Email: jenclingly@yahoo.com.au
Blog Layout
A QUESTION FOR YOU
Wild About Hooves • Dec 22, 2016
Are we becoming Farriers?
The extraordinary relationship between humans and the horse has been running since well before the birth of Christ. Indeed there is evidence our domestication of horses goes as far back as 3500 BC. And ever since we recognised the utilitarian value of the horse; there has been the horseshoe.
The use of horseshoes has become an almost unquestioned tradition. Humans have been nailing shoes onto horses’ hooves for well over a thousand years. Who can remember back to a time otherwise?
In this day and age, why do we continue to use metal shoes and now newer, higher tech composite versions nailed on horse’s hooves? Is it to the detriment or benefit of the horse or benefit to the human? Why our allegiance with traditional practices?
To fully understand this debate, we need to delve back into the history books to see why our ancestors deemed it necessary to shoe their horses.
The precise historical origins of shoeing remain unclear but current research suggests that as early as 500BC, the early Mongolians put primitive boots made of animal hide and woven plant material onto their horses. Around 100AD the Romans, inventors of the first paved roads, created the ‘hipposandal’ similar to the sandals they wore themselves, made of leather and iron and attached to the hoof by straps. These early boots would almost certainly have been used to prevent soreness and the rapid wear of the hoof due to the increased work- loads that the horses of the time would have been placed under.
Travelling to the colder and wetter climes of Europe, horses would have suffered a new problem. A combination of the natural porosity of the hoof, consistently wet ground and poor stabling in its’ own waste, would have overly softened the hoof leading to soundness disorders.
Horses had become as indispensable as the car is to us now. Owners needed them to be serviceable at all times. Strap on boots in the materials available at the time wouldn’t have lasted very long. A more secure and reliable shoe was needed.
Enter the ‘modern’ nailed horseshoe. Around 600AD the first nailed horseshoes were made of soft brass, eventually giving way to the by now, increasingly plentiful iron. By the time of the Crusades, no self-respecting Knight going into battle would be seen without them. Hot horseshoeing became popular in Europe in the 16th century as a means of quickly bedding a shoe into the hoof. Apart from the more recent lightweight aluminum versions used in racing, the horseshoes’ design has changed very little in the last 1400 years
So if a nailed on shoe allows the hoof to last longer, provide more grip, prevent soreness and has the added bonus of helping you win the odd battle, why was there an advocate for change?
This was based on the growing evidence, backed by anecdotal and reasonable scientific fact that nailed on shoes have the potential to cause considerable harm to a horse. Horseshoes do damage. With negative physical changes to the hoof and body.
Change was based on the fact that times were different. With the advent of the internal combustion engine and mechanization, the horse has been relegated from indispensable beast of burden and essential mode of transport to one of almost purely, sporting pleasure. Probably much to the appreciation of many a horse.
Change was also based on increased knowledge, observation of wild horses and a fundamental social awareness of “animal welfare”. The horse now had “intrinsic” value rather than utilitarian. They no longer pull vast loads in carts and the last armored knights haven’t been seen since the middle-ages. Save perhaps for the odd Hollywood epic. In fact most horses are kept, destined for a life in paddocks. Their hooves barely ever getting a chance of being worn down on man made roads.
So there has been a growing movement both here and overseas to see a return to barefoot horses through the promotion of ‘natural hoof-care’.
Natural hoof care gains its’ inspiration from the wild horse. Like the Australian brumby, the American mustangs, the wild ponies of Mongolia, even the humble Zebra. All run freely and without pain over the roughest of terrains without the need for any hoof protection. Hoof disorders that plague their domestic cousins are virtually unknown to them
Jeremy Ford of Wild About Hooves has been a conventional farrier. As part of his job he had come into contact with wild brumbies in the outback of Northern Territory. What astonished him was the amazing condition of their hooves, the distances they were travelling for food and water. Not a shoe in sight.
So can our domestic horse be trimmed to emulate the natural wear of the wild? Yes it can! Ford attended a hoof care clinic run by American farrier, Pete Ramey.
“It got me thinking. Shoes seemed so unnecessary. What the old farriers in the game told me about founder, softness, wear, bruising – the information at the clinic turned it all on its head. I’m now a professional hoof trimmer and have been for the past 15 years. I have hung up my hammer, stored the anvil and have a great business specializing in natural hoof care and education”
When describing the evolution of his business, Ford notes “The bonus is – because the owner can now take responsibility of their horse’s hooves, especially with increased education, they get a much better rapport with their horse and take more responsibility for their horse’s wellbeing”.
Owner’s interest in their horse’s hooves has escalated exponentially in the last 20 years.
This now means Farrier Schools and Magazines are encouraging the Farriers to embrace and work with the barefoot clientele and recognize them as a growing segment of the equine owning population. To not, means they lose a market share and missed economic opportunities. Farriers are skilled with the tools; some keen to evolve with the times and learn the technique and principles of the natural trim, and gain an understanding of the myriad of hoof boots.
But what is truly interesting, is that whilst Natural hoof care is becoming more mainstream there is a new emerging market returning to shoeing with composite shoes under various new labels within the “barefoot” realm. Composite shoes are headlining the hoof care industry for performance and rehabilitation.
Therefore, are we evolving or just going full circle? Is history repeating itself as we increase reliance on using hoof protection on horses – plastic, poly or the metal kind? The horse in our day and age has so much at their fingertips.
It begs the question – why are we returning to shoes?
Are we going back to shoes because of poor trimmers? Is the shoe just used as a band-aid?
Are the poor sedentary, obese lifestyles of our horses not unlike our own – causing poor hooves?
Are we not following through with the underlying principle of the “natural horse”?
There seems to be diametrically opposed philosophies with individual practitioners and how they view their role in the hoof care realm. Some are driven by tradition; others on instinct or gut feel following a “deep green” philosophy, and others simply by what they see as common sense.
The reliance on metal, plastic or composite shoes – is in direct contrast to the philosophies held by the “pure” natural hoof care practitioners.
If we look at the human health industry, few folks rely on alternative medical practitioners. We no longer let healing run its course, we are too impatient. We dislike having to take responsibility for our longer term health if there is an easier fix that requires less effort. If we have the flu, we shuffle to the doctor which will almost always guarantee a course of antibiotics. If we think we can take a multivitamin versus making the effort of changing our diets, we pop a pill.
Dr Neal Valk, US Veterinary Surgeon and Natural Hoof Care Practitioner draws a parallel “We live in an age where people want a pill to treat for type 2 diabetes, not a menu or an exercise program.” Natural Hoof care is based on the premise of a holistic approach for the horse: its environment, its diet, it exercise and ability to move, the capabilities of healthy, sound bare hooves, how to recognize damage already done to the hoof and where possible, respect its natural ability to heal.
If the typical horse owner needs to rehabilitate their much loved steed, just as they would their own child, they want a quick fix, anxious for results.
Our current “instant gratification” society does not allow for Doctor Time in the paddock, for rehabilitation and healing to take place.
However, it is the horse owner, the client, that governs the hoof care industry. Decisions are made on capitalist driven marketing, the rules and regulations of equine events and most importantly, peer pressure. Humans are social creatures who need to follow others to belong.
And we now see that natural hoof care practitioners are filling their tool boxes with shoes for instant fixes, the latest gadgets and gizmos and prepped with a sales spiel whilst perhaps not looking at the long term picture.
There is growing dissension afoot. From the paddocks of the well-heeled thoroughbreds to the humblest pony club, bold voices are asking questions.
Is the natural hoof care industry becoming so large and competitive that it has lost it’s original purpose? Is it possible, in this era of fast paced lifestyles and owners with expectations to be at the next equine event, cannot allow the time it takes for natural hoof care to succeed?
Is hoof care merging or will the barefoot versus shod camp segregate further?
Are natural hoof care practitioners just becoming farriers?
If natural hoof care practitioners truly believe that nailing on horseshoes is detrimental to the long term soundness and welfare of horses then “history shows us that the only time the cycles of suffering, cycles of inherited thinking are broken – is when someone has the courage to take a stand and say in a loud clear voice, ‘we are better than this’”. Wise words quoted from Lyn White, Australia’s foremost animal activist.
Laminitis kills thousands of horses every year, and leaves thousands of others debilitated with lameness. It will and can affect any horse. And for you, the horse owner it can be devastating: you feel guilty and heartbroken at your horses suffering, confused with all the information as it is typically explained by professionals in scientific terms that can be difficult to understand, costly veterinary bills and you have the major task of nursing your horse back to recovery. . Unseasonal weather patterns around Australia with abundant rain and sunshine saw laminitis at a near epidemic last year. The reason being, that the environmental conditions can trigger increases in the sugar, starch and fructan. These collectively known as non-structural carbohydrates can cause laminitis in any horse or pony. Alarm bells ring this spring!! Be warned and be prepared, for prevention is better than cure.
The extraordinary relationship between humans and the horse has been running since before the birth of Christ. Indeed, there is evidence our domestication of horses goes as far back as 3500 BC. And ever since we recognised the utilitarian value of the horse, there has been the horseshoe. The use of horseshoes has become an almost unquestioned tradition. Humans have been nailing shoes onto horses’ hooves for well over a thousand years. Who can remember back to a time otherwise?
There is nothing quite like getting hands-on when you are learning the art of trimming horses hooves. Wild About Hooves popular weekend workshops allow their students plenty of opportunity to ‘have a go’ in a situation as close to real-life. Students start practicing by trimming horse’s cadaver legs, they also practice positioning themselves under a horse safely and ergonomically. Students retain more information when they physically practice, instead of just seeing or hearing it. However, when a worldwide pandemic puts a stop to everything, and public events banned, border restrictions in place, and other impacts make it impossible to travel and train in person, Jen Clingly and Jeremy Ford decided to adapt and reinvent their learn to trim courses. “We can still bring this “learn-by-doing principle” of adult learning into what we are teaching regardless of whether we teach online or off line.” Clingly highlights. “But it is challenging especially for us to articulate clearly and demonstrate without the constant interaction of questions and answers that face to face provides.” When it comes to traditional face-to-face training, the principle of maintenance hoof trimming is easy to grasp and execute. So how do the team at Wild About Hooves deliver their online hoof care course? How do students learn to do it themselves in an environment where they are not physically present to perform practical exercises? Online teaching requires very different approaches to teaching face-to-face for obvious reasons. Wild about Hooves shares 4 ways of teaching a practical skill via online training. 1. Get as Visual as Possible When it comes to practical training, or teaching learners new skills, we created loads of visual with power point lectures and ‘live demonstrations of trimming.’ People learn in many different ways – visual, auditory and kinaesthetic. By delivering information online, we want to make sure we enable all the different type of learners to engage with our hoof care principles. Providing visual diagrams, animations and dot-pointing our information all helps alongside a video showing a real life demonstration of the skill in a environment that is as close to what will happen out in the field. We try and get the camera in close to the hoof to show the trim process step by step. When the brain can ‘see’ how something is done before it is attempted independently, the chance of success are much higher than just reading or hearing about it. 2. Get on Camera Much out of our comfort zone, we got ourselves on camera. People like people, and it can significantly enhance the engagement, retention and completion rates of our course if our learners can see us talking to them. We don't have the budget for a professionally filmed training video, but we put together some good ‘how to’ trim footage and this also enables people to engage by watching, listening and following along as the training video plays. 3. Self Paced Learning Students can work at their own pace through the series of lessons. They can stop when they are tired or need a break and then get back to it when the time is right. Also they can go back and revisit any of the lessons to reinforce their learning. The lesson range is interesting and covers introducing the trainers and their backgrounds, the distal limb anatomy of the horse, how the hoof works, barefoot trimming, step by step hoof trimming, the relevance of the wild horse study, Australia’s desert brumbies, tools for trimming, what to look for when you trim horses hooves. All lessons are interwoven with film footage and powerpoint lectures and then access to further resources. It’s user friendly and feedback has been sensational. 4. Trainers Are Accessible and Can Be Contacted to Provide Advice and Feedback The team at Wild About Hooves is contactable to help students who need further information and guidance. Best of all with a team of over 150 hoof care practitioners in Australia with ACEHP: The Australian Certified Equine Hoof Care Practitioners there is usually someone who students can touch base with to learn more from or who they can book in to check on their trimming and horses hooves. Check out the link and join the team virtually! https://hooftrimmingonlinecourse.podia.com/