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Re: [RC] hitching up the horse - Robin McGee
... I wonder how the Amish manage. Do they pad the horses' feet, or ???? For the most part, the Amish just use a horse up then throw it away. They get many of their buggy horses from the harness tracks, when they're forced to retire at age 13, or the ones that don't go fast enough. I have a draft-cross that was sold at auction with his mouth bleeding from the Amish auction workers hauling on his bit. He had been abused so severely and consistently that 2 years of gentle handling later, he still reacts with fear to any human movement, more often than not. Of course Amish are like any other group of people, some better and some worse. However, when you start at a place of considering your animals as pieces of working equipment rather than partners or friends, it's not as far from there to outright abuse. I've seen several examples of lousy treatment of horses by Amish, and heard more first-person stories. There are a variety of pads that go between shoe and hoof, or between shoe and road/terrain. The 1" thick rubber 'tires' that some carriage horses wear to protect the pavement and give traction have their downsides, like zero frog pressure leading to contracted heels, and the rubber tire breaks down in exactly the places the horse needs the most support. A shock-absorbing pad between hoof and shoe creates suction that pulls shoes off in mud, and it allows the shoe to loosen quickly as the pad compresses and re-expands with each stride. If a horse is used consistently, on consistent terrain, a properly trimmed bare hoof will adapt and grow out at the same rate it is worn down. I drove for a carriage company that kept its horses bare. They didn't even keep up with trims that well, but the horses are all sound and happy, working on pavement for 4-8 hours, several days a week. A bare foot can do its many jobs of shock absorption, assisting in blood circulation, and giving sensory feedback to help the horse be more surefooted. There is more concussion going up an iron-shod horse's leg at walk on pavement, than a barefoot horse at trot on the same surface. The same flexing of the hoof capsule that absorbs shock, also pumps blood back up the leg toward the heart. An iron shoe nailed on prevents almost all of that flexing, so those functions are canceled out. With reduced circulation comes reduced sensation, so a horse is less able to feel the ground surface under its feet and respond to it. It is entirely possible to work a horse on pavement and keep it sound, with the right trim and daily management. Happy trails, Robin M. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 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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