writes:
<Barefootin' is an incredible discovery for bringing
health back to the foot. No more interference, forging, thrush,
navicular syndrome..... cures founder & laminitis too. Almost
anyone can learn to trim... >
I agree with Darolyn, It
works! Don't put it down if you haven't studdied the methods she
uses.
Lori Cox
I have to respectfully disagree about barefoot being the cure
all for everything. There is NO cure for navicular, laminitis
(depending on the cause) and founder and barefoot is not
necessarily the solution to forging, interference and thrush. Horses
can get thrush with or without shoes and is a result of poor hygiene,
not from wearing shoes. They can also forge and interfere with bare
feet. Most of these can be improved with frequent and appropriate
trimming... Nelson has brought back many horses to a useful life
(without shoes) after they have been severely foundered but being barefoot
did not CURE the ill. As far as anyone being able to learn to trim...I
would caution people on this, too. You have no idea how many people
simply have NO EYE for balance and angle no matter how hard they try to
learn and most are simply not capable of holding the foot properly to trim
it...by the time we get there, the horse has learned all kinds of tricks to
avoid keeping his foot up and his feet are terribly messed up. Nelson
will help people learn to trim if they ask and there are a couple who DO
have an eye for it but they are the exception. Our stallion
has BEAUTIFUL feet, among the best I have ever seen, and he goes
barefoot for quite a while early in the season but there is no way I would
expect him to stay barefoot through an entire season. He would wear
his feet down to nothing.... AGAIN, for the 100th time, PLEASE remember that
every horse is an individual and while the Strasser method may be just fine
for some horses as well as the Natural Balance and the wild horse/4 point
trim may work for some, USE COMMON SENSE in whatever approach you use.
If what you are doing is working, don't try to fix it if it ain't
broke. If you are having trouble, experiment and work with a
"professional" farrier to find a solution that works for YOUR
horse.
Maggie