I was especially pleased to see one of the lecturers was Gene Ovnicek, a proponent of natural hoof care, both barefoot and shod. He is considered one of the pioneers of natural hoof care and has formulated his methodology using the data he collected studying the wild horse first hand. I was fortunate to catch his opening lecture and found it to be well presented and informative. I was also able to spend some time with him at his booth and discuss various aspects of natural hoof care and the role of the shoe. His philosophy is basically that barefoot is best, but barefoot isn’t always not feasible, therefore he developed the natural balance shoe and shoeing technique.
Besides the natural balance shoe, there was another shoe on display called the easy walker. Like the natural balance shoe, it’s nailed on, but that’s about the only simililarity. Rather than steel it is constructed entirely of a plastic like compound. I spoke with their rep at length and he to conceded that barefoot is best, but if additional protection was desired their product was the next best thing. Beyond that, the American farrier association was represented, there was a farrier supply distributor present along with Mustad, a major manufacturer of hoof care supplies and farrier equipment. There was also a booth for clean trax, one of the most effective remedies for hoof infections, especially white line disease.
I made a point to visit each of these boothes, firstly to keep current with the industry I work in and secondly in preparation for this article. My goal was to see how each viewed keeping a horse barefoot. Most conceded that barefoot is better for the horse, but were quick to point out that not every horse can do it. While I agree with that, I did not agree with some of the percentages stated. The general feeling I got was that recreational horses could probably be left barefoot, especially with the number of boots now available. However, the common feeling was performance horses most likely would need to be shod. While I disagree with that, my main point was that even if that was true, performance horses only make up about 20 percent of this country’s horse population, therefore, using that logic 8 out of 10 could probably remain barefoot.
Upon further discussion many also felt the number of horses going barefoot has increased significantly within the last couple of years. The farrier supply distributor has even began to sell tools at the expo, many of which are purchased by horse owners trimming there own horses. My point, owners are taking a more proactive approach to their horses’ foot care and are informing themselves, thus the increased presence of hoof care practioners and suppliers at expos such as this one whose targeted audience is horse owners. That’s who they are there to reach and to “sell”.
I was also pleased to see the number of vendors carrying various styles of hoof boots. I have seen boots referred to as a fad, much like natural hoof care. As an equine affair regular, it was refreshing to see the number of vendors carrying them appeared to increase. There was also a variety of different boots to choose from and even one designed to be worn over metal shoes. After speaking with some of the vendors this is in proportion to the increased interest people are taking in the quest for the “natural” horse. Can boots be natural? That’s a whole other debate, but natural sure seems to be the buzz word at many of these expositions.
Whatever direction you choose to go in your horses’ hoof care program, it’s not a matter of right or wrong, but what will work best for your situation. My purpose is not to discredit such a well established industry such as the farrier industry, but to introduce a different point of view and to introduce both the art and the science of barefoot hoof care to horse owners. One of the keys to choosing the best hoof care program for your horse is educating yourself and asking lots of questions. Expos, such as Equine Affaire afford you the opportunity to do both. Until next month, God Bless you and your equine partners, especially as we celebrate the birth of the Savior of the world.
