Farriery Questions

["Barbara B. Peck" <bpeck@together.net>]

Lif:

 

You're asking questions that are hotly debated.

 

These questions have been/are being argued on horseshoes.com

and Strassers barefoot list on egroups.

 

The following answers are mine, after reading the literature, and

observing my own horses:

 

1)  Just how much restriction is actually caused (percentage wise) when
shoes are nailed onto a hoof?  References?  

 

This is  dependant on the skill of the farrier, condition of the hoof, and

the moisture content of the hoof.

It the foot is trimmed improperly,  If nails are placed too far back

 toward the heels, if the shoe is too small for the foot, all are contributors.

I've never seen any percentages listed, as there are too many

variables to consider.

 

  2)  How *much* of a decrease in circulation can occur in any (soft tissue)
body part before permanent damage occurs (in percentage)?

 

There are varying degrees of circulation impairment, and these are hotly

argued about.  I beleive a PROPERLY shod horse has the least amount

of decrease in circulation.  I've had horses  shod for 4 years straight without

problems.  But on the other hand, I've had horses that couldn't walk out of the barn

when the farrier was finished.

 

I know that my horses when barefoot, grow hoof and sole faster

 than when they're shod.

3)  How *long* could any major (over 50%) decrease in circulation occur
before a (soft tissue) body part was permanently damaged?

 

Don't know the percentages.. but impairment of circulation could cause

abscessing. 

 Foot numbness is another speculation, hotly debated.

 

Bad shoeing, bad trimming can cause knee, hock and back problems.

And it doesn't take very long to show up.

1 shoeing cycle (5 weeks) was all it took to get a sore back (and hocks)

from a farrier drastically changing my geldings shoeing method.

 

A couple of technical references for you, the second one being

the better of the two (in my opinion).

 

"Equine Hoof function investigated by pressure transducers inside the hoof

and accelerometers mounted on the first phalanx" by Dyhre-Poulsen,

H. Smedegaard, J. Roed and E. Koresgaard

 

"Functional anatomy of the cartilage of the distal phalanx and digital cushion

in the equine foot and a hemodynamic flow hypothesis of energy dissapation"

by R.M. Bowker VMD, PHD, K. Van Wulfen VDM, S.E. Springer BS and

Keith Linder,  DVM

 

 

Regards,

Barb