The Sole: A Guide for Natural Trimming

As Pete Ramey, the natural trimming guru, says, "the sole of the foot is the most abused and misunderstood part of the domestic horse (with the possible exception of its digestive system)."  I have come to see the truth in this. 

I watched many a farrier pare out the soles of my horses' feet over the years and thought nothing of it-- paring the sole is common practice in order to prepare the hoof for the shoe.  In all actuality, the paring of the sole is one of the many common practices used by traditional farriers that keep the horse in need of the shoe.  Cutting into live sole makes the horse sore and increases the risk for solar abcesses.

Natural trimming uses the sole as a central guideline for trimming the hoof.  Many barefoot experts agree that he sole should share in weightbearing along with the hoof wall.  In fact, the only way a horse's sole can toughen and become callused is for it to be allowed to share in the horse's weightbearing.  This is done by keeping the walls trimmed just barely above the sole. And by leaving the live sole alone, you can allow it to build up and thicken--this, too, is critical for barefoot success.

Of course, when the shoes are first pulled, it can be difficult to determine just what is live and what is dead sole.  By using a hoof pick or hoof knive, you can usually scrape away the dead sole fairly easily (unless the hoof is extremely dry).  I've found that dead sole tends to build up in the seats of corn (the little 'v' on each side of the back of the hoof).  It usually looks white and crumbly when it's coming out. If the bars are extremely overgrown, they can fold over and cover up the sole, too.  When this happens, the folded-over bars need to go.   If you're ever in doubt, just leave things alone though.  Better to do too little than too much.  

If the walls and the heels are kept in check, the sole will share in the horses's weightbearing and will eventually toughen and move upward.  Of course diet, exercis,e and environment play a critical role in creating a callused sole as well.  If the horse's diet is out of whack and he only stands on soft, green grass all day, the sole will never toughen.  A balanced diet, movement, and access to varied terrain (pea gravel is great for this) are all necessary for a tough hoof.

For anyone interested in learning more about the sole or natural trimming in general, I recommend you start at Pete Ramey's website.  This article is specifically about the sole.

Ta-ta!