Re: FW: conditioning effects

["Maggie Mieske" <mmieske@netonecom.net>]

OK, Nelson and I are going to start a new fad...it's called NCS
shoeing/trimming!!  :)  NCS meaning Nelson's Common Sense.  Basic
principles?  Every horse should be shod or trimmed as an individual.  I
don't believe that "all" horses can go barefoot and "definitely" improve
hoof quality.  Some horses, despite exercise and supplementation, will
still have crappy feet...much of this has to do with our domestication of
the horse and how they were raised as youngsters.  Sometimes exercise and
supplementation WILL improve a horse's feet.  Nelson asks everyone who
shoes their horses to give them a reprieve for a couple months or so in the
winter (or whenever).  Often we discover that their feet are GREAT and they
don't really NEED shoes but that the owner thought they were doing the
right thing.  Often Nelson can convince them to leave the horse barefoot
(stupid thing for a farrier to do, huh?) and as long as the horse is
trimmed regularly (and a barefoot horse is more apt to need it more often)
the horse will be fine.  Trouble is that if you are putting any amount of
exercise on a horse that causes the hoof to wear excessively, you are going
to need shoes, even if their feet ARE tough as nails!  We had one girl who
was very good about keeping her trimming schedule but rode her horse so
much that there was never anything to trim!!!  Nelson told her if she
continues to ride her horse that much (she rides on pavement and gravel
roads) she will HAVE to have shoes on this year or she is going to lame her
horse.  Now I don't know about the statement "the more exercise, the faster
the feet grow"...again, every horse is an individual and that may be true
for some but not all.  I have seen shod AND barefoot horses with no
exercise grow a half to 3/4 inch in 5-6 weeks (remember we measure a lot of
the horses we do) and I have seen my own horse who gets plenty of exercise
and the best supplements grow zippo, shod or barefoot!  I will admit that
this winter, though he didn't grow much at all, his feet did not break up
the way they usually do so I am seeing some improvement in his hoof quality
and toughness.  Shoes are a necessary evil IN SOME CASES.  COMMON SENSE is
the key.  I wouldn't suddenly take the shoes off of my horse in the middle
of ride season and expect his hooves to toughen up between rides.  Ain't
gonna happen.  Perhaps with time, proper trimming and even some shoeing, a
horse's hooves can be improved...we have been working on my gelding's feet
for over 2 years now and are just starting to see improvement.  Remember
that everything starts at the coronary band...you will only see improvement
in the feet as they grow out which will take up to a year (some horses
more, some less...the individual thing!!).  Kenzie, never having used
easyboots, I can't comment on whether those would or would not make a
difference...perhaps using them to ease the transition would be a good
idea, though.  YOU know YOUR horse...use your own common sense and consult
with your farrier for his opinion about your horse's hooves.  There is no
ONE SIZE FITS ALL method of taking care of your horse's feet!  


Maggie Mieske
Mieske's Silver Lining
10601 S. Richards Rd.
McBain, Michigan 49657
http://www.netonecom.net/~mmieske
mmieske@netonecom.net