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Re: [RC] Bare feet - EventXC


In a message dated 10/04/03 8:36:18 PM, LTYearwood writes:

<< To which I say: If you condition your horse, you can ride anywhere. It's 
just that it takes longer. 
Because horses can't just be taken out and ridden anywhere anytime. 
Unless they are shod.If they're barefoot, they need more conditioning. That's 
all. >>

No, that's not all.  The fact of friction against a hard surface leads to 
wear.  In certain footings, if the horse wears the hard horn of the foot 
against 
an abrasive surface long enough, the material, no matter how strong, will 
erode away and leave less-than-ideal protection for the softer, more crucial 
surfaces underneath.  If you read the research material from David Hood at 
Texas 
A&M as well as from Robert Bowker from Michigan State, you will see them both 
state that the horn of the hoof primarily serves to protect the inner workings 
of the foot, rather than as weight bearing (which is where shoeing has gotten 
into trouble).  The laminar junction and its relationship to the lateral 
cartilages (which has a relationship with the fibrocartilage surface between 
the 
frog and digital cushion) is viscoelastic for a reason.  The hoof wall also 
acts 
as a lever arm to the internal structures to create both hydraulic pressure 
and hydraulic vacuum in order to move blood and other fluids and to cool the 
foot and dissipate shock.  The external shell CAN be damaged with too much wear 
and, in order to proctect it, it sometimes must be shod.  I ride my horse 
barefoot for as often and as long as I can, but there eventually comes a time 
and 
place where, for the good of my horse, I need to take the responsibility of 
protecting his feet wisely.

Kim Henneman, DVM
Park City  Utah  USA

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