Debates
Setting the hoof of wild horses as a
standard of health and soundness for domestic horses has stirred a great amount
of controversy and debate. Here are a few of the key points of contention
and some of the reasoning in support of keeping horses barefoot.
Advocates for shoeing claim
repeatedly that wild horses are not domestic horses and that their hooves are an
inappropriate model for a healthy domestic foot. A common assumption is that “we
have bred the foot off the (domestic) horse” and that natural selection in the
wild ensures that the Mustang and other wild horses will have much tougher and
more resilient feet. This assertion is inaccurate. In fact, there
are no longer any truly “wild” horses; the origins of the American Mustang and
similar populations such as the Australian Brumby actually trace back to feral
horses having escaped or been released from domesticity to survive in the
wild. We have in fact seen that feral horses that have been captured and
assimilated into the lifestyle of the average domestic horse will soon develop
many of the hoof ailments of their domestically born counterparts. The
opposite is also true, in that when given a healthy lifestyle and proper hoof
care, even the most pedigreed of domestic horses will often grow a hoof capable
of the rock solid barefoot soundness found in feral horses.
Skeptics also argue that feral horses are not subject
to many of the conditions we impose on our horses. This is certainly true
and a very important point, however, some of these conditions can be rectified
while others can be dismissed. One such negligible argument is that
carrying the weight of a rider necessitates that a horse be shod. Clearly
a pregnant Mustang mare carries a good deal of additional weight for a much
longer period of time than your average riding horse, but these barefoot mares
remain sound and keep pace with the herd throughout their pregnancies.
Another argument states that with a rider, the horse does not have the freedom
to place its feet as it might if free to choose its own path, thus causing undue
wear and tear to the hooves. Anyone who has witnessed the environments and
terrain where wild horses travel, often for 25 or more miles per day, knows that
a healthy horse's feet are capable of far more than we give them credit.
Counter to these arguments, research shows that an important aspect of hoof
infirmity is not that we ask too much of the hoof, but too little. Other
factors, however, such as poor diet, lack of exercise, and unhealthy living
conditions can and do limit the capabilities of the domestic foot, thus the
priority for addressing these in order to allow the horse to have truly healthy
hooves.
"To secure the best
type of stable-yard, and with a view to strengthening the horse's feet, I would
suggest to take and throw down so as to form a surface four or five waggon loads
of pebbles, each as large as can be grasped in the hand, and about a pound in
weight; the whole to be fenced round with a skirting of iron to prevent
scattering. The mere standing on these will come to precisely the same thing as
if for a certain portion of the day the horse were, off and on, stepping along a
stony road... a surface so strewn with stones will tend to harden the frog of
the foot also." -Xenophon, On Horsemanship, 350 BC
Another common concern arises
from the number of ways we use horses such that the demands we place on them
exceed the limits of what the hooves are naturally able to withstand. The
first and most obvious question is if this is at all an ethical way treat an
animal. We know how much the horse is willing to give us, but how much do
we really need to ask of them to
satisfy our own desires? The physical conditioning of competitive
horses in not something I have studied in depth, but I do believe that a healthy
horse's hooves are not its weakest link. I believe that in most
situations, if a horse with healthy hooves is pushed to the point that it causes
hoof related lameness, other problems and injuries are very likely to occur
first. An exception to this is long distance trail or endurance riding
over rough and abrasive terrain. It is possible for a well conditioned
horse to cover so many miles that its hooves may become excessively worn or
sore. To a large extent, the hoof responds and adapts to this
demand. From the inside, the rate of growth increases, and on the outside,
the hoof material becomes tough, dense, and calloused, but in some situations
hoof protection does become necessary. In these cases natural hoof care
practitioners advocate for the use of boots as opposed to
shoes.