Why I Will (probably) Never Hang Up My Horseshoeing Tools

Confession: There was a time in my life when the moment my horse started to get some cracking or chipping around the perimeter of her hoof walls, I was on the phone with the farrier scheduling a pair of shoes to be put on. (Don't judge me.) 

Fast forward ten years: I had been a farrier for about 6 years, and recently decided to sell my shoeing trailer and EVERYTHING in it. I spent the next few years concentrating solely on natural trimming, and carrying around a few tools in my little car. I'm not gonna lie; the decreased overhead and WAY better gas mileage left me feeling a bit spoiled.

But the more time goes by, the more I wish I still had all those tools. I've slowly begun to acquire many of them again, and on occasion I still drool over fancy farrier trailers online...  Someday, maybe...

As a natural trimmer, I get asked all the time why I still put shoes on horses. It's never dawned on me to write a post about this, until tonight. It's 12:17am and I've been thinking about this (not sleeping) for a good hour... so I decided to put some text to my thoughts.

It seems like most natural trimming articles I read talk about the horrors and dangers of the dreaded metal shoe. I've even read articles from several natural trimmers talking about why they will never, ever, EVER put a shoe on a horse. And I get that. I really do. It's what got me into natural trimming in the first place. There is something unequivocally beautiful, correct and healthy about the horses hoof in it's natural, God-designed state that no shoe, pad, adhesive device, cast, or plate can ever hold a candle to.

But the reality of life is, as I see it, that there is never only ONE right answer. Did I need to have shoes put on my mare because she has a little chip or split? Good grief, no. But there is a time and a place for horseshoes. There is a reason they have been around for literally hundreds of (almost a thousand) years. And, if I may be so bold, that reason has two legs.

Gasp! Did I say humans shouldn't have horses?!?

No. Not at all. I think horses save many lives, and the enrichment they add to any life is priceless. HOWEVER, being humans, we are not perfect. And often we impose our own set of limitations, lifestyles, habits, and environment on the creatures we surround ourselves with. And those creatures are usually happy, willing, and pleased to be a part of our lives--whatever role we place them in. It's just that sometimes those roles aren't always perfectly aligned with what is healthiest for the horse.

I need to quit rambling. Without further ado, here's my little list of reasons why I won't be hanging up my shoeing tools anytime soon (and will probably still oogle over fancy shoeing trailers):

1. Environment. Really, this should be numbers 1-10 on why horseshoes are sometimes necessary. I cannot tell you how many times I have been fired by a client who wanted natural trimming yet paid no attention to the fact that the horse lived in 12" of standing mud/manure and they intended to ride the horse once or twice a week, for 10 miles, on gravel roads. When counseled on lifestyle and environmental changes that would be necessary to maintain a "natural hoof", I often met blank stares, and claims of "well I can't afford to do that" or "we don't want to move our horse to a different stable". If I took my Honda civic to a tire dealer and complained that I was unable to trek through 3' of deep snow and proclaimed that they needed to put on tires that would work, I'm fairly certain they would laugh me out of the door. Maybe it's a Minnesota thing... but I'm fairly certain most people do not realize the stress our wet muddy climate puts on our horses hooves. And most people I know don't enjoy riding in the mud, so this stark contrast begins to pose a problem.
*There is a method of trimming horses hooves specifically designed for wet climates, but one of the main principles of this style of trimming is that the frequency of the trim must be every 3-4 weeks. Again, when I have told people this I am usually met with more blank stares and more "I can't afford that".

2. Expectations/jobs: I feel like this is used as an excuse to put on shoes much more often than it actually is true... but there definitely are certain jobs or expectations that do require additional support. Some examples are: walking on slippery concrete for hours per day (mounted patrol, etc) often dictates a synthetic or rubber shoe, or some sort of additional traction added to a plain shoe. Barrel horses often improve their times when rim shoes or other specialty shoes are applied (which I'm told is a good thing). One year I was boarding at a barn that had some flooding, and then the ground froze, and there was literally a skating rink in about 1/3 of our horse pasture. I was incredibly thankful to be able to put some borium shoes on my mare's feet--and she was the only horse able to safely walk around in that pasture for several weeks.

 

(rubber/aluminum shoes)

(borium toe, snowball pads)

3. Diet: Again, this isn't something that is routinely addressed but there are occasions where a horse has been malnourished or over-nourished and the hooves have suffered severe consequences. Sometimes the only way to make these horses comfortable is to apply some type of cast, pad, or packing to support the bony column and the hoof.

4. Genetics: I do not use genetics as a reason very often, if ever, and I am not referring to a club foot, toe-in, toe-out, or any of the standard congenital deviations. Most all of these respond very well to corrective trimming and chiropractic adjustments. Very uncommonly... a horse will have some type of congenital malformation that lends itself to complete unsoundness unless shod. Unfortunately, these horses do not typically reach maturity, but those that do often need lots of support.

(Before)

 

(After) 

5. Trauma: This is probably more common than reasons 3 and 4. By "trauma" I really mean anything that significantly disrupts the hoof capsule. This can be white line disease, a laceration, severe laminitis, other infections, etc. When the ability of the entire hoof capsule to bear weight is significantly affected, it is often necessary to add support.

So, I guess you could say I have come full circle. From a teenager who put shoes on every horse she rode, to a farrier, to a strictly natural trimmer, and now finding some happy medium. I love working on horses hooves, and I love making them sound and comfortable even more. Sometimes that means shoes. Often it doesn't.

As most things in life, it seems like there is not one right answer. 
(Which is why I am such a stickler for evaluating every horse I work on, looking at their environment, lifestyle, and performance expectations!)

And now, hopefully, sleep will come to me!

The Equine Club Foot

This condition is very near and dear to my heart, as it is part of the reason I am a chiropractor today.

The equine club foot is a tricky issue.

To begin, there are several different definitions. Just for fun, I've organized some of them from my most favorite to least favorite:

--Radiograph showing a flexion contracture of the coffin joint with increased hoof angle, often associated with dishing of the dorsal hoof wall

--Inequality in the angles of a pair of hooves (usually front), ie one hoof grows steeper than the other 

--Any hoof over 60 over 65 degrees in angle (not generally considered accurate definition, but it is out there)

There is a pretty good definition here: 

http://www.thehorse.com/articles/10589/the-club-foot

And another with more detailed discussion about possible causes: 

http://www.hoofrehab.com/ClubFoot.htm

So what does this mean practically?

Well, depending on the severity, it typically results in:

Increased dorsal hoof angle (obviously)

Contracted heels 

Chronic thrush and frog atrophy (shrinking)

Seedy toe/white line at the toe

Thin sole at the toe 

Dished hoof wall

Dishing or deterioration of the tip of the coffin bone via radiograph

Difficulty picking up leads or performing certain activities

There are 4 grades of club feet, just to help classify the severity.

This, unfortunately, is very common--at least grades 1 and 2 are quite common. Thankfully grades 3 and 4 are less common!

Treatment typically consists of specialized trimming and shoeing with possible referral for surgery in severe cases. Generally the earlier in life this condition is diagnosed and treated the better the prognosis.

So...

What does this have to do with chiropractic?

I'm so glad you asked. 

Story time! 

My old show mare had always and forever had hoof angles of 63-65 on the right front and 55-58 on the left front. No matter how I trimmed, how often I trimmed, or any myriad of shoeing techniques I used. One day, very shortly after she was adjusted for the first time, I noticed her hoof angles were suddenly matched. I hadn't changed anything in my trimming, riding, saddle, management, etc. So how did that happen??

Studies have shown that horses with club feet do NOT exhibit any anatomical differences in bone, ligament, or tendon from one leg to another. What does that mean? Well we know that one leg isn't longer than the other, one tendon isn't shorter or malformed compared to the other, and we know that it isn't caused by anything inside the foot (if you trim the hoof aggressively it will grow back rapidly). So why does this happen? Many professionals now point to tendon contracture. Specifically, the deep digital flexor tendon. Well now, how does a tendon contract? 

They don't, really. The muscle that the tendon originates on contracts. In this case, the deep digital flexor muscle that is attached to the humerus, radius, and ulna. So what would cause that muscle to contract, thus shortening the tendon?

Lots of things.... But I digress. 

Chiropractic treats subluxation complexes that are CHARCTERIZED by muscle spasm (among other things). 

Now does it begin to make sense that chiropractic can treat club feet? Massage therapy may also help, but it won't treat the root cause of the issue.

My mare continued to have level, balanced hooves for about one year. At that point, I decided that I would get her adjusted again to see what would happen. Her hoof angles balanced out. For the next few years, whenever I noticed her right hoof angle creeping up I would have the chiropractor out. And it resolved every time. I have since recommended this to multiple farrier clients, and it helps or fixes the club foot 75-85% of the time (rough estimate).

READ:

Does chiropractic guarantee to fix every club foot, every time? NO. 

Listen now: did Dr Julie say it fixes every club foot? No.

But very often, it helps. And this is why it is imperative to have good veterinary care in conjunction with chiropractic. Because if chiopractic does not help a young foal with a club foot, it MUST be further investigated and treated appropriately.

What's the big difference?

I get asked this all the time... What is the deal with natural trimming? How is it different than regular trimming?

First: there isn't one big difference. There's about 6 small differences that add up to be a big difference. 

1. The mustang roll. Quite possibly the most noticeable and/or well known part of the natural trim is the mustang roll. Essentially, a mustang roll involves rounding the entire perimeter of the hoof.

2. Lower (shorter) heels. In order to promote healthy frog health and development, it must have some ground contact. Thus, the heels are trimmed lower so that the frog comes as close to touching the ground surface as possible.

3. The natural arches of the horses foot are allowed to remain (the area called the "quarters" is shorter). The hoof is not designed to be flat, and it shouldn't be forced to be.

4. The frog and sole are NOT trimmed unless absolutely necessary. This is something that traditional farrier schools usually do teach, but does not work well for barefoot horses. Horses need to be allowed to build up a strong thick healthy sole and frog if they are going to be comfortable barefoot.

5. Removal of flares. Even if there aren't huge obvious flares with splits and chips, many horses have some degree of flaring that needs to be addressed.

6. A backed-up (not "shorter"!) toe. Trimming the toe too short from the bottom up is often what causes post-trim soreness. It's important to keep the toe backed up from the front to keep the lamina strong, but not to trim the toe too short from the bottom of the hoof.

Now, as a final caveat:

It's possible that you may be thinking: Well my farrier does all of that, but he doesn't call himself a natural trimmer. To that I will repeat a quote that a wise farrier once told me a long time ago...

"A good farrier is a good farrier is a good farrier. I don't care what you call yourself; I've seen bad farriers and bad natural trimmers... And I've seen old farmers that could trim the lamest horse around and make it sound."

You decide where to take it from there.

What is founder?

Founder is one of the most painful conditions a horse can encounter; and unfortunately it's all too common. If you've never heard of it before, in a nutshell, "founder" is inflammation inside of the hoof--it specifically affects the part of the hoof that attaches the wall (outside) to the bone inside.

Laminitis vs founder:

Sometimes used interchangeably, there is technically a difference between these two terms. Laminitis refers to the initial acute stages of the disease, where there is significant inflammation inside of the hoof. This can vary in severity, but generally requires veterinary attention (for pain relief and control of inflammation). The acute stages of laminitis can last from a few days to a few weeks, depending on the cause and severity. During this time most horses will have a very hard time walking, walk as if they are "walking on eggshells", and avoid putting weight on the affected hooves (usually both front).

The most challenging part of this disease is often the aftermath, referred to as founder. Founder actually comes from a Latin word that refers to the sinking of a ship. The reason we call it founder today is that it is commonly believed that the coffin bone actually "sinks" and/or rotates inside the hoof capsule. In fact it is a common practice to rate the severity of the founder by measuring the angle of rotation of the coffin bone. 

I'd like to propose a slightly different explanation, however. I believe it would be more accurate if we referred to the angle of rotation of the hoof wall itself, not the coffin bone. You see, the coffin bone cannot and does not actually go anywhere. Logically, as the base of the horses skeletal system, it cannot go anywhere. Let me just show you what I mean. 

If red is the hoof wall and blue is the coffin bone, here is a normal hoof. Note the front lines (a and b) are parallel. The bottom lines (1 and 2) are also parallel. The angle between line a and 1 (or the angle of the hoof wall compared to the ground) is about 55 degrees. The yellow shaded area represents a normal health lamina that is well attached to the hoof wall.

Now lets look at a foundered hoof.

The yellow area has been permanently damaged by inflammation, and the lamina has died, lost its firm attachment, and stretched out. The heels have also gotten longer as the whole foot speeds up its growth in attempts to heal itself. To help understand this concept, I left the coffin bone parallel with the ground in the first picture. But, realistically, our horse is no longer standing on the ground. If he were, he would look like this:

 

And we begin to see why the coffin bone is considered "rotated"... it appears to have taken a literal nosedive.

But realistically, if the heels hadn't grown out, and the toe hadn't stretched out, the coffin bone wouldn't have "gone" anywhere. Drawing in the original hoof wall, here's where we were at before:

Okay... but then what? Is it permanent?

Can it be fixed?

In a word: YES.

In more than one word: it takes a long time, and a lot of corrective trimming.  Once the lamina has been stretched out and essentially killed, it has to regrow entirely, starting at the coronary band (very top of the hoof) and growing all the way to the ground. During this time, which takes approximately one year, the toe must NEVER be allowed to act as a fulcrum on the fragile, newly grown lamina. What does that mean?
The hoof must be trimmed as follows:

The entire toe area in orange must be removed (remember, it is dead now, hence unneeded). This allows the growing lamina the remain firmly attached to the hoof wall. If the toe is left long, every step the horse takes will stretch the hoof wall away from the coffin bone, damaging the fragile new lamina (shaded pink). See how it would act as a fulcrum if left attached?

"BUT WAIT!!!!" You say now.  "If you trim the heels off, and trim the toe back, then the coffin bone goes right back to where it was! It hasn't really rotated at all!"

Precisely, my friend. Precisely.

PS. What causes founder in the first place?!?

By and large, the most common cause is food related. In a world of processed foods, refined sugars, soda, donuts, and diabetes, it seems that not even our four legged friends are immune to the repercussions of our lifestyle. Their bodies are more sensitive to sugars than humans are, and they are easily exposed to this because of the lifestyle we have provided them. (ie. small pastures with grass and alfalfa planted in them, sweetened and processed feeds, etc).
In a nutshell, any onslaught of sugar can send the horse into a sort of toxic level of high blood sugar (sneaking into the feed bin, an entire bucket of sweet feed from uncle Jimmy, too much rich grass all at once in the spring, etc). Horses metabolisms are not designed to cope with this, and it leads to severe inflammation.

Welcome!!

 Okay, I cave.

I'm gonna do it!

I LOVE talking about horses feet. Seriously, I think they should make a diagnosable illness for this. It's an obsession. (ICD 9 code anyone? How about 949.403--Equine podiatry related insanity?)

So, of course, the only logical thing to do in this situation is to start a blog all about horse feet.

Wait... what do high heeled shoes and cute little green frogs have to do with it??

EVERYTHING.

Why?

Show me the bottom of your horses foot (specifically, the heels and frog) and I will tell you all about their long and short term soundness and relative health.

Have I captured your attention yet?

Good.


Stay tuned for more on heels, frogs, and what in the sand-blasted-jello they have to do with horses health.

Do draft horses have bad feet?

I get this question a lot. 

A LOT.

Why?

Well, because they usually appear to have bad feet. For example, I googled just "draft horse feet" (not "bad draft horse feet") and here were a few of the first images to appear:

Hmm. Well, I suppose if that's what "draft horse feet" look like one could assume that drafts have poor feet. 

But, lets have a look see at a draft horse that I trim every 6 weeks with a natural trim.

Love this horse. And her owner. :)

So why is there such a big difference? And what makes them look so awful sometimes?

Two things:

1. Many people do not have their draft horses trimmed often enough. I've had clients with drafts that want me to come trim them up once or twice a year. Literally. Also, in defense of the multitude of good horse owners, farriers that will trim drafts can be hard to find, and are usually very expensive. Drafts are big. (Read: physically hard to trim--even if they stand perfectly still.)

2. I hate to say this, because I absolutely HATE the idea of bad mouthing anyone, especially other farriers... But, sometimes farriers are not aware or haven't been taught how to properly trim a draft. The way I was taught to trim in school does NOT work for these guys. Long heels and trying to level off the foot (leaving the quarters the same length as the rest of the foot) asks for trouble, in the form of flares, splits, and cracks.

Why are they so different?

Not just because they are big. They have much much wider, flatter feet. If you look at the length to width ratio on a draft vs another horse there is a huge difference. This predisposes to flares. Flares predispose to cracking, chipping, and losing chunks of hoof wall. This, combined with reason #1, is why we see pictures like this: 

 

Ouch. 

I personally think that drafty horses have practically perfect hoof conformation (genetically). As long they are trimmed properly and consistently they will develop solid frogs, strong heels, and gloriously thick hoof walls. 

So what does a "proper" trim look like for these big guys? The answer to that question is a whole 'nother blog post entirely. ;)