Natural Hoof Care Clinic
Dr. Tomas G. Teskey, D.V.M.
I had the unusual privilege last weekend of attending a clinic by Dr. Tomas Teskey. As well as being a gifted and passionate speaker, Dr. Teskey is one of today’s leading authorities on the equine hoof and barefoot horses. I left the clinic with the impression that perpetuated shoeing of horse is not dissimilar to an addiction developed over time. We know it is not right, but we are afraid to break the habit. At Week 14 in my own transition experiment, and with a couple of significant accomplishments under my belt, I can assure you that a few boots in your tack room will allow you to make the switch.
Dr. Teskey presents his clinic in Cave Creek, AZ.
I have transcribed my notes for the benefit of the reader but remember that I am not a trained professional, and in no way do I attempt to represent the views or opinions of EasyCare or its staff.
Natural hoof care goes hand in hand with natural horsemanship philosophies and techniques. Both respect the natural abilities and welfare of the horse. A sound horse is one that can comfortably walk, trot and canter with animation and impulsion on unfettered feet. Protection for hooves, as needed, should be achieved with hoof boots: they provide dynamic, complementary shapes that allow the hoof to expand and contract with the movement of the horse. As passionate as Dr. Teskey is about barefoot, he underlines that hoof protection in the form of boots is a necessary tool for today’s working horse.
The morning was dedicated to the discussion of the barefoot hoof and he asked us to keep in mind the acronym PACES when thinking about the role of the hoof in the overall health of our horse. The afternoon was spent dissecting the lower leg of a horse. It really helped me better understand the mechanics in the lower leg of the horse.
P = Protection: the hoof protects all internal structures when it is healthy.
A = Adjusting Architecture: the hoof must be shaped correctly and be allowed to twist and torque in all directions to protect the horse and do its job in general.
C = Circulation: Robert Bowker at Michigan State University has a theory on equine foot physiology. His hemodynamic flow theory proposes that blood flow through the network of tiny capillaries in the heel region of an unshod foot plays a vital role in shock absorption of the hoof.
E = Exfoliation: of keratinaceous protein. Different environments produce differently shaped hoof capsules due to pressure.
S = Sensation: the horse literally feels his way along the ground and enjoys surefootedness by doing so. Feeling and touch are critical to safety; proprioception (the ability to sense the position and location and orientation and movement of the body and its parts) is essential for survival. The traction provided is exactly therefore specifically designed for a specific and changing terrain.
Horses that self trim provide us one model and many ideas for trimming our horses. In other words, the type of trim is actually determined by the work the horse is doing. If you ride more, you probably have to trim less. When working with the unshod hoof, leave as much of the dead sole as is – don’t flake it off to the live sole because it will defeat the horse’s ability to exfoliate.
The soundest hooves are those designed through performance: weaknesses are not perpetuated in the long run. Domestic hooves can be conditioned beyond the performance level of feral hooves: horses are athletes and their ability to excel whilst barefoot is mind-boggling.
Dr. Teskey describes each component of the lower leg and the role it plays.
The Shoe
A shoe prevents natural movement of hoof walls but does not prevent downward movement of the coronet. Shoes are fixed to the hoof in the non-weight bearing, less expanded state – thus the sole is held in a vaulted position against the descending coffin bone. In the weight-bearing position, the hoof can expand in width up to ¼” more than the hoof in the non weight bearing position. The shoe eliminates this expansion.
Before and after: contracted heels can open back out.
determined that the shoe’s force on abrupt impact with the ground all at once prevents natural break-over and defeats normal mechanism.
Stone bruises, Dr. Teskey claims, are often not stone bruises: they are the effect of the coffin bone slamming into the sole and creating pain. The lack of torsion and flexion in the shod horse creates less circulation of blood and the heels begin to contract, creating pressure on the navicular bone. The steel shoe prevents flexibility and the intricate structure of the hoof and the way it reacts to concussion can become significantly compromised.
The nail holes used to apply shoes compromise insulation. In a study by Luca Bein, (1983, University of Zurich) a shod foot moving on asphalt at a walk is subjected to three times the impact force of an unshod foot moving on asphalt at a trot. Nail holes also allow the invasion of bacteria and fungi through nail tracks to inner wall and white line areas.
Corrective shoeing.
Corrective Shoeing For Under-Run Heels
There are no physiologic phenomena that direct hoof horn to grow towards steel, no matter how wide-set you set the shoes. Placing nails forward from the heel areas is erroneous. The geometry present in the hoof underpass definable mathematical changes upon weight bearing.
Shoes create a change in hoof momentum: shod horses suffer from an increased incidence of interference injuries. Lack of movement fails to drive the pump that promotes normal and adequate circulation in the hoof. More blood comes in and out of hoof with movement: negative pressure in every step pulls blood through the coffin bone and towards the hoof wall. Circulation is restricted in a shod hoof and is forced to travel via an alternative route.
Thermographic studies (Dr. H. Strasser, 2000) indicate that a shod hoof creates Ischemia (a less than adequate blood supply). Shod horses’ hooves are relatively cool and lower temperatures lead to reduced metabolism.
Less blood = less shock absorption (Bowker 1999)
Less blood = fewer nutrients = weaker, slower growth
The hoof is highly vascular: as dense as the liver and spleen.
As the coffin bone contracts, the navicular bone actually becomes pinched and the blood vessels are compromised. The navicular bone acts as a valve.
Most shod horses are toe strong and heel weak – people who think their horses cannot grow heel may be wrong – the heel may just be under-run. Heel problems are much more treacherous and much more diabolic than laminitis problems. Simply put, shoes are an important risk factor in the incidence of lameness of domestic horses. The data suggests they directly contribute to disease and handicap to a horse.
A contracted hoof capsule reveals the pressure created on the coffin bone.
Navicular Pain/Heel Pain
There is literally less space for the navicular bone in a contracted hoof. Navicular pain is from soft tissue damage and pinched coriums. Conventional farriery ignores the progressive deformities focusing on the symptom of lameness and shoes simply worsen the deformities. The only dependable way to bring the hoof back to soundness is to change the shape of the hoof by removing the shoes and implementing proper trimming.
Ossifications / Bony Changes
Ringbone is the result of chronic overstraining of soft tissue attachments and direct concussion to articular cartilage creating arthrosis of the pastern joint areas. Flexion in the hoof creates less stress on the pastern joint.
Sidebone is the ossification of lateral cartilage. Cartilage turns to bone because of constant injury or because circulation is diminished. Bone can and will actually decrease with the removal of shoes.
Conventional hoof care prepares a hoof for a laminitic crisis over time because pressure from steel on the outer wall causes shearing effect – the theory of peripheral loading.
Heel First, Then Toe
The heel must land first, and then rolling through the arch has to take place for the biomechanics of the hoof to work properly. Because so many horses are toe strong, they land with the toe – they are literally staying away from their heels. A strong digital cushion in the rear of the hoof is necessary for the hoof to be healthy. A steel shoe on a horse is akin to a board attached underneath the human foot.
Horses that trip or stumble may be trying to avoid landing heel first. It takes time to convince them – sometimes even after the pain is gone. The years of habit can be hard to break.
The same biochemistry is going on in the lamina as in Type II Diabetes patients. Nutrition is therefore very important. Historical traditional nutrition predisposes to insulin resistance/Type II Diabetes.
Conventional wisdom elevates heels – worsening stress on laminae – worsening circulation to the entire hoof. The deep digital flexor tendon (DDFT) is not causing the rotation: it is the weight of the horse above it on a poorly aligned joint that drives the coffin bone downward after a weakening of the laminar connections.
The effect of raising a heel in a laminitic horse: more pressure on the coffin bone.
Elevating the heels to slacken the DDFT and stop further rotation actually helps the DDFT more easily accomplish this. Such a procedure is contra-indicated given an understanding of hoof biomechanics. Shoeing defeats what the hoof is designed to do: it worsens the problems. We simply cannot fix the problems using the same kind of thinking that formed them.
Checklist for Success (In This Order)
- Nutrition: feed a high fiber, low carbohydrate diet.
- Herd psychology: don’t underestimate the need for a horse to be in a herd.
- Habitat & movement: keep the horse moving, using boots as needed to get the horse moving properly.
- Hoof care from experience: mimic the self trimming hoof.
- Teeth: a misaligned jaw will translate through the entire body.
- Chiropractic: keep the horse in alignment.
- Massage: keep the muscles healthy and supple.
- Consistency: don’t stray from the plan.
See www.safergrass.org for info on good forage.
See it through and stick with it. It takes a long time to compromise the hoof and it can take a long time to fix it.
I’d like to express my gratitude to Kristin Walker for putting the clinic together and to thank the entire Teskey family for sharing their wisdom and their good home-grown food with us throughout the day.
A healthy foot in transition: this is the left hind leg of a neighbor and friend who is transitioning all six of her horses to barefoot.
Keep up the boot legging!
Kevin
Very nice job of note taking. Did he trim any horses?
Posted by: Don Huston | August 18, 2009 at 10:56 PM
No, he did not trim any horses, but he did show a few tips on rasping.
Posted by: Kevin Myers | August 19, 2009 at 08:01 AM
This article is a nice summary of the reasons to have horses barefoot. It does not get bogged down by lots of technical explanations that justify his statements.
Gail Anderson
Posted by: Gail Anderson | August 22, 2009 at 11:19 AM