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GOING Gaited
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for gaited horse enthusiasts
When the going gets rough...go gaited!
MAGAZINE
GOING Gaited
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Curly
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FEATURING:
MORGAN
FEATURING:
The
Gaited
EDITOR'S NOTE: Our format for this column will change slightly from this point forward. We asked Jennie and Nate to write an article on maintaining and correcting gait since their premier stallion Champagne Watchout is nothing less than stellar at maintaining his gait. As it turns out, that was no small task, as they have struggled with containing all of the necessary information in one article. What we have also implemented is that each trainer will begin what amounts to a series of articles, and we will publish them in successive issues until completed. This month begins a series on maintaining gait that will be written by Jennie and Nate Jackson. They felt it necessary to begin with gait identification, something Susan Brown covered in length a couple issues ago, so some of this material may be familiar to you. Click here to return to article.
So from Parts 1 and 2, we now understand the important of proper trimming and balance of a horse’s hoof, gaited or not, and that a horseshoe should protect the hoof and nothing more. So what was I to do with my own horses?
As I mentioned before, my mare, Apache, had inherited poor hoof quality from her sire. She was prone to stone bruising, which were constantly developing into abscesses. It took a lot to keep those abscesses in check, and of course it not only laid me up for riding time, it also was painful for her.
It turns out she has no natural depth of sole, so her hoof walls do not keep the sole up off the ground the way it should. When my farrier was alive, I allowed him to experiment to figure out how to best help her. He ended up with a system where he would use a thin 1/2 inch leather pad and put leather shavings as a packing between the pad and her hoof. He would then nail the shoe on, and of course this was after fitting it and the pad to the natural shape of her hoof.
Whenever her shoes came off, it was always clean and dry in there with no injuries. He also found a hoof supplement that really worked for her; we were seeing differences with that supplement after only eight weeks. After over a year of this regime, we were able to take off her back shoes and were going to take her off the pads, but I sold her before we could do that. However, I was able to get Apache back several years later; more on that below.
After our farrier passed away, we knew we’d be hard pressed to find another one that was as good as him. We also wanted to start saving money. I had seen hoof boots being used on the trails by friends and at group rides, and I was very impressed with the design and structure. They had progressed a long way from when I had first started owning horses 11 years earlier. So after some trial and error, we now have a barefoot trimmer who actually did some work with our former farrier, so he does an amazing job on our horse’s feet. We use hoof boots on the trails; our favorite brand is Renegade, but there are lots of other brands out there that are just as good.
When I got Apache back, she had foundered. The owners had been feeding her straight alfalfa hay and she was not being ridden and was living in a 20 foot by 20 foot pen. When she came home, I immediately pulled her shoes off. Not only was she wearing shoes that were two sizes too small, but the shoes had only been on for four weeks and was already falling off. Her heels were contracted and underrun. There was also a plastic pad on that was open in the middle, designed to support the frog.
The owners had not been cleaning out the foot everyday as is required with those types of pads, so her feet were full of debris. Once this was cleaned, we discovered that she had horrible bruising on her soles, and one bruise had developed into a full blown abscess. Going back on my old experience with Apache’s feet, I treated the abscess and started her on another hoof supplement. I gave her time off to heal, then bought her some boots for riding.
True to a horse’s natural form, it took her about a year for new hoof to grow out. But because I was careful to watch her feet, keep them clean, and always ride her with boots on, she is now able to be completely barefoot all of the time. I do still ride her with her boots no matter the terrain because I won’t take any chances with her hooves being damaged again.
So I have been lucky, in a way: I have had both excellent shoeing jobs and excellent trimming jobs on my horses for many years. So I believe that both can be done without damage to the horse. I find that one of our greatest issues with our horses hoof care—no matter barefoot or shod—is lack of education on the owner’s part and also not being able to find a good farrier. So my advice to anyone who needs their horses feet worked on is this: do your research. Learn about how a horse’s hoof should be trimmed or shod and take the time to talk with your vet about any special needs your horse might have. Then research to find a good farrier. Eliminate those who “cold shoe,” who easily get angry with horses as they’re working with them, who work too fast, who don’t keep their appointments without notifying you.
Look for farriers who are open to going barefoot if you decide to, who will study your horse’s way of going and how to trim or shoe him best, ones who have the horse’s health as their priority, and ones who truly enjoy their job. If you take the time to really learn what’s best for your horse, the you will never go wrong with either shoes or going barefoot. And never forget: no hoof, no horse!
