There has been an awakening, a revival, in the last decade when it comes to hoof care for our horses. For years we have been putting shoes on horses, slowly degrading their feet. We have been waking up to the notion that maybe we do not have to use metal shoes anymore and I love it. 

Ever since Red came into my life I have questioned everything. One of the first things I questioned was horseshoes. I initially started out by only trimming him; for the sake of saving some money if anything. I was 15 when I got him so I was on a highschooler budget. I traded work for his board type of budget.  When I started showing in eventing and dressage in college my instructor at the time insisted I put Red in shoes, at least on the fronts, for his betterment. What I slowly started to see instead was his hooves slowly degrade over time. I only had Red in shoes for about 1-2 years before I circled back to, “Why am I doing this?”.

So, as you could guess, I took the shoes off and began just asking the farrier to do trims only. I would have them do trims every 6weeks in the warmer months and every 8weeks in the colder months. This worked well for a long while, however, there was an ever persistent toe crack that just wouldn’t go away. This crack always bugged me. I tried oils to put on the hooves, I even tried keeping his feeter dryer or making sure they were wet, I also tried just ignoring it. Which obviously didn’t help anything but prolong the issue. It was a coping mechanism for dealing with the frustration of not finding an answer. It was not until I started the journey of learning barefoot trimming did I start to figure out the true answer to the issue and a lasting solution. 

As we start to learn more about the equine hoof, how our horses move and how the environment affects the hoof conditions we can begin to facilitate a hoof which services the horse the best. 

I trim to the internal structures of the hoof. I also don’t try to make the hoof aesthetically pleasing either. The horse also gets a say in my work. Doing these three things I take into account what the horse needs in this present moment, what the hoof is asking for in this present moment and I remove potentially selfish desires that I might bring forth to allow for an outcome that best services the horse. Something I have also learned in my time trimming is that the horse is the ultimate decider on what occurs. I can give the horse the best diet, the best environment and the most ideal trim but in the end if they don’t want to give up some sole or allow their hoof to be its best, it simply won’t happen.

I have seen this on client horses and my own. When I started to trim Red to his own internal structures, listening to him and ensuring his diet and environment where the best I could give, I have seen positive changes I couldn’t seem to achieve before. His toe cracks went away and stayed away. He began to grow a heel that supported him. His sole still is not the most ideal but he is a Thoroughbred and this may simply be how he wants to be. Before I take him out on rocky terrain I need to condition his feet more; they are strong and hold together through the season and through his daily life. 

As with a lot of things in my life, Red has fueled the desire to learn a significant amount of knowledge that I know today. If it wasn’t for him I’m not sure where I would be in regard to my philosophies around horses. 

More to come about how I learned horses can get addicted to sugar like we can. 

This is what fuels my daily desire to keep learning, keep growing, keep improving. Our horses deserve for us to wake up each day and try to be the best we can be. 

Red is who inspires me. Red is why I have pursued my education. He inspires me to apply what I have learned for others. 

                                                                                                                          That’s all for now. Much Love.