Arizona Hoof Rehab

 Boots are dangerous on the trail

 It is very common to hear this from people who ride in steel shoes. They may have listened to stories that are created by those who are not using boots on a regular basis. Unfortunately, some people buy the cheapest boot they can, or worse, borrow a pair from a friend, slip them on the horse, and ride for a few hours. When the horse turns up with rubs, or trips and falls because the boot didnt fit, the person tells horror stories of how the boots made the horse sore, or how they fell and almost died because of boots!...LOL... Booting does require getting the right boot and right fit for the shape of the horse's foot. If you just slap on any old boot, your horse might get rubbed and sore. Boots come in many sizes, shapes and treads. Some are hard to put on, some easy. A professional can get your horse booted in a boot that fits his foot. After fitted, go on a few short rides to break them in. Would you go to the mall for 4 hours in a pair of new shoes without socks? As for tripping, if the boot fits well, they are more secure in them than out of them, and definitely more secure than in slippery steel. 

 As with all change, many people oppose new methods, and they fight with all their might to keep things as they have always been. The truth is, riding with good boots that fit correctly will protect your horses sole, heel bulbs, walls and frog from injury from sharp objects. The boots provide better traction and will expand and contract right along with the hoof so that the foot can operate as nature intended. If you are riding your horse with boots, you will be safer than riding in slippery steel shoes. If you don't believe us, go to easycareinc.com and read some of the blogs. There you will find all kinds of riders in all disciplines talking about barefoot riding and riding in boots. Major endurance rides on some of the most dangerous trails in the world are being ridden in boots and bare. Steel shoes are on the way out. Soon they will be a thing of the past and only used for ear rings and wall art!

My horse has white hooves.

 This is one of the most common wives tales of all. White hooves are just as good bare as black hooves are. It is not the color, it is three things that determine whether or not your horse can go bare. The food he gets, the environment he lives in, and the trim. A pasture trim will not develop a wild horse hoof.

My horse is a thoroughbred. They have bred the good feet out of him.

That is a common excuse to keep them shod. However, it is not true. Thoroughbreds do excellent in the right environment. However, if we keep our horses standing in a soft stall for 22 hours, turn out for an hour, excersise for an hour, then throw in two or three huge high energy meals, his feet will fall apart bare as would any other breed.

My horse was lame, so the farrier jacked him up with pads and shoes and now he is sound. 

AHHH! I hate to hear this more than just about anything. This custom, surprisingly, is still being practiced by farriers and recommended by vets despite the research that tells us this is doing harm to our horses! Jacking a horse up so that he is wearing high heels puts more weight on his toes. This constant shock to the joints with toe first landing on steel causes fractures and other damage to the navicular bone as well as other areas of the leg. At one time we believed jacking them up was good because it seemed to releave pain, but only for a month or two.... Then the horse would get bad again and we would just say he is too far gone and most would put him down or send him to auction. Now we know why the horse cannot hold up in this environment. Dr. Rooney's study has proven that toe first landing causes navicular damage. If we jack the horse up and put his weight on his toes, remove pressure (and shock absorption capabilities) from the frog, remove support from the heels, we are causing toe first landing which causes navicular problems. Please do not let anyone jack up your horse!

Our method is to put pads on this horse, but not the hard ones used with shoes. We use soft, thick supportive cushions that give, much like what we put in our sneakers, to act as shock absorbers. This also stimulates growth to the frog, digital cushion and other areas of the foot that need protection.  Imagine if you had arthritis and we put you in stiff high heels with no give, vs sneakers with air ride pads. Which would you prefer? Now imagine yourself 6 months later. Who is hurting most?

Navicular fractures and calcium deposits are a form of arthritis and should be treated as such.... with pressure taken off, not put on, as what happens when jacking up the heels in stiff pads and steel shoes. 

My horse has bad feet, they just fall apart whenever I try to go bare, and I have tried several times.

 Yes, feet will fall apart after removing shoes. The walls have been rasped thin so they must regrow. Most farriers rasp the outside of the wall as well as the sole. So until this horse grows a nice new foot, you will use the help of cushions and rubber boots to help him transition. In addition you will change the  horses living environment and will do a wild horse trim. With these changes you CAN go bare. 

I cant use boots because they rub him raw, so I went back to shoes. 

 If the boots are too big they will rub. If the boot is the wrong type for your horse they will rub. With professional help you can find the right boot for your horse. There are many to choose from. It is not as easy as just ordering the prettiest boot available. It must fit his foot. 

He cant wear boots because he has low heels. So his bulbs are rubbed raw. I had to go back to shoes. 

 Low heels are ideal for barefoot horses. Look at a wild horse foot! They have very low heels. Boots are made to accommodate this. If the boots are too big they will rub. If the boot is the wrong type for your horse they will rub. With professional help you can find the right boot for your horse. There are many to choose from. It is not as easy as just ordering the prettiest boot available. It must fit his foot.

Boots are a hassle!

Once your horse is fitted right booting takes less time than picking out their feet.  And if this is your only excuse I suggest you get a motor cycle so you don't have to bend over at all. LOL!  One person actually said this to me as a reason to stay with shoes! She said she didnt like bending over. Ughh! :)

My vet says he cant go barefoot. 

Veterinarians that say this are usually the ones that rely on their farrier contacts for the recommendations related to hoof care. Many vets are unaware of the latest research. They are very busy professionals and with all the research they have to study, equine feet probably do not make the top of the list. I am not saying I know more than a veterinarian, but I am saying I know more about barefoot transitioning than most vets because most vets rely on their farrier contacts for hoof care recommendations. And most farriers are anti barefoot because that goes against what they have studied.

Had I not developed pain in my hands, I may never have left the old ways either. I may very well have stayed with steel until someone forced me to read and study the new research. Our current technology is making huge progress in our understanding of how the foot works. If you want your vet to look at this research, keep sending him the research you find on this site. Don't give up.  It is constantly being updated. Dr. Teskey and Dr. Bowker,  among many others are consistently making new discoveries that prove bare is better and why.  We will provide workshops for Vets from Vets each year. Keep up with this site for dates and times. Your vet will eventually thank you for it!

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