The Equinist: Articles and Commentary by Susan Kauffmann

QUESTION: I've been trying to transition my horse from being shod to going barefoot for over a year now, and I'm wondering if I should just give up. I have a professional barefoot trimmer coming every six weeks, she keeps the heels low and the toes short, says his angles are all at the measurements they should be, and she trims away excess sole to improve concavity. I soak the horse's feet for an hour every day, as she recommends. I'm trying to do everything right, but my horse keeps getting abscesses and seems more sore now than when I first took him out of shoes. I don't know what else to do and am thinking of putting his shoes back on. We never had these problems when he was shod, and I'm starting to believe that maybe he just can't go barefoot. I know you have a special interest in barefoot hoof care, so I would like to get your thoughts on this. Thank you. Lori G. in TX ANSWER: I'm sorry you are having such difficulty, Lori, as you are obvio...

Many horses owners are looking for ways to save money these days – and we’re always looking for ways to improve our horses’ well-being. Switching to barefoot hoof care has become increasingly popular, both for the health benefits it seems to impart to the horse and because it is easier on the wallet. Some owners are taking that move once step further by learning to trim their own horses’ feet. If the idea of trimming your own horses intrigues you, there is definitely much to learn before you pick up a rasp and head out to the barn. To help get you started on the right path, we sat down with Christina Cline, a professional barefoot trimmer, clinician and President of the American Hoof Association, and generally all-around awesome gal, to get the skinny on DIY hoof trimming. WHR:  Is it more common these days for owners to want to learn to trim their own horses? If so, to what do you attribute this increase in interest?     CC:  I think the r...

This article was first published in EQUUS magazine. A group of researchers, farriers and other experts argue that restoring basic hoof function and getting a horse moving again are the best ways of addressing navicular problems.  Joey, a handsome sorrel Quarter Horse, was a standout in the Houston Police Mounted Patrol unit. “We’d had Joey since 1996 and he was the very best horse we had,  able to go into any dangerous, high stress situation and lead other horses in tactical formations,” says O fficer Greg Sokoloski, who trains the patrol mounts.  Four years ago, however, the gelding’s place on the force was in jeopardy. After initially showing soreness in his left front foot, Joey began to move like a horse in pain, taking progressively shorter strides and landing toe first. Rest and medication had no effect, and, finally, x-rays confirmed bone changes consistent with the chronic heel pain known as navicular disease. Joey was outfitted with a wedge shoe t...

What it is and why it could be good for your horse This is the foot of a 6 yr. old Welsh cross who came to me with badly overgrown bare feet. Note the shrivelled, poor condition of the frog, as well as the underslung heels and horribly long toes. Despite all that, with just a few months of good trimming, she became the best "rock crunching" trail horse I've ever ridden. Not a whole lot of concavity in her feet, but even so, she could walk over the worst trails with tons of awful rocks and not ever flinch, despite carrying a rider who was really too big for her (me!) Note how nice her frogs became! It is easy to get confused these days when it comes to what constitutes good hoof care. Various farriers and barefoot practitioners advocate an array of methods that generally sound logical enough when you listen to each individual, yet their techniques often stand in complete contradiction to one another. What is the average horse owner to do, and who are we to believ...