We then move on to the Romans who invented what can be described as the first boot to be placed on the foot for protection.  This was called a hipposandle and was a flat plate of iron with loops at the front, back and sides, through which a leather thong was passed to tie the hipposandle into place.  However, when the Romans ventured north of the Alps they encountered the Northern tribes of Europe, who made shoes and nailed them to the horse’s feet, which when metal was a scarce resource, was an expensive process.  The reason for shoeing the horses in this fashion was due to the wet environment, unlike the Mediterranean and through what was then Persia, which was very arid.  it is water and the saturation of the hoof that is its greatest enemy. 

When we observe how a horse evolved we find the first fossils had five toes and lived in what we now describe as tropical rainforest but as the environment changed, progressively getting dryer and dryer, a horse’s limb evolved from five toes, to four toes, to three toes and then finally a single digit.   This was purely an adaption to environmental change and as a horse is a flight animal, as the vegetation became less and less so the legs became longer and longer, so that it could avoid the pursuit of predators, therefore a horse’s natural environment is an arid, sparsely vegetated environment in which they travel in the pursuit of food and water, anything from ten to thirty miles a day. 

We have already alluded to the negative effect of external moisture on the hoof.  The hoof wall being horn is a rigid but flexible structure and the moisture it requires to remain flexible in conjunction with the environment in which it lives is supplied by the vascular system from the inside out, therefore applications of any products to keep the feet moist and supple are in danger of making the hoof wall over flexible and tearing the internal structures.  

I would now like to refer to the process of shoeing and why in many cases it fails, leading to the view that barefoot is best.  Horses for hundred of years have been used to pull or carry heavy loads at a walk or a trot and with the advent of the internal combustion engine the main role of horses has changed to that of being ridden, so the farriery industry had to adapt to the change of use of the horse and, just like us, the shoes we wear are appropriate to the activity we engage in.  

Likewise, when horses became popular as a riding animal they would go long distances in a straight line and for this reason the cavalry example was used, of what is known as traditional or hunter shoeing, which one clip in front and two clips behind. However, because of the nature of hoof growth cavalry horses are shod every 28 days religiously to maintain the balance of the hoof and skeletal alignment.  Today however owners require their horses to be shod every 6 to 8 weeks and some even longer, and therefore the traditional shoe is inappropriate for the horses needs.   

Also horses very rarely travel long distances in a straight line, being ridden mainly on a surface and in circles.  For this equine activity you need an early breakover shoe that allows the horse to move on a surface and be shod for a longer period.  The reason for this is that as a horse moves it should land on its heel, weight-bear with the foot flat on the floor, then dig in the toe to release the energy to propel it forward.

  

When horse owners look at the hoof they often require it to be a round and uniform shape, thinking that is what a horse requires.  However, it is the underside of the hoof that contacts the ground which is the functional aspect of the hoof and this can be divided into two halves.  To understand this, we need to realise that the largest solid object within the hoof the pedal bone, which is attached to the hoof wall by the laminae in the front half of the foot.  

The hoof wall here is at its thickest to give stability to the pedal bone whilst the power of moving the horse forward descends through the column of bones and through the toe of the foot.   The back half of the foot is to absorb concussion, lift the pedal bone with the aid of the digital cushion and lateral cartilages upwards in a positive position which is contrary to most people’s thoughts when they think the pedal bone descends through the hoof capsule when weightbearing.  The foot can be divided into two halves taking the widest part of the foot which will correspond with the widest part of the pedal bone and in conjunction with the point at which the bars intersect into the sole and an inch back from the true point of the frog which will give you the centre of articulation of the last joint of the limb.  

Hoof care is often thought of as just dealing with the hoof, but a farrier’s job is to line up the column of bones, so the weight descends through the centre of each joint.  The widest part of the foot should divide into a 50/50 ratio or slightly longer in the back half of the foot.  If the front half of the foot from the centre is longer in measurement this indicates a forward distortion of the foot, leading to improper contact and increased strain placed on the connective tissues holding the limb together.  The heels should end at the widest part land on its heel, weight-bear with the foot flat on the floor, then dig in the toe to release the energy to propel it forward.  

When horse owners look at the hoof they often require it to be a round and uniform shape, thinking that is what a horse requires.  However, it is the underside of the hoof that contacts the ground which is the functional aspect of the hoof and this can be divided into two halves.  To understand this, we need to realise that the largest solid object within the hoof the pedal bone, which is attached to the hoof wall by the laminae in the front half of the foot.  

The hoof wall here is at its thickest to give stability to the pedal bone whilst the power of moving the horse forward descends through the column of bones and through the toe of the foot.   The back half of the foot is to absorb concussion, lift the pedal bone with the aid of the digital cushion and lateral cartilages upwards in a positive position which is contrary to most people’s thoughts when they think the pedal bone descends through the hoof capsule when weightbearing.  

The foot can be divided into two halves taking the widest part of the foot which will correspond with the widest part of the pedal bone and in conjunction with the point at which the bars intersect into the sole and an inch back from the true point of the frog which will give you the centre of articulation of the last joint of the limb.  

Hoof care is often thought of as just dealing with the hoof, but a farrier’s job is to line up the column of bones, so the weight descends through the centre of each joint.  The widest part of the foot should divide into a 50/50 ratio or slightly longer in the back half of the foot.  If the front half of the foot from the centre is longer in measurement this indicates a forward distortion of the foot, leading to improper contact and increased strain placed on the connective tissues holding the limb together.  

The heels should end at the widest part of the frog so that the heels and frog contact the ground together to absorb kinetic energy and lift the internal structures upward as the frog pushes into the digital cushion.  

When viewing the hoof from the side the front of the wall should be at the same angle as the long pastern and the shoulder.  Any deviation forward would indicate a long toe and as the pedal bone is attached to the hoof wall a forward migration of the pedal bone.  Also, any flares would indicate an imbalance to the underside of the hoof.   

Taking the angle of the hoof, it is often stated that this should be 45 degrees, however in studies done on feral horses over the last 20 years indicates that the front feet should be at an angle of between 50 and 55 degrees.  The hind feet, being slightly more upright, should be 52 to 57 degrees depending upon confirmation.   

A fascinating study carried out on the length of the pedal bone shows that it only differs half an inch between a true Shetland and a Shire, the Shires pedal bone being much wider of course, and the study carried out of feral horses also showed that the length of the hoof capsule from coronary band to ground was between 2.75 inches and 3.25 inches.  

In this country we have adapted these measurements to be 3 to 3.5 inches in length allowing for the sole to be thicker because of the moisture in the environment.  Any feet that show an increased length over and above the measurements stated should be x-rayed before the depth of foot is removed in case as the distortion has occurred the pedal bone has descended through the hoof capsule. 

Now we come to the question first asked, which is “can my horse go barefoot?” and in most cases, if the foot is balanced, with a 50/50 ratio, robust frog, concave sole, strong bars and heels ending at the widest part of the frog, if the horse heel lands (all land mammals including ourselves should heel land) meaning that the horse rolls into the toe, as the bodyweight passes over the tip of the pedal bone, then providing your horse is worked on a regular basis on a variety of surfaces it is highly likely that it will be more than happy barefoot.   

Many horses however show a forward distortion in the foot and the longer the toes becomes, the heels follow the toe so that they no longer line up with the widest part of the frog.   This leads to the horses starting to land flat and then toe landing, which is interpreted as being two tenths lame, as a horse will compensate for imbalance long before lameness becomes an issue, putting the structures further up the limb into a range of movement over and above that which they were designed for, which in turn leads to failure.   

However, most of the time we concentrate on the area that has failed rather than looking at cause and effect.  In many instances we treat the effect without searching for the cause which made the structures fail.  When it comes to horses going barefoot it depends very much on the functionality of the underside of the foot and not the appearance of the front of the foot, remembering that the hoof wall is at its thickest at the toe to give stability to the pedal bone and over-rasping of the hoof wall which farriers are often asked to do, merely makes the pedal bone unstable, causing the other structures within the foot to over-compensate.  

A good saying to remember is “the trim establishes soundness, and when correctly applied the shoe enhances performance”.  This simply means that if your horse has a distorted foot a proper trim with the shoe applying the biomechanics in the correct position to remove the leverage forces from the toe will enable the hoof to return to its original shape suited to that horse’s confirmation.  Breakover, which is when the bodyweight passes over the tip of the pedal bone, causing the heels to lift and the toe to dig in the ground to impart its energy, should occur 6mm in front of the tip of the pedal bone as required by nature, to enable the soft tissue to move within its correct range of movement.  

This enables the horse to move correctly removing the leverage which occurs from a long toe with the application of an early breakover shoe without rasping the hoof wall back which destabilises the follow the toe so that they no longer line up with the widest part of the frog.   

This leads to the horses starting to land flat and then toe landing, which is interpreted as being two tenths lame, as a horse will compensate for imbalance long before lameness becomes an issue, putting the structures further up the limb into a range of movement over and above that which they were designed for, which in turn leads to failure.   However, most of the time we concentrate on the area that has failed rather than looking at cause and effect.  In many instances we treat the effect without searching for the cause which made the structures fail.  

When it comes to horses going barefoot it depends very much on the functionality of the underside of the foot and not the appearance of the front of the foot, remembering that the hoof wall is at its thickest at the toe to give stability to the pedal bone and over-rasping of the hoof wall which farriers are often asked to do, merely makes the pedal bone unstable, causing the other structures within the foot to over-compensate.  A good saying to remember is “the trim establishes soundness, and when correctly applied the shoe enhances performance”.  This simply means that if your horse has a distorted foot a proper trim with the shoe applying the biomechanics in the correct position to remove the leverage forces from the toe will enable the hoof to return to its original shape suited to that horse’s confirmation.  

Breakover, which is when the bodyweight passes over the tip of the pedal bone, causing the heels to lift and the toe to dig in the ground to impart its energy, should occur 6mm in front of the tip of the pedal bone as required by nature, to enable the soft tissue to move within its correct range of movement.  This enables the horse to move correctly removing the leverage which occurs from a long toe with the application of an early breakover shoe without rasping the hoof wall back which destabilises the pedal bone.  In this critique I have tried to show when and how shoes should be used and often appropriate shoeing should lead to the imbalance being corrected and enabling your horse to go barefoot. 

Clive Meers Rainger RSS BII

July 2018