i.e.
Got called in as the "neighborhood professional" yesterday to look at a
really lame horse. This is about a 1300 lb. 15.2 Walking Horse...16 years
old, THICK crest, bad case of navicular (diagnosed by radioactive scans at
UT) on beautiful lush pasture. The horse is in pain. He's
standing stretched way out with his forefeet well ahead of his nose.
(Hindfeet out too as if "parked" *not* a founder stance.) Then he drags them
back towards him banking up sawdust so he can stand on it with his heels up,
toes down. (smart trick). After 30 seconds or so he'll stretch them forward
again.
Hi Angie & all,
Have been traveling a bunch the last 2 months, so haven't been observing
ride camp much... but the post about the navicular horse caught my eye. As
u know, I'm heavy n2 the Barefoot thing... I've read all of Strasser's small
books & actually have made it thru her 15 lb "blue book" too. Its the most
incredibly educational horse book I've ever experienced. As heavy &
cumbersome as it is, I seldom go anywhere w/o it for re-reading & figuring
out new foot & leg situations.
Had it at Texas A&M the other day during a pre-purchase exam on a sale
horse & actually copied 3 pages for the vets regarding holes in the
navicular bone.... won't go into details here, but...
the horse mentioned on ride camp navicular syndrome can be cured (in the
majority of cases) by following the Strasser recomendations of hoof care.
Tell the owner to look up any of the following web pages & reveiw them for
tons of information... especially about navicular & laminitis or she can get
in touch with me if she likes.
In addition, we are actually holding a clinic with Dr. Strasser (a rare U.S.
appearance), here at our place (Humble TX) on July 24,25,26. There are
still some openings if your acquaintance would like to attend. It would be
a real eye opener for her if she is interested in bringing the horse back to
useful soundness.... I'm actually talking about the horse being ridden
again, not just pasture sound. Sounds like he could have Cushings too, but
I'm not trying to diagnose via e-mail... needs an examination by vet for
that.
Angie, you are so influential in our world... I'd love it if you would read
Strasser's books & attend a clinic some time. The "trim" can make such a
difference in our horse's lives & well being. (U can gallop on pavement
too, no slipping ... just thought I'd throw that in <BBG>
Just a couple of examples: Brittany Dial (stepdaughter)& DJB Rockin Adios
won the 50 Mi purebred IAHA Ntl Championship at Ft. Howe, June 11
"barefoot", I did 65 mi. of the 100 (used ez boots front only, last 35) &
won the 1/2 Arab Ntl. Championship on Razzmatazz. Adios won a 50 May 25, &
finish 5th at the Kettle Classic on July 6th also Barefooted. This was a
variation of terrain & soil conditions & his feet look great today.
Granted, we cannot ride really rocky rides on my sand conditioned horses,
use the Equiflex shoe then, but many rides I can ride barefooted.
What is a true benifit, however, is when we do elect to shoe, we have such
healthy, well balanced, uncontracted feet, with good thick hoof walls, that
almost anyone can shoe them. We never lose shoes due to the healthy hoof
wall, (holds those nails), then we remove the shoes as soon as possible to
get the natural circulation going once again. I do hate putting nails in
their feet, but once again, the farriers don't have to go really high due to
the quality of the hoof wall... so the damage usually grows out pretty
quick. Once again, good circulation equates to fast growth... so those nail
holes disapper pretty quickly.
I'm still doing the majority of my own trimming & I'm amazed at how nasty
those nail holes look when you get to look at them up close & personal. &
of course... please people... don't just go out & jerk ur shoes off & think
that is the "proper barefoot thing"... it takes several clinics, a lot of
book reading & some pretty serious hands on to get things exactly right.
I've been doing it for nearly two years now & I'm still learning, & will
continue to do so for years to come I'm sure. But if your horse means a lot
to you & you want it to continue to perform for you for lots more years, you
can increase their longevity and their ongoing health by studying Strasser's
methods & Natural Horsekeeping.
Ok... off the soapbox... just had to offer my experiences.!!! Due to
preparing for the upcoming Strasser clinic, I may not be able to respond for
a while... but I will try when I can. Oh.. if u wud like to register for
the clinci contact registration@xxxxxxxxxxxxx directly for cost, etc.
by for now!
djbd
oh... here's the web pages:
www.tribeequus.com
file://www.barefoothorse.com/
www.alltel.net/~star/page4.html
http://members.screenz.com/gretchenfathauer/
://www.thehorseshoof.com/
www.unitedhorsemanship.com
http://hopeforsoundness.com/natbalance/definitions.html
http://annalar16.tripod.com/aboutbarefootedhorses/
www.thenakedhoof.com.au
Darolyn Butler-Dial & Mark Dial
CYPRESS TRAILS EQUESTRIAN CENTER & HORSEMAN VIDEO SHOWCASE
Proven Endurance Horses for Sale or Lease.
Adventure Trail Rides * Boarding * Training*Lessons *Parties
Represents: Sharon Saare Saddles, Professional Choice, Advanced Biological
Concepts, & KM (Human Electrolytes)
ADVOCATE :THE WHOLE HORSE TRIM (Barefootin")
21415 Cypresswood Dr. Humble, Texas 77338
Ph: 281 446 7232 Fax 281 446 0113 Toll Free (800) 228 8768
e mail: darolyn@xxxxxxxxxx <mailto:darolyn@xxxxxxxxxx>
www://home.swbell.net/darolyn/
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