The farrier visited us recently. She comes to our barn approximately once every six to eight weeks. For those of you who don't know what a farrier is, the farrier trims a horse's hooves. If the owner so desires, the farrier also puts shoes on a horse. The farrier's work is art as much as it is science. And, just as with anything else related to horses, there are many different methods of trimming and shoeing.
In general, these methods can be split into two distinct groups: barefoot and shoes. The barefoot methods subscribe to the premise that a horse's hooves are healthiest when left without shoes. These methods rely on the movement of a horse and natural forces to strengthen the hooves to allow them to withstand the rigors of life and work. Above is a wild horse's hoof.
The shoeing methods rely on a piece of metal to provide protection, and in some cases correction, for the hooves. This piece of metal is traditionally nailed to the hoof, although some farriers are now experimenting with various glues. Some horses spend their entire adult lives in shoes and others are only shod for the riding or show seasons.
When we first talked about getting horses, I did what I usually do when tackling a new hobby. I spent hours on the internet reading everything I could find related to horses. Reading about hooves made my head spin. Memorizing the terminology was easy. However, who would have thought such a simple task - trimming a horse's hooves - could produce so much controversy? For a person who likes black and white and has an innate desire to always be right and do the right thing, these shades of gray were disconcerting to say the least.
The ins and outs of each method are beyond the scope of this blog (and a person could write several books on the subject, so I'll spare you that), but what it really boils down to is a nature versus man discussion. I'm a strong believer that mother nature knows best. I believe the answers to all of mankind's problems can be found by looking to nature. I believe we can live and thrive on this planet without destroying it if we would just look to nature for answers. We can be a part of nature, rather than apart from it. This belief might seem idealistic or simplistic, but I think in time we'll find it to be true. What on earth does this have to do with horses, you ask? Everything.
I've noticed that, just like the farrier controversy of barefoot (natural) versus shoes (unnatural), the horse-owning community is divided into folks who subscribe to a more natural life for horses versus an unnatural life. Those who subscribe to a more natural life generally believe a horse should live outside in fields or paddocks instead of in a stall. They also believe a horse shouldn't be clipped (shaved) and blanketed, but rather allowed to grow its winter coat to protect it from the elements. They believe in a natural feeding regimen requiring many small meals of mainly hay during the day rather than a few large meals of processed grains. And, of course, they believe in leaving a horse barefoot, rather than putting metal shoes on it.
Although the stall, the clippers and blankets, the processed grains and the metal shoes were all invented and designed in order to "improve" a horse's life, research shows these things do exactly the opposite! Research shows horses need to move constantly in order for their digestive and circulatory systems to work properly. Life in a stall doesn't allow that. Life in a stall also increases the risk of developing respiratory problems. Research shows a horse's ability to thermoregulate is hampered by blankets. Research shows large meals of processed grains can cause a variety of ailments in horses. And, research shows a horse's foot is healthiest when left barefoot. So, all in all, despite man's inventions, research shows horses are healthiest when allowed to live as nature designed them to live.
And so, being a believer in the idea that natural is better, I of course subscribe to the more natural methods of horse care. For the life of me, I can't understand why a horse owner would do it any other way. In fact, some people who don't subscribe to the more natural methods will actually argue against the research with no factual backing of their own. Why they prefer paying the bills for all the unnecessary extras in light of knowing the facts, I'll never know. Stall bedding, blankets, clippers, shoes and grain are not cheap.
Now back to the farrier's visit. I love our farrier. I found her name on a list of barefoot trimmers and after a few emails, she agreed to take on our horses. At first her reserved nature bothered me. I wanted her to tell me what I was doing wrong and right (OK, I mostly wanted her to tell me what I was doing right). She didn't. She came to our barn and quietly did her job. She kept her opinions to herself. If I had questions, she pleasantly explained. I did most of the talking. I suppose I should have appreciated that she wasn't telling me what to do and how to do it, but I was hoping for a more assertive personality. I wanted to make sure I was doing everything right. Her reserved nature has grown on me, and I've learned to appreciate it. I've also learned to keep my mouth shut just in case she has something important to say.
During her most recent visit, I brought up the subject of shoeing horses. I ranted on for a few minutes about why I couldn't understand this unnatural practice. Her response, "Some people just don't get it."
I like that explanation. It's simple but true. It holds true for the whole large-scale issue of natural versus unnatural too. "Some people just don't get it."
Maybe if everybody "got it," we'd be on a much faster track to solving some of mankind's problems.
In general, these methods can be split into two distinct groups: barefoot and shoes. The barefoot methods subscribe to the premise that a horse's hooves are healthiest when left without shoes. These methods rely on the movement of a horse and natural forces to strengthen the hooves to allow them to withstand the rigors of life and work. Above is a wild horse's hoof. 
The shoeing methods rely on a piece of metal to provide protection, and in some cases correction, for the hooves. This piece of metal is traditionally nailed to the hoof, although some farriers are now experimenting with various glues. Some horses spend their entire adult lives in shoes and others are only shod for the riding or show seasons.When we first talked about getting horses, I did what I usually do when tackling a new hobby. I spent hours on the internet reading everything I could find related to horses. Reading about hooves made my head spin. Memorizing the terminology was easy. However, who would have thought such a simple task - trimming a horse's hooves - could produce so much controversy? For a person who likes black and white and has an innate desire to always be right and do the right thing, these shades of gray were disconcerting to say the least.
The ins and outs of each method are beyond the scope of this blog (and a person could write several books on the subject, so I'll spare you that), but what it really boils down to is a nature versus man discussion. I'm a strong believer that mother nature knows best. I believe the answers to all of mankind's problems can be found by looking to nature. I believe we can live and thrive on this planet without destroying it if we would just look to nature for answers. We can be a part of nature, rather than apart from it. This belief might seem idealistic or simplistic, but I think in time we'll find it to be true. What on earth does this have to do with horses, you ask? Everything.
I've noticed that, just like the farrier controversy of barefoot (natural) versus shoes (unnatural), the horse-owning community is divided into folks who subscribe to a more natural life for horses versus an unnatural life. Those who subscribe to a more natural life generally believe a horse should live outside in fields or paddocks instead of in a stall. They also believe a horse shouldn't be clipped (shaved) and blanketed, but rather allowed to grow its winter coat to protect it from the elements. They believe in a natural feeding regimen requiring many small meals of mainly hay during the day rather than a few large meals of processed grains. And, of course, they believe in leaving a horse barefoot, rather than putting metal shoes on it.Although the stall, the clippers and blankets, the processed grains and the metal shoes were all invented and designed in order to "improve" a horse's life, research shows these things do exactly the opposite! Research shows horses need to move constantly in order for their digestive and circulatory systems to work properly. Life in a stall doesn't allow that. Life in a stall also increases the risk of developing respiratory problems. Research shows a horse's ability to thermoregulate is hampered by blankets. Research shows large meals of processed grains can cause a variety of ailments in horses. And, research shows a horse's foot is healthiest when left barefoot. So, all in all, despite man's inventions, research shows horses are healthiest when allowed to live as nature designed them to live.
And so, being a believer in the idea that natural is better, I of course subscribe to the more natural methods of horse care. For the life of me, I can't understand why a horse owner would do it any other way. In fact, some people who don't subscribe to the more natural methods will actually argue against the research with no factual backing of their own. Why they prefer paying the bills for all the unnecessary extras in light of knowing the facts, I'll never know. Stall bedding, blankets, clippers, shoes and grain are not cheap.
Now back to the farrier's visit. I love our farrier. I found her name on a list of barefoot trimmers and after a few emails, she agreed to take on our horses. At first her reserved nature bothered me. I wanted her to tell me what I was doing wrong and right (OK, I mostly wanted her to tell me what I was doing right). She didn't. She came to our barn and quietly did her job. She kept her opinions to herself. If I had questions, she pleasantly explained. I did most of the talking. I suppose I should have appreciated that she wasn't telling me what to do and how to do it, but I was hoping for a more assertive personality. I wanted to make sure I was doing everything right. Her reserved nature has grown on me, and I've learned to appreciate it. I've also learned to keep my mouth shut just in case she has something important to say.
During her most recent visit, I brought up the subject of shoeing horses. I ranted on for a few minutes about why I couldn't understand this unnatural practice. Her response, "Some people just don't get it."
I like that explanation. It's simple but true. It holds true for the whole large-scale issue of natural versus unnatural too. "Some people just don't get it." Maybe if everybody "got it," we'd be on a much faster track to solving some of mankind's problems.
1 comment:
I especially liked your comment about "keeping quiet because the farrier might have something important to say." ;-) Keeping up with your "news" and look forward to reading how things on the "farm" are going. Very interesting reading and I'm learning loads. Maybe some day you will need a farm hand to help you--remember to call me first!
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