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Re: [RC] barefoot and circulation - heidiI disagree!! I'd sure like to see studies that back up this notion that the expansion is limited. I've yet to see anything convincing on this subject, other than horses with happy, healthy feet with good circulation who have worn shoes for much of their lives. (Yes, I'm aware of cadaver studies that don't take into account whether the shoes were properly applied, or whether the horses did anything in their lives besides stand in a paddock--lack of exercise is far more apt to cause decreased circulation than are properly applied shoes!) I agree, there is some movement and if you reread my post I said "Normal expansion is no longer possible as the shoe has been put on when the hoof is non-weightbearing and in its narrowest state. So when weightbearing only a slight amount of movement is allowed in the shod foot. This leads to decreased circulation and reduced bloodflow within the hoof. " I've watched the tapes of treadmill studies in which one can SEE the expansion and contraction as it occurs--and one can't see one whit of difference between properly shod and unshod feet on those. Additionally, one can see that most of the expansion occurs posterior to the quarters--which is only logical, given that there is no "opening" at the toe, as there is at the heel. How can there be restriction if there is nothing whatsoever inhibiting the hoof wall posterior to the quarters? I disagree. It is not the nails that have some give - it is the hoof wall that wears away and thus doesn't hold the nail tight. Uh, metal DOES bend and flex--that is why you get metal fatigue and sheering sometimes. <<I've never had a problem with shoe stability with only three nails per side, given a decent farrier and a horse with even averagely (is that a word?) decent feet.>> Many people "don't have problems" and as I said I am not disputing this or advocating or preaching what anyone should or shouldn't do. However, the point I was and am making is that circulation IS decreased, expansion IS decreased when a hoof is shod. Whether you decide that is critical to the well being of your horse is your decision to make. If you read my statement which you quoted above, the statement was specifically in reference to shoe stability, and the lack of need to put in the fourth nail--which is the only one that causes ANY restriction of expansion. With regard to the degree of expansion--on many of our horses, the edge of the shoes are often as much as 3/8" outside the non-expanded hoof wall at the heels--and sometimes we STILL have issues with so much expansion that the feet will overgrow the outsides of the shoes when the horses are very active. That's because they are expanding PAST the edges of the shoes at the heels. And one can verify that with the wear marks. Just how much DO you think the foot needs to expand? Even barefoot, it simply doesn't go much farther than that. I'm not asking you to "agree" or "disagree" here--I'm looking for some concrete numbers that suggest that a hoof really DOES expand larger than that if not shod. I KNOW it expands THAT much with shoes on, so your "disagreement" does nothing to alter the facts already in evidence. Heidi PS: BTW, I'm not trying to argue the merits of barefoot vs shod here--I'm simply trying to get facts on the table so that people CAN make rational choices. Our horses run out barefoot most of their lives, and have good, healthy feet. We shoe only when they are being ridden, and when wear exceeds growth. I'm not adverse to booting and various other protection methods, either--except that anything they don't wear all the time causes them to have to make other constant adjustments to the soft tissue structures of the leg and to their way of going, which is another hardship in itself. My only point here is that in making rational choices, people need to understand how the foot works--and the notion that shoes cut off the circulation to the feet just doesn't fly. I can think of many more rational arguments for not shoeing--but this one just ain't one of 'em! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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