If we quickly look at the thoroughbred breeding industry we see the need for products and shoeing methods to correct many limb deformities in foals. This is then attributed to being typical thoroughbred problems and not to our misunderstanding of nature's requirements. Compare this to the horses of the traveller community where, for the most part, they are left to their own devices and where there is virtual non-existence of deformities, which we interpret as a breed fault and not a misunderstanding on our part. It would appear that the more a horse is thought to be worth the more cotton wool it will be wrapped in and the more we wrap the less we stimulate natures own foolproof system of turning a newborn foal into a running machine, which is achieved by the stimulation of the underside of a foot.
When a foal is born the largest thing on the bottom of it's foot is the frog and it is on this they will walk, trot, run, gallop etc, and it is standing on the frog that increases blood flow and, in conjunction with the digital cushion and lateral cartledges, it keeps the pedal bone in it's appropriate place and causes these structures to strengthen and develop to enable them to carry a disproportionate amount of weight for their size in the mature horse. It has also been proved that the stimulation given to a foal's foot in the first few months of life determines the size the feet will become. Less stimulation produces smaller feet and therefore puts the foot under greater stress with the weight being distributed over a smaller area when mature.
It has therefore been proved that if we can, in the safest possible way, imitate nature the confirmation and soundness of the next generation of our equine friends will be assured.
By Clive Meers Rainger RSS BII, LSMC, NBBT, CNBF, CFS,
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