Re: RC: RE: Darolyn and Barefootin' (extremely long)

[DESERTRYDR1@aol.com]

>>Karen says: 

>>An individual who wished to prove this for
themselves could go by any rendering plant, pick up several shod and
unshod cadaver hooves and disect them to look at the damages done.
Unfortunately, in most rendering plants, it is difficult to find a healthy
hoof.  However, the coffin bones on those hooves tell a very detailed
story of what has happened through the years of shoeing.<<

There are several good reasons that it's hard to find a healthy hoof at a 
rendering plant.  Many of the horses that end up there have been put down, 
and no one puts down a healthy horse.  Also many are old when they die.  Ask 
any 80 yr old human you know if their feet hurt.    I'm only 49, and have 
never subjected my feet to shoes or boots that don't fit.  Just have 
arthritis in my feet.  In case you think it IS because of the shoes, I also 
have it in my hands, knees, hips, neck.  Some things are just the result of 
aging.  Another thing about cadaver feet from a rendering plant is that you 
have no history on the horses.  You don't know if they went barefoot all 
their lives or just had their shoes pulled a month or two ago.  You don't 
know If the horse had coffin bone problems due to an injury at a young age 
(before shoes were ever applied), if it had congenital or development 
problems (as in related to nutrition).  You don't know how often the horse 
received foot care, whether the problems were due to poor farrier work, total 
lack of attention.  In short, this is probably one of the WEAKEST arguments I 
have ever heard for barefootin'.  

As far as the "scientific research" that was cited, we all know that research 
generally proves whatever the researcher wants it to, unless studies are 
double-blind, with controls which is awfully hard to do when looking at an 
unshod versus shod hoof, just because the presence of shoes kind of gives 
away which group a horse belongs to.  People should take care of their 
horses' feet in the way they believe is most humane, and spend a lot less 
time trying to convince everyone else that their way is the only right way.   
jeri