For Barefoot articles and resources  about Hoof Guided Method “HGM” go to:  http://www.spiritoftheherd.com/p/hgm-videos.html     also,  https://www.shonawatt.weebly.com

If you have a horse in shoes, you might think they will ”always need shoes”, even though they are struggling with:   crushed heelbulbs,  under-run heels,  high/low syndrome,  navicular,  collateral ligament strain,  ringbone/sidebone,  “jewelry”,  Arthritis…  bursitis,  caudal heel pain… You may have been told some of these things are (barely) manageable/ Not correctable/  or even just ”Genetic”.     Don’t give up yet!

These steel shoes were only 3weeks new, but you can see the swollen hock and fetlocks, from the long-toe mechanical dysfunction.   What amount of bodywork, supplements, or anti-inflammatory injections will get to the bottom of it?   Chronic stiffness, swelling, and asymmetry in shoulders, back, movement… the body can only compensate for bad mechanics for how long.

Below, is 1week shoes off, so nail holes break out the outer walls, right away.  Hot-shoeing melts the wall and dries out the whiteline by burning, these normally are more elastic.  To track the angles;  see these hoofwall tubules are very slanted in the heel and quarters of these front feet: “Under Run”, not supporting the weight of this horse, vertically.

The heel bulbs are too low,  on the floor.  Farriers were trained to artificially nail on ‘wedges’; Barefoot trim guidelines are all Natural, to bring hooves back to Balance.  6 mos progress:   the biggest change was Comfort-  since the 3rd week he would gallop everywhere without medication, shoes or even boots.  

NOT ALL BAREFOOT trims are equal…   when the farrier ‘leaves the shoe off’  he has still trimmed the hoof as if it would get steel nailed on.  This  leads to flaring, (distortion)  then chipping, in a short while.   Natural hooves look much better!   Just like a football player’s helmet fits over his skull because its form fitted.   That means the internal anatomy of the entire hoof must be known,  respected, AND protected!

Some trim techniques  don’t respect the frog and heels enough for the horse’s ongoing COMFORT.  Horses that get ‘ouchie’ after a trim need more protection developed!  Does your trimmer or farrier know how to make the outer hoof capsule protect , and grow thicker, stronger sole depth?

We follow research by vets, natural hoofcare associations and  Barefoot case studies.   Not only have Xrays gone digital, and are far more accurate…  hoof research has brought us detailed,  better understanding of what the hoof needs to perform, in a modern day world.

We support only methods that bring better comfort and better mechanical function to the horses.   The goal is to build stronger, healthier hooves, for our modern, domestic horses. ”No hoof,  no horse”….. Got Hoof?