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Fw: [RC] Barefootin Historically - goearth



 
Hello Truman,  i don't think it goes back to the dawn of time but rather to the Iron Age as before that Armies like the Asian Hordes used hide and woven material from plants.  The Romans fitted leather and metal coverage with leather straps.  The Indians used leather when they needed it. So it seems that since the Iron Age there has essentially been no development in the process of hoof protection other than easy boots.  My theory would be to utilize a liquid  product that dries instantly and wears like steel but without the nail holes.  Science should be able to advance towards the future, rather than stay in the past. tOMs
-----Original Message-----
From: Truman Prevatt <tprevatt@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: goearth <goearth@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Cc: Ridecamp <ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Sunday, January 25, 2004 7:10 PM
Subject: Re: [RC] Barefootin Historically

Back in a previous life I spent 6 months in the Army War College. The US military doctrine is to use technology to it's greatest advantage. That's why we can fight wars today without a great loss of life compared to only 30 years ago when we lost 50,000 in Vietnam.

Anyway, one of the military history instructors had an interesting chart that listed the technology that had significant military impact. That means it made the difference in winning or losing a war. If you want to test something and get rid of all the BS claims - test it in a war. You win or lose - it works or you die. Can't get more black and white than that.  Of course the usual suspects we know today are on there, proximity fuses, radar and the atomic bomb in WWII;  later curse missiles, the jet airplane.  In the Civil ( not a good discription) War it was the repeating rifle.

But go back in history when the horse was an instrument of war you will find the stirrup as a significant military technology that made the difference in the Battle of Hastings in 1066 which set the course of Great Britain. One other technology of military significance is the steel horseshoe. It allowed armies to go faster and further with less down time and fewer spare stock and provided them an advantage over their adversary.

So it seems that "barefoot vs. shod" has been a argument from the dawn of time.

Truman

goearth wrote:
Brrr. its cold outside and a snow storm called for.  But i got to thinking about the 1716 trek in Va. to open up the west and cross the Blue Ridge by the Knights of the Golden Horseshoe and Lt. Gov. Alexander Spotswood.  Living down near the ocean and the tidewater area they didn't use shoes as they didn't need them in the sand.  It was only when they decided to cross the Mountains that they needed them and applied them.  Upon their return they called themselves the KoTGH and supposedly gave out miniature golden jewel-encrusted horseshoes as momentos of the trip.  When i first came to Luray in 1974 and rode the mountains, not knowing what endurance was but just riding for the adventure i only had fronts and never shod in the rear or had a problem at all on these notorious rocks,sometimes riding 30 miles over mountains.  I am not an opponent of barefootin and would welcome any knowledge about alternative hoof care and practices.   Sure, there are times when shoeing is needed and should be done.  But the horses feet Darolyn showed me were some of the best balanced and trimmed feet i have ever seen.   And, that makes me a leaning proponent. tOMs