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Bare foot horses and stones QUESTION:
I have
five horses, an Arab mare, two Welsh Cobs and two Welsh Mountain
ponies. All have been unshod for several years and live out all year
round. Three of the horses are ridden once or twice a week around the
lanes which are tarmac covered. I have always been interested in
keeping things as natural as I am able.
One
problem I encounter occasionally is stones/gravel getting trapped up
the white line. I always make sure the soles and white line are free
from any stones before and after the ride, sometimes I may have to dig
them out filling any small hole with compacted cotton wool to try to
prevent anything else getting trapped.Often the hole gets bigger, my
farrier trims away part of the foot to stop the stones getting trapped
again.
Would
the natural hoof trim help with this problem ? I live in Wales
(UK) which is quite a "wet" country so the hooves are
not very often dry, would this contribute to this problem. At the
moment the horses are conventionally trimmed by a farrier. I am
interested in learning to trim my own horses by the more natural
method, do you know of anyone in the UK who teaches this.
Thank
you for taking the time to read my email, I look forward to your reply
Regards,
Kerry
Grange
DR. TOM'S ANSWER: Hi Kerry, Certainly the wetter environment contributes to some softness in the hooves, and since there is a lip that forms between the hoof wall and the sole, this is an area that will trap soil and gravel. As long as this white line area does not appear to be separating away from the sole and getting larger amounts of dirt and gravel up inside, you're not likely to have a problem. Still, I would use a hoof rasp to keep the hoof wall about on eighth of an inch (three millimeters) long. If the walls overgrow or if the horses have any amount of laminitis, you'll have more of this problem. Rolling the edges of the wall really help, too, so once you have the length under control, putting a bevel or roll along the entire wall, or at least from quarter to quarter, will help keep soil and gravel out of the area. Using the rasp once a week or so once you understand the principles will really help this problem and the hooves will look and function much better, too. I would do a "search" on the computer to see what you come up with for hoof care providers in your part of the world. Dr. Tom T.
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