 |
[RC] Re. combining shoeing and natural trim - Ridecamp GuestPlease Reply to: Rob Kalb rob@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx or ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx ========================================== Hi Frances, The new age process now dubbed natural trimming is actually correct trimming. There are different ways to trim a hoof; one is for preparing the hoof to go with out shoes. Another is for accommodating any physical abnormalities that may impede free unobstructed movement of the limb. Another yet is preparing the hoof for the application of a steel shoe. All correct if the physiological guidelines laid out by the horse?s skeletal anatomy are followed, yet none natural since natural trimming is performed by the abrasive action created when the hoof impacts the earth and slides across its surface. The amount of hoof that is removed varies according to the horse?s velocity both horizontally and vertically, the Rockwell hardness of the material the hoof is colliding with and the distance the hoof slides across this surface. As for ground control shoes; 1) They?re flexible; they do not support the hoof capsule. As the hoof grows it becomes wider at the ground surface as compared to the width at the coronet band. As a result the forces pulling the hoofwall away from the coffin bone increase as a result of leverage. The further away from the fulcrum the force is applied the greater the force on the opposite side of the fulcrum. The fulcrum in this case is the point of laminar attachment to the coffin bone, any hoofwall past this point actually starts pulling the hoofwall away from the coffin bone. The longer the hoof, the greater the force. Since the flexible material of the ground control shoe cannot adequately hold the nails in position to resist or gusset these forces trying to pull the hoofwall away from the coffin bone you end up with a hoof that is laminitic in configuration although the lamina has not been compromised by anything other than physics. In my experience horses that I?ve shod over long periods of time with the ground control shoes have suffered from dropped soles and subsequent sub-solar bruising. 2) To maintain good hoof health a 3 ½ to 4 week shoeing schedule worked the best for the horses I used these shoes on. 3) As far as shock absorption anything man made to significantly absorb the shock a hoof receives would have to be applied in suck massive volumes that it would be impractical if not impossible. Since the hoof receives a 310 G impact per stride per hoof on hard packed dirt at the gallop (310,000 pounds on a 1000 pound horse) even a 50% decrease isn?t really very significant. The best all around solution is finding a horse that doesn?t require shoes for 50 or 100 mile endurance rides or finding a hoof care technician that can properly apply steel shoes. Rob Rob Kalb Rob's Equine Hoof Care Silent Knight Farms http://www.silentknightfarms.com rob@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
|