The Barefoot Horse

Over the years, it has become almost usual to see the FEI horses scratch shows and classes for injury. The injuries range anywhere from a bowed tendon to something so preventable as a stone bruise. Unfortunately, I have had many friends have this problem and spend months trying to solve the same hoof issues, and- oddly enough- they all wear shoes. However, some brave owners and trainers have ventured into the world of the barefoot horse and found that their time with the traditional, metal shoe has come to a close. 

Cody, who turned 25 this year, has never worn shoes in his life. Yet, I am proud to say that he has never (knock on wood) had a hoof-related injury. I have had many people ask how he could stay so sound without shoes, even when he was eventing. The secret to keeping him sound is correct trimming and- surprisingly- no shoes. Correct natural trimming has made his hooves bigger and stronger than that of a horse with shoes, even to the point where he can go on gravel without missing a step! 

It starts with knowing the basic knowledge of the hoof. First, the horse should always walk heel to toe, this allows the horse to wear their hooves down naturally and builds a callus around the hoof wall (which will prevent quarter cracks). Secondly, the frog acts as shock absorber and spreads the weight out evenly along the hoof. This leads to the fact that the hoof expands as it hits the ground, shoes do not allow the hoof to respond naturally and can actually lead to more hoof injuries. So, as the hoof expands, the frog hits the ground and absorbs the weight and pressure from the tendons. This allows the horse to move more freely because there is no strain or pressure on the back of the tendons. 

With shoes, the hoof is placed just barely high enough where the sole and frog do not touch the ground. This makes the sole- which does not have a callus at this point- very sensitive and the frog cannot absorb the shock- putting most of the weight on the outside hoof wall and shoe. It also pulls on the back tendon. As you can imagine, this takes away the natural action of the hoof. 

Over time, a natural cared for hoof will become much stronger than a hoof with shoes. As the calluses build up, the wall will begin to grow to the point of doubling in size. This is the reason why horses in the wild stay so sound while spending months in rocky and mountainous terrain. 

A great alternative to shoes (if your horse does not wear their hooves from heel to toe or has sensitive soles) is using a boot. These boots are made of rubber, so they expand with the hoof and provide protection if they are just coming out of shoes. You can also get them custom to your horse's hoof size so it can comfortably fit around the hoof. 

Research on natural hoof care has been backed by many top trainers, such as Shannon Peters. Hopefully, more owners and trainers will take a look into barefoot dressage and see the drastic change in both movement and soundness of the horse. 

        When pressure is not on the hoof

Once pressure is applied, the hoof expands, the frog absorbs the shock.

For more information, check out www.hoofrehab.com

MSEDA

To start off, I will say that I do feel bad having not written in almost a month. I have several ideas ready for a post, however I have had a severe case of writer's block. Fortunately, this past weekend was Pony Cup and MSEDA, so I am going to cram this super exciting weekend into one, big post. 

The show itself was very well put on, MSEDA did an awesome job of planning everything and making sure  the riders were pleased with the show. I still felt that it was laid back considering the hundreds of ponies (and horses, too) that were still getting used to the new environment. The judges were very helpful in their comments and always gave me something to work towards for my next ride. Overall, it was a very nice show, I hope to see more ponies next year!

This weekend was a weekend of improvement, I was a little nervous, however, as this was the last weekend to bump up my average for year-end awards. In spite of my nervousness, I was able to push that aside to focus on my actual test and improving my ride (improvement in itself). Friday, Cody and I had a very nice Training Three test. I felt that I had ridden him very well and he had given me his all. That being said, I had come out of the arena saying that "whatever the score, it was a fantastic test". Which, I believe is something so many people should start focusing on: how the test felt vs. their score (but that is a topic for another day). Fortunately, the judge saw what I felt and scored us a 75%, being the highest score I had ever received by far. 

For my Training Two ride on Saturday, Cody was a little too low in the bridle. For the first time ever, I actually had to ride his poll up, which was something I needed to learn to work with. Despite his poll being low during the test, it still felt very nice and steady, while keeping everything smooth. Are comments from the judge were very positive and gave me a good idea of what to fix in my Training Three, as I had her, again, for my second test. I fixed the poll issue and rode as accurately as I could. Coming out of the ride, I was very pleased, Cody was steady and his transitions were smooth. I was mainly proud of our ability to apply our comments so quickly, hopefully the judge saw that, as well. We came out scoring a 70.2%.

Overall, it was a more than fantastic weekend. His improvement has been so tremendous these past few months, and even from last year. It just makes me so proud when I think about how far Cody has come. To be honest, last year I was positive he would never score above a 68%, which was our highest score at the time. He just didn't seem like a 70's type of horse, and even though it was disappointing to think that, I had come to terms with it. He was so far from scoring in the 70's, he threw his head up in his transitions (rider error), he didn't use his back, he wasn't steady in the bridle. There qwere so many things that needed to be fixed. My biggest victory, to me, is finally seeing those big issues being fixed: his transitions are smooth, he stays steady in the bridle, and he reaches over his back. I couldn't be more proud of Cody. It still amazing me how wrong I was to think that this horse would never score above a 68%. I owe it all to Susan and Kristin, they've changed the both of us to be who we are. 

       We scored a '9' on our halt!

To think this horse didn't use his back just last year!