----- Original Message -----
Sent: Tuesday, July 16, 2002 4:56
PM
Subject: Re: [RC] Navicular horse &
Strasser Clinic
There is some positive information concerning navicular on the barefoot
site; they do seem to believe that a horse can recover from such a thing using
their methods. Might be worth a shot before you go and put the horse
down, but the horse in question does seem to have serious problems and has
reached a stage where it might be too late to do much of anything.
I've been doing my own trims for the last 3 months, and I must admit, I
like doing them. I have read quite a lot of what is out there on the
Internet, and the one site that seems the most informative and is easy enough
for me to understand is
www.barefoothorse.com Under the
"strategy" section on that site the author discusses the differences
between her method and the Strasser method. What I like about the non
Strasser method (it's called Natural trim) is they don't want you to take
away any of the sole. Anyway, she does discuss the differences between
the two which I found interesting.
I have yet to use the nippers on my horses except to take out those
chipped flares that cropped up early when I first started, but don't seem to
happen as much because of my weekly rasping. I really like the
arching of the quarters and the mustang roll. If you want to see
why some folks are so big on this barefoot thing, check out the photos of the
horses feet on
www.tribeequus.com . The
concavity of the soles and the strong hoof walls are what you're striving for
here.
I'm just hoping that it can happen, for me, in endurance. Just
think of the savings! A couple of years doing this and I might actually
be able to afford an XP ride! I don't know of too many endurance riders,
besides Darolyn, who do the barefoot thing, so it's difficult to assess how
this is going to turn out. I'm not real big on easy boots (hard to find
when you lose one) but those plastic shoes look interesting. I'm just
hoping to find another way to do those mountain rides that I love going to
without putting nails back into my horse's hooves.
Another good thing about the site that I've mentioned is they want the
horse to have low heels and a short toe. This kind of falls in line with
how a lot of Arab feet are anyway, at least with the low heel, so I like the
idea. I won't lie to you, it is hard on the back and I've got cuts on my
hands, arms and my legs (I'm probably the only horse trimmer who wears shorts
when working) from that rasp. And even though Rob recommends to use
the handle for the rasp, I do not, and I have stabbed myself quite a few
times with the pointy end thing, which I'm seriously considering sawing
off. Due to these injuries, I now have 3 belly buttons. I have
started wearing gloves and that does help quite a bit, plus soaking the
horse's hooves in water sure makes a difference. Usually, I just saddle
up, go for a short ride, and sit with the horse in a nearby swamp for 15 or so
minutes before I go back home and get to working. We've had 20 inches of
rain between June and July so the swamps are plenty full lately. And
when I start to work I have a hose nearby to keep the feet wet.
Now, I'm not trying to sell this to anyone; I'm not even sure if it will
work as far as endurance goes. But, if enough of ya'll are
interested I will keep you up to date as to how my horses are doing
here. I had to try something different; I'm just sick and tired of
getting pulled for that subtle head bob at the vet checks. From what I'm
reading on Ridecamp lately, I'm starting to think that the vets in the
Southeast might be the toughest in the country to obtain a "fit to continue"
ruling.
I must admit all of my guys trot out much better lately, which is my main
reason for going this route. Anyway, I promise not to become a "barefoot
radical" no matter what happens, and I know those of you who live in the
mountains most likey wouldn't consider such a thing anyway and I can't
blame you. But, if I can't do it down here in Florida, than where
else can it be done? Keep in mind I ask the question knowing it's me
doing the trimming, so, this does not apply to others who are much more
capable.
cya,
Howard
