and what truly is a healthy hoof, I hope you find the transition of this hoof interesting. This is a common scenario after a hoof has been shod for any length of time - even only months, though of course the longer the greater diversion the heels will have taken.

The white lines (and grey) indicate the fulcrum of the distal limb, the red arrows the position of the heel. You can clearly see how, initially, the heel was of no assistance at all in supporting the distal limb, much less still able to do it´s job of protecting the internal structures in the rear of the hoof capsule. This so often is what leads to lameness - torn or strained tendons or ligaments - due to lack of support for these all important extremities. The blue arrow indicates an approximation of where the heels should be, and within reasonable time will be. The green lines are to show how the hoof wall tubules begin to change angle as the new capsule grows down correctly. These, more upright, tubules are far stronger than their badly angled older siblings, who will be leaving ´the building´ forever within the next 2 to 3 months. These changes for the better have come about in 2 and a half months.

Now receiving correct hoof care the foundations of this horse will go from strength to strength. The first photo was upon arrival with us, immediately after shoe removal. A nail (actually there was one in another hoof as well) had been left in, which is what caused that big chunk of hoof to be broken off once this horse started moving on stony paddocks. Although rather quick and ugly, this was also in part the hoof sloughing off the unwanted height. This horse was already enjoying a hoof friendly diet before removal of the shoes which no doubt speeds up the transition process.

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