Transition Tuesday Week 23

Make Your Horse Lame

Rocky in the rocks on a training ride last Sunday at Indian Springs.

Why do some people easily make the leap from shod to barefoot while others struggle?

• It’s not because their horse feels no pain.
• It’s not because they ‘know people’.
• It’s not even because they’re lucky.

It’s because they’re not scared of making their horse lame.

And when they make that leap, they no longer have to focus on short-term fixes that keep their horse flirting with soundness. They focus instead on long-term strategies that make their horse healthier.

Clydea and Rusty enjoying a brief pause at the Verde River during the training ride.

The shocking part

I’ve been picking up my horses’ feet every day for the last few months and squeezing their heel bulbs between my thumb and forefinger. I’m actually pinching myself to make sure what I am seeing is real. It is astounding to see how much the heel area moves from the simple pressure squeezing it.

Imagine the forces on that foot at a trot or canter as the foot falls to the ground. Better yet: imagine what happens when a steel shoe is added into the mechanics. The video below shows some of those effects very well. But there are so many more, as Teskey points out here in a 2007 interview and here in a presentation he made more recently.

Watch the video. Better yet: cut to the chase by watching closely what happens at the 10 second point and then again at the 12 second point. The rest of the clip becomes redundant.

Listen up

There is more to this than just pulling the shoes and slapping on a set of boots. Success will require you to evaluate diet, environment and activity, just as it would if you were making changes in your own lifestyle.

Rocky in a set of Gloves.

The cool part

Barefoot success may be well within reach. Take these five steps.

1. Keep off the sugar. Starches release an enzyme in the intestine that can cause the lamina in the hoof to become soft and separate from the hoof wall. Feed high fiber hay and supplements, but keep off the carbs like grain and molasses. Stay away from grain crops like wheat, oat barley and rye.
2. Keep the herd a herd. If possible, don’t keep your horse in solitary confinement. It’s better for their head with a buddy.
3. Keep your horse moving. There is nothing better for hoof growth than the flow of blood through the highly vascular hoof created by constant movement in an outdoor environment. Avoid life in the stall if you can and use boots as needed for exercise.
4. Trim the hooves. Bring in a professional hoof care practitioner who specializes in barefoot trimming. Learn for yourself how to do a little regular hoof maintenance (if I can, you definitely can).
5. Be consistent. Stay committed and don’t stray the path. Be patient.

The moral

You will become a better horseperson and your horse will likely enjoy a happier life and a longer career, not matter what their job.

You might make some mistakes along the way. But even the most sensitive footed horses can trot down the trail with the heavenly cadence of an even beat. I have five horses at my place who make a good case in support of barefoot.

The view from the trail at Indian Springs: a good place to pause and reflect.

The end

Do what you think is the right thing but don’t underestimate what a new discovery might mean for you. Take comfort in the knowledge and technology advancements that help us keep the inside of a horse in harmony with the outside of a horse.

So go ahead: pull the shoes and see if you make your horse lame. The boots can help you ease the transition if you need them and they will also help you go down the trail. You’ll be shocked: I was.

Keep up the boot legging!

Kevin

 

 

Comments

[Lisa Belhage]

Very timely. I pulled my horse's shoes today. :)

[Carol Layton]

Hi Kevin

I enjoy your weekly reports, your experience with going from shod to barefoot are similar to ours (my other half is a professional barefoot trimmer). However, your nutrition tip (1)isn't quite right, unfortunately it isn't as simple as that.

Sure high levels of sugar and starch can cause dietary laminitis, especially for sugar sensitive or insulin resistant horses but horses in work, as in endurance need the sugar/starch to fuel the work they do. Grain is not bad in the right amount.

High fibre hay can be very high in sugar and starch too, only testing will reveal the level.

Hope this helps,

Carol Layton
www.balancedequine.com.au

[Kevin Myers]

Carol,

Thank you - you are quite right. I should have added the www.safergrass.org link for additional reading fodder.

We have one horse here whom we think may be a candidate for insulin resistance. We feed the others grain at races only. I'll make sure I incorporate that into a future post.

Best,

Kev

[Kevin Myers]

PS Carol - I'm also assuming that some of the readers are not endurance junkies.

[Carol Layton]

Hi Kevin

Safergrass.org is a very good resource, another is the very supportive Equine Cushings and Insulin Resistance list:
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/EquineCushings/
There is more to it than managing sugar and starch levels.

Have you read Pete Ramey's
'Feeding the hoof'? Fantastic advice.
http://www.hoofrehab.com/diet.htm

Both Pete and I (and many others like Dunc) recommend Dr Eleanor Kellon's VMD online nutrition courses. Many people who have got their horses' hoof management sorted then move on to understanding nutrition. As you have said both are needed for optimum hoof quality and growth. Fuelling the work horses do applies to all horse activities, not just endurance.

I hope you continue with the weekly instalments, I enjoy reading them and love looking at the beautiful places you get to ride.

*One tip - be careful with feeding grain only at an endurance ride, the microbes need time to adapt to any changes in the diet. Best to feed the grain, even if it is only a small amount for a couple of weeks before the ride. The horse will need it for the training you do at home anyway.

Carol Layton
www.balancedequine.com.au