Natural Hoof Trimming

Natural Is Best

As a competitive rider for many years and an Equine Body Worker for the past 10 years I had always given extra attention to the care and maintainence of my horse's feet.

For the past 4 years our horses have been completely unshod and trimmed using Natural Hoof Trimming techniques.

It was my profession as an Equine Massage Therapist that led me to Natural Hoof Balance and trimming. So much of the work I am called out to do is a direct result of poor hoof balance and shoeing. I am not a qualified farrier and would never act as one but I do have a sound knowledge of horse anatomy and function. Therefore I believe I am qualified to comment on the effects of dysfunctional hoof balance and treatments.

The results we have had personally with Natural Hoof Trimming has convinced us that it is by far the best choice for the health, wellbeing and longevity of our horses.  

How Shoeing Affects the Hoof and Horse

The horse's hoof is constantly changing and adjusting, contracting and expanding. 

For example, when the horse is non weightbearing such as when you pick up the foot to clean it, the hoof contracts. When the hoof is lowered to the ground and is weightbearing again, it expands. This continuous contracting and expanding is vital to the health of the hoof and could be described simplisticly as a pump which pushes blood through the limb and back to the heart. 

When a rigid unyielding material such as the steel horseshoe is nailed to the hoof it is done when the hoof is in a non-weightbearing contracted state. When the hoof is put to the ground and weightbearing again the hoof remains in a somewhat contracted state and cannot function as nature intended it to do. This , of course, is a rather simplified description of how shoeing affects the natural function of the hoof. If you add to this a badly balanced hoof, contracted heels, long toes the horse is well on its way to a life of pain, poor health and inevitably, breakdown.

There are areas on the sole of the horses hoof that must be weightbearing for optimum health. These include parts of the sole and frog. The trouble is when the hoof is shod these areas can no longer make proper ground contact and as a result of lack of use, will atrophy due to lack of the naturalstimulation and exfoliation that occurs when a hoof is barefoot.

Paddock Trim vs. Natural Barefoot Trim

Simply removing the shoes and having the horse go barefoot does not equate to Natural Hoof Trimming at all...although it is a start.

The idea of Natural Hoof Trimming is to mimic a natural wear pattern whilst maintaining optimum hoof balance.

Natural Hoof Trimming uses land marks on the horse's hoof as guide points of where to trim and balance.  

The conventional "paddock" trim is usually done every 6 - 8 weeks whilst Natural Hoof Trimming is often done as regularly as once or twice A WEEK. These trims take very little off the hoof so as to prevent soreness but they maintain the hoof optimal balance at all times.

Ex Racehorse Thoroughbred Gelding Sound on EVERY surface

After years of treating the same muscular problems day in and day out caused by poor hoof balance and incorrect shoeing, I decided to learn more about true hoof balance and optimum hoof function.

The results that I got from my own horses when starting to use Natural Hoof Trimming were enough to convince me to never shoe my horses again.

My thoroughbred gelding, who raced until the age of 10 and was probably shod continuously throughout his career from the age of 2, has given us the greatest inspiration.

Far from healthy in his feet, with long underslung heels, long toes, flat soles with little to no concavity, atrophy of the frog, contraction of the heels and the beginnings of navicular disease his shoes were removed and he began the road back to full health and soundness. 

Within 7 months of natural trimming, Kodak had developed concavity in his soles, his toes were shorter, heels upright and strong and no sign of navicular disease. What's more he could be walked, trotted or cantered on ANY surface without any sign of lameness. Completely sound.

Concrete, pea gravel, bitumen, blue stone, rocky ground, you name it, he could go over it. 

The quality of his hoof horn had improved (he has 3 white feet by the way) and his movement had gone from good to outstanding.

He gained great condition, was happier and was much more comfortable to ride. 

He has not had a lame day in 4 years despite being turned out in very dry, harsh and rocky conditions. 

Kodak's hooves are subject to exercise in a sand arena and road work, despite the wear and concussion on his barefoot hooves he is always forward going and does not suffer from any discomfort in his feet.

Finding a great Natural Hoof Technician 

I have to trim my own horses out of necessity as there is no Natural Hoof Technician available. I feel confident in doing this as I have a good understanding of the inner structures of my horses feet and I have studying natural hoof trimming extensively for the past four years- although I am not qualified.I recommend if people trim their own horses feet try and obtain the guidance and support of a farrier or Natural Hoof Trimmer. Much damage can be done to our horses by throwing out the whole body's balance by incorrect trimming. However, there are many fantastic sites that can guide and help you if you decide to take on the trimming yourself.

There are Natural Hoof Technicians who can balance your horse's feet and then instruct you on how to maintain the feet with a simple weekly trim yourself. This keeps the feet in optimum health until the next visit from the professional. 

If you are confident, reasonably fit and have the time to sit down and learn about the concepts and techniques of Natural Hoof Trimming there is no reason why you shouldn't learn how to naturally trim your horse's feet. There is a plethera of information out there and so much positive support for horseowners who choose to trim their own horses. Go to our links page for some good places to start. 

Breaking the vicous cycle

Much as the bit can be the cause of poor performance, loss of control and inhibited communication between horse and rider - the shoe and it's poor application to the hoof is the main cause of dysfunction in the foot. Constant shoeing prevents the natural wear, function and weight distribution of the hoof. This causes the hoof to be more sensitive, contracted and dysfunctional. This vicious cycle can eventually rob the hoof's ability to be self supportive and the horse will no longer be sound on any surface - with or without a shoe. In these cases where Natural Hoof Trimming techniques are used there may be a transitional period where the horse may need to be rested from work- sometimes for up to year, before full soundness returns.

Patience is imperitive in the journey to bringing your horses back to soundness using barefoot trimming. Abcesses may occur (the body's natural way of expelling dead or unhealthy tissues) or your horse may be too sore to be ridden for a while. You may feel there is no change for a long time and you may become frustrated. I implore you to stick with it, learn more and trust that nature's design is far better than any shoe ever made by man. You may need or want to invest in some hoof boots to help your horse through the transitional phase. 

You must be aware that with some severe cases of hoof dysfunction, horses may need to rested for long periods of time to recover-even for up to a year. This is a small price to pay however for a lifetime of soundness, comfort and health in your horse. 

Natural hoof function can often occur suddenly after a period of a few trims as it did for my horse, Kodak. Within the 5th or 6th trim using Natural Hoof tecniques I noticed a sudden increase in the concavity of his hooves. It was literally overnight. He went from having typical flat-footed thoroughbred hooves to having beautiful round cup-like feet! I have heard from others that this is not an uncommon occurence in horses during the transitional phase. It signifys the moment when the coffin bone "lifts" to a more natural and functional position in the hoof cavity.

Rather than being a destination, barefoot trimming is definately more a journey - a lifetime of committment. Should you decide to make the change you will learn so much about your horse, his body and his ability to heal and adapt. A constantly evolving path that is well worth taking for the health, wellbeing, performance and longevity of your horse.

Factors That Can Cause Poor Health of Hooves

• Shoeing
• Poor hoof maintenance- too long between trims
• Stabling or yarding- lack of movement and standing around in urine and manure causes disease in hooves
• Poor hoof balance
• Long bars and walls can cause crippling pain in some horses
• No moisture- hooves are brittle and unable to expand properly without daily access to water
• Too much soft,sandy going- firm ground encourages expansion of the hoof capsule
• Metabolic problems- highgrain diets, insufficient minerals/vitamins, starvation  

Factors that Promote Good Health in Hooves

• Removal of the shoes
• Proper hoof balance  
• Movement! Horses number one enemy to good health is stagnation. Keep horses moving, avoid stabling or yarding and put water down one end of the paddock and food down the other to encourage walking
• Daily soaking hooves in water allows for good expansion and suppleness of the hoof and can prevent cracking. Contrary to popular belief soaking hooves in water does NOT cause thrush
• A variety of terrain- rocky ground (when your horse's feet are strong and healthy again), firm compacted ground, sand and differences in the going encourages proper wear, circulation and tone of the hoof
• Maintaining a good balanced diet with plenty of roughage and correct minerals and vitamins for geographic location, breed/type and workload

For more information on where to look for the various hoof trimming techniques available, tools required and step by step instructions to do it yourself- go to our links page.

We suggest that less is always more when in comes to any therapeutic treatments with horses. Meaning take your time and allow the natural changes to occur without rushing it or causing pain to your horse. Remember, if your ten year old horse has spent eight years of it's life with shoes on there will undoubtably be a period of time before your horse is significantly better.  

Feel free to contact me regarding any of the information given here. I am always happy to share my personal experiences with Natural hoof Trimming with others who are wishing to make the change.

I am always interested in hearing from other ex-racehorse owners who are wishing to make the transition from shod to barefoot as I personally believe that the common misconception of "poor thoroughbred feet" is due to the fact that this one group of horses are so often shod from such a ridiculously young age- sometimes as young as eighteen months. My own thoroughbred who came to me at age ten after eight years of racing had the typical flat footed, pre-navicular type hooves so often seen in thoroughbreds, now after 4 years of Natural Hoof trimming and natural living conditions has beautiful round, hard, sound hooves.