Natural Hoof Care

Visit: www.naturalhoofcare.co.uk for case studies and further information

A truely natural hoof is trimmed by the horse during his day to day movement in his search for food. Natural hoof care should therefore follow the wear pattern of the free roaming horse. Natural Hoof Care trimming simply removes the excess material that hasn't been able to wear away due to unnaturally restriced movement. The AANHCP is the only organisation to follow the guidelines set out by the horse. To locate your nearest AANHCP Trimmer visit www.aanhcp.org

Our Model, the Mustang Hoof

The hoof is perfectly designed for one purpose; to carry the horse throughout his lifetime, anywhere he needs to go, over what ever terrain is in the way and to do so with ease and swift movement.
The horses primary defence is flight, to run away as fast as he can. In the event of a hoof related lameness (or any lameness in fact) full scale flight would be out of the question and the heard would have to leave him behind. For this reason alone hoof problems and problem hooves would have been systematically breed out as only the fittest and soundest are able to survive in the wild.

So why do we have so many horses with problem hooves and low grade lameness today?

        If your horse is lame with out shoes it is because the lifestyle that the hooves are adapting to has come too far away from what is natural. This may be dramatic but in the wild such a horse probably wouldn't make it.
        All horses should be sound barefoot. This may sound a lofty ideal but it is the high standard that nature expects of them if they are to be healthy enough to survive, and we should promote this if we are enthusiasts of the miracle that our horses are.
        In order to keep up with the demands of the horse’s lifestyle, the hoof must be capable of constantly adapting to its environment and workload. This makes it both a marvel of nature and a troublesome area in domestication as the lifestyle of the domestic horse is considerably different to his natural living conditions. In other words the environment that the domestic horse has to adapt to is not condusive to healthy hooves, if it were there would be no lameness!
        This creates a dilemma and it has been dealt with for many years by the use of horse shoes. Horse shoes work by, protecting the outer wall and by taking the weight and force of the horse hitting the ground, the idea being that the hooves won’t be worn so quickly and the whole thing is protected. Shoes are often used to remedy hoof pain. This does work, but it works by keeping the hoof in its contracted / elevated phase of movement, the hoof isn't able to flex as much which restricts circulation to the area, this can reduce sensation, so if there is a hoof problem he won’t be able to feel it as much. So what's the problem with that you may say? The fact is that the outer wall is meant to be worn down and the hoof is meant to flex and expand on every step. There is meant to be considerable circulation in the hoof, and by preventing the hoof from being between the horse and the ground (its only purpose) over a period of time the hoof will distort as it struggles to adapt to the unnatural situation.

Natural Unnatural

Constant movement over all terrain	Restricted movement, restricted terrain.
Bare foot entire life	Shod most of useul / working life
Constant natural hoof wear	Trimming dictated by shoeing routine

The fact that the hoof is constantly adapting to its environment should be seen as an opportunity to create the hooves you want by providing the terrain that you wish your horse to become accustomed to. So, if you want to ride over gravel he has to be exposed to it A LOT! Gravel needs to be a normal part of his environment not just something he visits occasionally on his way to a soft field. This is also true with road work. If you want to ride barefoot on the roads it is possible! BUT you have to build it up very gradually, and if possible keep your horse on this type of surface so that it is a normal terrain that his hooves are used to.

Natural Hoof Care closely follows the blueprint set out by the Mustangs of the US. Mustangs are particularly good examples as they are domestic horses that have returned to the wild, not a genetic fluke. This fact makes them an extremely relevant reference point for hoof health. The reason these horses are so sound is solely due to their ENVIRONMENT, DIET and FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT. This is the only difference between them and the domestic horse. By closely following their living habits we can create an environment that will return our lame horses to soundness and health

By creating an environment that promotes healthy hooves the health of the horse is simultaneously promoted. By starting with the feet and supplying their basic requirements the horse will thrive. i.e. Simple diet, natural wear through being barefoot on the terrain you wish to ride on and constant movement.

This old saying , "no hoof no horse" is as true today as it ever was.