[Ag-eq] horse training

[nfoster at extremezone.com]

Liz:

You asked about barefoot for horses, so I will try to explain what I know.
There is a lot of really good information on line.  Pete Ramey is one well
known barefoot trimmer and teacher that has lots of good information.

The barefoot idea came from studying the hooves of wild horses.  Wild horses
tend to have very hard and healthy feet.  Some of this is genetics, if they
can't get around they just don't make it.  Wild horse hooves have a certain
shape and are constantly being worn down by movement.

Most domestic horses dont' get to move enough to naturally keep their hooves
trimmed.  Horses who are always on pasture, in stalls or on soft ground tend to
have softer
feet.  This is why people started shoeing horses.

Shoers often keep the toe longer and the heel of the hoof shorter.  Over time
this can cause the heel to contract.  Most barefoot trimmers will keep the toe
shorter and the heel a little longer.  They also roll the edge of the hoof, so
they are less likely to catch the edge of the hoof.  They also leave more of
the sole and frog of the hoof, which is a natural cushion.  It is also believed
that the horse shoe nails weaken the hoof wall over time.

Many horses do very well barefoot, but others have problems.  It can be
difficult to transision an older horse to barefoot.  Since domestic horses don't
have to practice survival of the fittist, some of them just have weak hooves.
Most horses who are kept barefoot will still need boots if they are used on
rocky areas or for long distances.

  There are some die hard barefoot trimmers who believe that the proper barefoot
trim can cure all hoof issues.  I don't believe this and I've seen some very
lame horses that were barefoot.  People need to do their research before taking
their horses barefoot.  It is also very, very important to find a good barefoot
trimmer.  Many farriers will say they can trim, but they trim the hoof as they
would if they were going to shoe.

  As I said in an earlier post I've kept most of my animals barefoot.  My first
mare had some hoof problems and had to have corrective shoeing most of her
life.  I had a gelding that had to be booted if I rode him in rocks or any
distance at all.  To the best of my knowledge none of my 3 mules ever had shoes
and they never had any hoof problems.  I rarely had to use the boots on them
and I rode them in some pretty crazy, rocky areas.  I still have 1 mule left,
who is almost 30 and he still has great feet.  Cruiser also has excellant
hooves  I think he was shoed 3 or 4 times before I got him, but the people
stopped riding him, so they stopped paying for shoes.  He has very strong feet.
I rode him for 7 miles in the rocks this morning and he was fine.  I usually
carry his boots, so if we need them I can stop and put them on.  So far I've
never had to use them.

I hope I've answered some of your questions.

Nella




Quoting Liz Lewis <liz4jesus at gmail.com>:

> I looked him up and watched some of his videos online.  Thanks!  Can anyone
> tell me more about barefoot trimming?  The advantages?
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Ag-eq [mailto:ag-eq-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Jody Ianuzzi
> Sent: Tuesday, October 02, 2012 9:00 PM
> To: 'Agricultural and Equestrean Division List'
> Subject: Re: [Ag-eq] horse training
>
> Hi Liz,
>
> I am a big fan of Clinton Anderson and I have wondered if you can use his
> techniques if you can't see the horse.
>
> JODY
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Ag-eq mailing list
> Ag-eq at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/ag-eq_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for Ag-eq:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/ag-eq_nfbnet.org/liz4jesus%40gmail.com
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Ag-eq mailing list
> Ag-eq at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/ag-eq_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for Ag-eq:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/ag-eq_nfbnet.org/nfoster%40extremezone.com
>