"The Barefoot Paradigm"

Howdy Folks,

On Monday our Coffee Clutch was "Going Barefoot-Sometimes A Touchy Subject," and it surely can be, for the horses, their people and friends. I'm a supporter of the barefoot paradigm, not any surprise to folks who know me. But what is the barefoot Paradigm? I can only speak for myself, as I'm always ready to do. (That was supposed to make you smile.)

To me, the barefoot paradigm is about the whole horse. It's really a way of life. I believe it embraces the holistic approach to living with, loving, and enjoying horses. Do as little as possible that might upset the natural life style of the horse. Every horse caregiver has limitations; financial, geographic, time, conditions, housing, the list goes on. There are always decisions to make, some easy, some challenging. If we make those decisions from the horse's perspective those decisions can often be made less challenging. Many times decisions made by horse caregivers' are made for, and by, the human's perspective – Which can be in contradiction with the barefoot paradigm.

Much of what I consider the barefoot paradigm is really simply good horse sense. What are the most important things to keeping a horse happy, healthy and thriving? We'll not get into why I think pounding nails through a living tissue isn't healthy or happy, but to quote, Dr. Thomas Teskey, "You can't nail a shoe on without doing damage to the lamina." And the lamina is pretty important to the hoof.

Kessy loves to romp in her playground

The barefoot paradigm is not only about yanking shoes, or never putting them on, it's about a lifestyle that promotes total health, as close to the natural state that our equine friends thrive on as possible for the caregiver to provide. We don't all have large sparsely grassed acreage for them to romp free on. But we can, say no to stalls, and yes to run-ins on as large a lot as possible. And we can make that lot resemble wide open spaces by placing our, water and "slow hay feed nets," here and there encouraging movement. We can add obstacles or even allow trees and brush to add a little dimension to our horses' wanderings. Free and roaming movement is paramount to the health of a horses' hoof, and the entire horse. 

We can say no to grain, and create a healthy all forage diet. We can test our hay so we know what if any high quality supplements are needed. We can sprinkle fresh vegetables on the hay bags, for fun and nutrients. I'll not talk here about vaccinations, perhaps I never will, but it is something I consider in my barefoot paradigm for my mare, Kessy. As are all unnatural chemicals, feeds, treatments and applications. Keep in mind, toxins travel to settle in the feet, so if we don't introduce them, or greatly limit them, they can't get lodged in our horse's hooves.

So you see, for me, the barefoot paradigm is about considering the horse's health, well-being and happiness first, in our management practices. Housing that provides for uninhibited exercise, fresh air and engagement. Nutrition in line with what their bodies are designed to understand. And keeping as many toxins out of their systems as possible. Just about that simple. Of course there is also hoof care to consider. 

If a horse is being transitioned from shod to barefoot, the first thing to do is simply remove the shoes, and with a rasp take the toes back where they should be, and nothing else. Give the horse a few days or a week to begin to shape the hoof to a more natural state. Be sure select a qualified barefoot hoofcare specialist to maintain the hooves. Barefoot care should really be scheduled every 3 - 4 weeks, but that may vary some depending on riding, terrain etc.

Hoofcare and maintenance in the barefoot paradigm is really surprisingly simple. Today you can find a wealth of information out there on the barefoot paradigm, hoof maintenance, boots etc. I'll suggest Yvonne Welz's magazine, The Horse's Hoof. I highly recommend subscribing to it. I wrote a blog about Yvonne and her magazine –here-"Feature Friday Yvonne Welz - The Horse's Hoof" 

I write for, and surely recommend Natural Horse Magazine as well.

There you have it, my thoughts on the barefoot paradigm. Really nothing to it. It's just a little different in the way we do some things as humans. But it's a world of difference for the horses.

Gitty Up ~ Dutch Henry   

I hope you'll read my other 2 posts on going barefoot -"Why Barefoot" and "How can I Transition To Barefoot?" 

"Going Barefoot – Sometimes A Touchy Subject"

Howdy Friends,

  
One uncomfortable thing many folks who have decided to take their horses barefoot face is peer pressure. They've made the decision based on facts we now know to be true, "No shoe can be applied to a hoof without damage, and health compromises." Read more in my blog, "Why Barefoot." Making the change to barefoot can be a tough decision. Many folks labor with it for months, some years. Then they hear their horse and realize they must do the right thing.

Me giving Kessy her pedicure

The transition though is just then beginning. The horse and their person must not only adjust to the new healthier lifestyle, but often these horses are boarded in barns where many, if not most, have yet to see the light, and will insist going barefoot sets your horse up for failure and pain. To justify their own reluctance to change, or even honestly consider the health of their horse, they make excuses; it's too rocky here, my horse goes lame when it loses one shoe how could it go barefoot, I tried it already and my horse could hardly walk, and on and on with the tired old reasons to justify nailing iron on hooves. 

Sadly, in some cases, the peer pressure is so intense that folks just give up and don't make the transition to the barefoot paradigm. Some folks go on carrying the tug at their heart, deep inside knowing they should make the correct choice for their horse, but can't deal with the pressure at the barn. Others actually join those who "talked them out of barefoot," to try to placate that little voice inside that keeps telling them, "barefoot is healthier for your horse."

Peer pressure can be very difficult to deal with when a person is already nervous about making a change. Even when that change is clearly for the better health of your horse. Haven't we all heard we should not allow negativity into our lives? Peer pressure is one of the most powerful forms of negativity. Folks who know going barefoot is best for their horse, but hesitate because they don't want to be an outsider in their barn, may simply need to find another barn and shed that negativity. It's for the horse, after all.

Another, "Touchy Subject," referring to my title of this post. And please forgive my brashness with this one … but not all barefoot trimmers get it. My single biggest piece of advice here is, if your trimmer does barefoot as well as shoes, get another trimmer. They don't understand the workings of a horse's foot, legs and body, and are unable to see the true bare foot. They just see a foot without shoes. And that's not really good enough.

On that note, I have a story. Recently I was invited to a barn to do some, therapy exercises for two horses, and instruct the owner on them. I don't know what percent of the horses there were barefoot, but the two I was to work on where. As I approached the first horse, while still a good fifty feet away, I could see the cause of the overall body pain of the handsome 4 year old. His stance was one of managed discomfort, because it was all he knew. He was a sweet fellow with a kind look. I actually heard him say, "Help me." I turned to his owner and said, "Please forgive me for my bluntness, but before I even touch him, I can see where 100% of his soreness comes from. His feet are horribly trimmed." The owner told me the "farrier" has been doing it for 30 years. I replied, "He's been doing it wrong that long too."

We did have a lovely session with the 2 horses, both of whom had the same badly managed hooves by the barn's 30 year veteran. I mixed in a few suggestions of what needed to be corrected, and a strong suggestion the owner switch trimmers, even recommended one. The owner informed me there is a lot of loyalty at the barn for this fellow and she was afraid to cause problems. The owner would, "think about it." I was asked to continue to instruct the therapy exercises, which of course I'll do – But I left knowing those 2 sweet horses would continue to walk with pain from hooves caused by stretching lamina from incorrectly managed hooves, the result of peer pressure.

I know this post is a bit edgier than I like to write, but I intend it in an honest, helpful way. As folks who know me understand, everything I write has its root in my motto, "It's For The Horses." I hope if you are dealing with doubt, questions, or peer pressure regarding anything about barefoot horse keeping, this little story helps strengthen your resolve.

Gitty Up ~ Dutch Henry

Please also read my story  - "How Can I Transition to Barefoot?"

And you'll also want to read my story, "The Barefoot Paradigm"

"Feature Friday- Yvonne Welz-The Horse's Hoof"

Howdy folks,

Yvonne Welz started The Horse's Hoof magazine in 2000, as a way to create a place where people can gather to learn and share knowledge and resources about the "barefoot paradigm." Back then it was a simple folded newsletter sent out to a few hundred subscribers. She and her husband had been following and learning all they could about the barefoot movement and it was an announcement by Jaime Jackson that year that he was discontinuing his newsletter, "The Hoof Care Advisor" that worried Yvonne.

That announcement jolted many barefoot enthusiasts and inspired Yvonne to create "The Horse's Hoof." "Thanks to Jaime, Dr. Hitrud Strasser and Sabine Kells, the barefoot movement was really just beginning to get noticeable traction. It worried me that the loss of this resource for people trying to understand and learn the health benefits of the barefoot lifestyle would create a void. Just beginning to really understand how important a barefoot lifestyle is to the horse, I felt committed to do the best I could to keep the momentum going." Yvonne said.

Keep the momentum going is what she and her husband did. For twelve years they've kept on stride and this month's issue of the quarterly magazine is issue number 50. Now a beautiful 32 page full color magazine packed with resources, advice and contacts to help everyone who is yearning to care for their horses following the barefoot lifestyle can find help, encouragement, answers and friends.

The 50th issue!

 Yvonne and James first discovered the barefoot paradigm when, in May 1999, Yvonne's dressage award winning Lipizzaner cross mare, Inty, foundered the day after winning a major competition. Of course the knowledge at the time suggested it had, "just happened," but now Yvonne realizes it had been a long time in "happening." They enlisted the aid of the very best care a noted veterinarian could give, which included invasive hoof surgery, and shoeing. Inty continued to worsen, becoming so sore she would lie down for days at a time.

Frantic, Yvonne dove into the internet to find alternative answers to save Inty. Her search led her to discover Dr.Hiltrud Strasser's book being offered on Jaime Jackson's website, and all the information just beginning to emerging about how to promote a healthy horse through a healthy hoof. Things began to make sense; she and James quickly began to realize this was the true answer to helping Inty. To that end James traveled to Canada in the fall of 1999 to study under Sabine Kells. When James returned the following weekend and began to apply what he'd learned at Sabina's clinic, they saw the first progress in Inty.

Inty's journey back to health continued to lead Yvonne and James, and in the spring of 2000 James traveled to Texas to attend Dr. Hiltrid Strasser's first appearance in the USA. So impressed was James with what he learned there, he enrolled in Dr. Strasser's year long course. Through the years, he continued to study, from a wide variety of sources, and developed his own unique, detailed trimming system. Today, James not only has a thriving barefoot care business, but also a website community where folks can drop in to learn the Welz trimming system, exchange ideas and learn the benefits, and how to trim their own horses, and much more. For your horse's sake, check it out here – www.hoofhelponline.com - This is a subscription site but you can sign up with a free one day trail to take a look.

 

TBR Granite Chief and Karen Chaton winners of the Arabian Horse Association's High Miliage Award in 2004 & 2005 go barefoot and with boots.

The Horse's Hoof Magazine continues to grow, reach out, offer help, advice and encouragement. At the website - www.thehorseshoof.com - you'll find all manners of helpful links and pages, everything from a trimmers list to horse lover's corner where you'll find touching stories. I encourage you to subscribe to The Horse's Hoof Magazine, for your horse. And tell your friends!

 

Dutch Warmblood Juneau made his FEI Dressage comeback as an 18 year old, barefoot, with Dawn Jensen riding. The pair won the Prix St George classes, winning high score FEI of the show-only 10 months after he'd been written off by vets as a hopeless case ... Read their story in issue 37 of The horse's Hoof.

The knowledge Inty inspired Yvonne and James to pursue not only gave Inty a few more years of life, but charted a new course for their lives. That course is a devotion to bringing together people who believe in the barefoot paradigm, and offering assistance to folks just beginning to explore the barefoot lifestyle for their horses. Good Job, Yvonne and James. And thank you Inty for guiding them!

Gitty Up ~ Dutch Henry

"Feature Friday- Sossity and Mario Gargiulo- Holistic Hoof Care"

Howdy Folks,

Like so many folks now practicing and promoting the barefoot healthy horse, Sossity first decided she needed to find a new way to help her own horse, Faith, a 4 year old Arab/Trakehner mare who had lameness issues. She decided to broaden her scope and suddenly natural hoofcare found her. It made perfect sense. But also confused her, "how could veterinarians and farriers and the 'barefoot crowd' each hold such opposite views?" She asked herself. The more she examined the situation, the more confused she became.

Sossity trims

A friend recommended she buy Pete Ramey's book. She did. She became immediately enthralled, joining every Yahoo group she could find on barefoot horse care, bought books and DVDs from folks like, Gene Ovnicek, KC La Pierre, and Jaime Jackson. She traveled to hear Pete Ramey speak. Ultimately enrolled in AANHCP training program, and traveled to several states to mentor. "I applied to the American Hoof Association in 2008 and was approved as a certified trimmer. That was a huge accomplishment and I was at the time of approval one of less than 20 in the nation to achieve the honor." Sossity said.

Sossity is one of the founding members of Pacific Hoof Care Practitioners (PHCP) whose mission it is to provide a supportive network and educational foundation for hoof care professionals and horse owners based on a holistic and progressive approach.

She is instrumental in introducing barefoot horse health to the world of competition horses. Sossity's work with and for, world class horse trainer Shannon Peters, and Shannon's husband Steffen and his horse Ravel was recently written about in "Dressage Today" magazine, by author Kelly Sanchez.

Retired now Ravel, was one of the most successful horses in American Dressage, ridden by Steffen Peters in the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, the 2010 World Equestrian Games, only the second U.S.combination to win the World Cup and the sole American to sweep the Aachen, Germany, CDIO, both in 2009. His record includes many Grand Prix victory. He enjoys his retirement on the trails with his new owner Akiko Yamazaki.

When Steffen's 2 time Olympic horse Ravel developed a quarter crack 2 months before the London games they turned to Sossity and her husband Mario for help. Sossity had just begun to work with Shannon a few months before. Things went so well with Ravel that today there are 15 barefoot horses from Training Level to Grand Prix in Shannon's and Steffen's training barn in San Diego.

Sossity takes the Holistic approach to hoof and horse health. "The hoof is a SYMPTOM.  The most perfect trim in the world can only do so much if your horse is eating a diet that does not respect and support his physiology, or if his tack is causing chronic pain and resulting compensation, if his lifestyle does not reflect his needs as a creature of movement and a social herd life, or if what he is being asked to do as his job does not respect him biomechanically or even psychologically." Sossity believes and teaches.

In addition to Shannon’s horses and those of some of her training clients in San Diego, Sossity also trims all of Akiko Yamazaki’s horses (including the Olympic horse Ravel discussed in the article).  Akiko has competing FEI level horses as well as retired competition horses.  Sossity also works on horses that do trails, riding lessons, therapy horses, fox hunting, reined cow work, gaited breeds, and more.

A lot of Sossity's trimming business has been through word of mouth, but she also tries to get the word out through her work with the PHCP, her website, the Wild Hearts Facebook page, as a blog contributor, and a monthly newsletter where she showcases a client or case study each month, talks about clinics she's attended or are being held, and reports on interesting studies that have come out. "I blog about basically anything relating to holistic horse health. My husband and I also have 3 horses of our own that we ride and love, and try to show by example how successful this approach to horse care really can be." Sossity said.

It's a family affair - Mario trims, too

Her hard work to promote holistic health and care for horses and her efforts to teach the competitive world barefoot is best, makes her a perfect fit for our Feature Friday. Thank you Sossity for all you do!

Please visit her website http://www.wildheartshoofcare.com/  for pages of information, links, pictures and contacts.

Gitty Up ~ Dutch Henry