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all around the Equine Hooves

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  • Hoof Mechanism
  • Unshod Hoof
  • Hoofshoes
  • Shoeing a Horse
  • Hoof Roll Inflammation
  • Malanders
  • Hoof Abscess
  • Laminitis
  • Spavin
  • Contracted Hooves
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Unshod Hoof

In my opinion owning and riding an unshoed horse is by far the most rewarding situation to be in. One can not deny that a horse comes into this world without shoes, and it can be obviously stated that a foal is also not born with a rider on it´s back. In my opinion I feel far too many horses are unnecessarily shod.
One has to accept that horses taken on out-rides often find themselves on broken stony ground (at least close to me in Sauerland they do - in other regions it may be different). As the horse cannot realistically be offered ideal "going", one must ensure the hoof is able to adapt to all the variations in terrain it comes across.

Hence the argument for shoeing a horse has a strong appeal. On a further note, there is a portion of Leisure orientated horse owners who rightly seek to ensure their horses spend enough time in open stables and pastures. (These owners should never be surprised to find that their horses have more gusto than their counterparts).
However, as stated in most of the relevant professional journals the average horse in our community in this part of the world, spends approximately 23 hours a day standing in a soft hay strewn box, and then the other hour in a soft paddock. If lucky, they may spend a couple of hours a week on a soft field. This doesn`t give much support to the argument that one simply has to keep a horse shod.

I strongly advise all horse owners to consider setting aside a recuperation period, where the horse is kept unshod at least in the relatively immobile months of deep winter. What follows in this article is then bound to appeal to interested parties.

Routine hoof inspection and manipulation is the most important factor in maintaining a healthy unshod hoof. One needs to pay specific attention to certain areas. In order to illustrate this I will use the left hind hoof of a Traber as an example.

One can obviously see that a poorly cut hoof is disturbing the posture of this horse. One must note the toe position of the hoof in relation to the plane of the Pastern Bone on the fron of the leg (as shown). The hoof points inwards towards the left.

by lifting the leg one can see that except for the inner hoof border (arrow), every thing looks in order. Here I shorten the inner ground Border Wall, in the direction the hoof is pointing.

This inner weight-bearing rim is then rasped flat, to match the profile of the outer (untouched) Ground Border Wall. The bar then needs to be cut out and the loose bits of horn need to be removed.

To conclude, one has a straightened hoof stance.

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