Photo courtesy of AANHCP

This is a wild horse hoof... or to be more specific this is the hoof from a feral horse from the Great Basin area of the United States. More importantly this is a healthy, strong and balanced hoof.

As an AANHCP Natural Hoofcare Practitioner this is the model that our work is based on and the perfection that we strive for.

Unfortunately for most people in the horse world this hoof is completely alien and looks all wrong!... where are the heels? it's too short etc. etc.

We all know that in the domestic horse population we see everything but hooves like this. The point is that what we see in domestic horses and also some feral populations are unhealthy hooves as a result of the animal living in an environment that is completely different from that which it evolved in and is designed for. Sadly the horse is not alone in this, you only need to look at the welfare issues (obesity, lameness and stress to name but a few) affecting farm animals, pets and even humans to realise this.

However the feral horses of the Great Basin are thriving (much to the consternation of ranchers and government) as they are living in an environment that they are perfectly suited for. For more information on the evolution of the horse click here.

Back in 1982 Jaime Jackson, former farrier and founder of the AANHCP went out to wild horse country and studied these horses for several years. What he found was healthy and more importantly sound animals and he started to wonder if by keeping horses in a manner that was more natural to them and mimicking the natural wear on the hooves with a barefoot trim we could solve many of the lameness problems that we face today. What he and many of us since have found, is that Natural Hoofcare is not only posssible but also beneficial to the health, wellbeing and performance of the horse.

If you would like to join us on our quest for healthy hooves (and happy horses!) then please read on.

 

 Photo courtesy of AANHCP