Barefoot Persuasion
Written by: Patrick Ards
Not too long ago, I had an experience that changed the way I will think about farriery forever. It has long been my feeling that properly maintained barefoot horses had healthier feet and fewer lameness problems. I didn’t have any proof beyond my own observations, but I believed it to be true and tried to encourage my customers to leave their horses barefoot whenever possible. Then I went to a horseshoeing clinic. It was rather loosely organized and I was planning to hang out for the afternoon mystery lecture, then head home for a bit of doing nothing. I watched a few demonstrations, chatted with a few friends then wandered back into the kitchen. There was an older gentleman there having a coke and looking a little distracted. Thinking he was a horse owner who might have felt as bored as I was, I sat down to pass the time. Within a minute I knew this man was someone special. Within five minutes, I knew I had just met one of my heroes.
Dr. Robert M. Bowker, V.M.D., Ph.D., Director of The Equine Foot Laboratory at Michigan State University, knows more about the internal workings of horse feet than any other single person alive. Where most veterinarians may dissect one or two equine feet in their lifetime, Dr. Bowker has minutely examined thousands. Last year, he set the veterinary world on its ear when he presented a paper describing how blood flow within the horse’s foot dissipates shock. You may have seen an article on his findings in Equus magazine entitled "Hooves Under Pressure."
In addition to having a staggering number of papers and abstracts to his credit, Dr. Bowker stands out in his love for horses, his desire to better their lives and his willingness to educate anyone who shows even a glimmer of interest. We sat in the kitchen and spoke for several hours before it was time for him to deliver his lecture. In those hours and in the course of his lecture, my instinctual belief in the barefoot horse crystallized into certain knowledge. Barefoot is the most healthy, natural way for a horse to be.
Dr. Bowker places horses into two categories. Good-footed horses live into their late twenties or thirties with few or no lameness problems. Bad-footed horses tend not to survive that long and are plagued by lameness issues all of their lives. So, what makes a horse good or bad footed in the first place?
The horse’s environment is 90% of the determining factor of what makes a good-footed or bad-footed horse. Before a horse is born, all four of his feet are exactly the same for the only time in his life. Within two days of birth, the structures in the hoof have already adapted to environmental pressure to such an extent that a pathologist could tell which were front feet and which were hind without seeing them on the horse. The architecture, functioning and even the biochemistry of the horse’s foot change constantly in response to the environmental stresses placed upon it. Mother Nature is going to find a way to support the leg however she can. Normal physiologic demands will produce a normal homeostasis, meaning the foot will find its level and stay there. However, if the physiologic changes become more excessive, the feet will adapt in more extreme ways. Some changes may be beneficial, some may be temporarily beneficial then may turn out to be detrimental in the long run. Horse owners, veterinarians and farriers are a primary cause of environmental stress and so are ultimately responsible for the development of a good-footed horse.One of the primary differences between good-footed horses and bad-footed horses is that good-footed horses have wide heels and their frogs on the ground. These frogs are thick, wide and short as opposed to the thin, narrow and long frogs seen in a bad-footed horse. When autopsied, it was found that feet with good frog to ground contact had an enormous blood supply, a thick lateral cartilage and a fibrous digital cushion. These factors mean that the bones of the horses foot and leg are well supported, cushioned and fed. Feet with poor or no frog to ground contact were just the opposite - poorly supplied with blood; weak, thin lateral cartilage and a fatty digital cushion, leading to losses in bone density, poor support and poor shock absorption. These poor footed horses are the ones that develop navicular and other osteoporotic type diseases.
Unfortunately for these horses, shoes can exacerbate the problem over the long run, especially if the farrier isn’t specifically looking for subtle changes that happen over a long period of time. When nailing a shoe to the hoof, the natural expansion and contraction of the horse’s heel is curtailed, the frog is lifted and the sole is "protected" from contact with the ground. If the heel cannot expand and contract, the heels begin to close up. A frog that does not contact the ground grows thinner, longer and less elastic. A sole that does not receive stimulation grows thinner. The consequence of these changes is that there is less blood flow to the feet. As the heels contract, the farrier has to shape the shoes to fit under the narrower heels and often has to resort to using the heel nails, further restricting the natural expansion.
A poor footed horse can be put on the path toward healthier feet by changing the way their feet contact the ground. Dr. Bowker has fourteen navicular horses of his own. These horses have all come to him with "bad" to "severe" foot disease. Working closely with a local farrier, Dr. Bowker pulled their shoes and began a program of corrective trimming. All of these horses now rate in the "moderate" category and some are still improving.
The transition from shoes to barefoot is not always easy, especially for those horses that are ridden often. Many horses have been in shoes for most of their lives. Their soles and often their hoofwalls are thin. When these horses go barefoot for the first time, they may show tenderness on hard or rocky surfaces for a period lasting from weeks to several months. Their hooves will also chip and crack along the edges until the old nail holes and the areas thinned by rasping grow out.
Fortunately, a little patience and judicious farriery can speed up the adjustment period and help keep problems to a minimum. Venice turpentine can be painted on the soles (not the frog!) twice a week for the first two weeks then once a week for three weeks to harden the sole. Put the horse on a four to five week trimming program until the old nail holes are completely trimmed out. If the horse is in regular work, have your farrier measure your horse for a pair of "Old Mac" boots. These boots cost about what it would cost to have all four feet shod and will last for quite a lot longer. They are only used when the horse is being ridden and provide excellent support and protection for all riding disciplines.
The benefits of increasing the health of your horse’s feet far outweigh the short-term inconvenience of the transition. As a farrier, I feel my most important job is to protect the soundness of the horses in my care. While I can make a great deal more money putting shoes on your horse, I feel that I would be doing so at the cost of my integrity as a caretaker. This is why, if you ask me to shoe your horse, my answer may be "no".
Mr. Patrick Ards owns and operates Clearhills Farrier Services located near Fairview, Alberta. Patrick is a professionally trained farrier with experience in servicing Western pleasure and performance horses as well as hunter, jumper, draft and event horses. He is a member of the Western Canadian Farrier Association and the American Farrier's Association.
