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It has become standard practice to shoe most horses in active competition or work. However, there is a growing movement to eliminate shoes on working horses. Advocates of barefooting point out many benefits to keeping horses barefoot and present studies showing that improper shoeing can cause or exacerbate certain hoof ailments in the horse.
The controversy currently surrounding equine podiatry is whether or not horses should be shod or left barefoot. [6] Traditionally, the practice of horseshoeing was implemented to prevent wear of the hoof wall; however, the modern argument is that traditional farriery with steel shoes can restrict natural flexion of the hoof wall, cause hoof ...
Friends of Sound Horses (FOSH) also promotes exhibition of flat-shod and barefoot horses. [50] It licenses judges for both pleasure classes and gaited dressage , [ 51 ] promotes use of gaited horses in distance riding and sport horse activities, [ 52 ] and is an authorized HIO.
Some advocates of the barefoot horse movement maintain that proper management may reduce or eliminate the need for shoes, or propose hoof boots as an alternative. Certain activities, such as horse racing and police horse work, create unnatural levels of stress and will wear down hooves faster than they would in nature.
A farrier is a specialist in equine hoof care, including the trimming and balancing of horses' hooves and the placing of shoes on their hooves, if necessary. A farrier combines some blacksmith 's skills (fabricating, adapting, and adjusting metal shoes) with some veterinarian 's skills (knowledge of the anatomy and physiology of the lower limb ...
Domestic horses do not always require shoes. When possible, a "barefoot" hoof, at least for part of every year, is a healthy option for most horses. However, horseshoes have their place and can help prevent excess or abnormal hoof wear and injury to the foot. Many horses go without shoes year round, some using temporary protection such as hoof ...
ST-5. Barefoot shoes usually offer no arch support by design, but some shoes like the Topo Athletic ST-5’s offer minimal support with the included removable insole.The insole makes the shoe feel ...
Barefoot hoof, lateral view. (1) Coronet band, (2) walls, (3) toe, (4) quarter, (5) heel, (6) bulb, (7) P2 (small pastern) A horse hoof is the lower extremity of each leg of a horse, the part that makes contact with the ground and carries the weight of the animal. It is both hard and flexible.