FEET
There could not be a more important topic than the equine foot. As a veterinarian, I have been perplexed all my professional life by the the confusion, differing opinions and changing paradigms dealing with these four appendages our horses stand on. I have read many books, gone to seminars since I graduated from veterinary school. How is it that we have been dealing with horses for thousands of years and we still don't know how to take care of their feet?
I have horses of my own since veterinary school, and I have had so many farriers and so many opinions about how to treat my own horses' feet you can only imagine. I had a true awakening several years ago when I started studying Gene Ovnicek's Natural Balance. After learning to trim my own horses' feet and seeing how they changed into functional and beautiful feet told me that finally I was on to something that made sense. But we never stop learning hopefully - and I want to bring your attention to the NEXT STEP!
When my mentor in Natural Balance told me to take a serious look at Pete Ramey's method of Natural Hoof Care, I bought his book immediately. Get it, it is worth every penny at twice the price! I am headed next weekend to a clinic to learn more. I am not only impressed, I am blown away! I think this will be a significant step in our evolution for our horses. After spending some time with my friend and observing the changes in some of the pathological feet she has been working with - I truly believe that this may be the way to go with our horses.
In the mean time get this book! Pete Ramey - "Making Natural Hoof Care Work for You."
POST CLINIC REPORT
What a great clinic we had in Malibu, CA. I am truly impressed by the passion and depth of knowledge imparted by Pete and Ivy Ramey about our beloved horses. Now that I am in Clovis, truly in horse country, I am hoping to add to what is a small - seed group - of people who are finding out what barefoot horses, trimmed correctly can really do and how long-time pathological cases can be helped dramatically and even completely cured. I have enough years and experience under my belt to say, here, we are looking at some absolute TRUTHS WHICH CANNOT BE DENIED.
1. A properly developed barefoot horse can do EVERYTHING, and do it better, than his shod companion. We can use some very sophisticated boots for the transition periods or for really rough terrain. My own horses will be doing their jobs barefoot from now on, and I hope to have 2 or 3 competing. We will keep track of other performance horses who have taken the leap to lose their shoes. We will be swimming upstream for a while, but that has been the story of my life.
2. Our domestic babies must be trimmed starting very soon after birth so that the frog touches the ground. Otherwise, my friends, neither the coffin bone nor the back of the foot will develop properly.
3. Putting shoes on a baby who has not developed his foot is a criminal act. The minute you put on a metal shoe, you interfer with the flexibility of the back of the foot and thus the development of the digital cushions.
4. Our domestic horses in shoes do not develop the back of the foot as they should. Many horses are very sore in the heels, and many are landing toe first, either because of how they are shod, or because of heel pain, or both. Landing toe first starts the beginning of pathology in the foot and can lead directly to "navicular syndrome."
5. A wild foot is a beautiful thing to behold. It's beauty and wonder will bring tears to your eyes. But - you cannot CUT a wild foot, or cut a hoof to look like a wild foot. In fact, doing so (for instance, paring out the concavity of the sole) will do just the opposite of what you want. It will weaken the foot and cause the coffin bone to drop.
The horse must develop this foot by trimming and use. It is, in fact, a matter of "fooling mother nature" into believing that her horse is traveling 40 miles per day like a mustang would. She will develop that foot to protect her horse.
6. You can reverse some very severe pathology with barefoot trimming. As a veterinarian, I shudder to think of all the horses over my lifetime that have been given up and put to sleep, when we could have helped them. We all did the best we could at the time. Many times all of us horse practitioners of every stripe have gone to heroic measures, and we have spent endless sleepless nights to save our patients and our horse friends. In my type of practice I am so often the "last resort," for any kind of pathology.
I am so grateful to have another avenue to pursue and hope as more people become educated that these methods will become a FIRST RESORT, rather than a last resort.
We will be "swimming up stream" for a long time, no doubt, but as people begin to realize what their barefoot companions can accomplish and how healthy their horses can become with a few other changes as well, we will add more believers and hopefully more professionals and veterinarians who will be in a position of education. There are many who will not be interested, who will not be able to abandon ideas that have been pervasive in our horse culture for centuries. Their horses will be in line for "corrective shoeing", "nerving," and so on. It is very hard to change, and veterinarians and farriers are two of the most difficult group for change of any kind.
I have turned the corner. I have enough knowledge now that there is no going back. I am seeing exciting changes in my own horses' feet who are already barefoot, with just a little "tweaking." Mother Nature is beginning to do her thing even better than before. We are having mini-seminars on barfoot trims in the Fresno area. Please call me for more information.
This is one band wagon you just might want to jump on. Go to www.hoofrehab.com.
DAKOTA - This is a case history of a horse which we will be following in real time. I examined and evaluated this lovely horse in September of 2006. His owner was excited to try the barefoot program. He has been uncomfortable and at times very lame for 3 years. He was diagnosed with Navicular Syndrome and this has been handled well from a conventional perspective. Let's see how our program helps this horse.
His owner's statement:
Dakota is a 14 year old registered Paint gelding. He was diagnosed with navicular in June 2003 after becoming slightly "off" in the front end three times in a 7 week period. The diagnosing vet did not take any x-rays; only used the fact that Dakota movements improved significantly on a lunge line after his heels were blocked. He has since been managed, not always successfully, with 3 degree aluminum wedge shoes, bute before riding and for inflammation, and sporadic treatments of isoxuprine.
Pictures of where we started: