Alternatives to Metal

Where The Rubber Meets The Road: Alternatives to Metal Horseshoes
By Carole Herder

The idea that horses can be barefoot is not new. Horses have a long history of barefoot performance and have carried fully armoured, full sized men into battle. They have been used for fieldwork, war and performance in their natural barefoot state. When the horse's weight descends, the hoof is sandwiched between that load and the ground. It is meant to spread apart upon weight bearing, with the coffin bone dropping down like a trampoline. This is the natural shock-absorbing feature of the hoof. The walls spread apart (up to 10mm from side to side) and the sole draws flat. Horses with this elasticity and hoof function are most adequately prepared to absorb shock and concussion. When metal is nailed in all around, how does the hoof perform its duty? Where is the shock absorbed? Perhaps it's absorbed in the sensitive tissue of the hoof or further up the structure of the leg. Perhaps the market proliferation of products containing glucosamines, MSM and anti inflammatories are really an indication of our inadequate understanding of the shock-absorbing features of the hoof. Perhaps if we allow our horses to function naturally they would not be showing increasing symptoms of pain and discomfort.

The metal shoe is nailed on when the hoof is in the air. It is at its smallest, most contracted shape. It is not weight-bearing or in movement, and is held firm in this state by the metal - no expansion and nowhere for the coffin bone to descend. As the coffin bone pushes down under the horse's weight, it is then bruising the solar corium which cannot expand and draw flat to get out of the way.