Comments on the article in Dressage Today
Posted by Irina Yastrebova on Thursday, October 4, 2007 10:44 PM
I would like to say a few words in defense of a natural trim.
I think James Gilchrist gave incomplete and as a consequence
not entirely correct description of a natural trim.
First of all, mustang hooves were studied to better understand
a biomechanics of horses hooves, not just to imitate their hooves.
The study was done by vets and farriers who were looking for solutions
to common hooves problems.
Second, natural trim's goal is not to create a very quick brake over.
Its goal is to trim the wall with accordance of the hoof's structure,
the sole in particular.
If a horse is shod the wall is prepared to be flat. If a horse is left barefoot
the wall is rounded. There are a few consequences of such trim:
-
The brake over is quicker
-
The wall and pastern align themselves properly
-
The hoof's wall becomes thick and very strong with excellent attachment to the coffin bone
-
No cracks, no flaring
-
The sole is concave and very strong
-
The frog and heels are working properly and very healthy
-
No stumbling or brushing
I trim my horse with the natural trim method for 15 months now. He is never been in better
health regarding his hooves. I encourage
everyone to study these new findings about horses hooves and decide for themselves
what is the best for their horses.
Happy riding...
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