There are many different styles of barefoot trimming but they are all based on the wild horse model. This model isthe result of a study of more than one thousand wild mustang hooves. All were very much alike, healthy and as hard as steel, without regard for the home terrain or climate. The natural trimmer replicates the trim the horse would be giving itself if he or she were in the wild.
What a Natural Trim Will Do
A good natural trim:
- Encourages a tight laminar connection. It removes flares to ensure that the coffin bone is held firmly in the top of the hoof capsule.
- Ensures that the bottom edge of the coffin bone is kept at the correct angle to the ground.
- Trims the heels to allow the frog to function in shock absorption and circulation.
- Trims the walls so that thesole is also weight bearing.
- Encourages the toe callus to develop through conditioning in order to protect the front of the coffin bone.
Barefoot Benefits
There are many benefits to keeping your horse barefoot. Some of these include:
- Improved blood circulation from frog stimulation, which improves your horse's overall health
- Developing strong, healthy, hoof walls
- Greater shock absorption from a moredeveloped frog and digital cushion. This results in fewer concussion-related injuries
- Quicker heart rate recovery time after exercise
- Better traction. The hoof is designed to adapt to all terrains
- Lower risk of injuries
- Less tripping, stumbling and forging because the horse can now feel where its feet are.
- Overall better performance, improved agility and more surefootedness.
Traditional Trim Issues
There are several differences between a good natural trim and the traditional pasture trim. The pasture trim can actually make a horse foot sore. Potential issues with a traditional pasture trim include:
- Often the heels are left long. This encourages heel contraction and a toe-first landing. It can also lead to navicular pain.
- The toe callus is trimmed away from the bottom. This can leave the tip of the coffin bone unprotected.
- The bottom of the hoof walls are left flat and higher than the sole as in preparation for a shoe. The hoof wall then supports the entire weight of the horse
- Flares are often ignored. This puts strain on the laminar connection, leaving a stretched white line. It results in inadequate suspension of the coffin bone. This makes the horse more susceptible to laminitis as well as sore on gravel and rocky trails. Besides, flares are painful, like pulling your fingernail backwards really hard.
- Trimming is usually not frequent enough so the hooves are usually not in an optimum condition.
More than Just a Trim
Natural hoof care is more than just a hoof trim method. It is a holistic approach to hoof care. It considers the living conditions and terrain that the horse encounters on a regular basis. The trim is a tool used to encourage the hoof to grow in a physiologically correct shape. The proper living conditions help maintain a healthy hoof. A natural horse hoof trim mimics natural wear. For this reason it is often carried out on a more frequent basis than traditional hoof trims. This ensures the hoof stays in the optimum shape. The horse has survived for 54 million years. Being a prey animal, a horse’s feet are the most important part of that survival.
