"Humans
will never devise an invention more beautiful, more simple,
or more direct than does Nature." ~Leonardo da Vinci
One of our horses, Mister, enjoying a spring day...naturally!
People often ask for veterinarian views or studies
that support natural trimming so
I've compiled a list of just some of the articles I know of listed online.
http://cvm.msu.edu/news/press/phytrim.htm
"Physiological Trimming for a Healthy Equine Foot" Dr.
Robert Bowker, DVM, PhD - University of Michigan
http://www.lancasterequine.com/research.html
Lisa Lancaster, DVM; Many hoof related articles available for view and a some hoof related
FAQ's are located here http://www.lancasterequine.com/farrier_faqs
http://cvm.msu.edu/news/press/footphy.htm
"New Theory on Equine Hoof Physiology" Dr. Bowker
http://www.equinextion.com/id48.html
Article from The Journal of Equine Veterinary Science, "The Unfettered Foot"
http://www.hoofrehab.com/gelpad.htm
Dr. Bowker & Pete Ramey; "Newly Discovered Shock Absorber in the Equine
Foot"
....when looking at this, consider that this is just from the weight of a man, not that
of a 1000lb horse...how do you think a rigid shoe might affect this?
www.naturalhorsetrim.com/Dr_Teskey.htm
"Breaking Traditions" Dr. Tomas Teskey, DVM
cvm.msu.edu/news/press/navicular.htm
"Avoiding Navicular"
easycareinc.com/Education/articles/is_shoeing_a_necessary_evil.aspx
"Is Shoeing Necessary?" Dr. Neel W. Glass, Ph.D.
thenakedhoof.com.au/html/article-MetalFree.htm
"The Metal-Free Horse" Dr. Robert Cook, DVM, FRCVS, PhD; Tufts University
www.horseonsale.com/blog/?p=55
A Vet's story of a dressage horse on it’s way to having a neurectomy due to navicular
www.nohoof-nohorse.com/articles/teskey_02.html
"Freedom for the feet---De-shoeing horses"
www.thehorseshoof.com/art_bowker1.html
Understanding Feral Hooves and how it relates to domestic hooves
ivis.org/proceedings/AAEP/2003/bowker2/chapter_frm.asp?LA=1
A detailed article from American Assoc. of Equine Practitioners --"What makes 'Good'
and 'Bad' Footed Horses"
www.equethy.com/page6.htm
Chrisann Ware, (not a vet but an Equine Myofunctional Therapist); Understanding
the "whole horse effects" of poor hoof form
www.johnthevet.com/publication.php
A vets thoughts/comments on treating laminitis without shoes
www.forloveofthehorse.com/barefoot.php
Valuable information particularly for owners of laminitic horses
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db
=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=11721569
Swedish Vet/Ag University, "Do shoes affect hoof mechanism, heel expansion, frog
pressure?"
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Left- Charlie, owned and
driven by the Campbells, competes in combined driving barefoot, as all their horses do. (Photo Credit )
Right-One guess which horse is shoeless! :) NMF Benraz Halim, owned by Sara & Brian
Minsk, has no trouble leading the way barefoot! Who says barefoot horses have no
traction?! (Photo by Terri Holst
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To see more action shots please take a
look at my "Clients Page" and scattered throughout the other
pages as well...
www.aanhcp.net
www.thehorseshoof.com
www.hoofrehab.com
www.barefoothorse.com
www.barefoottrim.com
www.ironfreehoof.com
www.tribeequus.com
www.naturalhorsetrim.com
www.barefoothorses.co.uk
www.safergrass.org - (Not
a trim site, but critical info on diet...vital to healthy hooves!)
Olympian Emma Hindle's barefoot dressage
horses. "The suppleness with which Hindle’s horses moved
is remarkable. Both Diamond Hit and Wie Weltmeyer bounced off the ground striding
with confidence.
The secret to this power and rhythm in her horses is the fact that they wear no
shoes. "The experiences
I’ve had riding without shoes is unbelievable,” Hindle explained."
As more people are discovering the benefits of barefoot, many articles on the subject are
appearing in major Equine magazines. The first 4 have online links but the last two do
not. They are great articles though and you can easily order back issues of the magazine
through their website.
"Horse & Rider" Feb 2006; Is Barefoot Better?
by Jennifer F. Meyer http://equisearch.com/horses_care/health/hoof_care/barefoot_112507/
"Horse & Rider" Dec 2006; A New Way To Beat Laminitis
by Debbie Moors www.hoofrehab.com/HORP-061200-LAMINITIS.pdf
"Practical Horseman" Dec 2005; Can Your Horse Go Barefoot? Here's
Why, And How, He May Be Happier Without Shoes. by Elaine Pascoe www.easycareinc.com/_System/Lib/Image/main_pages/education
/articles/Can%20Your%20Horse%20Go%20Barefoot.pdf
"Horsetalk Online Magazine" Jan 2008; Going Barefoot Means Change
for Horse and Rider by Abigail Hogg; www.horsetalk.co.nz/health/barefoot-137.shtml
"Western Horseman" July 2007; “Barefoot Every Day: Is It Right
for Your Horse?”
by Heidi Nyland
"Horse & Rider" Dec 2007; "The Benefits of Barefoot"
by Jennifer F. Meyer
"Horse Owners Guide to Natural Hoof
Care"; "Paddock Paradise"; "Founder: Prevention and Cure";
and "The Natural Horse" all by Jaime Jackson www.primechoice.com/jaime-jackson
"Making Natural Hoofcare Work for You" by Pete Ramey www.hoofrehab.com
"The Soul of A Horse: Life Lessons from the Herd" by Joe Camp www.thesoulofahorse.com
"Ten Golden Rules of Horsemanship" Bruce Nock, PhD; fellow AANHCP
member
http://homepage.mac.com/brucenock/Book.html
"Equine Wellness Magazine" www.equinewellnessmagazine.com
"Natural Horse Magazine" www.naturalhorse.com
Barefootin' Barrels! 1st Photo: Claudia
Lors on High Flying Princess (Photo from thehorseshoof.com)
2nd and 3rd photos: Melissa Rider on her horses Cash (middle) and on Black Jack
(right) .
The first four sites listed here don't specifically talk about
natural trimming as the others do, but they are clients of mine that of course are big
believers in barefoot and compete on their horses in various events.
www.trailsendec.com Kerri Joosten, 3 Star Parelli
Professional/Instructor and her son who competes in upper level Polocrosse barefoot
www.drreznicek.com A Veterinarian/Equine
Chiropractor who competes in endurance
www.deanfieldfarm.com Competes in dressage,
cross country and jumping (also stands an Irish Draught stallion)
www.ricecreekfarm.com Competes in endurance
(also stands a Spanish Arabian stallion)
www.thesoulofahorse.com Friend, Filmmaker,
Author, creator/owner of the amazing Benji, and a true advocate for children and animals,
Joe Camp speaks of his journey into horsemanship.
www.equisearch.com/horses_care/health/hoof_care/barefoothorse_011706
A story of how natural hoof care saved her navicular horse
http://equiwebs.com/ninemaple A Thoroughbred
& Arabian race farm
www.sportpony.com Another TX Veterinarian, sport
horse trainer
www.horsedesigns.com/journey/journey.html
One woman explains her journey down the barefoot path...
http://members.cox.net/shotgun.ranch/
another story of how barefoot helped a navicular horse...
Some barefoot horses may
need hoof boots if you plan to ride on terrain they are not accustomed to. Unlike shoes
however Hoof Boots don’t restrict hoof mechanism, allow proper hoof form, flex,
absorb shock (rather than increase it as shoes do) and truly protect the entire hoof, not
just the edge of the hoof wall. Best of all they don't have to be worn 24/7...just think
of them as another piece of tack. Hoof Boots today are vastly improved from those of
yesteryear. You’ll be pleasantly surprised by their fit and durability. Ask a skilled
natural trimmer to help you with properly fitting boots to your horse.
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www.easycareinc.com
Great site to compare various boots and learn more on booting, fitting, and the barefoot
horse. I am an Easy Care distributor.
www.swissboots.net
A friends site detailing the fitting/sizing and use of another popular style boot, the
Swiss Boot. These boots can be customized, thus come in handy for those hard to fit
horses.
www.naturalhorsetrim.com/boot_swap.htm
Hoof Boot Classifieds/Swap plus has info on many different style boots and how to figure
out sizing.
At Left, Karen Chaton on Granite Chief, "barebooted". Chief has now
logged over 7,000 miles (and has a list of awards nearly as long). He is one of three
barefoot horses to be in the top ten AERC Mileage Standings for 2007. Read about Karen's
adventures on her blog and get plenty of info on barefoot, boots and endurance at http://easycareinc.typepad.com/karen/ |
Some of our Friend's Websites
Cross Country Barefoot! Riders have found their horses move more confidently and their
traction is BETTER than with shoes/studs!
Scooby www.barefoothorses.co.uk
Tyler Deroo riding Royal Code www.naturalhorsetrim.com/Section_23_full.htm
Debbie Fullilove riding Braveheart RID www.deanfieldfarms.com
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www.horsephotoguy.com
Professional Equine Photography
(My sister-in-laws site! Beautiful work, take
a look!)
www.horsesofproudspirit.org
I've had the pleasure of visiting this beautiful sanctuary...heaven on earth for horses!
Melanie Bowles, the owner, found letting the horses be as natural as possible has been the
most effective tool in healing them- not only physically, but emotionally as well. Melanie
has written 2 touching books, "The Horses of Proud Spirit" & "Hoof
Prints: More Stories From Proud Spirit". Be assured when buying these books you're
supporting a great cause!
www.narha.org
My wife has been a NARHA certified instructor for many years. We strongly feel Therapeutic
Riding is one of the best forms of therapy available. Centers are always in need of
volunteers! The link above can help you locate a center near you.
www.personalponies.org
A wonderful organization that not enough people know about. We donated a pony here years
ago and he was able to bring smiles to many children.
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A Love 4 Horses.com
Sourced horse head clip art.
Whoa Horse Web
Design
Frugal Horse Web Hosting
"Shoeing is another common fetish. Horse owners have been
led to believe that
horses must be shod. Well, they shouldn’t. The constant wearing of metal shoes
is responsible for more poor feet than common neglect."
John Richard Young, author, "Schooling of the Western Horse"
