Horses feet? Why oh why???!!!!
- Thread starter Rebecca00
- Start date
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tubby said:Oh no Bobbin ,honest I'm not throwing things at you
I wasn't talking about you hun!!
Stop it, everyone go and stand in a corner!
I have read all of the posts, and from what I read you all flippin' well agree with each other! so why are you arguing??
Barefoot has its place we all agree,
Pain and riding lame, acscessing horses is un acceptable.
Bad foot trimmers are a pest as are lazy farriers.
every horse/rider/driver combination is different, they all do toatlly different jobs in different situations.
So long as we are all aware of the damage a bad farrier can do, as can a bad trimmer or even a lazy, inobsewrvant owner we will not go far wrong.
It is good to see that everyoneone is reading up, learning and trying different methods in an effort to get the best for thier own horse.
I will never subscribe to barefoot 100% as I know my horses cannot do what is required of them unshod. I was endurance riding barefoot back in the 70's and competeing and training for 50 mile rides I know what is, and isn't possible, but I do know a lot more is possible than most will give credit to.
If you can go barefoot, on a sound happy horse, go you, but it may not be the answer to every horse and rider/driver.
I have read all of the posts, and from what I read you all flippin' well agree with each other! so why are you arguing??
Barefoot has its place we all agree,
Pain and riding lame, acscessing horses is un acceptable.
Bad foot trimmers are a pest as are lazy farriers.
every horse/rider/driver combination is different, they all do toatlly different jobs in different situations.
So long as we are all aware of the damage a bad farrier can do, as can a bad trimmer or even a lazy, inobsewrvant owner we will not go far wrong.
It is good to see that everyoneone is reading up, learning and trying different methods in an effort to get the best for thier own horse.
I will never subscribe to barefoot 100% as I know my horses cannot do what is required of them unshod. I was endurance riding barefoot back in the 70's and competeing and training for 50 mile rides I know what is, and isn't possible, but I do know a lot more is possible than most will give credit to.
If you can go barefoot, on a sound happy horse, go you, but it may not be the answer to every horse and rider/driver.
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Yann
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No, I was just answering your questions. I can see where you're coming from but don't equate what may or may not be going on on your yard with what happens elsewhere. Whether you mean to or not you do sound like you're questioning what people here are doing with their horses and people are bound to respond to that
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(hangs head in shame) I'm sorry Wally (which incidently is the name of one of my cats) I'll be a good girl now (shuffles off to the stairs to sit on the naughty stair for 22mins, one for every year of my life)
(shuffles off to the stairs to sit on the naughty stair for 22mins, one for every year of my life)
If they made me sit on the naughty step it'd be next century before I was allowed off!
Take heart, it could be worse I know someone who does horses feet with an angle grinder!
There are barefooters telling me that if only I got the right trim my ponies could go barefoot all the time, I know they can't on our roads. I get bored of that, they don't know me, my ponies or the roads they have to trot 10 miles on.
Barefoot is a very strong topic as is hunting.......anyone go hunting barefoot (slapps own hand and joins Bobbin on the naughty step)
Take heart, it could be worse I know someone who does horses feet with an angle grinder!
There are barefooters telling me that if only I got the right trim my ponies could go barefoot all the time, I know they can't on our roads. I get bored of that, they don't know me, my ponies or the roads they have to trot 10 miles on.
Barefoot is a very strong topic as is hunting.......anyone go hunting barefoot
(slapps own hand and joins Bobbin on the naughty step)
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Maddison's girl
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Wally said:Take heart, it could be worse I know someone who does horses feet with an angle grinder!QUOTE]
Bl**dy hell
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It is not unknown for the wood work kit to come out to do horses feet not far from where I live. It is also a common idea that if you let the feet grow long and flared it helps them walk over boggy ground!
not guilty, I hope it was amy username's sake!
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While I agree that clueless people trimming their own horses or other people's horses are not good I think telling people they shouldn't ever trim their own horses without qualifications is going too far. I've never been on a course but have seen a qualified trimmer work a lot and have read a lot. This afternoon I gave my horse a pedicure, no harm at all done, hooves are balanced and she's happier for getting rid of that bit of excess length and flare. She is trimmed by a qualified EP every 5 weeks do them myself sometimes in between 'cos they grow so fast even with miles of road work every day. Since I had my rasp out anyway someone else at the yard asked me to do hers, feet were a bit long and she had a nasty chip and crack on a bit of flare that could have done some damage if she'd stood on a stone or something wrong, farrier couldn't come out for a week or two. So gave pony a pedicure, she's happy and sound and probably more comfortable than before with that bit of foot sorted. And it earned me a bottle of wine I wouldn't suggest the majority of horse owners do their own but plenty are doing a good job of it.
And on the 'if you need boots you might as well shoe' comments.. shoes were doing a good job of messing up my horse's feet, most cases it's the application not the shoes that are a problem, but with WLD, very weak heels and cracks the presence of a shoe was doing nothing good. My horse is now sound and works fine on all surfaces and occasionally wears hoof boots if she's feeling really overworked without any harm done to her feet from the boots. She wore the boots a lot more early on but doesn't need them often anymore. I dread to think what state those hooves would be in by now if I hadn't gone for barefoot and boots because a very good remedial farrier was failing to sort them out in shoes, partly because it'd got to the point that the shoes were doing more harm than good.
I wouldn't suggest the majority of horse owners do their own but plenty are doing a good job of it.And on the 'if you need boots you might as well shoe' comments.. shoes were doing a good job of messing up my horse's feet, most cases it's the application not the shoes that are a problem, but with WLD, very weak heels and cracks the presence of a shoe was doing nothing good. My horse is now sound and works fine on all surfaces and occasionally wears hoof boots if she's feeling really overworked without any harm done to her feet from the boots. She wore the boots a lot more early on but doesn't need them often anymore. I dread to think what state those hooves would be in by now if I hadn't gone for barefoot and boots because a very good remedial farrier was failing to sort them out in shoes, partly because it'd got to the point that the shoes were doing more harm than good.
Well, I am guilty of shoeing my own horses! trimming them, rasping their teeth, injecting them.
I am not a farrier, trimmer or vet or EDT.
I have to say that had I let a very well known farrier, (he was farrier to an international team, not saying who, would give the game away) keep shoeing my horse he'd have been lamed and totally done in the space of 6 months, I took him back to a shoeing blacksmith, who put him right. SO just because they are well known farriers isn't always the answer.
As you get older and crustier, you learn to trust your own instincts, It's like you first baby, you know you'll kill it by allowing it to suck its own fingers, then the second one is allowed to do all sorts of things the first one wasnt! AS long as you keep watching, looking and learning and questioning we won;t go far wrong.
I am not a farrier, trimmer or vet or EDT.
I have to say that had I let a very well known farrier, (he was farrier to an international team, not saying who, would give the game away) keep shoeing my horse he'd have been lamed and totally done in the space of 6 months, I took him back to a shoeing blacksmith, who put him right. SO just because they are well known farriers isn't always the answer.
As you get older and crustier, you learn to trust your own instincts, It's like you first baby, you know you'll kill it by allowing it to suck its own fingers, then the second one is allowed to do all sorts of things the first one wasnt! AS long as you keep watching, looking and learning and questioning we won;t go far wrong.
Quote:I know that you all think that 'natural horsemanship' is the way forward! Well im sorry to disagree but i think it is a shambles!
why oh why is such nonsense tolerated, lots of valid points,you are joking.
why oh why is such nonsense tolerated, lots of valid points,you are joking.
actually I agree with some of your 1st post, it was the way it is worded that I found offensive thats all,
I personally wouldnt let someone with 2 days training trim my horses feet, I understand that you are having your say about the people on your yard that are not doing this "correctly" but your post also slates horses being barefoot even though you have 2 barefoot of your own, and also Natural Horsemanship in general. its often difficult via text to ascertain someones tone.
I personally wouldnt let someone with 2 days training trim my horses feet, I understand that you are having your say about the people on your yard that are not doing this "correctly" but your post also slates horses being barefoot even though you have 2 barefoot of your own, and also Natural Horsemanship in general. its often difficult via text to ascertain someones tone.
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Don't want to go into the pros and cons of barefoot, but would like to point out that barefoot is nothing whatever to do with what is usually termed natural horsemanship.
Natural horsemanship is an approach to training. People who practise NH (in any of it many forms) may or may not opt for barefoot trimming, treeless saddles, or bitless brides - just as barefoot, treeless and bitless are options sometimes chosen by people using other training methods.
I am an NH trainer. My horses live in stables, turned out all day. They are shod, they have treed saddles and bitted bridles. (They can go bitless too. I like them to be able to do both - but that's a personal choice, nothing to do with the training principles. Some NH schools of thought feel at least the ability to go bitless it is a requirement of the principles, but a lot don't.).
There are valid arguements on all sides of the barefoot issue - but please don't confuse it further by mixing it up with natural horsemanship. (Life is confusing and confused enough already!! )
Natural horsemanship is an approach to training. People who practise NH (in any of it many forms) may or may not opt for barefoot trimming, treeless saddles, or bitless brides - just as barefoot, treeless and bitless are options sometimes chosen by people using other training methods.
I am an NH trainer. My horses live in stables, turned out all day. They are shod, they have treed saddles and bitted bridles. (They can go bitless too. I like them to be able to do both - but that's a personal choice, nothing to do with the training principles. Some NH schools of thought feel at least the ability to go bitless it is a requirement of the principles, but a lot don't.).
There are valid arguements on all sides of the barefoot issue - but please don't confuse it further by mixing it up with natural horsemanship. (Life is confusing and confused enough already!!
)Absolutely Kate. What has natural horsemanship got to do with barefoot trimming?
Rebecca00, I think if you stopped putting quite so many !!! in your posts then maybe people wouldn't feel so shouted at?
As far as I'm concerned, if you pay someone who has done a 2 day course to trim your horse, then you want your head tested. As for the Farrier's Council, they may well get involved in this. It's just the sort of thing they are looking for to strengthen the case for all hoofcare to be regulated by the FRC.
I would contact the body that trained this lady and tell them what she's doing. I can't imagine that they have told her she is ready to be out there training other people's horses.
Rebecca00, I think if you stopped putting quite so many !!! in your posts then maybe people wouldn't feel so shouted at?
As far as I'm concerned, if you pay someone who has done a 2 day course to trim your horse, then you want your head tested. As for the Farrier's Council, they may well get involved in this. It's just the sort of thing they are looking for to strengthen the case for all hoofcare to be regulated by the FRC.
I would contact the body that trained this lady and tell them what she's doing. I can't imagine that they have told her she is ready to be out there training other people's horses.
Well its obvious isnt it, people automatically presume barefoot is 'natural' (which it is) and therefore think it is 'natural horsemanship'.
I think there's a difference between the two IMO.
Jenny xx
I think there's a difference between the two IMO.
Jenny xx
jenren!! said:
Well, I suppose strictly speaking, trimming is "unnatural" - naturally horses would be on the move over mixed terrain all day, and their hooves would wear down accordingly and not need trimming!
The one that cracks me up is the people whose horses have feet not really suitable for barefoot, who insist on taking the metal shoes off because they are "unnatural!, then put the synthetic ones on instead - because somehow synthetic is supposed to be more "natural" than metal!!
Bad feet and teeth kill horses in the wild, they DON'T trim them down themselves, they grow awry and lame the horse, the predators catch them or they cannot walk far enough to get the food they need, become totally immobile and die.
There are hill ponies I have seen here and inspite of having hard rocks and roads to walk on their feet do not "naturally" keep themselves in trim. We have to mount resuce missions into the hill to find these poor unfortunate creatures and trim their feet up for them.
There are hill ponies I have seen here and inspite of having hard rocks and roads to walk on their feet do not "naturally" keep themselves in trim. We have to mount resuce missions into the hill to find these poor unfortunate creatures and trim their feet up for them.
The FRC IMO has no business regulating barefoot trimmers, they need to get their own house in order before they start trying to expand what they control. There are far too many rubbish farriers around that the FRC do nothing to regulate, on the rare occasions they bother disciplining anyone it's usually for their behaviour rather than poor work and is generally a bit of pointless wrist slapping
I think by natural they are looking at how the hoof is allowed to function. Hoof boots allow the hoof to function normally where shoes don't even though the materials used in either are not naturally found on the end of a horse's leg. Some plastic glue on type shoes can be useful in some cases but as far as I know there isn't any that are good enough to be a permanent replacement for a metal shoe if you want something attached to the hoof 24/7.
One of the reasons that applied equine podiatry (KC LaPierre method) doesn't use the wild hoof as a model is that there's the problem of which wild hoof to look at. There's a huge variety of hoof shapes among wild horses from mustangs living on rocky ground with amazing hooves to ponies living in boggy areas in the UK with terrible feet, and many variations according to the environment the horses are in in between those.
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