Happy New
Year! May I suggest a New Year’s resolution…
I will
not neglect my horses’ hoofcare because it is winter. While
it is true that the rate of growth decreases during the
winter months, it does continue to grow. While the decreased
rate of growth does allow the length of the trim cycle to be
increased, I suggest not extending that cycle by more than
two weeks.
As I
have stated so many times in this column, one of the keys to
healthy feet is to take a proactive approach in managing
your horse’s feet. Beyond periodically examining your
horse’s feet (daily if possible, weekly at the least) it is
important to have your hoofcare professional out to maintain
your horse’s feet. Part of that maintenance is detecting and
correcting imbalances that can lead to problems. Whatever
the season, having your horse’s feet checked and balanced by
your trimmer or farrier can save you a lot of future
“down-time”. Almost every pathology is preceded by
noticeable deformities in the hoof. These conditions include
cracks, navicular syndrome and ringbone.
As well,
if your horse is shod, make sure to inspect the shoes daily
to insure whatever traction devices used are still adequate.
Worn borium or a missing stud can leave your horse wearing
an ice skate.
Another
consideration during the winter months is the use of rock
salt or calcium ice melting products. While they do help
eliminate slip hazards, they can also wreak havoc on your
horse’s hoof, especially if they become packed with these
materials. The obvious concern is the excess drying of the
hoof. A realistic concern when you consider the frog alone
is comprised of 50% water. Therefore it is important to pick
and clean your horse’s feet if they come in contact with any
of these products and spare the hoof the drying and
subsequent hardening of the hoof.
While
winter offers plenty of challenges for us and our horses,
hoofcare doesn’t need to be one of them. By following these
few suggestions, your horse’s feet will be ready for
whatever comes their way.
One more
resolution suggestion…I will use this winter “down-time” to
explore alternate methods of hoofcare and training. One of
the most popular methods of doing this is surfing the web.
The next time your online check out
www.naturalhoofconcepts.com. As I stated last month Natural
Concepts is expanding its services in 2005, this website is
part of that expansion. My goal is to update it biweekly, so
bookmark it and by all means your feedback is appreciated.
Although anyone who has been reading my columns make take a
double take when they visit it. One of the expanded services
will be Natural Balance shoeing beginning in March, yes
shoeing. Natural balance shoeing is an alternative to
tradition methods of shoeing. I have dedicated a great deal
of time examining and comparing various shoeing methods and
have found the principles of Natural Balance most compatible
with the principles of natural hoofcare. With that said, my
position on shoeing hasn’t changed; it should always be a
last resort. The driving force behind this decision has been
the number of people contacting me about wanting to attempt
to go barefoot, yet still looking for the insurance of
having the option to go back to shoes without having to find
someone else. Thus, by offering this service I hope it will
result in more barefoot horses. As far as this column, its
focus has been and will continue to be on the high
performance barefoot horse. Again, Happy New Year and God
bless you and your equine friends.
