Natural Trim: Consistency is the Key

Ok, so we all usually have good intentions with our horses, whether it be, 'I'm going to ride five days a week,' or 'I'm going to clean the stalls every day,', etc, but sometimes we fall short with trying to keep up with these goals.  Before I had kids, I was actually really good at keeping my horse-related promises, but it's difficult now, as you other moms can probably relate.  But one thing I've really stuck with over the last couple of years is consistent trimming of my horses' feet.  And it's really paid off.

Why is it so important to be consistent with the natural trim?  And what will it possibly hurt if you let the hoof go a little longer between trims?  Well, it all goes back to the wild horse, whose hoof we aim to model with the natural trim.  Wild horses are constantly moving; they travel for miles, often over rocky terrain every day.  This movement is what keeps their hooves in perfect shape, and it would work for our domesticated horses too if they lived the same way.  The wild horse doesn't need to have his hooves trimmed because he does it himself, little by little, every day.

The wild hoof is quite a bit different from what we are used to seeing with domestic horses.  The heels are low and the toe is short, often measuring around 3 1/2 inches in length.  The toe is rounded in what we call a 'mustang roll'.  The sole is tough and concaved, and the frog is thick and rubbery.  And they do perfectly fine traveling over nearly any type of terrain. 

So back to my questions above.  If our goal is to model the wild hoof with the natural trim, we will be defeating the purpose if we let the hoof wall grow too long.  The sole is made tough by being allowed to participate in weight-bearing.  By keeping the walls trimmed conistently, we allow the sole to bear weight, allow it to toughen, and allow it to concave.  If the walls constantly bear all of the horse's weight, the sole will remain an idle passenger and will never toughen to the point of allowing the horse to be ridden barefoot comfortably.

So when people say, 'My horse just needs shoes --barefoot just doesn't work for him,' it's probably because he isn't being trimmed consistently.  There is a transition time that all horses need to go from being shod to being barefoot, but they will never reach the point of having rock-hard soles if you don't stick with it.

I trim my horses every four weeks (and one of them every two weeks).  It works well for me because I only trim one or two a week, and it's something I can keep up with.  And it's made all the difference in the world for their feet--they look great!

For more information on natural trimming, check out www.hoofrehab.com, Pete Ramey's site. 

Ta-ta!